HMS Royal Oak (1892) well as the Cruiser Squadron. In April 1904, while operating with the Home Fleet off the Scilly Isles, "Royal Oak" and her sister ship "Revenge" had their bottoms lightly damaged when they struck a sunken wreck. On 9 May 1904, "Royal Oak" became flagship of the Home Fleet's second-in-command, relieving her sister "Empress of India", and took part in annual maneuvers in July and August. On 7 March 1905, "Royal Oak" paid off at Portsmouth into the Chatham Reserve, and her crew transferred to the battleship "Caesar". The following day the ship recommissioned with a skeleton crew for service with
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