Battle of Lyngør
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Lyngør was a naval battle fought between Denmark-Norway and Britain in 1812 on the southern coast of Norway, effectively concluding the Gunboat War
in Britain's favour and putting Denmark-Norway out of the war.
on supply lines between Norway
and Denmark
in the Skagerrak
sound, except for Norwegian ships transporting lumber to Britain. The resulting blockade isolated Norway from both Denmark and from the market and was a catastrophe for Norway. Most exports were stopped, as well as grain imports from Denmark. The consequences were economic crisis, with hunger and severe famine due to the blockade.
The Norwegians preferred to limit military operations to coastal defence. Nevertheless, what was left of the Dano-Norwegian fleet after the Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
fleet was committed to breaking the blockade. After years of skirmishes, the Dano-Norwegian fleet was reduced to one major ship, the frigate Najaden
, which they had finished in 1811 with materiel salvaged from a ship-of-the-line destroyed in earlier battles. Najaden was under the command of Danish naval officer Hans Peter Holm (1772-1812) Three brigs - Kiel (under the command of Otto Frederick Rasch), Lolland and Samsøe - accompanied Najaden.
Eyeing an opportunity to enforce the blockade and break the back of Dano-Norwegian seapower, the British deployed the 64-gun Third Rate
ship-of-the-line and three brigs, the 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop
, 14-gun brig-sloop and the 14-gun gun brig .
between Norway and Denmark, and effectively ending Danish involvement in the Napoleonic Wars. In a pitched battle, his ship-of-the-line would easily defeat the frigate. As a consequence, Steward, a Scotsman known in the Royal Navy as "Mad Jim", was simply looking for a confrontation.
Captain Holm never intended to engage the British ships. He relied on his superior knowledge of the local waters to evade Steward's pursuit. The group of Danish-Norwegian naval forces based in Norway was utilizing a sheltered but weakly defended anchorage on the coast of Norway as a base of operations. If attacked by a superior naval force, the Danish-Norwegian warships would basically be caught, cornered in a geographic death trap in the skerries from which there was no apparent escape, except through the one entrance, which was inadequately protected by coastal batteries.
, where the captain felt secure. His premise was that no British ship would risk running ashore in the unfamiliar and craggy archipelago. He accepted an invitation to dine with the captain of the Samsøe and even went ashore on the island after his meal. From the hills above, he saw that the British ships were inside the archipelago and headed in his direction.
Rushing back to his ships, he ordered the ships along an inner route northeast, toward Lyngør
. Podargus was in the van of the British squadron, apparently with a pilot on board who was familiar with the waters. Still, she ran aground at Buskjærsteinen and Steward ordered Flamer to stay behind and assist. Several smaller Danish and Norwegian boats immediately attacked Podargus and Flamer. Among them were Lieutenant Parnemann with the armed launch Kiøge Bugt and gunboat No.3 under the command of Lieutenant Ring. Four additional gunboats from the Arendal Division, commanded by Captain-Lieutenant Dietrichson, subsequently reinforced them. Lastly, the battery at Digernes also fired on the two British brigs. Although the Podargus and Flamer sustained considerable damage, they eventually rejoined Dictator after the main battle was over.
Najaden went into the narrow sound of Lyngør
where she anchored between Holmen and Odden, detaching most of her supporting vessels to fight Podargus and Flamer. Steward sailed into the sound, dropped an anchor behind him, and deliberately ran ashore with his broadside perpendicular to the sound. Using his anchor line for leverage, he positioned Dictator to set its broadside against Najaden at a range of 35-40 meters. Unable to turn, Najaden had its broadside pointing away from the opposing ship and was dead in the water.
At about 9:30 pm, Dictator unleashed a 15-minute barrage against Najaden that amounted to four tons of ordnance. The barrage broke her main mast almost immediately and caused a fire on the ship and the Danish brigs anchored nearby. Within 45 minutes, Najaden had sunk, having suffered 133 dead and 82 wounded. Captain Holm survived, only to drown in an accident a few months later.
