Sea battle near Fehmarn (1715)
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The stranded Swedish fleet
| date | April 13th July / April 24, 1715 greg. |
|---|---|
| place | Fehmarnbelt , between Germany and Denmark |
| output | Danish victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 4 ships of the line 2 frigates |
8 ships of the line 4 frigates |
| losses | |
|
353 dead |
65 dead, |
1st phase: Swedish dominance (1700–1709)
Riga I • Jungfernhof • Varja • Pühhajoggi • Narva • Pechora • Düna • Rauge • Erastfer • Hummelshof • Embach • Tartu • Narva II • Wesenberg I • Wesenberg II
Arkhangelsk • Lake Ladoga • Nöteborg • Nyenschanz • Neva • Systerbäck • Petersburg • Vyborg I • Porvoo • Neva II • Koporje II • Kolkanpää
Vilnius • Salads • Jacobstadt • Walled Courtyard • Mitau • Grodno I • Olkieniki • Nyaswisch • Klezk • Ljachavichy
Klissow • Pułtusk • Thorn • Lemberg • Warsaw • Posen • Punitz • Tillendorf • Rakowitz • Praga • Fraustadt • Kalisch
Grodno II • Golovchin • Moljatitschi • Rajowka • Lesnaja • Desna • Baturyn • Koniecpol • Weprik • Opischnja • Krasnokutsk • Sokolki • Poltava I • Poltava II
2nd phase: Sweden on the defensive (1710–1721)
Riga II • Vyborg II • Pernau • Kexholm • Reval • Hogland • Pälkäne • Storkyro • Nyslott • Hanko
Helsingborg • Køge Bay • Gulf of Bothnia • Frederikshald I • Dynekilen Fjord • Gothenburg I • Strömstad • Trondheim • Frederikshald II • Marstrand • Ösel • Gothenburg II • Södra Stäket • Grönham • Sundsvall
Elbing • Wismar I • Lübow • Stralsund I • Greifswalder Bodden I • Stade • Rügen • Gadebusch • Altona • Tönning II • Stettin • Fehmarn • Wismar II • Stralsund II • Jasmund • Peenemünde • Greifswalder Bodden II • Stresow
The sea battle near Fehmarn was a naval battle in the Great Northern War . April 13th July / April 24, 1715 greg. met in the strait between the islands of Fehmarn and Lolland a Danish sea squadron under the leadership of Schoutbynacht ( rear admiral) Christian Carl Gabel and a Swedish flotilla under the command of Schoutbynacht Carl Hans Wachtmeister . The Danish-Norwegian flotilla won the battle.
background
The Swedish Rear Admiral Carl Hans Wachtmeister had the order in the spring of 1715 to permanently disrupt the Danes' supply routes. His flagship was the battleship Prinsessan Hedvig Sophia .
In 1715 the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway controlled all three passages into the oceans. In the Øresund in particular , there were repeated minor skirmishes and ship captures.
After the raids became known, the Danish naval command put together a flotilla. After arson was reported on the island of Fehmarn , the ships were sent into these waters.
While the fleet was cruising in the western Baltic Sea area and looking for Wachtmeister's flotilla, Frigate Captain Peter Wessel (later known as Tordenskiold) received an order from the High Command to move directly towards Fehmarn and search these waters.
On April 22nd, Wessel discovered the Swedish fleet off Fehmarn. He immediately turned on and informed his superiors of the strength and number of the Swedish ships.
Ships involved
Danish-Norwegian Squadron
- Prince Christian , 76 cannons, the flagship
- Prince Carl , 54 cannons, ship of the line
- Prince Wilhelm , 54 cannons, ship of the line
- Delmenhorst , 50 cannons, ship of the line
- Funen , 50 cannons, ship of the line
- Iceland , 50 cannons, ship of the line
- Laaland , 50 cannons, ship of the line
- Høyenhald , 30 cannons, frigate
- Raa , 34 guns, frigate
- Løvendals Galley , 18 cannons, frigate
Swedish squadron
- Hedvig Sophia , 80 cannons, ship of the line, the flagship
- Nordstern , 76 cannons, ship of the line
- Södermanland , 56 cannons, ship of the line
- Gothenburg , 50 cannons, ship of the line
- Vita Örn , 30 cannons, frigate
- Falcons , 26 cannons, frigate
The battle
After the sergeant had discovered the Danish fleet , he left the bay of Fehmarn. On April 24, the two flotillas faced each other, the large warships in the front line.
