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Gunboat War

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The Gunboat War
Part of theEnglish Warsand theNapoleonic Wars

Danish privateers intercepting an enemy vessel during the Napoleonic Wars,a painting byChristian Mølsteddepicting an unspecified engagement in the Gunboat War
Date12 August 1807 – 14 January 1814
(6 years, 5 months and 3 days)
Location
Result Anglo-Swedish victory
Treaty of Kiel
End ofDenmark-Norway
Territorial
changes
Belligerents
Denmark–NorwayDenmark–Norway
Co-belligerent:
Russian EmpireRussian Empire(1808–09)
Supported by:
First French EmpireFrench Empire[1]		 United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandUnited Kingdom
SwedenSweden(1808–09,1813–1814)
Commanders and leaders
Denmark–NorwayChristian VII
Denmark–NorwayFrederick VI
Russian EmpireAlexander I		 United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandGeorge III
United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandSpencer Perceval
United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandRobert Jenkinson
SwedenCharles XIV John
SwedenCharles XIII

TheGunboat War(Danish:Kanonbådskrigen,Norwegian:Kanonbåtkrigen,Swedish:Kanonbåtskriget;1807–1814) was a naval conflict betweenDenmark–NorwayandGreat Britainsupported bySwedenduring theNapoleonic Wars.The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing smallgunboatsagainst the materially superiorRoyal Navy.In Scandinavia it is seen as the later stage of theEnglish Wars,whose commencement is accounted as theFirst Battle of Copenhagenin 1801.

Background[edit]

The naval conflict between Britain and Denmark-Norway commenced with theFirst Battle of Copenhagenin 1801 whenHoratio Nelson's squadron of AdmiralHyde Parker's fleet attacked the Danish capital. This came as a basis of Denmark-Norway's policy ofarmed neutralityduring the latter stages of theFrench Revolutionary Wars,where Denmark used its naval forces to protect trade flowing within, into and out of the Danish-Norwegian waters. Hostilities between Denmark-Norway and the United Kingdom broke out again by theSecond Battle of Copenhagenin 1807, when the British attacked the Danish capital to ensure that the Danish-Norwegian fleet did not fall into the hands ofNapoleon.

Danish boat design[edit]

As a result of the British capture or scuttling of large parts of the Danish-Norwegian fleet during the assault onCopenhagen,the Dano-Norwegian government decided to build gunboats in large numbers to compensate for the loss. The gunboats were originally designed by a Swede,Fredrik Henrik af Chapman,and the strategic advantage of gunboats lay in the fact that they could be produced rapidly and inexpensively throughout the kingdom. The tactical advantages were that they were highly manoeuvrable, especially in still and shallow waters and presented small targets. On the other hand, the boats were vulnerable and likely to sink from a single hit. They therefore could not be used in rough seas, and they were less effective against large warships. Still, the Danish-Norwegian government produced more than 200 gunboats in two models: theshallopgunboat which had a crew of 76 men, with an 18- or 24-poundercannonin the bow and another in the stern, and the smallerbargetype that had a total crew of 24 men, armed with a single 24-pounder.

Danish shallop gunboat

The Danish Commodore (later, Admiral)Steen Andersen Bille(1751–1833) is credited with being the driving force behind the post-1807 Dano-Norwegian strategy of gunboat warfare. Below[2]is a description of each of the four classes of gunboats according to Junior Lieutenant Hans Georg Garde, himself a commander of one of the larger types of gunboats.[3]

  • Kanonchaluppen:These were the larger type ofgunboat.Each was armed with two 24-pounder cannon and four 4-pounderhowitzersand had a wartime establishment of 69 – 79 men.
  • Kanonjollen:These were the smaller type of gunboat. Each was armed with one 24-pounder cannon and two 4-pounder howitzers, and had wartime establishment of 41 men.
  • Morterchaluppen:These were the larger, mortar-armed gunboats. Each was armed with one 100-poundermortarand two 4-pounder howitzers, and had a wartime establishment of 40 men.
  • Morterbarkasserne:These were smaller, mortar-armed gunboats. Each was armed with one mortar and had a wartime establishment of 19 men. They were little more than ordinary ships' boats into which a mortar had been set. They had a tendency to leak badly after 5 – 7 mortar shells had been fired. Their crews then had to bring them back into harbour, remove the mortar, andrecaulktheir vessels.