The battle resumed as the Norwegian gunboats found their way into Lyngør. At 2 a.m. on July 7, Dictator pulled herself off and departed, harried out of Norwegian waters by Norwegian gunboats.
The British took Laaland and Kiel as prizes but had to abandon them after the two vessels grounded. The British did not set fire to either as they still had their crews and wounded aboard.
The action cost Dictator five killed and 24 wounded, Calypso three killed, one wounded and two missing, and Flamer one killed and one wounded. Overall, the Danes acknowledged losing 300 men killed or wounded. Commander Weir of Calypso was immediately, and Commander Robilliard of Podargus in the ensuing December, promoted to post-captain
; Dictators first lieutenant, William Buchanan, was made a commander. In 1847 the surviving British participants were authorized to apply for the clasp "Off Mardoe 6 July 1812" to the Naval General Service Medal.
, Denmark ceded dominion over Norway
, setting the stage for Norway's independence movement, which was not to be fully realised until 1905. It also freed up British naval resources to fight France's navy in the Napoleonic Wars.
Gunboat War
The Gunboat War was the naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing small gunboats against the conventional Royal Navy...
in Britain's favour and putting Denmark-Norway out of the war.
Background
Denmark-Norway’s attempt to remain neutral in the struggle between France and England and their respective allies early in the 19th century came to an end after England’s preemptive naval actions of 1807, in which the entire Danish fleet was taken. The British imposed a blockadeBlockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
on supply lines between Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in the Skagerrak
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
sound, except for Norwegian ships transporting lumber to Britain. The resulting blockade isolated Norway from both Denmark and from the market and was a catastrophe for Norway. Most exports were stopped, as well as grain imports from Denmark. The consequences were economic crisis, with hunger and severe famine due to the blockade.
The Norwegians preferred to limit military operations to coastal defence. Nevertheless, what was left of the Dano-Norwegian fleet after the Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
The Second Battle of Copenhagen was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet and in turn originate the term to Copenhagenize.-Background:Despite the defeat and loss of many ships in the first Battle of Copenhagen in...
fleet was committed to breaking the blockade. After years of skirmishes, the Dano-Norwegian fleet was reduced to one major ship, the frigate Najaden
HDMS Najaden (1811)
HDMS Najaden was a frigate in the Royal Danish-Norwegian Navy. She was commissioned in 1811 and originally carried 36 guns, later being upgraded to 42. She served briefly during the Gunboat War only seeing action once, when on 6 July 1812 the British ship of the line and the sank her during the...
, which they had finished in 1811 with materiel salvaged from a ship-of-the-line destroyed in earlier battles. Najaden was under the command of Danish naval officer Hans Peter Holm (1772-1812) Three brigs - Kiel (under the command of Otto Frederick Rasch), Lolland and Samsøe - accompanied Najaden.
Eyeing an opportunity to enforce the blockade and break the back of Dano-Norwegian seapower, the British deployed the 64-gun Third Rate
Third-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks . Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability , firepower, and cost...
ship-of-the-line and three brigs, the 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop
Cruizer class brig-sloop
The Cruizer class was an 18-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops were the same as ship-sloops except for their rigging...
, 14-gun brig-sloop and the 14-gun gun brig .
Battle plans
Captain Steward's plan was to chase down Najaden and destroy it, thereby giving Britain supremacy over the trade routes across the SkagerrakSkagerrak
The Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
between Norway and Denmark, and effectively ending Danish involvement in the Napoleonic Wars. In a pitched battle, his ship-of-the-line would easily defeat the frigate. As a consequence, Steward, a Scotsman known in the Royal Navy as "Mad Jim", was simply looking for a confrontation.
