Royal Danish Navy
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The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the
Danish Defence Danish Defence ( da, Forsvaret, fo, Danska verjan, kl, Illersuisut) is the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark charged with the defence of Denmark and its constituent, self-governing nations Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The De ...
force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the
sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
of
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potent ...
(incl.
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
and
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
). Other tasks include
surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...
,
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
,
icebreaking An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
, oil spill recovery and prevention as well as contributions to international tasks and forces. During the period 1509–1814, when Denmark was in a union with Norway, the Danish Navy was part of the
Dano-Norwegian Navy The history of the Danish navy began with the founding of a joint Dano-Norwegian navy on 10 August 1510, when King John appointed his vassal Henrik Krummedige to become "chief captain and head of all our captains, men and servants whom we now ...
. Until the copenhagenization of the navy in 1801, and again in 1807, the navy was a major strategic influence in the European geographical area, but since then its size and influence has drastically declined with a change in government policy. Despite this, the navy is now equipped with a number of large state-of-the-art vessels commissioned since the end of the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. This can be explained by its strategic location as the
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
member controlling access to the
Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
. Danish Navy ships carry the
ship prefix A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship that has historically served numerous purposes, such as identifying the vessel's mode of propulsion, purpose, or ownership/n ...
KDM (''Kongelige Danske Marine'') in Danish, but this is translated to HDMS (''Her / His Danish Majesty's Ship'') in English. Denmark is one of several NATO member states whose navies do not deploy submarines.


History

The geographic layout of
Denmark proper ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , established ...
(not including Greenland and the Faroe Islands) has a
coastline The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...
to land area ratio of 1:5.9. For comparison, the figure for the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
is 1:92.1 and for the United States, 1:493.2. Denmark therefore naturally has long-standing maritime traditions, dating back to the 9th century when the
Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
s had small but well-organised fleets. They were often based in a small number of villages, usually with a common defence agreement;
Viking ship Viking ships were marine vessels of unique structure, used in Scandinavia from the Viking Age throughout the Middle Ages. The boat-types were quite varied, depending on what the ship was intended for, but they were generally characterized as bein ...
s, usually of the ''
Knarr A knarr is a type of Norse merchant ship used by the Vikings. The knarr ( non, knǫrr, plural ) was constructed using the same clinker-built method as longships, karves, and faerings. History ''Knarr'' is the Old Norse term for a type of ...
'' type, were light, and therefore easy to transport from village to village over land. With time, the defence pacts gave rise to larger, more offensive fleets which the Vikings used for plundering coastal areas. In the period after the Vikings, and up to the 15th century, the fleet consisted mainly of merchant vessels. Indeed, it is said that king Valdemar Sejr had more than 1,000 ships during the conquest of
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
in 1219. Together they carried more than 30,000 soldiers with horses and supplies. Records exist of a unified Danish navy from the late 14th century. Queen Margaret I, who had just founded the
Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union (Danish language, Danish, Norwegian language, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under ...
(consisting of Denmark, Norway, Sweden,
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
,
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
,
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
,
Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...
,
Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
, parts of
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
and parts of Germany) ordered the building of a navy — mainly to defend the union against the
Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
. Earlier the national fleet had consisted of vessels owned and operated by the
nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
, but the country as such did not have a navy. The earlier
monarchs A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in ...
therefore had to rely on
conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
from the nobility, which was not always easy as the monarchy itself often had enemies within the nobility. Queen Margaret I gave instructions for a navy to be constituted and maintained under the control of the monarchy. The nobility still had to provide crews (which consisted mainly of "volunteered" farmers) for these ships, though the core crew-members (i.e.
master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
s,
master-at-arms A Master-at-Arms (US: MA; UK & some Commonwealth: MAA) may be a naval rating, responsible for law enforcement, regulating duties, security, anti-terrorism/force protection (AT/FP) for/of a country's navy; an army officer responsible for physical ...
and master carpenters) could be employed by the monarch. There were also education
officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
, mainly levied from the nobility. In the 15th century, especially during the reign of
King Hans John (Danish language, Danish, Norwegian language, Norwegian and sv, Hans; né ''Johannes'') (2 February 1455 – 20 February 1513) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Kingdom of Denmark, Denmark (1481–1513 ...
, Danish trade expanded appreciably, increasing the need for the delivery of merchandise. As shipping was the ideal means of transport at the time, Danish maritime interests had to be further protected. King Hans is credited with establishing a joint Dano-Norwegian fleet in 1509, substantially increasing the number of professional crewmembers. They were mainly petty criminals, who had to choose between working in the king's navy or imprisonment. They received basic training in seamanship and carpentry, enabling them to sail the ships. Responsibility for weaponry and combat was still in the hands of conscripted farmers. For these, the country was divided into a number of counties — known in Danish as ''skipæn'' (the term ''skip'' being related to the Danish word for ship, ''skib''), which would later serve as the Danish
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
s. It was also during this period that dedicated naval bases and shipyards were founded. They would build, maintain and fit out the king's navy. The first record of a dedicated naval base is ''Bremerholmd'' (later ''
Gammelholm Gammelholm ( lit. "Old Islet") is a predominantly residential neighbourhood in the city centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is bounded by the Nyhavn canal, Kongens Nytorv, Holmens Kanal, Niels Juels Gade and the waterfront along Havnegade. For cen ...
'') in the year 1500.


