Battle of Oliwa
Encyclopedia
The naval Battle of Oliva, also Battle of Oliwa or Battle of Gdańsk Roadstead, took place on 28 November 1627 during the Polish-Swedish War outside Danzig (Gdansk
) harbour near Oliva (Oliwa
), a village outside of Danzig. It was the biggest and the last naval battle of the Polish royal navy
, but it brought a victory over a Swedish squadron.
The Swedes had a strong navy, and they maintained a blockade of the Baltic shore, especially Danzig harbour. On 28 November 1627, the Polish fleet engaged the Swedish blockading squadron. The Polish ships were more numerous, but only four galleon
s had full combat value, the rest were smaller ships. The Swedes had a longer tradition of seamanship, while the Polish navy was newly formed.
The Polish fleet of ten ships, commanded by admiral Arend Dickmann
in the galleon Sankt Georg (Święty Jerzy), was anchored at Danzig roadstead, while the Swedish squadron of six ships sailed from the direction of the Hel Peninsula
. The Poles weighed anchor and rushed towards the Swedes, who did not expect such reaction. The battle soon split into two encounters.
The Polish flagship Sankt Georg, supported by a smaller ship Meerweib (Panna Wodna), attacked the Swedish Tigern, flagship of admiral Niels Stiernsköld . The ships stuck together and the Polish marines fought their way onto and captured Tigern. Meanwhile the Polish vice admiral's ship, the small galleon Meerman (Wodnik) attacked the larger Solen ("The Sun"). As a result the captain of Solen blew his ship up rather than allowing it to be captured. The remaining four Swedish ships escaped and a pursuit failed. Both admirals were killed in the battle.
The battle was propagated widely by the Polish court. There also appeared a saying, that: "the sun set at noon that day", referring to the scuttling and subsequent sinking of one of the Swedish ships.
Polish ships:
They were known in sources with original German
names, though now they are now known in Poland for their translated Polish
names.
Swedish ships:
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
) harbour near Oliva (Oliwa
Oliwa
Oliwa, also Oliva is one of the quarters of Gdańsk. From east it borders Przymorze and Żabianka, from the north Sopot and from the south with the districts of Strzyża, VII Dwór and Brętowo, while from the west with Matarnia and Osowa...
), a village outside of Danzig. It was the biggest and the last naval battle of the Polish royal navy
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Navy
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Navy was the navy of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.- Battle of Oliva :During the time of Polish–Swedish War in 1627, the Commonwealth fleet under command of Admiral Arend Dickmann achieved it most famous victory, breaking the Swedish blockade at the Battle of...
, but it brought a victory over a Swedish squadron.
The Swedes had a strong navy, and they maintained a blockade of the Baltic shore, especially Danzig harbour. On 28 November 1627, the Polish fleet engaged the Swedish blockading squadron. The Polish ships were more numerous, but only four galleon
Galleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
s had full combat value, the rest were smaller ships. The Swedes had a longer tradition of seamanship, while the Polish navy was newly formed.
The Polish fleet of ten ships, commanded by admiral Arend Dickmann
Arend Dickmann
Arend Dickmann - Admiral in the Polish Navy. He was a Dutchman, born in Delft under the name Arend Dijckman. From 1608 he lived in Gdansk, being an owner of a merchant ship. In 1626 he entered in the service of the Polish king Sigismund III Vasa...
in the galleon Sankt Georg (Święty Jerzy), was anchored at Danzig roadstead, while the Swedish squadron of six ships sailed from the direction of the Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula |Nehrung]]) is a 35-km-long sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is located in Puck County of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.- Geography :...
. The Poles weighed anchor and rushed towards the Swedes, who did not expect such reaction. The battle soon split into two encounters.
The Polish flagship Sankt Georg, supported by a smaller ship Meerweib (Panna Wodna), attacked the Swedish Tigern, flagship of admiral Niels Stiernsköld . The ships stuck together and the Polish marines fought their way onto and captured Tigern. Meanwhile the Polish vice admiral's ship, the small galleon Meerman (Wodnik) attacked the larger Solen ("The Sun"). As a result the captain of Solen blew his ship up rather than allowing it to be captured. The remaining four Swedish ships escaped and a pursuit failed. Both admirals were killed in the battle.
The battle was propagated widely by the Polish court. There also appeared a saying, that: "the sun set at noon that day", referring to the scuttling and subsequent sinking of one of the Swedish ships.
Polish ships:
They were known in sources with original German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
names, though now they are now known in Poland for their translated Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
names.
- 1st Squadron
- Ritter Sankt Georg (Rycerz Święty Jerzy) ("Knight St George") - galleonGalleonA galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
, 31 guns, 400t (also known as Sankt Georg) - Fliegender Hirsch (Latający Jeleń) ("Flying Deer") - galleon, 20 guns, 300t
- Meerweib (Panna Wodna) ("Sea Virgo") - 12 guns, 160t
- Schwarzer Rabe (Czarny Kruk) ("Black Raven") - 16 guns, 260t
- Gelber Löwe (Żółty Lew) ("Yellow Lion") - 10 guns, 120t
- Ritter Sankt Georg (Rycerz Święty Jerzy) ("Knight St George") - galleon
- 2nd Squadron
- Meermann (Wodnik) ("Aquarius") - galleon, 17 guns, 200t
- König David (Król Dawid) ("King David") - galleon, 31 guns, 400t, under Jakub Mora
- Arche Noah (Arka Noego) ("Noah's Ark") - 16 guns, 180t
- Weißer Löwe (Biały Lew) ("White Lion") - 8 guns, 200t
- Feuerblase (Płomień) ("Fireblaze") - 18 guns, 240t
Swedish ships:
- Tigern ("Tiger") - flagship, galleon, 22 guns, 320 t - captured
- Solen ("Sun") - galleon, 38 guns, 300 t - scuttled by her own crew
- Pelikanen ("Pelican") - galleon, 20 guns, 200 t
- Månen ("Moon") - galleon, 26 guns, 300 t
- Enhörningen ("Unicorn") - galleon, 18 guns, 240t
- Papegojan ("Parrot") - 16 guns, 180t
See also
- Battle of Zatoka ŚwieżaBattle of Zatoka SwiezaThe Battle of Vistula Lagoon was fought on September 15, 1463 between the Teutonic Order navy, and the navy of Prussian Confederation which was allied with the King of Poland....
- Warship Vasa
- List of naval battles
- Military historyMilitary historyMilitary history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
- History of PolandHistory of PolandThe History of Poland is rooted in the arrival of the Slavs, who gave rise to permanent settlement and historic development on Polish lands. During the Piast dynasty Christianity was adopted in 966 and medieval monarchy established...