HDMS ''Elephanten'' (, from the

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in ...

) was a

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

of the

Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy The history of the Danish navy began with the founding of a joint Denmark-Norway, Dano-Norwegian navy on 10 August 1510, when John, King of Denmark, King John appointed his vassal Henrich Krummedige, Henrik Krummedige to become "chief captain and ...

that served from 1703 to 1728. There were three other Danish ships-of-the line of the same name, dating from 1684, 1741 and 1773. The ship was sometimes referred to as ''Nye Elefant'' () to differentiate from others of similar name. For much of her service career, which coincided with the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

, ''Elephanten'' was the flagship of the Danish fleet active in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

Ship's career

In 1710 ''Elephanten'' participated in the Battle of Køge Bay, where she served as

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

for Admiral Ulrik Gyldenløve. ''Elephanten'' remained Gyldenløve's flagship until 1712 when the Danish fleet was heavily involved in the ongoing siege of Stralsund. Captain was the flag captain during 1711 and 1712. In 1712 Jacob Dos had been flag captain to Vice Admiral Peter Raben on and (after a spell of sickness) was again Raben's flag captain when Raben commanded the Baltic fleet from ''Elephanten'' in 1714 and 1715. This was a period in which the fleet of 15 ships-of-the-line escorted a squadron and fleet of troop transports under Christen Thomesen Sehested to

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

and which included the successful Battle of Rügen. Dos was again flag captain to Admiral Raben on ''Elephanten'' in 1718. In early October 1715 Gyldenløve again took command of Denmark's Baltic fleet, again flying his flag in ''Elephanten''. For three weeks Ulrich Kaas was his flag captain before his own promotion to rear admiral, then Rasmus Krag took over. Elephanten continued to lead the Danish fleet in the Baltic throughout 1716 and 1717 with Admiral Gyldenløve in command. Commodore (later Admiral) , was the flag captain in these later stages.

1726

By the end of the Great Northern War much of the Danish fleet was seriously dilapidated and in need of refitting and repair. The refitting of ''Elephanten'' at the Danish naval base of Holmen was mismanaged and expensive, resulting in a ship that was unfit for service, for which

Ole Judichær Ole (Olaus) Judichær (20 March 1661 29 September 1729) was a Danish shipbuilder and admiral in the Royal Danish Navy. Early life Ole (or Olaus) Judichær was born on 20 March 1661 in Gotland,Bjerg in Gyldendal although this date may have been ...

was blamed.

Fate

She was scuttled in 1728 to create the artificial island ''Elefanten'' at

Holmen, Copenhagen () is a water-bound neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark, occupying the former grounds of the Holmen Naval Base, Royal Naval Base and Dockyards. In spite of its name, deceptively in Grammatical number, singular, Holmen is a congregation of small ...

. The ship's former anchor was recovered from the Bay of Køge in 1979. In October the same year it was inaugurated as a local landmark in a donation from Sejlklubben Greve Strand in connection with the celebration of the harbour's 50 years' anniversary.

Notes

References

Citations

*Royal Danish Naval Museum �
List of Ships Names
- for details of most ships which have served in the Royal Danish Navy
Byvandring 6
- A guide to the area of Holmen, City of Copenhagen for walking or cycling (for Elefanten see section 6.6) - in Danish . Copyright forfatterne og Systime A/S 2019 *Royal Danish Naval Museu

for record cards where they exist * *

External links

Source

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elephanten 1700s ships Great Northern War Holmen, Copenhagen Ships built in Copenhagen Ships designed by Ole Judichær Ships of the line of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy