{{Short description|1808 naval battle of the Gunboat War}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}} {{Infobox military conflict | conflict = Battle of Zealand Point | partof = the [[Gunboat War]] | image = A.G. Gross - Battle of Zealand Point.jpg | caption = Painting of the battle | date = 22 March 1808 | place = Off [[Zealand]], [[Kattegat]] | result = British victory | combatant1 = [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] | combatant2 = [[Denmark–Norway]] | commander1 = [[George Parker (Royal Navy officer)|George Parker]] | commander2 = [[Carl Wilhelm Jessen]]{{Surrendered}} | strength1 = 3 ships of the line <br> 1 frigate | strength2 = 1 ship of the line | casualties1 = 5 killed <br /> 48 wounded <br /> 1 missing | casualties2 = 55 killed <br /> 88 wounded <br /> 1 ship of the line destroyed | campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Gunboat War}} }}
The '''Battle of Zealand Point''' was fought off [[Zealand]] on 22 March 1808 during the [[Gunboat War]]. Three ships of the line and one frigate of the [[Royal Navy]] intercepted and destroyed a Danish ship of the line. The British victory in the battle resulted in the loss of the Danish navy's last ship of the line.
==Background==
The Dano-Norwegian [[ship of the line]] ''[[HDMS Prinds Christian Frederik]]''<ref>Record card for [https://web.archive.org/web/20120318003925/http://www.orlogsmuseet.dk/P/pages/Prins%20Christian%20Frederik(1804).htm Prins Christian Frederik (1804)]</ref> was stationed in [[Kristiansand]], [[Norway]] from 7 August 1807, patrolling waters between Norway and Denmark where Britain had imposed a blockade. In February 1808, ''Prins Christian Frederik'' pursued the British ship {{HMS|Quebec|1781|6}} into hiding. Having learned of the Danish ship, the British admiralty sent a squadron consisting of [[HDMS Holsteen|HMS ''Nassau'']] (the former Danish ship-of-the-line ''Holsteen'', taken during the Battle of Copenhagen), {{HMS| Stately|1784|6}}, {{HMS|Vanguard|1787|6}}, and two brigs, {{HMS|Constant|1801|6}} and {{HMS|Kite|1805|6}}, to secure the waters. While this was going on ''Prins Christian Frederik'' became frozen in at Fredericksværn, near Kristiansand. She therefore did not set sail for Denmark until 4 March.<ref name="Danish Military History">[http://milhist.dk/slaget/slaget-ved-sjaellands-odde/ Danish Military History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412155400/http://milhist.dk/slaget/slaget-ved-sjaellands-odde/ |date=12 April 2017 }} website (in Danish)</ref>
By the time ''Prins Christian Frederik'' reached Denmark, [[epidemic typhus]] had broken out among her crew. Ice in the Danish harbours prevented her from docking, and crew were replaced over the ice. On 17 March morale deteriorated further when news arrived that [[Christian VII of Denmark|King Christian]] had died. She was ordered into the [[Great Belt]] (''Storebælt'') strait to provide cover for a crossing of a [[France|French]] [[army]] corps consisting of [[Spain|Spanish]] soldiers ordered by [[Charles XIV of Sweden|Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte]] (later King of Sweden) to attack [[Skåne]]. Having been alerted to the Danish plan, the British ships give chase. The British ships intended to outmanoeuvre, corner, and overpower ''Prins Christian Frederik''; [[Carl Wilhelm Jessen|Captain Carl Jessen]], after conferring with his officers, decided to take a stand in order to gain enough of a tactical advantage to move into familiar waters and within the protective range of the cannon at [[Kronborg]].
