Danish warship sunk by famed British admiral discovered after 225 years

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — More than 200 years after it was sunk by Admiral 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 near-zero visibility 15 meters below the waves, divers are working against time to unearth the wreck of the 19th-century 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 months-long underwater excavation, announced its findings on Thursday, 225 years to the day after the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen.

“It’s a big part of Danish national sentiment,” said Morten Johansen, head of the museum’s maritime archeology department.

Much has been written about the battle “by very enthusiastic spectators, but we don’t really know what it was like to be on board a ship torn to pieces by English warships and we can probably learn some of that history by seeing the wreck,” Johansen said.

At the Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson and the British fleet attacked and defeated the Danish navy as it formed a protective blockade outside the harbor.

Thousands of people were killed and injured during this brutal naval clash that lasted several hours, 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 Dannebroge, commanded by Commodore Olfert Fischer.

The 48 meters (157 ft) Dannebroge was Nelson’s main target. Cannon fire tore through her upper deck before incendiary shells started a fire on board.

“(It was) a nightmare to be on one of those ships,” Johansen said. “When a cannonball hits a ship, it’s not the cannonball that does the most damage to the crew, it’s shards of wood flying everywhere, a bit like grenade debris.”

The battle is also believed to have inspired the expression “turn a blind eye”. After deciding to ignore a superior’s signal, Nelson, who had lost sight in his right eye, reportedly said: “I only have one eye, I’m allowed to be blind sometimes.” »

Nelson eventually proposed a truce and a ceasefire was later agreed with Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.

The Dannebroge, in distress, slowly drifted north and exploded. Records say the sound created a deafening roar across Copenhagen.

Marine archaeologists have discovered two cannons, uniforms, insignia, shoes, bottles and even part of the lower jaw of a sailor, possibly one of the 19 missing crew members who likely lost their lives that day.

The excavation site will soon be enveloped by construction work on Lynetteholm, a megaproject to build a new housing district in the middle of Copenhagen’s harbor that is expected to be completed by 2070.

Marine archaeologists began surveying the area late last year, targeting a spot believed to correspond to the flagship’s final position.

Experts say the dimensions of the found wooden pieces match old drawings. Dendrochronological dating, a method of using tree rings to establish the age of wood, corresponds to the year the ship was built. They also say the dark dig site is filled with cannonballs, a danger to divers navigating waters obscured by clouds of silt kicked up from the seafloor.

“Sometimes you can’t see anything, and you just have to feel your way around, looking with your fingers rather than your eyes,” said diver and maritime archaeologist Marie Jonsson.

Chronicled in books and painted on canvas, the battle of 1801 is deeply rooted in Danish national history.

Archaeologists hope their findings will allow a re-examination of the event that shaped the Scandinavian country and perhaps uncover the personal stories of those who fought that day 225 years ago.

“There are bottles, ceramics and even pieces of basketry,” Jonsson said. “You get closer to the people on board. »