Reserve crew who could not be accommodated on board were quartered in buildings on land or in thefrigateTritonwhich wasin ordinary.Battle-ready gunboats had their crews on board.

Defences on the Norwegian coast in 1808 are listed atRoyal Dano-Norwegian Navy order of battle in Norway (1808).Tenschooner-rigged gunboatscapable of operating in the rougher Norwegian Sea were built in Bergen and Trondheim in the years 1808 to 1811.

War[edit]

In the first three years of the Gunboat War, these boats were on several occasions able to seize enemy cargo ships from their convoys and to capture Britishbrigs,though they were not strong enough to overcome largerfrigatesandships of the line.The British had control of Danish waters during the whole of the 1807–1814 war, and when the season was suited to navigation they were regularly able to escort large merchant convoys out throughthe Soundand theGreat Belt.Although the discussion below focuses on armed encounters involving an exchange of fire, one must keep in mind that the British also captured numerous Danish privateers without firing a shot, and regularly seized Danishmerchant vesselsasprizes.The British also conductedamphibious landingson several Danish islands,[4][5]many populated but lacking garrisons. British warships frequently landed to replenish their stocks of firewood, fresh water and livestock, which were purchased or seized to augment their provisions.

The war overlapped, in time, theAnglo-Russian War.As a result, the British expanded their trade embargo to Russian waters and the British navy conducted forays northwards into theBarents Sea.The British navy conducted successful raids onHasvikandHammerfestand disrupted thePomor trade,the Norwegian trade with Russia.

1807–08[edit]

On 12 August 1807, even before the war had been declared, the Britishsixth-rateHMSComustook part in a one-sidedsingle-ship actionwhen she captured the 32-gun Danish frigate (fregat)Friderichsværn.In the engagement the British suffered only one man wounded; the Danes lost 12 men while 20 were wounded, some mortally.[6]Lloyd's Listdescribed the Danish vessel as a "Danish Frigate, of 32 Guns, late Guardship", and reported that the action, near Elsinor, had been short.[7]The Royal Navy tookFrederiksværninto service asHMSFrederickscoarn.[8]

The BritishbombardmentofCopenhagenin September 1807

On 23 August, the BritishHMSPrometheusfiredCongreve rocketsfrom her decks against a Danish gunboatflotilla,but the attack had little effect.[9]The British were instead more successful on 11 September whenHMSCarrierbrought to theBritish Admiraltythe despatches from AdmiralThomas McNamara Russellannouncing the capitulation of the small island ofHeligolandto the British.[10]Heligoland later also became a centre for smuggling and for espionage against Napoleon.

In theEast Indies,troops from the14th Regiment of Footlanded fromHMSRussellon theCoromandel Coaston 13 February 1808 and took over the Danish possessions atTranquebar.On 14 March, the 14-gunHMSChildersand the Danish 20-gun sloopHDMSLougenengaged in an inconclusivesingle-ship action.[11]Childerslost two men killed and nine wounded before she could escape and return to Leith.[12]On 22 March the Britishships of the lineHMSNassauandHMSStatelydestroyed the last Danish ship of the line,HDMSPrinds Christian Frederik,commanded by CaptainC.W. Jessen,in theBattle of Zealand Point.Nassauwas herself a former Danish warship.Nassauhad one man killed and 16 men wounded, whileStatelyhad four killed and 27 wounded. The Danes lost 55 men killed and 88 wounded.[12]

An illustration of theBattle of Zealand Point.