Founding of the Royal Danish Navy

The founding of the Royal Danish Navy is often viewed in Denmark as taking place on 10 August 1510, when King Hans appointed his vassal Henrik Krummedige to become "chief captain and head of all our captains, men and servants whom we now have appointed and ordered to be at sea." When King Frederick II was crowned in 1559, he immediately began expanding the navy. The number of bases, yards and vessels rose rapidly and substantial resources were used for new ship designs, weaponry, training and battle tactics. Sweden, which had become an independent country, dominated a large part of the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
and threatened Danish merchant interests. In retaliation, Denmark closed the
Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width v ...
in 1568, laying the first seeds for the
Scanian War The Scanian War ( da, Skånske Krig, , sv, Skånska kriget, german: Schonischer Krieg) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, ...
(1675–1679), only eight years after the end of the second Nordic War (1657–1660), during which Denmark lost the now Swedish provinces of ''Skåne'', ''Halland'' and ''Blekinge''. During this period, further resources were allocated to the navy.
Niels Juel Niels Juel (8 May 1629 – 8 April 1697) was a Danish admiral and a naval hero. He served as supreme command of the Dano-Norwegian Navy The history of the Danish navy began with the founding of a joint Dano-Norwegian navy on 10 August 1510, ...
led the Royal Danish Navy to a victory in the Battle of Køge Bay in 1677.
King Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...
(crowned in 1588) continued in his father's footsteps. In the beginning of the 17th century, he considerably expanded the naval workships. In
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 ...
, where the navy resided, he built a large number of homes for crewmembers and workshop craftsmen — the most famous being
Nyboder Nyboder (English: New mallHouses) is a historic row house district of former Naval barracks in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was planned and first built by Christian IV to accommodate a need for housing for the personnel of the rapidly growing Royal Dan ...
(completed in 1631) which still stands in central Copenhagen. General admiral lieutenant
Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve Ulrik is a male name, a Scandinavian form of Ulrich. Ulrik may refer to: *Ulrik Frederik Christian Arneberg (1829–1911), Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party *Albert Ulrik Bååth (1853–1912), Swedish poet *Ulrik Balling (born 1975), ...
was appointed supreme commander of the navy in 1701. He raised the status of the naval profession and established ''Søkadetakademie'', the predecessor of the
Royal Danish Naval Academy The Royal Danish Naval Academy ( da, Søværnets Officersskole or more commonly, ''Søofficerskolen'') educates and commissions all officers for the Royal Danish Navy. Having existed for more than 300 years, it is the oldest still-existing offic ...
. In 1709, Peter Jansen Wessel joined the navy. He was later given the rank of admiral as a reward for his many victories – most famously at ''Marstrand'' and ''Dynekilden''. He was later known as '' Tordenskjold''. In 1712, Tordenskjold succeeded in burning 80 Swedish naval cruisers, which played a large part in the outcome of the
Great Nordic 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-Swedis ...
(1709–1720). Since
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
now was at peace, the navy focused its resources on other parts of the world, partaking in the
colonisation of Africa The history of external colonisation of Africa can be dated back from ancient history, ancient, Middle Ages, medieval, or modern history, depending on how the term Colonization, colonisation is defined. Ancient Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Malays ...
and the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
. A permanent naval presence of shifting strength was maintained in the Mediterranean Sea – protecting Danish-Norwegian interests in the region – mainly commerces against piracy. The Danish Mediterranean Squadron had numerous minor engagements with The Barbary States during the 1700s and 1800s. On several occasions these hostilities escalated to substantial actions. Some of the more notable can be said to be: the Mediterranean Squadron's bombardment of Algiers in 1770 under the command of rearadmiral Frederik Christian Kaas; the then captain, and future Privy Councillor,
Steen Andersen Bille The name of Steen Andersen Bille is closely associated with one extended family of Danish naval officers over several generations. In a direct line from one Vice-Commandant of the City of Copenhagen in the later 17th century, a long list of disting ...
's action at Tripoli in 1797; and commander
Hans Georg Garde Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...
in a joint Scandinavian expedition in 1844 – which effectively ended the Barbary states' attacks on Scandinavian merchants in the region. A pact of neutrality was made between Denmark (including Norway) and Sweden, providing a solid basis for commercial expansion.


Copenhagenization and rebuilding

The
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
, under pressure from the French in the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, became increasingly reluctant to allow Denmark to trade overseas as they believed First French Consul & General Bonaparte could benefit economically from Danish commerce. In 1801, they decided send a fleet to attack a Danish fleet, in the Battle of Copenhagen, under the command of Admiral Hyde Parker. The defence line, under the command of
Olfert Fischer Johan Olfert Fischer (4 August 1747 – 18 February 1829) was a Danish officer in the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He commanded the Dano-Norwegian fleet against British forces under Lord Nelson during the Danish defeat at Copenhagen on 2 April 18 ...
, put up a fierce fight, but was defeated, with the loss of 3 ships sunk and 12 captured. After the battle, the Crown Prince agreed to sign a truce with the British. In the following six years, Denmark managed to stay clear of the Napoleonic Wars, until the events leading to a second confrontation in 1807. Britain was afraid that the Danish fleet might fall under the control of Napoleon, perhaps tipping the balance in his favour. King Christian VII refused to hand over his navy to the British for safekeeping until the end of the war, and the British decided to capture the fleet by force. Copenhagen was bombarded and the king forced to surrender the fleet. In 1814, Denmark and Norway were separated relatively peacefully, after more than 300 years together. At the same time, the Common Fleet was split into the Royal Danish Navy and the
Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...
. The navy was slowly rebuilt, but it was nowhere near its former size. Faith was nevertheless placed in the navy, interests in Africa and the Caribbean still receiving considerable attention. In 1845, a two-year research expedition was launched on the corvette ''Galathea''. In the
Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...
(1864), the navy was still relatively small and old-fashioned, even though the
Prussian Navy The Prussian Navy ( German: ''Preußische Marine''), officially the Royal Prussian Navy ( German: ''Königlich Preußische Marine''), was the naval force of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 to 1867. The Prussian Navy was created in 1701 from the ...
was even smaller. Only a few steam vessels were at hand and these had a large impact on the war, in the end Prussians were not very successful at sea. As a result, it was considered necessary for the navy to be modernised. By the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(1914), the Danish navy was a very modern fleet, mainly equipped with armoured steam ships and only a very few sailing ships.