On Friday 18 March 1808 the crew of HMS ''Stately'' was employed cutting passages through the sea ice from their Swedish anchorage to allow ''Stately'' and ''Nassau'' to go to sea. Their Swedish pilots were discharged the next day when the squadron, comprising the three ships-of-the-line ''Nassau'', ''Stately'', and ''Vanguard'', the frigate {{HMS|Quebec|1781|6}} , the two sloops ''Falcon'' and {{HMS|Lynx|1794|6}}, and the gunbrig ''Constant'', formed up and live bullocks were transferred from ''Stately'' to ''Quebec'' and to ''Lynx''.<ref name=Stately>Captain's Log of HMS ''Stately'' - National Archives, Kew, London ADM 51/1787</ref><ref name=Lynx>Captain's Log of HMS ''Lynx'' - National Archives, Kew, London ADM 51/1767</ref> The smaller ships patrolled the northern approaches to the Great Belt and the Øresund, within sight of the squadron or separately, investigating any strange sail. ''Quebec'' and ''Lynx'' were in company late on 21 March, then parted company early on 22nd before ''Quebec'' identified ''Prins Christian Frederik'' near Sejerø.<ref name=Quebec>Captain's Log of HMS ''Quebec'' - National Archives, Kew, London ADM 51/1850</ref> ''Lynx'', and later {{HMS|Falcon|1802|6}}, joined with ''Quebec'' in Sejerø Bay.{{Coord|55.8833|11.1500|display=inline}}
==Battle== [[File:Battle of Zealand Point illustration.jpg|thumb|Illustration of the battle]]
In the hours before the battle ''Prins Christian Frederik'' was within sight of ''Quebec'' and ''Lynx''. At 2 [pm] the sloop, ''Falcon'', who recorded the signal from ''Quebec'' "Danish Line-of-battle-ship to windward", joined them and cleared for action. During the afternoon the Danish ship had reversed course and sailed northward round the reef at the west of [[Sjællands Odde]] (that long tongue of land at the northwest of Zealand), and was now headed eastward again, to the north of the land.<ref>Balsved Danish Naval History</ref> Shortly after 4 [pm] ''Stately'' and ''Nassau'' were sighted to the North East,{{efn|These two ships had sailed westward during 22 March, having left ''Vanguard'' and the gunbrig ''Constant'' near the approaches to Øresund.<ref name=Nassau>Captain's Log of HMS Nassau - National Archives, Kew, London ADM 51/1757</ref>}} and the signal, "inforced with a (signal) gun", of the presence of the enemy led to all ships making "all sail, in chace".<ref name=Falcon/>
''Falcon'' and ''Nassau''{{'}}s logs record that at 7:50pm ''Prinds Christian Frederik'' fired the first shots when she fired her stern chasers at ''Nassau'', the foremost of her pursuers.<ref name=Nassau/><ref name=Falcon>Captain's Log of HMS ''Falcon'' - National Archives, Kew, London ADM 51/4446</ref> By 8:05pm ''Nassau'' had drawn level and began returning broadsides, but forty minutes later she was in danger of blocking ''Stately''{{'}}s field of fire. ''Nassau'' made more sail and moved ahead out of the way as ''Stately'' entered the fray. Action continued with the two British ships-of-the-line alternating their attacks until ''Prinds Christian Frederik'' [[striking the colours|struck]].<ref name=Nassau/><ref name=Falcon/> At this point ''Prinds Christian Frederik'' was aground 300 meters from the shore at {{Coord|55.9835|11.3362|display=inline}}.<ref name=LG16137>{{London Gazette|date=6 April 1808|issue=16137|page=536}}</ref><ref name="Danish Military History"/>
Throughout the morning of 23 March the squadron's boats transported prisoners, and the ships' companies knotted, spliced, and ran new rigging.<ref name=Nassau/> At noon, orders were sent to set fire to ''Prinds Christian Frederick'' as soon as all the wounded had been removed.<ref name=LG16137/> The fire was set between 7:30 and 8:00pm and ''Prinds Christian Frederik'' blew up shortly before 9:00 pm.<ref name=Stately/><ref name=Lynx/><ref name=Quebec/><ref name=Nassau/>
==Aftermath==
''Stately'' had four men killed, and 31 officers and men wounded. ''Nassau'' lost one man killed, 17 officers and men wounded, and one man missing. ''Prins Christian Frederik'' lost 55 men killed and 88 men wounded.<ref name=LG16137/> In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the [[Naval General Service Medal (1847)|Naval General Service Medal]] with clasps "Stately 22 March 1808" and "Nassau 22 March 1808" to any still surviving crew members of those vessels that chose to claim them.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=20939|pages=241–243|date=26 January 1849}}</ref> ''Prins Christian Frederik'' was the last of the Danish ships of the line during the Napoleonic Wars.