Boats fromHMSDaphneandHMSTartarus,supported by the brigHMSForward,drove ashore a Dano-Norwegian convoy at Flodstrand, nearThe Skawon 22 April. The convoy was taking supplies to Norway as a result of supply shortages that had occurred there after the British had begun theirnaval blockadebetween Denmark and Norway in 1807. The British went in under heavy fire from the shore and a castle there and brought out five brigs, three galliots, a schooner, and a sloop (totalling some 870 tons burthen), for the loss of five men wounded.[13]The BritishfrigateHMSTartaralso approachedBergenunderDutchcolourson 15 May in order to attack theDutchfrigateGuelderland,which had been undergoing repairs there. Unfortunately for the British theGuelderlandhad already sailed, so during the night the British sent in boats in an attempt to capture Danish shipping in the harbour. When the boats came under heavy fire,Tartarcame in to cover them, only to come under attack by the schoonerOdinand five gunboats. During theBattle of AlvøenTartar's captain and another seaman were killed and twelve men were wounded beforeTartarwas able to make her escape.

The SpanishDivision of the Northsent to fight the British in Denmark pledging to turn against France and side with the British

Thehired armedcutterSwanfound herself in action off the island ofBornholmwith a Danish 8-gun cutter-rigged vessel on 24 May.[14]Swanhad been carrying despatches when she had spotted the Danish vessel and lured her out. The engagement ended with the Danish vessel exploding, whileSwansuffered no casualties despite coming under fire both from the Danish vessel and batteries on Bornholm.[14]The fire from the batteries and the sighting of more Danish vessels forcedSwanto withdraw after the battle without being able to make efforts to rescue survivors.[14]

On 4 June four Danish gunboats attackedHMSTicklerand captured her after a four-hour fight.Ticklerhad lost her captain and 14 other men killed, and 22 other officers and men killed and wounded out of her crew of 50 men; the Danes had one man wounded.[12]The Danes would later useTickleras a cadet training ship.[15]

The Danes were also victorious on 19 June, when the brigHMSSeagullpursued and caught up with the Danish brigHDMSLougen,which was armed with eighteen short 18-pounder guns and two long 6-pounder guns.[16]About 20 minutes into the engagement six Danish gunboats arrived from behind some rocks and in two divisions of three each took up positions onSeagull's quarter and fired on her with their 24-pounder guns whileLougenfired on her larboard bow. Within half an hour the Danish fire had badly damagedSeagull's rigging and dismounted five of her guns. EventuallySeagullstruck,having lost eight men killed and 20 wounded, including her captain, R.B. Cathcart.Seagullsank soon after the Danes captured her, drowning several of her captors who were aboard.[16]The Danes later recoveredSeagulland added her to their navy.

C.W. Eckersberg:Danish gunboats attackingHMS Tigressat Agersø, 1808.

The Danes also capturedHMSTigress.Sixteen Danish gunboats captured her offLangelandin theGreat Belton 2 August. In the engagementTigresslost two men killed and eight wounded.[17][18]

Immobilized by a dead calm,HMSAfrica,under CaptainJohn Barrett,barely survived an attack by 25 Danish gunboats and seven armed launches under the command ofCommodoreJ.C. Kriegerin an action in theØresundon 20 October 1808.[19][20]Africalost nine men killed and 51 wounded; had night not descended the Danes might well have captured her.[21]The British, however, were less fortunate on 5 December, when the bomb vesselHMSProselytewas wrecked on Anholt Reef while caught in the ice. The reason that the vessel sank in that area was because the Danes had closed the lighthouse on the island ofAnholt,in theKattegatearly during the war, and the Admiralty had ordered her to station herself off the island on 9 November to carry a light for the safety of passing convoys. All her crew was however saved.[22]

1809–10[edit]

The British 64-gunthird rateStandard,under CaptainAiskew Paffard Hollis,and the 18-pounder 36-gun frigateHMSOwen Glendowercaptured the island ofAnholton 18 May 1809. A party of seamen and marines under the command of Captain William Selby ofOwen Glendower,with the assistance of CaptainEdward Nicollsof theStandard's marines, landed. The Danish garrison of 170 men put up a sharp, but ineffectual resistance that killed oneBritish marineand wounded two before the garrison then surrendered and the British took immediate possession of the island. The principal objective of the mission was to restore the lighthouse on Anholt to its pre-war state to facilitate the movement of British men of war and merchantmen navigating the dangerous seas there.[23]

Danish gunboats seizingHMSTurbulent,9 June 1808.

On 9 June a Danish and Norwegian flotilla of twenty-onegunboatsand seven mortar boats attacked a British convoy of 70 merchant ships off the island ofSaltholminØresund StraitnearCopenhagen.The Dano-Norwegian flotilla was able to capture 12 or 13 merchant vessels, plusHMSTurbulent,one of the escorts. The Danes also capturedHMSAllartduring theBattle of Saltholmon 10 August. During the battleHMSAllart,a former Danish Navy brig, chasedLougenandSeagullintoFredriksvernonly to find herself pursued by 15 Danish gunboats, arrayed in three divisions. After a three-hour chase the gunboats closed withAllartand an engagement began. After two hoursAllartstruck,having had her rigging shot away and having lost one man killed and three wounded.[24]

On 12 August, Commander John Willoughby Marshall andHMSLynxwere in the company of the gun-brigHMSMonkey,Lieutenant Thomas Fitzgerald, when they discovered three Danishluggersoff the Danish coast.[25]The water was too shallow forLynx,so Marshall sentMonkeyand boats fromLynxin to cut them out. The largest of the luggers, which had four guns and four howitzers, opened fire onMonkeybefore all three luggers ran ashore onceMonkeyand the launch's 18-poundercarronadereturned fire. The British refloated the luggers and brought them out the next day, having taken no casualties. In their haste to escape the vessel, the Danes failed to fire the fuse on a cask of gunpowder they had left by the fireplace on the largest lugger.[26]Marshall thought the Danes' behaviour in leaving the explosive device disgraceful.[25]

The Danish-Norwegian navy managed to capture another British vessel on 2 September, when a Danish gunboat flotilla fromFladstrand,North Jutland, under the command of Lieutenant Nicolai H. Tuxen, captured the gun-brigHMSMinx.The engagement costMinxtwo dead and nine wounded.[24]The British Royal Navy had stationed her off theSkawReef to show a warning light.HMSSheldrakereported the loss to the Admiralty.[27]

English Brig Attacked by Danish-Norwegian gunboatbyChristian Mølsted

Early in 1810, the Danes ceased sending provisioning ships to Norway because of British naval activity in Øresund and withdrew the naval officers that were so involved to Zealand. Meanwhile, there were difficulties in transporting grain fromVordingborg,in the south of Denmark, pastMønto Copenhagen. This was overcome by using gunboats to convoy the merchant vessels, as the gunboats were much more maneuverable in the shallow coastal waters, and restricting the cargo vessels to those which could pass inside of Møn. Larger seagoing ships which would have to go outside, i.e. east ofMøn,were too liable to be caught by the British. These actions, together with a good form of coastal signalling, resulted in a steady supply of grain to the Danish capital.[28]

On 13 April 1810, four Danish gunboats, under the command of First LieutenantPeter Nicolay Skibsted,captured the British gunboatGrinderoff theDjurslandpeninsula nearGrenå.[15]Grinderwas armed with one 24-pounder gun and one 24-pounder carronade. She was under the command of Master's Mate Thomas Hester and had over-wintered at Anholt. Of her crew of 34 men, two were killed and two wounded in the action.

On 23 May, seven Danish gunboats engaged theCruizer-class brig-sloopRaleigh,Alban,and His Majesty'shired armedcutterPrincess of Wales,off theSkaw.The engagement cost the Danes the loss of one gunboat, which blew up, and heavy damage to the rest.

TheBattle of Sildawas fought on 23 July near theNorwegianisland ofSilda.The British frigatesHMSBelvideraandHMSNemesisattacked the pilot's station on the island and defeated the three gunschoonersOdin,TorandBalderand the gun bargeCort Adeler,which were stationed there.

On 12 September, six Danish gunboats captured a becalmedAlbanafter a four-hour battle during which she lost her captain and one man killed and three men wounded. The Danes then took her into service asThe Alban.