Interwar period and World War II

In the period between the two World Wars, the Royal Danish Navy (as well as the rest of the Danish military forces) had low priority for the politicians, especially between 1929 and 1942 under
Thorvald Stauning Thorvald August Marinus Stauning (; 26 October 1873 in Copenhagen – 3 May 1942) was the first social democratic Prime Minister of Denmark. He served as Prime Minister from 1924 to 1926 and again from 1929 until his death in 1942. Under Stauni ...
. During the first year of the
German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...
(1940–1945), the navy assisted the occupying German forces with minesweeping, because of the political demand of keeping the infrastructure (ferry-lines) up and running. The tensions between the German soldiers and the Danish armed forces rose slowly and, on 29 August 1943, they managed to scuttle 32 of its larger ships, while Germany succeeded in seizing 14 of the larger and 50 of the smaller vessels. This was due to a secret order, given directly to the captains by word of mouth by commander of the navy, Vice Admiral A. H. Vedel "to try to flee to the nearest neutral or nazi-opposed port. If that was not possible, the ship should be scuttled at as deep a location as possible". The Germans later succeeded in raising and refitting 15 of the sunken ships. A number of vessels had been ordered to attempt to escape to Swedish waters, and 13 succeeded. The fleet flagship, ''Niels Juel'', attempted to break out in the
Battle of Isefjord The Battle of Isefjord was a clash that occurred when the coastal defence ship was attacked by German forces as she tried to escape to neutral Sweden. Background Danish political situation By late August 1943, the political situation in Den ...
but the crew was forced to beach and partly scuttle her. The score for the larger vessels was therefore: 32 vessels were sunk, 2 were in Greenland, 4 reached Sweden, 14 were captured by the Germans. As for the smaller vessels: 9 "patruljekuttere" reached Sweden, 50 others were captured by the Germans. By the autumn of 1944, these ships officially formed a Danish naval
flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' (fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class ...
in exile. In September 1943, A. H. Vedel was fired by order of the prime minister
Vilhelm Buhl Vilhelm Buhl (16 October 1881 – 18 December 1954) was Prime Minister of Denmark from 4 May 1942 to 9 November 1942 as head of the ''Unity Government'' (the Cabinet of Vilhelm Buhl I) during the German occupation of Denmark of World War II, unti ...
because of his hostile actions towards the Germans. In the post-war years, Denmark joined NATO in 1949. As a result, Denmark received large amounts of material and financing through the
Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...
. Furthermore, several ships were purchased from the British and a number of vessels were transferred from the disarmed ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
''.


Cold War

During
the Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term ''cold war'' is used because the ...
, the Danish navy was rebuilt and modernised, with the main assignment being to repel an invasion from the Warsaw Pact. Typical operations requiring training were
minelaying A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing controll ...
(the now disbanded minelayers of the ''Falster'' class (, ), were the world's largest minelayers at their time – each had a complement of 280 900 kg mines) and sting attacks with small but fast combat craft (such as the ''Søløven''-class fast
torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of se ...
s (, ) and missile torpedo boats (, ) and a self-sustaining mobile missile battery (MOBA) equipped with targeting and guidance, capable of firing
Harpoon missiles The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security). The AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and later AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack Mi ...
. The Danish intelligence capabilities were also expanded and the Danish
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s trained for ''very shallow water operations'', while a special naval force – the
Danish Frogman Corps The Frogman Corps ( da, Frømandskorpset) is the maritime special operations force of the Danish Defence part of Special Operations Command. On 1 July 2015, the Frogman Corps transferred from the Royal Danish Navy to the newly established Spec ...
was created. The naval bases in
Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The town h ...
and
Korsør Korsør is a town on Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Korsør was the seat of Korsør Municipality. The town is located west of Slagelse, north-west of Skælskør and connects to Nyborg through the Great Bel ...
plus the fortresses at
Langeland Langeland (, ) is a Danish island located between the Great Belt and Bay of Kiel. The island measures 285 km2 (c. 110 square miles) and, as of 1 January 2018, has a population of 12,446.
and Stevns were created through NATO funds in the 1950s. In case of war all Danish combat vessels were assigned to
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
's
Allied Forces Baltic Approaches Allied Forces Baltic Approaches (BALTAP) was a Principal Subordinate Command (PSC) of the NATO Military Command Structure, with responsibility for the Baltic Sea area. It was in existence from 1962 to 2002 and consisted of the Danish Armed Forces ...
's naval command NAVBALTAP.