With the beginning of the battle, Rear Admiral Gabel especially ordered the flagship Hedvig Sophia to be under fire. The Swedish flagship was hit hard with the first broadside. Wachtmeister tried to make his way through the enemy lines to flee towards Sweden. These attempts failed and the Swedish fleet withdrew.
After the battle, the Swedes had around 700 dead and wounded, and the flagship was barely maneuverable. All ships had received heavy hits, so that sergeant had to assume that they would not be able to win another battle. The ammunition for the cannons was also largely used up.
Due to unfavorable winds, the Swedish fleet could only flee west into the Bay of Kiel . Wachtmeister planned to send the Vita Örn , a newly commissioned fast frigate, home. When the frigate broke out of the formation to attempt to escape, Captain Wessel was ordered to capture the ship for the Danish crown.
On the morning of April 25, the Vita Örn turned to the southeast and drove back to her formation, as she could not shake Wessel's ship.
The rest of the fleet sailed in the Kiel Bay with no prospect of successful escape or help from home. Sergeant wanted to sink all five ships so that they would not fall into the hands of the Danish enemy. The Swedish Rear Admiral ordered the fleet to drop all ballast, ammunition and cannons in order to bring the ships as close to the shore as possible. Here he wanted to let the ships run aground and sink them.
Hans Wachtmeister sank his admiral's sword in the Baltic Sea. In the logbook are the words: "After you have caused me such misfortune, you shall not be carried by me or anyone else."
A similar sword was found in 2011 during the archaeological investigations in the Bay of Kiel. Whether it is the sergeant's sword cannot be proven.
After Wessel recognized the plan to sink all Swedish ships, he sent a dispatch to the Rear Admiral with new orders. He had to watch the ships being put aground by the Swedes. When the sergeant discovered the Danish ship, he raised the white flag to buy time.
Wessel sent a letter on behalf of Rear Admiral Gabels, requesting the Swedish commandant to stop sinking the ships. Otherwise all Swedes will be killed. After the sergeant had read the letter, he had the fire stopped and went on board the Danish ship to surrender to Wessel. Wessel brought the rear admiral to the Danish flagship, where the surrender was negotiated between the two rear admirals.
The consequences
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For his participation in the fighting, Peter Wessel was given command of Vita Örn in June . The Schoutby Night Christian Gabel was appointed Vice Admiral . The Swedish Rear Admiral Wachtmeister remained in Danish captivity, but was allowed to move freely within the national borders. He wrote a letter of apology to the Swedish king because of the lost sea battle. When he was released from captivity, he continued to serve in the Swedish Navy without losing rank.
With this victory the Danes finally gained supremacy in this part of the Baltic Sea.
literature
- Lars Ericson Cloud: Sjöslag och rysshärjningar: kampen om Östersjön under stora nordiska kriget 1700–1721 . Stockholm (2011), ISBN 978-91-1303042-5
- Guthorm Kavli: I Tordenskiolds Kjølvann . 1990, ISBN 82-516-1352-3
- Jørgen H. Barfod: Den Danske Flådes History 1660–1720 Niels Juels flåde . 1997, ISBN 87-00-30226-0
Web links
- Video Terra X: The Battle for the Baltic Sea (November 15, 2013, 9:00 p.m., 43:23 min.) In the ZDFmediathek , accessed on February 9, 2014.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Ericson: Sjöslag och rysshärjningar . Norstedts, Stockholm (2011), ISBN 978-91-1-303042-5
- ↑ Wachtmeister, Karl Hans . In: John Rosén (Ed.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 1st edition. tape 17 : V-Väring . Gernandts boktryckeri, Stockholm 1893, Sp. 21-21 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).