Marine archaeologists have now discovered a Danish warship on the seabed of Copenhagen harbor, sunk by Admiral Horatio Nelson and the British fleet after more than 200 years, the AP reported.
Now working in thick sediment and near-zero visibility 15 meters (49 feet) underwater, divers are rushing to recover the wreck of the 19th-century warship Dannebroge before the site is cleared for a new coastal settlement in Denmark.
The excavation site is expected to be overtaken by construction for Lynetteholm, a massive project to create a new residential area in Copenhagen’s harbor due to be completed by 2070.
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The Danish Museum is leading the excavation
On Thursday (local time), Denmark’s Viking Ship Museum, which led the month-long underwater excavation, announced its findings, writing: “225 years to the day since the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801”.
Morten Johansen, the museum’s head of maritime archaeology, said: “It’s a big part of the Danish national feeling.” He added that much had been written about the battle by some very “enthusiastic spectators”; however, not much is really known about what it was like aboard the ship, which was torn apart by English warships. Johansen went on to say that studying the wreck could help them better understand that part of the experience.
Battle of Copenhagen
According to the account of the Battle of Copenhagen, the British fleet and Nelson attacked and defeated the Danish navy as it formed a defensive blockade outside the harbor. Considered one of Nelson’s “great battles”, thousands were killed and wounded during this brutal, hour-long naval engagement. The battle was intended to push Denmark out of an alliance of northern European powers that included Russia, Prussia and Sweden.
Dannebroge – Danish warship
At the center of this battle was Dannebroge, commanded by Commodore Olfert Fischer, the Danish flagship. Nelson’s primary target was the 48-metre (157 ft) Dannebroge. Cannon fire pierced its upper deck and incendiary shells eventually ignited a fire on deck.
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According to Johansen, it was a “nightmare” to be aboard one of these ships, adding that when a cannon ball hit a ship, it was not the ball itself that did the most damage to the crew, but the wooden splinters that flew off, much like shrapnel from a shell.
After being hit by cannon fire, the damaged Dannebroge slowly drifted north before exploding, with records describing the deafening blast heard across Copenhagen.
Horatio Nelson offered a truce
The Battle of Copenhagen is said to have inspired the phrase “turn a blind eye”. That’s after Nelson allegedly ignored a superior’s signal and blamed the loss of vision in one eye, allegedly saying, “I’ve only got one eye, so I have a right to be blind sometimes.”
However, he offered a truce, which was later followed by a truce with Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik.
Naval archaeologists have uncovered cannons
According to the report, marine archaeologists who began surveying the area late last year zeroed in on a site they believed corresponded to the ship’s final location. Among the items uncovered, they found two cannons, uniforms, insignia, bottles, boots and part of the mandible of a sailor believed to have belonged to one of the 19 crew members who remain missing and are believed to have lost their lives.
Citing experts, the report said the dimensions of the recovered wooden remains matched those on historical drawings. Dendrochronology is the technique of dating wood by analyzing tree rings. It indicates that the wood dates back to when the ship was built. They also note that the site is littered with cannonballs, posing a hazard to divers navigating in waters clouded by disturbed seabed sediment.
The 1801 battle, which is widely documented in books and works of art, remains a significant part of Denmark’s national history.