Post-Cold War

Since the end of the Cold War, the navy has been in a transitional phase, from local defence to global operations, with fewer but larger vessels able to operate for long periods at sea. It has also been more self-sustaining. Under the defence agreement (1995–1999) that initiated the process, several of the old "Cold War" frigates and minesweepers were decommissioned. The
squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
structure prior to this defence agreement was as follows: * 1st Squadron = The North Atlantic Squadron (Danish: 'InspektionsSkibsEskadren' (ISE)) with 5 ocean patrol vessels (1 ''Beskytteren'' class, 4 ''Thetis'' class), 3 ocean patrol cutters (''Agdlek'' class) and 4 icebreakers * 2nd Squadron = The Frigate Squadron (Danish: 'FreGatEskadren' (FGE)) with 2 frigates (''Peder Skram'' class), 3 corvettes (''Niels Juel'' class), 14 StanFlex-vessels () and 6 seaward defence craft (''Daphne'' class, decommissioned in 1991) * 3rd Squadron = The Mine Squadron (Danish: 'MineSkibsEskadren' (MSE)) with 4 minelayers (''Falster'' class), 2 cable-minelayers (''Lindormen'' class) and 7 minesweepers (''Sund'' class, decommissioned in 1999) * 4th Squadron = The Torpedo Boat Squadron (Danish: 'TorpedoBådsEskadren' (TBE)) with 13 torpedo-/missile boats (8 ''Willemoes'' class, 5 ''Søløven'' class), 2 oilers (''Faxe'' class) and a truck-detachment with missiles and radars called ''MOBA'' * 5th Squadron = The Submarine Squadron (Danish: 'UndervandsBådsEskadren' (UBE)) with 6 submarines (3 ''Tumleren'' class, 3 ''Springeren'' class) and the Frogmans Corps In the defence agreement of 2000–2004, further restructuring of the navy was ordered, as well as the decommissioning of several units. Furthermore, the only unit of ''Beskytteren'' class was donated to the Estonian Navy as . With the decommissioning of the torpedo boats, the 4th squadron was disbanded and the remnants were transferred to the 2nd squadron. Other units were also decommissioned. The squadron structure now looked like this: * 1st Squadron with 4 ocean patrol vessels (''Thetis'' class), 3 ocean patrol cutters (''Agdlek'' class) and 3 icebreakers * 2nd Squadron with 3 corvettes (''Niels Juel'' class), 14 StanFlex-vessels (''Flyvefisken'' class), 2 oilers (''Faxe'' class) and a truck-detachment with missiles and radars called ''MOBA'' and a new truck-unit ''MLOG'' with shops, spare parts, mechanics, etc. * 3rd Squadron = The Mine Squadron (Danish: 'MineSkibsEskadren' (MSE)) with 4 minelayers (''Falster'' class) and 2 cable-minelayers (''Lindormen'' class) * 5th Squadron = The Submarine Squadron (Danish: 'UndervandsBådsEskadren' (UBE)) with 4 submarines (3 ''Tumleren'' class, 1 ''Kronbrog'' class – leased Swedish ') and the Frogman Corps On 1 January 2006, a major reorganisation was carried out as a part of the defence agreement of 2005–2009 (which also put an end to the 95-year-old submarine service, with no intention of developing future submarine capability), when the former four squadrons were divided into two squadrons: * 1st Squadron – domestic affairs squadron * 2nd Squadron – foreign affairs squadron On 18 August 2022, the
Defence Ministry {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a g ...
announced the start of a major naval shipbuilding project, with a commitment of in funding to build new warships, in part as a response to the recent
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
. The funding is expected to be committed to programs that will roll out to ship commissioning over a 20 to 25 year period, and is a part of the government of Denmark's recent publicly stated plan to increase defence spending to two percent of the country's
gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...
(GDP).