Captain Holm never intended to engage the British ships. He relied on his superior knowledge of the local waters to evade Steward's pursuit. The group of Danish-Norwegian naval forces based in Norway was utilizing a sheltered but weakly defended anchorage on the coast of Norway as a base of operations. If attacked by a superior naval force, the Danish-Norwegian warships would basically be caught, cornered in a geographic death trap in the skerries from which there was no apparent escape, except through the one entrance, which was inadequately protected by coastal batteries.
Battle
Najaden had anchored near the island of Sandøya near TvedestrandTvedestrand
is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Tvedestrand....
, where the captain felt secure. His premise was that no British ship would risk running ashore in the unfamiliar and craggy archipelago. He accepted an invitation to dine with the captain of the Samsøe and even went ashore on the island after his meal. From the hills above, he saw that the British ships were inside the archipelago and headed in his direction.
Rushing back to his ships, he ordered the ships along an inner route northeast, toward Lyngør
Lyngør
Lyngør is a village area on a group of small islands in the municipality of Tvedestrand in Aust-Agder county, off the southeast coast of Norway...
. Podargus was in the van of the British squadron, apparently with a pilot on board who was familiar with the waters. Still, she ran aground at Buskjærsteinen and Steward ordered Flamer to stay behind and assist. Several smaller Danish and Norwegian boats immediately attacked Podargus and Flamer. Among them were Lieutenant Parnemann with the armed launch Kiøge Bugt and gunboat No.3 under the command of Lieutenant Ring. Four additional gunboats from the Arendal Division, commanded by Captain-Lieutenant Dietrichson, subsequently reinforced them. Lastly, the battery at Digernes also fired on the two British brigs. Although the Podargus and Flamer sustained considerable damage, they eventually rejoined Dictator after the main battle was over.
Najaden went into the narrow sound of Lyngør
Lyngør
Lyngør is a village area on a group of small islands in the municipality of Tvedestrand in Aust-Agder county, off the southeast coast of Norway...
where she anchored between Holmen and Odden, detaching most of her supporting vessels to fight Podargus and Flamer. Steward sailed into the sound, dropped an anchor behind him, and deliberately ran ashore with his broadside perpendicular to the sound. Using his anchor line for leverage, he positioned Dictator to set its broadside against Najaden at a range of 35-40 meters. Unable to turn, Najaden had its broadside pointing away from the opposing ship and was dead in the water.
At about 9:30 pm, Dictator unleashed a 15-minute barrage against Najaden that amounted to four tons of ordnance. The barrage broke her main mast almost immediately and caused a fire on the ship and the Danish brigs anchored nearby. Within 45 minutes, Najaden had sunk, having suffered 133 dead and 82 wounded. Captain Holm survived, only to drown in an accident a few months later.
The battle resumed as the Norwegian gunboats found their way into Lyngør. At 2 a.m. on July 7, Dictator pulled herself off and departed, harried out of Norwegian waters by Norwegian gunboats.
The British took Laaland and Kiel as prizes but had to abandon them after the two vessels grounded. The British did not set fire to either as they still had their crews and wounded aboard.
The action cost Dictator five killed and 24 wounded, Calypso three killed, one wounded and two missing, and Flamer one killed and one wounded. Overall, the Danes acknowledged losing 300 men killed or wounded. Commander Weir of Calypso was immediately, and Commander Robilliard of Podargus in the ensuing December, promoted to post-captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
; Dictators first lieutenant, William Buchanan, was made a commander. In 1847 the surviving British participants were authorized to apply for the clasp "Off Mardoe 6 July 1812" to the Naval General Service Medal.
Consequences
The Battle of Lyngør effectively ended Denmark's involvement in the Napoleonic Wars. In the Treaty of KielTreaty of Kiel
The Treaty of Kiel or Peace of Kiel was concluded between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Kingdom of Sweden on one side and the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway on the other side on 14 January 1814 in Kiel...
, Denmark ceded dominion over Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, setting the stage for Norway's independence movement, which was not to be fully realised until 1905. It also freed up British naval resources to fight France's navy in the Napoleonic Wars.