1811–14[edit]

Danish gunboats manned by nearly 1,000 men, including infantry forces attempted to recapture Anholt on 27 February 1811. TheBattle of Anholtresulted in a Danish withdrawal toJutland,with heavy losses. The Danes did however emerge victorious on 23 April whenSwanencountered three Danish gunboats inSunningesund.[29]A shot from one of the gunboats damagedSwanand resulted in the wetting of her powdermagazine,forcing her surrender.[29]The Danes boarded her but were able to retrieve little beforeSwansank offUddevalla,on the Swedish coast north ofGothenburg.[29]The fight costSwantwo men killed,[29]as the same battle apparently also resulted in the damaging of thehired armed cutterHero.[30][a]On 11 May,RiflemanrecapturedAlbanfrom the Danes. The capture occurred after a 12-hour chase nearShetland.At the time of her captureAlbanwas armed with 12 guns and had a crew of 58 men, all under the command of a lieutenant of the Danish navy. She was three days out ofFarsundin Norway and had taken no prizes.[31]

Battle of Lyngør

On 31 July 1811,HMSBrev DragerenandAlgerinewere cruising together inLong Sound,Norway, when they encountered and engaged three Danish brigs: the 20-gunLangeland,the 18-gunLügum,and the 16-gunKiel.Outnumbered and outgunned, the British vessels took flight.[32]The next dayBrev Dragerenunsuccessfully re-engaged first one and then two of the brigs. In the inconclusive engagement each British vessel sustained one man killed, andBrev Dragerenalso had three wounded.[32]On 17 AugustHMSManlysailed fromSheernesswith a convoy for theBaltic.On 2 September, while she was cruising offArendalon the Norwegian coast in the company ofChanticleer,three Danish 18-gun-brigs (Alsen,Lolland,andSamsø) engaged them.[33]LollandengagedManlywhile the other two chasedChanticleerbut she maintained a course away from the action and made good her escape.[34]In the engagement withLolland,Manlyhad her spars and rigging cut to pieces. With only six guns left, and having lost one man killed and three wounded,Manlywas forced to strike.[35]

1913 action from the Gunboat War painted byAnton Melbye.

The last major fight between Danish-Norwegian and British warships took place on 6 July 1812 during theBattle of Lyngør,when a small squadron of British warships met a small squadron of Norwegian warships atLyngøron the Norwegian coast. The British withdrew after destroying the Norwegian frigateNajaden.On 2 August the same year, boats ofHMSHoratio,which was under the command of CaptainLord George Stuart,captured two Danish vessels, under the command of Lieutenant Hans Buderhof, and their prize, an American vessel of about 400 tonsburthen(bm). The two Danish vessels were schooner No. 114 (of six 6-pounders and 30 men), and cutter No. 97 (of four 6-pounders and 22 men). In the action the British lost nine men killed and 16 wounded, of whom two died of their wounds; the Danes lost ten men killed and 13 wounded.[36]

Peace[edit]

As a result of the Swedish invasion ofHolsteinin December 1813 during theWar of the Sixth Coalition,Denmark-Norway was forced to seek peace, and theTreaty of Kielended the war on 14 January 1814. Denmark-Norway had tocedeHeligolandtoBritainand theKingdom of Norway(except for Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands) to theKing of Sweden,while Denmark did get back the island of Anholt and was compensated for the loss of Norway with the Duchy ofSaxe-Lauenburg.However, this treaty was not accepted by the Norwegian people, who refused to be simply a bargaining chip, and awarbetween Norway and Sweden broke out on 26 July.[37]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Gosset hasHerobeing sunk, but does not report any court date.[29]Other reports haveHerodamaged, but continuing to serve until November 1811.

Citations[edit]

