Quercus robur the oak tree at Boscobel House, where the future King Charles II hid from his Parliamentarian pursuers in 1650 during the English Civil War; the tree has since been known as the Royal Oak. This event was celebrated nationally on 29 May as Oak Apple Day, which is continued to this day in some communities. ‘The Royal Oak’ is the third most popular pub name in Britain (541 in 2007) and has been the name of eight major Royal Navy warships. The naval associations are strengthened by the fact that oak was the main construction material for sailing warships. The
HMS Royal Oak (08) torpedo attack. By 19:15, "Royal Oak" gunners had observed the German battlecruiser squadron and opened fire at the leading vessel, . The gunners overestimated the range initially, but by 19:20 had found the correct distance scored a pair of hits aft, which did not inflict serious damage. "Derfflinger" then disappeared in the haze, so "Royal Oak" shifted fire to the next battlecruiser, . She scored a hit at 19:27 before "Seydlitz" too was lost in the mist. While "Royal Oak" was attacking the battlecruisers, a German torpedo boat flotilla launched an attack on the British line. "Royal Oak"s secondary guns