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Abstract
The British gunboat war against Denmark in the period 1808 to 1813 was conducted against vital Baltic convoys carrying strategic materials and manufactured goods travelling through hostile or, at best, neutral waters. Following the loss of her battle fleets, Danish Norwegian attacking forces consisted of highly manoeuvrable oared vessels carrying few guns and lighter brigs mounting attacks in open waters. ‘Hit and run’ operations were countered by operational placements of line of battle ships and blockade forces led by frigates. Danish forces reacted accordingly, using the geography of the coastal waters to best advantage. With the launch of the Najaden in 1812, the balance of forces was threatened, but the application of effective intelligence and the knowledge of an embarked pilot led to its tracking and confrontation inshore at Lyngør, Norway. The resulting action led by a 64-gun Third Rate running aground amidst coastal islands was both brutal and decisive, with the Danish commerce raider succumbing to fire and explosion. This article uses Admiralty letters and ships’ logbooks to provide new insights on this battle and the impact it had on Denmark and Norway's future.
Notes
1 Grainger, The British Navy in the Baltic, 137.
2 Anderson, Oared Fighting Ships, 98.
3 The National Archives, Kew (hereafter TNA), ADM 1/7, Letters from Commander-in-Chief, Baltic (hereafter Letters) 1808, 20 Oct. 1808.
4 E. Nielsen, ‘British Warship Losses in Danish-Norwegian Waters 1807–14′, https://milhist.dk/british-warship-losses-in-danish-norwegian-waters-1807-14/
5 Ryan, ‘The Defence of British Trade’, 453
6 TNA, ADM 1/6 Letters 1808, 19 May 1810.
7 Ibid.
8 TNA, ADM 1/14 Letters 1812, 22 Apr. 1812.
9 TNA, ADM 1/15 Letters 1812, 29 May 1812.
10 TNA, ADM 1/11 Letters 1810/11, 4 May 1811.
11 TNA, ADM 1/14 Letters 1812, 17 Mar. 1812.
12 Ibid.
13 Ibid.
14 S. Sandvold, ‘Hans Peter Holm’, Norsk biografisk lexicon, https://nbl.snl.no/Hans_Peter_ Holm.
15 TNA, ADM 1/14 Letters 1812, 17 Mar. 1812.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid.
19 TNA, ADM 1/14 Letters 1812, 4 Jul. 1812.
20 TNA, ADM 1/14 Letters 1812, 27 Jun. 1812.
21 TNA, ADM 51/2218 Captains’ logs, HMS Calypso.
22 TNA, ADM 1/15 Letters 1812, 7 Jul. 1812.
23 Ibid.
24 TNA, ADM 1/15 Letters 1812, 6 Jul. 1812
25 TNA, ADM 1/15 Letters 1812, 7 Jul. 1812.
26 Ibid.
27 TNA, ADM 51/2394 Captains’ logs, HMS Flamer.
28 Bonner-Smith, Boteler's Recollections, 20.
29 TNA, ADM 51/2293 Captains’ logs, HMS Dictator.
30 Ibid.
31 Ibid.
32 ‘Capitain Holms Rapport’, in Erindringer som Bidrag til Norges Historie fra 1800 til 1815 digitized at http://runeberg.org/norge-1815/
33 TNA, ADM 51/2293 Captains’ logs, HMS Dictator.
34 TNA, ADM 1/15 Letters 1812,7 Jul. 1812.
35 Richmond, Statesmen and Sea Power, ix.
36 Brodie, A Layman's Guide to Naval Strategy, 59.
37 Ryan, ‘The Defence of British Trade’, 447.
38 Davey, The Transformation of British Naval Strategy, 1.
39 Ibid.
40 Knight, Britain Against Napoleon, 395.
41 Ryan, ‘The Defence of British Trade’, 462.
42 Ryan, ‘The Defence of British Trade’, 454.
43 Roskill, The Strategy of Sea Power, 41.
44 Ryan, ‘The Defence of British Trade’, 466.
45 Glenthøj and Nordhagen Ottosen, Experiences of War and Nationality, 102.
46 Øverland, Slaget ved Lyngør 1812, 3.
47 Heidem, Slaget i Lyngør 1812; https://www.bokbyen-skagerrak.no/dronning-sonja-fekk-forste-boka-om-slaget-i-lyngor/ Other studies include Anonsen, Slaget ved Lyngør and Bjønsen, Jakten på Najaden.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Martin L. Robson
Martin L. Robson is an independent researcher and formerly a director of finance specializing in the study of naval warfare in the period 1793–1945 and in particular the French Revolutionary and Empire wars and early steam navies. Previous publications include ‘The Tip of the Spear Captain Henry Hotham and the blockade of Brest and L’Orient’, The Mariners Mirror 102:4 (2016).