Henrik Johan Nauckhoff (also ''Henric'', ''Hindric''; 13 October 1744 – 18 February 1818) was a Swedish naval officer and ''

friherre (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , ) and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in i ...

'' (baron). After having graduated as an officer in the

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...

, Nauckhoff served on expeditions 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 Morocco before receiving his first commission as commander of a ship in 1776. He was granted leave in 1778 to serve in the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

in order to gain useful experience. He thus came to participate in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, and fought on the side of the French in the battles of Chesapeake and the Saintes; in the latter he was severely wounded and instrumental in saving the French ship ''

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

''. For his service in the war he was awarded the French Order of Military Merit and the Swedish

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

, as well as a life-long pension from the French state. After his return to Sweden, he would also participate actively in the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790, commanding ships in the battles of

Hogland Gogland or Hogland (, transliteration from original ; , German: ''Hochland'') is an island in the Gulf of Finland in the eastern Baltic Sea, about 180 km west from Saint Petersburg and 35 km from the coast of Finland (near Kotka). ...

Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Oland'' internationally) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. ...

(with noted distinction),

Reval Tallinn is the capital and most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and administratively lies in the Harju ''maakond'' (co ...

Kronstadt Kronstadt (, ) is a Russian administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg, near the head ...

and

Vyborg Bay Vyborg Bay (; ; ) is a deep inlet running northeastward near the eastern end of Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea. The city of Vyborg is located near the head of the gulf. The Monrepos Park is considered a jewel of the bay and a major dra ...

. During the last of these, his ship ran aground and he was taken prisoner. He returned to Sweden following the peace treaty with Russia, and would hold several positions on land during the peacetime period thereafter. In 1796 he was promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

. With the outbreak of the

Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...

in 1808, he returned to command a squadron. He was promoted to

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

in 1809, and to the rank of full admiral in 1817, after the end of the war. He died in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Biography

Early years and the American Revolutionary War

Henrik Johan Nauckhoff was born in in

Södermanland Södermanland ( ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latinisation of names, Latinized form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a Provinces of Sweden, historical province (or ) on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Österg� ...

, Sweden. He came from an aristocratic family which had come to Sweden from Estonia in the 17th century. His father was a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

. He started his military career in the army, joining the

Uppland Regiment The Uppland Regiment (), designation I 8, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded in 1957. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province of Uppland, and it was ...

in 1761. In 1763, however, he transferred to the

, and graduated as a naval officer in

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to ...

in 1768. He was subsequently granted leave to serve in the merchant fleet, and sailed on several trading voyages before re-entering military service in 1770. He participated in expeditions to

and Morocco before receiving his first commission as commander of a ship in 1776. Two years later he received permission to enter French service in order to broaden his experience. Following his arrival in Brest in 1779, he immediately embarked on the French

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 ...

''Alexandre'' with the rank of ''

lieutenant de vaisseau Ship-of-the-line lieutenant (; ) is a naval officer rank, used in a number of countries. The name derives from the name of the largest class of warship, the ship of the line, as opposed to smaller types of warship ( corvettes and frigates). It ...

'' and participated in the naval campaign against the British under the command of Admiral Guillouet as part of the French involvement in the

. The following year he served on the same ship in the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

and the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. In 1781 he was transferred to the ship ''

'', which formed part of a convoy to transfer French troops to the Caribbean under the command of Admiral de Grasse. He participated in the French occupation of

Tobago Tobago, officially the Ward of Tobago, is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger islan ...

before sailing north with the fleet convoying reinforcements to General Lafayette on 5 August. He thus came to participate in the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1 ...

on 5 September 1781. Following the battle, he was awarded the French Order of Military Merit and also received the rank of Knight of the Swedish

. Nauckhoff also participated in the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

in April 1782, and was severely wounded in the head. During the battle, all senior officers on board ''Northumberland'' were killed, wherefore Nauckhoff either took command himself or, according to different sources, vigorously aided the acting French commander, but in any case was instrumental in managing to convey the ship into the safety of present-day

Cap-Haïtien Cap-Haïtien (; ; "Haitian Cape") is a List of communes of Haiti, commune of about 400,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Departments of Haiti, department of Nord (Haitian department), Nord. Previously named ''Cap‑Fran� ...

. For this action he was rewarded by the French with a sum of money as well as an annual, life-long pension. He later made his way back to Europe on board the French ship ''Le Conquerant'' and re-entered Swedish service after the end of the war.

Russo-Swedish War

During the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790, Nauckhoff was initially given command of the Swedish

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

''Minerva'' which he commanded during the

Battle of Hogland The Battle of Hogland was a naval battle that took place on during the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). Origins On the outbreak of war with Russia in 1788, Sweden planned to attack the Russian capital St. Petersburg. One Swedish army was to ...

. After the battle he was given command of the larger ship of the line '. The following year he was transferred to the ship ', on which he served with future admiral

Rudolf Cederström Olof Rudolf Cederström (8 February 1764 – 1 June 1833) was a Sweden, Swedish naval commander. Cederström enlisted in the Sweden, Swedish admiralty in 1779 and as captain, he conducted a raid against Paldiski, Rogervik. He distinguished himself ...

and which he commanded with distinction at the

Battle of Öland The Battle of Öland was a naval battle between an allied Danish- Dutch fleet and the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea, off the east coast of Öland on 1 June 1676. The battle was a part of the Scanian War (1675–79) fought for supremacy over ...

. Subsequently, Nauckhoff also participated in the naval battles of

and

. In the last battle the ship he commanded ran aground and he was taken prisoner. He would spend the rest of the war in Russian captivity.

Later years

Following the peace settlement in the Treaty of Värälä, Nauckhoff returned to Sweden as part of a prisoner exchange and in the following years had onshore duties, including as a member of several committees dedicated to naval issues. He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences in 1784. In 1796 he was promoted to

, and in 1799 elevated to Commander of the Order of the Sword. With the outbreak of the

in 1808, Nauckhoff again entered active duty as a squadron commander. Together with the British

Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet w ...

, under the command of admirals Saumarez (whom he had fought against while in French service) and

Hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris * Hood, a flap of ...

he sustained a blockade of a Russian squadron in

Paldiski Paldiski is a seaside Populated places in Estonia, town in northwestern Estonia, located on the Pakri Peninsula and adjacent Pakri Islands, Pakri islands in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is the administrative centre of the Lääne- ...

. In 1809 he was promoted to

and the rank of Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword. Following the war, Nauckhoff was elevated to the rank of ''

'' (baron) in 1813. In 1817 he was promoted to the rank of full

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

. He died on 18 February 1818 in

References

Sources cited

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nauckhoff, Henrik Johan 1744 births 1818 deaths Swedish admirals People of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790) Recipients of the Order of the Sword Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (France) Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Swedish military personnel of the American Revolutionary War People from Nyköping Municipality