HDMS ''Triton'' was a frigate 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 ...
launched in 1790 which operated in Dano-Norwegian home waters and in the Mediterranean in the protection of Denmark-Norway's merchant fleet. The period in which it operated was fraught with political and practical difficulties (see
First League of Armed Neutrality
The First League of Armed Neutrality was an alliance of European naval powers between 1780 and 1783 which was intended to protect neutral shipping against the British Royal Navy's wartime policy of unlimited search of neutral shipping for Frenc ...
and its successors) which led to two battles at Copenhagen (
1801
Events
January–March
*January 1
** The legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland is completed under the Act of Union 1800, bringing about the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the abolition of the Parliament of Ir ...
and
1807
Events
January–March
*January 7 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland issues an Order in Council prohibiting British ships from trading with France or its allies.
*January 20 – The Sierra Leone Company, faced with b ...
) and other, less significant, actions.
Ship design
''Triton'' was a Stibolt-built frigate designed to have versatile weapon-aiming capabilities. Not only did it have a conventional broadside of twelve cannon, but the foremost gun could be manoeuvred to fire forwards. The six howitzers could also be moved to aim aft or to the sides.
[Design plans can be found by following the reference and clicking "vis"]
Ship's career
;1793
''Triton'' was commissioned and served in the home squadron, but also convoyed, as far as
Cape Finisterre
Cape Finisterre (, also ; ; ) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain.
In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like that of Finistère in France, derives from the Latin , mean ...
, merchant ships bound for China. Her captain at this time was George Albrecht Koefoed.
[Topsøe-Jensen Vol 2 pp 13 - 14][In March 1800 G A Koefoed, now a commodore, was ordered to assume command over all the Danish naval units in the Mediterranean (relieving Steen Andersen Bille) and took passage with ''Triton'' from Copenhagen to that station where he transferred to ''Thetis'' as his command ship in July 1800, reporting in September 1800 from Tunis Bay of his successful peace negotiations and the release of Danish/Norwegian prisoners]
In 1794 ''Triton'' was with the home squadron and in 1795, commanded by senior Lieutenant Denis Christian Bagge, served with a joint Swedish/Danish squadron operating in protection of trade.
;Mediterranean
Commanded by Captain Althon Günther von Ellbrecht, ''Triton'' arrived at Malaga (which was used as the main Danish base in the Mediterranean) on 20 June 1797 to join Steen Andersen Bille's squadron,
[Topsøe-Jensen Vol 1 p 330] too late for the
action of 16 May 1797. Captain Ellbrecht was credited with being an energetic and efficient officer and once came into conflict with the British authorities in Gibraltar when ''Triton'' fired at two British privateers who had taken a Danish prize, ''Kjærligheden'', which ''Triton'' recaptured.
In April 1799, a lightning strike on the main mast caused a fire that took four hours to bring under control.
Triton returned to Copenhagen on 5 October 1799.
From 1800 to 1802 under Captain-Lieutenant Johan Hartvig Ernst von Berger
[Topsøe-Jensen Vol 1 pp 97 - 98] ''Triton'' was active in the Mediterranean squadron,
but from 15 February 1801 was detained in
Mahón
Mahón (), officially Maó (, ; formerly spelled ''Mahó''), and also written as Mahon or Port Mahon in English, is the capital and second largest city of Menorca. The city is located on the eastern coast of the island, which is part of the ar ...
by the British. On 16 February the Danish brig ''Glommen'' was also detained. Both ships were held until 3 July 1801. Back on duty, the ship was caught by a severe storm whilst in Livorno harbour in November 1801 and lost four anchors but was saved by grounding on a mudbank.
In the spring of 1802 one of Triton's officers, senior Lieutenant Hans Emanuel Wulff, developed eye problems similar to a cataract and was landed at Pisa for treatment. Much improved, he returned on board on 14 May 1802. The ship returned to Copenhagen on 10 December 1802.
;Home waters
In August 1803 ''Triton'' was at Christiansand where Captain-Lieutenant Andreas Nissen was inspecting a number of laid-up ships. and was again in Norway in 1804.
;1807
''Triton'' was fetched from
Christiansand
Kristiansand is a city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation of the mun ...
to Copenhagen (see
Jørgen Conrad de Falsen ) and captained by Carl Adolf Roth
[Topsøe-Jensen Vol 2 p 413] in May 1807, not long before the
Battle of Copenhagen where she was seized, along with the rest of the fleet, by the British but abandoned and burnt on Saltholm or nearby Swedish coast.
Gallery
File:Middelspant Original Til en Fregatt paa 24 Canoner som bygges under No. 71 kaldet Triton.jpg,
Image:Plan af Dækket og Banieren, til den 24 Canons Fregat No. 71 kaldet Triton.jpg,
Notes
References
Citations
Royal Danish Naval Museum Triton*Royal Danish Naval Museum â€
- Record card fo
*T. A. Topsøe-Jensen og Emil Marquard (1935) “Officerer i den dansk-norske Søetat 1660-1814 og den danske Søetat 1814-1932“. Two volumes. Downloa
.
External links
Triton (1790)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Triton(1790)
Frigates of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy
1790 ships
Ships built in Copenhagen
Ships designed by Ernst Wilhelm Stibolt
Captured ships