  1. ^Olesen, Jens E. (2008). "Schwedisch-Pommern in der schwedischen Politik nach 1806". In North, Michael; Riemer, Robert.Das Ende des Alten Reiches im Ostseeraum. Wahrnehmungen und Transformationen(in German). Böhlau. pp. 289.ISBN3-412-20108-1.
  2. ^Danish Naval Museum -NestvedArchived18 March 2005 at theWayback Machinebut see note below
  3. ^H G Garde
  4. ^In Danish: Steffen Hahnemann og Mette Roepstorff: Endelave og den Engelske Fregat 1994
  5. ^In Danish: Samsøs Historie samt Tunøs Historie "by J P Nielsen in 1946
  6. ^"No. 16062".The London Gazette.5 September 1807. p. 1157.
  7. ^Lloyd's List№4184.
  8. ^Winfield (2008),p. 215.
  9. ^Munch-Petersen, p.201.
  10. ^"No. 16064".The London Gazette.12 September 1807. p. 1192.
  11. ^Cust (1862), Vol. 2, p. 132.
  12. ^abcBrett (1871), p.256.
  13. ^"No. 16146".The London Gazette.17 May 1808. pp. 696–697.
  14. ^abcJames (1837), Vol 5, pp.33–4.
  15. ^abWandell (1915), p.260.
  16. ^ab"No. 16184".The London Gazette.17 September 1808. pp. 1284–1285.
  17. ^The United service magazine,Volume 1849, Issue 2, p.419.
  18. ^Hepper (1994),p. 124.
  19. ^Royal Navy.orgArchived22 July 2011 at theWayback MachineEvents of 1808
  20. ^AFRICA inNot – der dänische Kanonenbootkrieg 1808(German)
  21. ^Allen (1852), Vol 2, pp.251–2.
  22. ^Hepper (1994),p. 126.
  23. ^James (1827), 130.
  24. ^abHepper (1994),p. 130.
  25. ^ab"No. 16296".The London Gazette.9 September 1809. pp. 1456–1457.
  26. ^Norrie (1827), p.202.
  27. ^"No. 16297".The London Gazette.12 September 1809. p. 1471.
  28. ^Wandel CF (1815) pages 265–267
  29. ^abcdeGosset (1986),pp. 78–9.
  30. ^Anderson (1910), p.344.
  31. ^"No. 16486".The London Gazette.18 May 1811. p. 921.
  32. ^abNaval ChronicleVol. 26 (Jul–Dec 1811), pp.284–6.
  33. ^James (1837), Vol. 5, pp.347–8.
  34. ^Gosset (1986),p. 80.
  35. ^Winfield (2008),p. 325.
  36. ^"No. 16637".The London Gazette.22 August 1812. pp. 1710–1711.
  37. ^Angell, Henrik(1914). Syv-aars-krigen for 17. mai 1807–1814. Kristiania: Aschehoug. p. 219
  • Individual record cards in Danish for ships of the Danish Royal Navy can be no longer (Feb 2013) found on the internet atOrlogmuseet Skibregister.The Danish Naval Museum is buildinga new websiteat which details, drawings and models may be available. For individual ships already listed, including Næstved, seehereArchived31 December 2012 at theWayback Machine.

References[edit]

  • Allen, Joseph (1852).Battles of the British navy.Vol. 1. H.G. Bohn.
  • Brett, John Edwin (1871)Brett's illustrated naval history of Great Britain, from the earliest period to the present time: a reliable record of the maritime rise and progress of England.(Publishing Off.).
  • Cust, Sir Edward (1862)Annals of the wars of the nineteenth century.(John Murray).
  • Gosset, William Patrick (1986),The lost ships of the Royal Navy, 1793–1900,Mansell,ISBN0-7201-1816-6
  • Grocott, Terence (1997),Shipwrecks of the revolutionary and Napoleonic eras,Chatham,ISBN1-86176-030-2
  • (in Danish)H G Garde: Den dansk-norske Sømagts Historie (Danish Norwegian Seapower) as reportedhere
  • Hepper, David J. (1994).British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650–1859.Rotherfield: Jean Boudriot.ISBN0-948864-30-3.
  • James, William(1837),The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Declaration of War by France in 1793, to the Accession of George IV.,R. Bentley
  • Munch-Petersen, Thomas (2007),Defying Napoleon,Sutton Publishing
  • Norie, J. W. (1842).The naval gazetteer, biographer and chronologist; containing a history of the late wars from... 1793 to... 1801; and from... 1803 to 1815, and continued, as to the biographical part to the present time.London: C. Wilson.
  • (in Danish)Wandell, C.F. (1815)Søkrigen i de dansk-norske farvande 1807–14(War in Danish-Norwegian Waters 1807–14), (Copenhagen: Carlsbergsfonden for Jacob Lund).
  • Winfield, Rif (2008),British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates,Seaforth,ISBN978-1-86176-246-7

External links[edit]

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