Structure of the Royal Danish Navy


Royal Danish Navy in the late 1980s

The navy headquarters was located in
Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
, tasked to train, maintain and prepare the navy for war. Operational command in peacetime rested with the Navy Operational Command. In war the commander of the Royal Danish Navy would have assumed his appointment as "Flag Officer Denmark (FOD)" under the command of Allied Naval Forces Baltic Approaches (NAVBALTAP), which was commanded alternatingly by a Danish or German vice admiral. However Danish ships and units based in
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
and the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
would have come under command of NATO's Command
Eastern Atlantic Area The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) was one of two supreme commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the other being the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The SACLANT led Allied Command Atlantic was based at ...
(EASTLANT), who would also have taken command of Island Command Greenland and
Island Command Faroes Island Command Faroes ( da, Færøernes Kommando; ISCOMFAROES) was the military unit on the Faroe Islands. It was the military command of the Faroe Islands, the Faroe Islands airspace and the Faroe Islands territorial waters. It supported the loca ...
. Together with the German Fleet under the Flag Officer Germany (FOG), the RDN would have tried to keep the
Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
's United Baltic Sea Fleets, consisting of the Soviet
Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...
, Polish Navy and
East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
Volksmarine The ''Volksmarine'' (VM, ; en, People's Navy) was the naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The ''Volksmarine'' was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a coastal d ...
bottled up in the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
by blocking the
Danish straits The Danish straits are the straits connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea through the Kattegat and Skagerrak. Historically, the Danish straits were internal waterways of Denmark; however, following territorial losses, Øresund and Fehmarn Be ...
and thus ensuring NATOs unchallenged control of the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
. Additionally NAVBALTAP was to prevent amphibious landings on the Danish coast. To fulfill its mission the navy fielded a large number of
minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing controll ...
s and fast attack crafts. The first would have been used to
mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...
all sealanes and potential landings beaches, while the latter would have harassed the enemy fleet with continuous hit and run attacks. At the beginning of 1989 the Royal Danish Navy consisted of the following ships: * Royal Danish Navy, in Aarhus, commanded by a vice admiral ** Navy Materiel Command, Aarhus *** Navy Depot Service *** Navy Maintenance Service *** Navy Ammunition Arsenal **
Frogman Corps A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, comb ...
, at Torpedo Station Kongsøre **
Sirius Dog Sled Patrol The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol ( da, Slædepatruljen Sirius), known informally as ''Siriuspatruljen'' (the Sirius Patrol) and formerly known as ''North-East Greenland Sledge Patrol'' and ''Resolute Dog Sled Patrol'', is an elite Danish naval unit. It ...
,
Daneborg Daneborg (or Daneborg Station) is a station on the south coast of Wollaston Foreland peninsula of northeast Greenland, at the mouth of Young Sund emptying into Greenland Sea. Daneborg serves as the headquarters for the SIRIUS Patrol, the dog sl ...
,
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
** Navy Operational Command, Aarhus *** Kattegat Marine District,
Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The town h ...
(Maritime Surveillance Center and tactical control of sea units) *** Bornholm Marine District,
Rytterknægten Rytterknægten is the highest point on the Danish island of Bornholm at above sea level. The bierg is situated on a wooded bedrock of gaiter formations in the middle of Almindingen forest. Aakirkeby is located about to the southeast. Etymology ...
(Maritime Surveillance Center and tactical control of sea units) **** Frigate Squadron ***** ''Peder Skram''-class frigates: HDMS ''Peder Skram'' (F352), HDMS ''Herluf Trolle'' (F353) ***** ''Niels Juel''-class corvettes: HDMS ''Niels Juel'' (F354), HDMS ''Olfert Fischer'' (F355), HDMS ''Peter Tordenskiold'' (F356) ***** ''Daphne''-class seaward defence vessels (in the process of being replaced by ''Flyvefisken''-class patrol vessels): ''Daphne'' (P530), ''Dryaden'' (P531), ''Havfruen'' (P533), ''Najaden'' (P534), ''Nymfen'' (P535), ''Neptun'' (P536; decommissioned 30 October 1989), ''Ran'' (P537), ''Rota'' (P538; decommissioned 31 October 1989) ***** Oiler: ''Sleipner'' (A559) **** Torpedo Boat Squadron ***** ''Søløven''-class fast torpedo boats (in the process of being replaced by ''Flyvefisken''-class patrol vessels): ''Søløven'' (P510), ''Søridderen'' (P511), ''Søbjørnen'' (P512), ''Søhesten'' (P513), ''Søhunden'' (P514), ''Søulven'' (P515) ***** ''Willemoes''-class fast missile boats: ''Bille'' (P540), ''Bredal'' (P541), ''Hammer'' (P542), ''Huitfeldt'' (P543), ''Krieger'' (P544), ''Norby'' (P545), ''Rodsteen'' (P546), ''Sehested'' (P547), ''Suenson'' (P548), ''Willemoes'' (P549) ***** ''Flyvefisken''-class patrol vessel: ''Flyvefisken'' (P550) (commissioned 19 December 1989) ***** Oilers: ''Rimfaxe'' (A568), ''Skinfaxe'' (A569) ***** Land-based Mobile Base (MOBA) with approximately 40 trucks, which supplied fuel, ordnance, and freshwater, and provided repair facilities outside the naval bases to the torpedo boats. MOBA also had mobile radars for tactical surveillance and target acquisition, and **** Submarine Squadron ***** ''Narwhal''-class submarines: ''Narhvalen'' (S320), ''Nordkaperen'' (S321) ***** ''Kobben''-class submarine: ''Tumleren'' (S322; bought from Norway and commissioned on 20 October 1989) ***** ''Dolphin''-class submarines: ''Spækhuggeren'' (S327; decommissioned 31 July 1989), ''Springeren'' (S329) **** Mine Vessels Squadron ***** ''Lindormen''-class cable minelayers: ''Lindormen'' (N43), ''Lossen'' (N44) ***** ''Falster''-class minelayers: ''Falster'' (N80), ''Fyen'' (N81), ''Møen'' (N82), ''Sjælland'' (N83) ***** ''Sund''-class minesweepers (in the process of being replaced by ''Flyvefisken''-class patrol vessels): ''Alssund'' (M572; decommissioned 30 November 1989), ''Egernsund'' (M573; decommissioned 31 December 1989), ''Grønsund'' (M574), ''Guldborgsund'' (M575), ''Ulvsund'' (M577; had been refitted as a minehunter, decommissioned 31 December 1989), ''Vilsund'' (M578) **** Fishery Protection Squadron ***** ''Hvidbjørnen''-class offshore patrol frigates: ''Hvidbjørnen'' (F348), ''Vædderen'' (F349), ''Ingolf'' (F350), ''Fylla'' (F351) ***** ''Beskytteren''-class offshore patrol frigate: ''Beskytteren'' (F340) ***** ''Agdlek''-class arctic patrol cutters: ''Agdlek'' (Y386), ''Agpa'' (Y387), ''Tulugaq'' (Y388) ***** ''Barsø''-class naval patrol cutters: ''Barsø'' (Y300), ''Drejø'' (Y301), ''Romsø'' (Y302), ''Samsø'' (Y303), ''Thurø'' (Y304), ''Vejrø'' (Y305), ''Farø'' (Y306), ''Læsø'' (Y307), ''Rømø'' (Y308) ****
Danish Naval Air Squadron The Danish Navy Air Squadron ( da, Søværnets Helikoptertjeneste), was the aerial component of the Danish navy, from 1977 to December 31, 2010. Operationally it was directly under command of the Danish Naval Command, but maintenance of the eig ...
,
Værløse Air Base Værløse Air Base ( Danish: Flyvestation Værløse) is a former Royal Danish Air Force air base located just south of Værløse, Furesø Municipality, 20 kilometres northwest of central Copenhagen, Denmark. Its ICAO code is EKVL. History Fou ...
(8x Lynx Mk.80 helicopters) ****
Coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...
, with truck-mounted
AGM-84 Harpoon The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security). The AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and later AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack ...
anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...
s


