HMS Royal Oak (1674)

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HMS Royal Oak was a 17th century gunship of the Royal Navy, built in 1674, and rebuilt in 1690, 1713 and 1741.

Concerning the Royal Oak of 1674: Ships of the 18th Century Royal Navy [1] has it being a 3rd rate, 70 gun ship built in Deptford in 1674 and broken up in 1737.

The site claims a 64-gun 4th rate ROYAL OAK was built in 1741 Plymouth and broken up in 1764 after serving as a prison ship between 1756 and 1763 off Plymouth. It was the scene of an incident in January 1759 in which a French prisoner, Jean Manaux, told the warden that his fellow prisoners were forging passes. His fellow prisoners discovered this on 25 January, dragged him to a remote part of a ship, gave him 60 strokes with a large iron thimble tied to a rope, then beat him to death after he struggled from his bonds.

They dismembered his body in an attempt to get rid of it.

At an inquest the next day ashore, one of the prisoners provided information on the murder -- which resulted in the hanging of Charles Darras, Louis Bourdec, Fleurant Termineu, Pierre Pitroll and Pierre Lagnal on April 25.

The ship was launched in 1741 with John Stevens as master; Pentecost Barker as purser; Nicholas Colins a cook; and Charles Jacob Saxe as surgeon. Capt. Philip Vincent took command that same year and the ship was assigned to the Mediterranean with Rear Ad. Richard LESTOCK's squadron. Vincent was followed by Capt. Edmund Willams, Capt. Charles Long and Capt. James Hodsall.