The Battle of Lyngør was fought on 6 July 1812 between the British and Dano-Norwegian navies as part of the Gunboat War. A British squadron of one ship of the line and three brig-sloops under James Stewart located the Dano-Norwegian frigate sheltering off Lyngør, and engaged and destroyed her in a fierce engagement; Najadens captain Hans Peter Holm was wounded but survived, but 133 of his crew were killed and a further 87 wounded. The British in contrast suffered only 9 killed and 26 wounded, and the battle led to the destruction of Denmark–Norway's last major warship.

Background

Denmark–Norway's attempt to remain neutral in the struggle between France and the United Kingdom and their respective allies came to an end after the United Kingdom's pre-emptive naval actions of 1807, in which most of the Danish navy was captured, the British operating under the possibility that Denmark–Norway was planning to join the Napoleonic Wars on the side of France. The British imposed a blockade on supply lines between Norway and Denmark in the Skagerrak sound, except for Norwegian ships transporting lumber bound for Britain. The resulting blockade isolated Norway from both Denmark and from the market and economically impacted Norway. Most exports were stopped, as well as grain imports from Denmark. The blockade resulted in an economic crisis for Denmark–Norway.

The Norwegians preferred to limit military operations to coastal defence. Nevertheless, what was left of the Dano–Norwegian fleet after the Battle of Copenhagen was committed to trying to break the blockade. After years of skirmishes, the Dano–Norwegian fleet was reduced to one major ship, the frigate , which they had finished constructing in 1811 with material salvaged from a ship-of-the-line destroyed in earlier battles. Najaden was under the command of Danish naval officer Hans Peter Holm. Three brigs – Kiel (under the command of Otto Frederick Rasch), Lolland, and Samsøe – accompanied Najaden.

The British saw an opportunity to end the blockade and finish what remained of Dano-Norwegian seapower. They therefore sent the 64-gun third rate ship-of-the-line and three brigs, the 18-gun , 14-gun brig-sloop and the 14-gun brig Flamer to seek out the last remnants of the Dano-Norwegian fleet. Captain James Stewart's plan was to chase down Najaden and sink it, thereby giving Britain total control over the trade routes across the Skagerrak 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, Stewart, a Scotsman known in the Royal Navy as "Mad Jim", was looking for a naval confrontation. Captain Holm's plan was to avoid engaging the British ships. He relied on his superior knowledge of the local waters to attempt to evade Stewart's pursuit. The group of Dano-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 Dano-Norwegian warships would be trapped, 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 Dano-Norwegian coastal batteries.

Battle

thumb|Plan of the battle created on the day it took place on the basis of the observations of lieutenant P. Sandholt.

Najaden had anchored near the island of Sandøya near 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 north-east, 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 Stewart ordered Flamer to stay behind and assist the stricken brig. However, Stewart sailed into the sound, dropped an anchor behind him, and 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 metres. Unable to turn, Najaden had its broadside pointing away from the opposing ship and was dead in the water.

thumb|HDMS Najaden on fire during the battle

At about 9:30 pm, Dictator unleashed a 15-minute barrage against Najaden that amounted to some four tons of ordnance. The barrage broke her main mast almost immediately and caused a fire on the ship. Dictator proceeded to bombard the two Danish brigs anchored nearby, causing them to lower their colours and surrender at 21:47 pm. The British captured Laaland and Kiel as prizes but abandoned them after the two vessels grounded. The British did not set fire to either as they still had their crews and wounded aboard.

Aftermath

thumb|Memorial to the battle's casualties

The battle led to the destruction of the last Dano-Norwegian major warship. In the Treaty of Kiel, Denmark ceded dominion over Norway, setting the stage for Norway's independence movement, causing her to set up her own parliament and constitution. The battle also freed up British naval resources to continue fighting the French navy in the Napoleonic Wars. For the 200th anniversary of the battle in 2012, a replica gunboat named Øster Riisøer III was constructed. A cannon, possibly from Najaden, was recovered from the harbour in 1995. The battle is commemorated by a play in Lyngør each year, and the wreck is a popular site for diving.

References

  • Sailing ships of the Royal Navy
  • Report of Captain Hans Peter Holm
  • Model of Najaden and picture labelled Dictator from Lyngør history website