Navy Bases

Main bases: *
Holmen Naval Base Naval Station Holmen ( da, Flådestation Holmen) is one of several naval stations of the Royal Danish Navy, supplementing the two Danish naval bases in Frederikshavn and Korsør. Founded in the late 17th century, it is also a visitor attracti ...
* Frederikshavn Naval Base * Korsor Naval Base Minor naval bases: * Marine Station
Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
(Danish Navy fleet command base) * Marine Station Esbjerg (NATO reinforcements port) * Marine Station Grønnedal in
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
* Marine Station Thorshavn in the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
* Torpedo Station Kongsøre (
Frogman Corps A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, comb ...
and mine divers base) * Lyngsbæk Pier (Naval mines depot) Coastal fortifications: * Stevnsfortet at the southern entrance to
Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width v ...
* Langelandsfortet at the southern entrance to the
Great Belt The Great Belt ( da, Storebælt, ) is a strait between the major islands of Zealand (''Sjælland'') and Funen (''Fyn'') in Denmark. It is one of the three Danish Straits. Effectively dividing Denmark in two, the Belt was served by the Great Be ...
Sea surveillance stations: * Marine Station Møn * Marine Station Gedser * Marine Station Bornholm


Structure circa 2018

The Naval Staff (in Danish ''Marinestaben''), led by a
Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
, the
Admiral Danish Fleet The Admiral Danish Fleet (ADMDANFLT) ( da, Søværnets Operative Kommando ) was the operationally supreme organisation of the Royal Danish Navy between 1 January 1991 and 30 September 2014. History In 1961, following major restructuring of the Dan ...
, is directly responsible to the Danish Defence Command. Since 2014, it has been placed at
Karup Air Base Air Base Karup is the main air base of the Royal Danish Air Force. It is situated within Midtjyllands Airport, 3 km west of Karup in mid-Jutland. The air base covers 3000 hectares of land of which only a third is inside the operational area ...
. The Danish Task Group is a headquarters tasked with commanding, educating and training maritime forces in peace,
crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
and
war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
. It is a mobile unit that is experienced in orchestrating exercises, organising insertions (
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
, non-combatant evacuation operations,
disaster relief operation Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...
s, etc.) and commanding naval, aerial and land-based units. Danish Task Group was created to expand Denmark's level of competency and quality of material, by participating in international maritime operations. The Danish Task Group has commanded
combined maritime forces United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) is the United States Navy element of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea. It consists of the ...
in both exercises (such as
BALTOPS BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) is an annual military exercise, held and sponsored by the Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe, since 1971, in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it. The purpose of BALTOPS is to train gunnery, replenis ...
and Joint Warrior) and operations (
Combined Task Force 150 Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) is a multinational coalition naval task force working under the 34-nation coalition of Combined Maritime Forces and is based in Bahrain established to monitor, board, inspect, and stop suspect shipping to pur ...
(2008) and
Combined Task Force 151 Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) is a multinational naval task force, set up in 2009 as a response to piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia. Its mission is to disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea and to enga ...
(2012)) a number of times. Today the fleet is divided into three squadrons: * 1st Squadron, administratively based at ''Naval Base
Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The town h ...
'', handles all tasks regarding
Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
affairs, such as maritime defence and
sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
of
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
ic and Faroese
territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potent ...
,
surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...
,
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
and oil spill recovery and prevention. It has provided units for international tasks, such as the environmental recovery vessel ''Gunnar Seidenfaden'' for the cleanup after the Prestige oil spill and the ocean patrol vessel for the protection force programme of
WFP The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен ...
chartered ships at the Horn of Africa. Vessels operated by 1st Squadron. * 2nd Squadron, administratively based at ''Naval Base
Korsør Korsør is a town on Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Korsør was the seat of Korsør Municipality. The town is located west of Slagelse, north-west of Skælskør and connects to Nyborg through the Great Bel ...
'', is specialized in foreign affairs. It conducts exercises for participation in various international tasks, such as providing protection force, disaster relief operations and non-combatant evacuation operations. It permanently provides units for international standing maritime groups as well as supporting various maritime operations. Vessels operated by 2nd Squadron. * 3rd Squadron, administratively based at ''Naval Base
Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The town h ...
'', handles all tasks regarding domestic affairs such as maritime defense and
sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
of
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
,
territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potent ...
,
surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...
,
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
,
icebreaking An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
and oil spill recovery and prevention.


Naval Operational Logistic Sites

The Naval Operational Logistic Support Structure (OPLOG), includes the naval bases in
Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The town h ...
and
Korsør Korsør is a town on Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Korsør was the seat of Korsør Municipality. The town is located west of Slagelse, north-west of Skælskør and connects to Nyborg through the Great Bel ...
as well as several naval stations. The naval bases' task is to provide logistic support for the ships and vessels, through the OPLOGs. This includes configuration, maintaining and repairing the units. Furthermore, similar support is provided to civilian agencies (i.e. the Danish police) and allied units like the United Nations The support is mainly provided within the geographical areas of the naval bases. For Naval Base
Korsør Korsør is a town on Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Korsør was the seat of Korsør Municipality. The town is located west of Slagelse, north-west of Skælskør and connects to Nyborg through the Great Bel ...
that is
Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...
,
Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...
,
Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
as well as the surrounding waters. For Naval Base Frederikshavn it is
Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
,
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
and the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
. Moreover, general support is provided for units participating in international operations in peacetime, as well as all units in crisis and wartime. The navy maintains a number of naval stations. These are smaller stations with limited support functions. The best known is the publicly accessible Naval Station Holmen in
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 ...
. There are also naval stations located in Kongsøre


