The ''Dannebroge'' was a

Dano-Norwegian Dano-Norwegian ( Danish and no, dansk-norsk) was a koiné/mixed language that evolved among the urban elite in Norwegian cities during the later years of the union between the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway (1536/1537–1814). It is from thi ...

ship-of-the-line that exploded and sank on 4 October 1710, during the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...

. Almost all of its crew of 600 were killed - one third of the victims were

Norwegians Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the N ...

. Admiral Iver Huitfeldt was among the casualties.

Construction

Konstruktionstegning til Dannebroge med Christian 5

''Dannebroge'' was built in 1692 and she was the largest ship-of-the-line in the

navy at that time with her 84 cannons placed on two decks and a crew of 600 men. She was also the first ship in Denmark that was built according to a plan drawing.

Career

The final battle

In 1710 Denmark–Norway was at war with Sweden. The Norwegian-born commander,

Ivar Huitfeldt Iver Huitfeldt (5 December 1665 – 4 October 1710) was a Dano-Norwegian naval officer who was killed in action, when he commanded the ship '' Dannebroge'' during Great Northern War 1700–1721. Biography Iver Huitfeldt was born in the Norwegian ...

, was in charge of ''Dannebroge'' on October 4, 1710. Along with a Dano-Norwegian fleet of 44 other ships he had set sail for

Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an important ice-f ...

(in modern Latvia). The mission was to escort 6,000 Russian troops to the Danish capital of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, so they could support Denmark–Norway during the

against the Swedes. However, the fleet was intercepted by a Swedish fleet in the Battle of Køge Bay. According to the commander in chief of the Dano-Norwegian navy, Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve, the fire on ''Dannebroge'' was probably ignited by her own cannons. Gyldenløve mentions this in his letter to the king. Gyldenløve followed the battle from his ship '' Elephanten'' and wrote the letter at about 9 o'clock in the morning of October 5. It is unclear how many of the 600 men survived the explosion: some sources say three and others say nine.

Wreck and commemoration

Today ''Dannebroge'' is the only wreck within Danish sea territory, where it is forbidden to dive. The official Danish institution of cultural heritage, ''Kulturarvsstyrelsen'', considers it to be a cemetery. Some cannons were salvaged in 1714; others were salvaged in 1875 by the company Svitzer, which also searched for other objects that could be sold at an auction. Some of the cannon were later used by Danish architect

Vilhelm Dahlerup Jens Vilhelm Dahlerup (4 August 1836 – 24 January 1907) was a Danish architect who specialized in the Historicist style. One of the most productive and noted Danish architects of the 19th century, he is behind many of the most known buildings ...

in his design of the Ivar Huitfeldt Monument at

Langelinie Langelinie (English: Long Line) is a pier, promenade and park in central Copenhagen, Denmark, and home of '' The Little Mermaid'' statue. The area has for centuries been a popular destination for excursions and strolls in Copenhagen. Most cruise ...

in Copenhagen. A 1:40 scale model of the ship was built by Orlogsmuseets Modelbyggerlaug ("The guild of model builders at the Naval Museum") in 2010. It was donated to the Royal Danish Navy in October 2010 as part of the celebrations of its 500 year Jubilee.

References

Citations

Royal Danish Naval Museum

- Record cards *Royal Danish Naval Museum

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dannebroge (1692) 1690s ships Ships of the line of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy Great Northern War Shipwrecks of Denmark