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Posted on 04/02/2026 8:32:14 AM PDT by DFG
More than 200 years after being sunk by Adm. Horatio Nelson and the British fleet, a Danish warship has been discovered on the seabed of Copenhagen Harbor by marine archaeologists.
Working in thick sediment and almost zero visibility 15 meters (49 feet) beneath the waves, divers are in a race against time to unearth the 19th-century wreck of the Dannebroge before it becomes a construction site in a new housing district being built off the Danish coast.
Denmark’s Viking Ship Museum, which is leading the monthslong underwater excavations, announced its findings on Thursday, 225 years to the day since the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801.
“It’s a big part of the Danish national feeling,” said Morten Johansen, the museum’s head of maritime archaeology.
A great deal has been written about the battle “by very enthusiastic spectators, but we actually don’t know how it was to be onboard a ship being shot to pieces by English warships and some of that story we can probably learn from seeing the wreck,” Johansen said. The Associated Press was the only international outlet given access to the site.
In the Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson and the British fleet attacked and defeated Denmark’s navy as it formed a protective blockade outside the harbor.
Thousands were killed and wounded during the brutal hourslong naval clash, considered one of Nelson’s “great battles.” The intention was to force Denmark out of an alliance of Northern European powers, including Russia, Prussia and Sweden.
At the center of the fighting was the Danish flagship, the Dannebroge, commanded by Commodore Olfert Fischer.
The 48-meter (157-foot) Dannebroge was Nelson’s main target. Cannon fire tore through its upper deck before incendiary shells sparked a fire aboard.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
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They have fallen a long way from their Viking roots.
Why?
Because of their gratitude at him materially reducing the risk to their insured English merchant ships! That was worth *a lot* to them.
After Nelson died at Trafalger without an heir, the silver sort of scattered around. Later in the 1800s, the Names bought most of it back, and it is on prominent display on the floor at Lloyds. I saw it there in a tour about 25 years ago. I think there's a 2nd display of similar size, as well as the famous Lloyd's bell nearby.
Then why is Denmark building a housing project over sea water?
*The reason the warship is being salvaged.
The Battle of Copenhagen is when Lord Nelson famously ignored an order to retreat. He held his telescope up to his blind eye and declared that he couldn’t see the order, and then he kept on fighting and won.
It should be noted that the order to retreat was actually half-hearted — it would have allowed Nelson to retreat with honor if he felt it wise to do so. But there was an expectation that Nelson might do exactly what he ended up doing. Nelson was a fighter.
It was also a sneak attack, which took out the Danish Fleet, while Denmark and Britain were at peace, without a prior declaration of war.
If Japan had won WW2, or even got the draw it more realistically hoped for, a statute of Admiral Yamamoto would stand atop a column in Tokyo, as Nelson does in London.
Guys, I just read “For God And Glory - Lord Nelson and His Way of War” by Joel Hayward. Fascinating dive into what made Nelson tick. Interesting review/analysis of his upbringing, his core beliefs, his failings and his triumphs.
The Copenhagen attack was one of his three great victories. And while parts of it were unexpected, it was not a huge surprise to the Danes.
I’m glad they found this ship. I have visited the Swedish museum for the ill-fated Vasa some years ago. Maybe the Danes will do something similar for this ship.
The Royal Navy has a long history of Sneak Attacks.
They never forget that their distant progenitors were Vikings and pirates, masters of treachery
Remember also their perfidy at Mers-el-Kébir.
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