Royal Oak class ship of the line

Class overview
Name:	Royal Oak
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceded by:	Elizabeth-class
Succeeded by:	Culloden-class
In service:	13 November 1769 - 1818
Completed:	6
General characteristics
Type:	Ship of the line
Length:	168 ft 6 in (51.4 m) (gundeck) 138 ft 2 in (42.1 m) (keel)
Beam:	46 ft 9 in (14.2 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Armament:	74 guns: Gundeck: 28 × 32 pdrs Upper gundeck: 28 × 18 pdrs Quarterdeck: 14 × 9 pdrs Forecastle: 4 × 9 pdrs
Notes:	Ships in class include: Royal Oak, Conqueror, Bedford, Hector, Vengeance, Sultan

The Royal Oak-class ships of the line were a class of six 74-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir John Williams. The Alfred class were an enlarged version of the Royal Oak class.

Ships

• HMS Royal Oak

Builder: Plymouth Dockyard

Ordered: 16 November 1765

Launched: 13 November 1769

Fate: Broken up, 1815

• HMS Conqueror

Builder: Plymouth Dockyard

Ordered: 12 October 1768

Laid Down: October 1769

Launched: 18 October 1773

Completed for Sea: 12 July 1777

Fate: Broken up, November 1794

• HMS Bedford

Builder: Woolwich Dockyard

Ordered: 12 October 1768

Launched: 27 October 1775

Fate: Broken up, 1817

• HMS Hector

Builder: Adams, Deptford

Ordered: 14 January 1771

Launched: 27 May 1774

Fate: Broken up, 1816

• HMS Vengeance

Builder: Randall, Rotherhithe

Ordered: 14 January 1771

Launched: 25 June 1774

Fate: Broken up, 1816

• HMS Sultan

Builder: Barnard, Harwich

Ordered: 14 January 1771

Launched: 23 December 1775

Fate: Broken up, 1816

References

• Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.
• Winfield, Rif. British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714-1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates, pub Seaforth, 2007, ISBN 1-86176-295-X