Historic Naval Fiction The Home of Naval Fiction Set in the Age of Sail

Battle of Copenhagen

The Battle of Copenhagen took pace on 2nd April 1801 anchored of Copenhagen.

The Royal Navy, under the command of Sir Horatio Nelson (overall command Sir Hyde Parker) defeated the Danish defenders under Olfert Fischer and Steen Bille. 

Summary:

The League of Armed Neutrality comprising Scandinavia, Prussia, and Russia, to enforce free trade with France, was seen by Britain as a threat to the supply of timber and naval stores from Scandinavia.

A fleet was sent which needed to act before the Baltic Sea thawed and released the Russian fleet. Parker was ordered to detach Denmark from the League by 'amicable arrangement or by actual hostilities'. On 30 March they passed through the narrows.

The Danish fleet was moored along the shore with old ships (hulks), no longer fit for service at sea, but still powerfully armed, as a line of floating batteries off the eastern coast of the island of Amager, in front of the city in the King's Channel. The northern end of the line terminated at the Tre Kroner forts armed with 68 guns. Batteries covered the water between the Danish line and the shore, and further out to sea a large shoal, the Middle Ground, constricted the channel. The British spent most of the night of 31 March taking soundings in the channel up to the Danish line.

Parker gave Nelson the shallower draft ships whilst he remained to the north-east screening Nelson from external interference. The British ships anchored by the stern about a cable (240 yards) from the Danes and they exchanged broadsides until a ship ceased firing. Thinking that Nelson might be being fought to a stand-still but unable to retreat without orders Parker signalled to discontinue the action but upon receiving it Nelson made his famous comment "You know, Foley, I only have one eye - I have the right to be blind sometimes," and holding his telescope to his blind eye "I really do not see the signal!".

Eventually the superior gunnery of the British started to silence the Danish ships. The cessation of firing left the way open for the British bomb vessels to approach Copenhagen. Several Danish ships fired on British boats sent out to them after their officers had signalled their surrender and Nelson said that he 'must either send on shore and stop this irregular proceeding, or send in our fire ships and burn them'. He sent a note under a flag of truce to the Dano-Norwegian regent, Crown Prince Frederik. After a further exchange of notes a twenty-four hour ceasefire was agreed.

The Danish-Norwegian loses were estimated between 1,135 to 2,215 captured, killed or wounded. British casualties were 264 killed and 689 wounded. Eleven Danish prizes were burnt and Holsteen returned to England with the wounded.

Novels based around this battle.

	Ships	Guns	Captain	Ships fate
British Fleet - Nelson's Squadron
	Polyphemus	64	John Lawford
	Isis	50	James Walker
	Edgar	74	George Murray
	Ardent	64	Thomas Bertie
	Glatton	56	William Bligh
	Elephant	74	Flag - Vice Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson Cptn. - Thomas Foley
	Ganges	74	Thomas Francis Fremantle
	Monarch	74	James Robert Mosse
	Defiance	74	Flag - Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves Cptn. - Richard Retalick
	Russell	74	William Cuming
	Bellona	74	Thomas Boulden Thompson
	Agamemnon	64	Robert Devereux Fancourt
	Désirée	36	Henry Inman
	Amazon	38	Edward Riou (Killed in Action)
	Blanche	36	Graham Eden Hamond
	Alcmène	32	Samuel Sutton
	Jamaica	24	Jonas Rose
	Arrow	28	William Bolton
	Dart	28	John Ferris Devonshire
	Cruizer	18	Cdr. James Brisbane
	Harpy	18	Cdr. William Birchall
	Discovery	Bomb	Cdr. John Conn
	Explosion	Bomb	Cdr. John Henry Martin
	Hecla	Bomb	Cdr. Richard Hatherhill
	Sulphur	Bomb	Cdr. Hender Whitter
	Terror	Bomb	Cdr. Samuel Campbell Rowley
	Volcano	Bomb	Cdr. James Watson
	Zebra	Bomb	Cdr. Edward Sneyd Clay
	Otter	Fireship	Cdr. George M'Kinley
	Zephyr	Fireship	Cdr. Clotworthy Upton
Danish Fleet - King's Deep Division (North to South)
	Prøvesteenen	60	Cptn. L. F. Lassen	Captured
	Wagrien	50	Cptn. F.C. Risbrich	Captured
	Rendsborg	20	Lt. C.T.Egede	Captured
	Nyborg	20	Lt. C.A. Rothe	Sunk
	Jylland	50	Cptn. E.O.Branth	Captured
	Sværdfisken	20	Lt. S.S. Sommerfeldt
	Kronborg	22	Lt. J.E. Hauch	Captured
	Hajen	20	Lt. J.N. Müller
	Dannebrog	60	Flag - Cptn. Olfert Fischer Cptn. - F.A. Bruun	Caught fire & blew up
	Elven	10	Lt. H. Holsten
	Grenier's float	20	(floating battery)
	Aggershus	20	Lt. T. Fassing	Sunk
	Siælland	74	Cptn. F.C.L. Harboe
	Charlotte Amalia	26	Cptn. H.H. Kofoed	Captured
	Søehesten	18	Lt. B.U. Middelboe
	Holsteen	60	Cptn. J. Arenfelt	Captured
	Indfødsretten	64	A. de Turah
	Hjelperen	16	Lt. P.C. Lilienskiold	Withdrew
Danish - Fortifications
	Sea battery TreKroner	68
	Sea Battery Lynetten
	Land battery Sixtus
	Land battery Quintus
	Fortress Kastellet
British Fleet - Also Present - Parker's Reserve Squadron
	London	98	Flag - Admiral Sir Hyde Parker Cptn. of the Fleet - William Domett  Cptn. - Robert Walker Otway
	St George	98	Thomas Masterman Hardy
	Defence	74	Henry Paulet
	Ramillies	74	James William Taylor Dixon
	Saturn	74	Robert Lambert
	Warrior	74	Charles Tyler
	Raisonnable	64	John Dilkes
	Veteran	64	Archibald Collingwood Dickson
Danish Fleet - Also Present - Inner Run Division
	Elephanten	70
	Mars	74
	Sarpen	18
	Nidelven	18
	Danmark	74
	Trekroner	74	(not to be confused with Tre Kroner fortress)
Danish Fleet - Also Present - Inner Harbour Division (Flag - Cptn. Stein Bille)
	Iris	40
	Aalborg		x
	Arendel		x
	Christiansund		x
	Flensborg		x
	Langesund		x
	Naskau
	Nykøbing		x
	Odense		x
	Stavaern
	Stege
	Viborg