Peter Willemoes and the other Danish casualties were after the battle buried in a communal grave at Odden churchyard, near the scene of the Battle of Zealand Point, where their gravestone can still be seen. A monument commemorating the battle and the Danish casualties was also erected in the churchyard. It consists of a [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] column featuring a plaque with an incidental poem by [[N.F.S. Grundtvig]] ('De snekker de mødtes i kvæld på hav').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ugle.dk/de_snekker_moedtes.html|title=Gamle Danske Sange: De snekker mødtes i kvæld på hav|language=Danish|website=ugle.dk|accessdate=14 September 2021}}</ref> A commemorative stone with a relief of a crowned anchor and an inscription has been erected on the beach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://makrelfestival.dk/sjaellands-odde-2/|title=Danmarkshistorie og design i verdensklasse|language=Danish|website=Odden Havn|accessdate=14 September 2021}}</ref>
Odsherred Museum hosts a small display about the battle. It includes the anchor, a cannon and a number of other artefacts from ''Prinds Christian Frederik''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sn.dk/Odsherred/Gammelt-anker-skal-ikke-bare-gemmes-vaek/artikel/1412293|title=Gammelt anker skal ikke bare gemmes væk|language=Danish|website=sn.dk|accessdate=14 September 2021}}</ref> A model of the ship hangs in [[:da:Odden Kirke|Odden Church]]. [[Christian Mølsted]] has painted a somewhat romanticised scene from the battle in which Willemoes is dying in the arms of second in command C. A. Rothe. It exists in two versions, one in Museum Vestfyn (1901) and one in the [[Frederiksborg Castle|Frederiksborg Museum]] in [[Hillerød]].
==Gallery== <gallery mode=packed heights=180px> File:Odden Kirkegård mindesøjle.jpg|Memorial in Odden churchyard File:Odden Kirkegård mindetavle.jpg|Close-up of the plaque on the memorial in Odden churchyard File:Odden Kirke Grabstein Peter Willemoes.JPG| File:Stone for the Battle of Zealand Point.jpg|Danish Commemorative stone for the Battle of Zealand Point File:Odden Kirke indre kirkeskib Prinds Christian Frederik.jpg|A model of this ship hangs in [[:da:Odden Kirke]], near the scene of the battle </gallery>
== Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commonscatinline}} *Balsved's Danish Naval History [https://web.archive.org/web/20090528220146/http://www.navalhistory.dk/danish/historien/1801_1814/PCF_SjaellandsOdde1808.htm] This website offers seven references in Danish for the details of the battle *Individual record cards in Danish for many ships of the Danish Royal Navy can be found at [https://web.archive.org/web/20051229194615/http://www.orlogsmuseet.dk/ skibregister] (den sorte registrand) - There is also access to all the [https://web.archive.org/web/20051215210839/http://www.orlogsmuseet.dk/Signaturforkl.pdf coded sources] *The Royal Danish Naval Museum [https://web.archive.org/web/20130109040605/http://www.orlogsbasen.dk/ website] at which details, drawings and models may be available. For individual ships already listed, including Prinds Christian Frederick, see [https://web.archive.org/web/20121231105643/http://www.orlogsbasen.dk/Skibdk.htm here].
{{coord|55.8833|N|11.1500|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}
[[Category:Naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars involving Denmark]] [[Category:Naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars involving the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Conflicts in 1807|Zealand Point]] [[Category:1808 in Denmark]] [[Category:March 1808]]