Naval schools

Runs three main schools, with five special schools: * Naval NCO and Basic Training School (Danish: Søværnets Sergent- og Grundskole (SSG)) near Frederikshavn * Danish naval academy (Danish: Søværnets Officersskole) at
Holmen, Copenhagen () is a water-bound neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark, occupying the former grounds of the Royal Naval Base and Dockyards. In spite of its name, deceptively in singular, Holmen is a congregation of small islands, forming a north-eastern exte ...
* Naval specialist schools (Danish: Søværnets specialskoler): ** Naval Warfare School (Danish: Center For Taktikkursus (TAK)) at Naval Base Frederikshavn and
Holmen, Copenhagen () is a water-bound neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark, occupying the former grounds of the Royal Naval Base and Dockyards. In spite of its name, deceptively in singular, Holmen is a congregation of small islands, forming a north-eastern exte ...
** Naval Weapons School (Danish: Center For Våben (VBK)) at
Sjællands Odde Sjællands Odde is a peninsula on the northwest coast of Zealand between the Kattegat and Sejerø Bay. From the outermost point of the peninsula, Gniben, a reef juts some out into the Kattegat. Geography In the Stone Age Sjællands Odde was ...
** Naval Technical School (Danish: Center For Teknik (CT)) at
Holmen, Copenhagen () is a water-bound neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark, occupying the former grounds of the Royal Naval Base and Dockyards. In spite of its name, deceptively in singular, Holmen is a congregation of small islands, forming a north-eastern exte ...
** Naval Damage Control School (Danish: Center For Skibssikkerhed (SHK)) near
Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The town h ...
** Naval Diving School (Danish: Center For Dykning (CD)) at
Holmen, Copenhagen () is a water-bound neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark, occupying the former grounds of the Royal Naval Base and Dockyards. In spite of its name, deceptively in singular, Holmen is a congregation of small islands, forming a north-eastern exte ...
** Naval Centre for Sergeant and Maritime Education (Danish: Center For Sergent og Maritim Uddannelse)


International operations

The contemporary Royal Danish Navy has participated in the following international operations:


Vessels

The Danish navy currently operates: * 12 larger vessels (
displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
> 1,500 t(m)) * 4 medium-size vessels (1,500 t(m) > displacement > 500 t(m)), and * 38 small vessels (500 t(m) > displacement > 15 t(m)), as well as a number of
rigid-hulled inflatable boat A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are ...
s, boats etc. The navy ship programs are generally of the "''newer but fewer''" type. Many of the vessels are of more recent dates (''Absalon'' class from 2004 to 2005, ''Thetis'' class from 1991 to 1994 and ''Flyvefisken'' class from 1986 to 1995) or under replacement, i.e. the corvettes of the ''Niels Juel'' class (1978–1980) have been replaced with three new for 2nd Squadron and the ''Barsø'' class (1969–1973) has been replaced with 6 ''Diana''-class small patrol crafts. Finally all three ''Agdlek'' class vessels (1973–1979) have been replaced with the new vessels. In addition, the Royal Danish Navy and the
German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...
are in cooperation in the "Ark Project". This agreement made the Ark Project responsible for the strategic sealift of Danish and German armed forces where the full-time charter of three roll-on-roll-off cargo and troop ships are ready for deployments. Furthermore, these ships are also kept available for the use of the other European NATO countries.


Air service


Early years

The Royal Danish Navy has operated aircraft since 1912 either as a functional part of the navy or as flights conducted by the
Royal Danish Air Force The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...
. Aviation pioneer Robert Svendsen purchased the first aircraft, a Henry Farman, and gave it to the navy who subsequently named it ''Glenten'' (
kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...
). Later the same year, a private funding effort made it possible to purchase two Donnet-Leveque flying boats named ''Maagen'' (
gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...
) and ''Ternen'' (
tern Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated as a subgroup of the family Laridae which includes gulls and skimmers and consists of e ...
). At the outbreak of World War One the navy had two operational flying boats and five trained pilots making it possible to make daily reconnaissance flights over the Sound, monitoring German mine-laying activities. From 1914 to 1917, ''
Orlogsværftet ''Orlogsværftet'' () was a Danish naval shipyard under the Royal Danish Navy. Before 1924, it was an integral part of the naval base at Holmen Naval Base, Holmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark, with an independent management from 1692 when Olau ...
'' (Danish naval yard) produced eight OV-flying boats and in 1915 and 1916 two naval flying stations were established in Copenhagen and Nyborg, mainly focusing on the two international seaways Øresund and
Storebælt The Great Belt ( da, Storebælt, ) is a strait between the major islands of Zealand (''Sjælland'') and Funen (''Fyn'') in Denmark. It is one of the three Danish Straits. Effectively dividing Denmark in two, the Belt was served by the Great Be ...
. After the war the Danish production of aircraft was stopped due to several crashes and an international surplus of warplanes. Following British advice, five
Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...
s were purchased for training purposes, and based in
Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately 60 km from Copenhagen. Tourism and transport Ringsted is one of Denmark's busiest ...
between the two important straits.


