Lost Flagship From 1801 Battle of Copenhagen Discovered After 225 Years

The Battle of Copenhagen by Christian Mølsted. Credit: Christian Mølsted / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Maritime archaeologists successful Denmark accidental they person identified the wreck of the warship Dannebroge, a bid vas and flagship successful the Battle of Copenhagen that exploded and sank connected April 2, 1801.

The find gives researchers the archetypal nonstop archaeological grounds from the conflict of Copenhagen, a large clash betwixt the Danish-Norwegian fleet and the British Royal Navy led by Horatio Nelson.

The wreck was recovered successful Copenhagen Harbor by maritime archaeologists from the Danish Viking Ship Museum, which is liable for seabed archaeology successful eastbound Denmark. The excavation is portion of the required archaeological enactment linked to the operation of the artificial land of Lynetteholm.

Researchers said the grounds points overwhelmingly to Dannebroge. Otto Uldum, a maritime archaeologist astatine the depository who leads the excavation, said the size of the ship’s timbers matches surviving drawings of the vessel, portion tree-ring dating matches its 1772 operation date.

He said the recognition is arsenic adjacent to definite arsenic possible. Archaeologists besides recovered cannonballs, a barroom shot, and 2 cannons adjacent the wreck.

Lost flagship from the Battle of Copenhagen discovered

The vessel laic astatine the halfway of the Danish defence and served arsenic a cardinal bid vas during the battle. Within hours of the archetypal shots, it caught fire, exploded, and sank successful the King’s Deep.

3D exemplary of the wreck of Dannebroge. Credit: The Viking Ship Museum successful Roskilde

Uldum said the excavation is breaking caller crushed due to the fact that nary archaeological probe straight tied to the Battle of Copenhagen has been carried retired before. He said the enactment gives researchers a carnal root basal for an lawsuit agelong known from written accounts, paintings, and nationalist history.

The conflict took spot connected the Copenhagen Roads, a shallow anchorage extracurricular the city, wherever Danish sailors faced a larger British force with acold much guns. For much than 4 hours, the warring turned the country into smoke, fire, and flying shrapnel.

Records cited by researchers amusement that 53 radical died aboard Dannebroge, 3 aboriginal died of wounds astatine the naval infirmary Søkvæsthuset, 48 survived with injuries, and 19 unit members were listed arsenic missing.

Human remains and sailors’ items recovered

Archaeologists said the wreck is besides offering a uncommon presumption of the mean sailors who fought there. Uldum said researchers person recovered shoes, covering fragments, clay pipes, azygous insignia, and weapons, items often missing from depository collections that usually sphere officers’ belongings and ceremonial objects.

Researchers besides recovered a intelligibly quality little jaw, on with different bones, including ribs, that whitethorn besides beryllium human. Uldum said investigation is inactive underway, but each worldly is being recovered from the site.