 The Royal Escape, painted by Willem van de Velde the Younger
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 England | |
| Name | HMY Royal Escape |
| Acquired | 1660 |
| Commissioned | 26 July 1672 |
| Renamed | Originally named Surprise |
| Fate | Sold in 1750 |
| General characteristics [1]: 872 | |
| Class and type | Royal yacht |
| Tons burthen | 3359⁄94 (bm) |
| Length | 41 ft 8 in (12.70 m) |
| Beam | 14 ft 5 in (4.39 m) |
| Depth of hold | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| General characteristics after 1736 rebuild[2] | |
| Tons burthen | 49 24⁄94 (bm) |
| Length | 52 ft (16 m) |
| Beam | 15 ft 5 in (4.70 m) |
| Draught | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Depth of hold | 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) |
HMY Royal Escape was a royal yacht owned by King Charles II. She was the former collier Surprise that had carried the king across the Channel to safety.[3]
King Charles took passage on Surprise after the defeat of the royalist cause in 1651, narrowly avoiding pursuing Parliamentarian forces. He arrived safely in France, where he lived in exile until the Restoration in 1660. On his return Charles purchased the ship he had travelled on, naming her after his escape from England nearly a decade before. He kept her moored close to his palace, showing her to visitors. The ship remained on the Navy Lists for many years, being sold finally in 1750, although several other vessels continued the name until 1877.
- ^ Winfield, Rif (2009). British warships in the age of sail, 1603-1714 : design, construction, careers and fates (Kindle ed.). Barnsley: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-040-6.
- ^ Winfield. British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714–1792. p. 376.
- ^ "The Royal Escape Close-Hauled in a Breeze | Royal Museums Greenwich". www.rmg.co.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2021.