Fighter aircraft

In 1925, three land-based fighter aircraft were purchased to be based in Ringsted. A modified version of the
Hawker Woodcock The Hawker Woodcock was a British single-seat fighter built by the Hawker Engineering Company as the first fighter to be produced by Hawker Engineering (the successor to Sopwith Aviation). It was used by the RAF as a night fighter in the 1920 ...
, the Hawker Danecock, was initially delivered from the UK while a following series of 12 aircraft were
license-built Licensed production is the production under license of technology developed elsewhere. The licensee provides the licensor of a specific product with legal production rights, technical information, process technology, and any other proprietary compo ...
by the Orlogsværft. In 1928. the naval air service procured six
Heinkel HE 8 The Heinkel HE 8 was a reconnaissance floatplane built in Germany in the late 1920s. It was developed at the request of the Danish Navy, which had noted the success of the HE 5 in Swedish service, and wished to purchase a similar aircraft as wel ...
floatplanes, with another 16 to be license-built by the Orlogsværft. As Germany were not allowed to produce military aircraft, the planes were labelled as
mail plane A mail plane is an aircraft used for carrying mail. Aircraft that were purely mail planes existed almost exclusively prior to World War II. Because early aircraft were too underpowered to carry cargoes, and too costly to run any "economy class" ...
s, but they could easily be refitted with dual machine guns, radio equipment and a capacity for eight bombs. The Heinkel had an unexpected Arctic employment in the early 1930s when a dispute over East Greenland caused the first deployment of aircraft, along with three naval ships, in Greenland. Following settlement of the dispute between Denmark and Norway the Heinkels were used in the efforts to map the frontiers of the island. In 1933, two
Hawker Nimrod The Hawker Nimrod is a British carrier-based single-engine, single-seat biplane fighter aircraft built in the early 1930s by Hawker Aircraft. Design and development In 1926 the Air Ministry specification N.21/26 was intended to produce a suc ...
s were acquired to keep pace with the rapidly evolving technology of naval aircraft . A further ten aircraft were to be produced under licence at the Orlogsværft. The new aircraft made the air base in Ringsted inadequate and the naval air service was moved to the Avnø peninsula at southern
Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...
.


Attack aircraft

In 1932, the navy purchased its first offensive capacity, two
Hawker Horsley The Hawker Horsley was a British single-engined biplane bomber of the 1920s. It was the last all-wooden aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft, and served as a medium day bomber and torpedo bomber with Britain's Royal Air Force between 1926 and 1935 ...
torpedo bombers A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...
with an option to produce a following series on the Orlogsværft. After four years of testing and practice, the naval air service had agreed to expand the offensive capacities with the Horsley, but at this time funding from the Danish government had been cut and no further torpedo bombers were acquired. In the late 1930s, the government changed plans and increased the budget for military purchases following the German expansions in central Europe. In 1938, 12 Fairey P.4/34s were to be produced at
Orlogsværftet ''Orlogsværftet'' () was a Danish naval shipyard under the Royal Danish Navy. Before 1924, it was an integral part of the naval base at Holmen Naval Base, Holmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark, with an independent management from 1692 when Olau ...
, along with 12 Italian
Macchi C.200 The Macchi C.200 Saetta (Italian: "Lightning"), or MC.200, was a fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Aeronautica Macchi in Italy. Various versions were flown by the ''Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Air Force) who used the type throughou ...
fighters. None of these were produced before the
German invasion of Denmark The German invasion of Denmark (german: Operation Weserübung – Süd), was the German attack on Denmark on 9 April 1940, during the Second World War. The attack was a prelude to the invasion of Norway (german: Weserübung Nord, 9 April – 10 ...
on April 9, 1940.


Helicopters

Helicopters are deployed from the air force's 723rd
squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
to Danish naval ships. When initiated in 1962, the naval helicopters consisted of a flight of Alouette helicopters of RDAF squadron 722. Primarily for use on the in operations in
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
and the
Faeroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway betwee ...
, but also on in international operations and off Greenland as well as participating in exercises. The independent unit was established in 1977 as "Søværnets Flyvetjeneste" operating (
Aérospatiale Alouette III The Aérospatiale Alouette III (, ''Lark''; company designations SA 316 and SA 319) is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by France, French aircraft company Sud Aviation. During its production life, it proved to be a relatively p ...
(1977–1982) and
Westland Lynx The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led t ...
(1980–present) helicopters. In 1989, the Navy had one Lynx 23, six Lynx 80, and two Lynx 90. On 6 December 2012, the
Royal Danish Air Force The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...
officially ordered nine MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, with all to be delivered by 2018, following a competition on the procurement involving the
NH90 The NHIndustries NH90 is a medium-sized, twin-engine, multi-role military helicopter. It was developed in response to NATO requirements for a battlefield helicopter which would also be capable of being operated in naval environments. The NH90 ...
,
AgustaWestland AgustaWestland was an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica (now known as Leonardo). It was formed in July 2000 as an Anglo-Italian multinational company, when Finmeccani ...
s
AW159 The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat (previously called the Future Lynx and Lynx Wildcat) is a British military helicopter. It is an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx designed to serve in the battlefield utility, search and rescue and a ...
Wildcat and the
AW101 The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requiremen ...
along with Sikorsky's other bid H-92 Superhawk.


Ranks and insignia


Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of
commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
s.


Other ranks

The rank insignia of
non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
s and
enlisted personnel An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States m ...
. RDN gunner service badge.svg, Våben, Artilleri
(Gunner) RDN torpedo service badge.svg, Våben, Torpedo
(Torpedo) RDN communication service badge.svg, Kommunikation
(Communication)


References


Bibliography

* *


External links


Official website


{{Navies in Europe Military of Denmark Military of Greenland Military of the Faroe Islands