The action of 2 March 1808 was a minor naval battle between the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

's 18-gun , and the 28-gun,

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

two-decker brig ''Admiral Yawl'', during the

Gunboat War The Gunboat War (, ; 1807–1814) was a naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and the British during the Napoleonic Wars. The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing small gunboats against the materially superior Royal Nav ...

. ''Sappho'', under the command of Captain George Langford, discovered and chased ''Admiral Yawl'', which was steering a course to intercept several merchant vessels to leeward. After a short engagement ''Sappho'' captured ''Admiral Yawl'', commanded by

Jørgen Jørgensen Jørgen Jørgensen (name of birth: Jürgensen, and changed to Jorgenson from 1817)Wilde, W H, ''Oxford Companion to Australian Literature'' 2nd ed. (29 March 1780 – 20 January 1841) was a Danish adventurer during the Age of Revolution. Duri ...

. ''Admiral Yawl'' (her actual name was ''Admiral Juel''), appears in references under a variety of names including ''Admiral Yorol'' and ''Admiral Juul''. No ship of this name is recorded as having been commissioned in the Royal Danish Navy (nor by her previous French name of ''Christine Henrietta''), although four ships of more modern time have been named for Niels Juel who was an admiral in the late seventeenth century. The ship ''Admiral Juel'' in this engagement was a merchant ship turned privateer. Her commander Jørgen Jørgensen (or Jürgensen) is not included i
Topsøe-Jensen
s work on Danish Naval officers, or i

Background

On 2 March, ''Sappho'' was cruising off Scarborough when she discovered an armed brig that was steering a course as if intending to cut off several merchant vessels to leeward. ''Sappho'' gave chase and at about 13:30 hours fired a shot over the brig, which was showing British colours. Substituting Danish for British colours, which she had previously hoisted to deceive ''Sappho'', the Danish vessel responded by firing her broadside. Langford immediately bore down and brought what turned out to be the ''Admiral Yawl'' to close action. The engagement lasted about half an hour before ''Admiral Yawl'' struck her colours.

Battle

''Sappho'' carried sixteen 32-pounder

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main func ...

s and two 6-pounder guns, manned by a crew of 120 men and boys. ''Admiral Yawl'' was a brig, but unusual in that she had her armament on two decks; on her first or lower deck, she had twelve 18-pounder carronades and on her second, or principal deck, she carried sixteen 6-pounder guns. Her crew consisted of 83 men and boys. The weight of the broadsides favored ''Sappho'' at 262 pounds versus 156 pounds for ''Admiral Yawl'', as did the relative size of the crews. In the engagement, ''Sappho'' had one man wounded and one man injured. ''Admiral Yawl'' had two dead: her second officer and a seaman.''The Gentleman's magazine'', (March 1808) Volume 98, Part 1, p.249. As a result of the action, Langford received promotion to post-captain, and in 1847 the Admiralty issued the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Sappho 2 March 1808" to all surviving claimants from the action.

Aftermath

The Danish captain was the colourful and erratic adventurer

, who in 1801 had been a member of the crew, and perhaps second in command, of . On ''Lady Nelson'', he participated in at least one voyage of exploration along the coast of Australia. In his autobiography, he states that his father joined seven other merchants from Copenhagen jointly to purchase the ''Admiral Yawl'' and present it to the Danish Crown. s:The Convict King ''The Convict King''. The Government commissioned, manned, and armed ''Admiral Yawl''.It is not clear from this account whether she was a privateer or a naval vessel. Danish references - see

Admiral Juel (1807 Danish Ship) The privateer brig ''Admiral Juel'' was the second largest ship in Denmark-Norway to be granted letters of marque during the Gunboat War between Denmark and Britain. The British Royal Navy captured her in a notable single ship action in 1808. B ...

- clearly define her as a privateer Jorgenson reported that by cutting through the ice a month before it was expected that any vessel could get out, he was able to come unawares among the British traders and capture eight or nine merchant vessels before ''Sappho'' put an end to his cruise.

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sappho (1806) Maritime incidents in 1808 Battles of the Gunboat War March 1808 events History of the North Sea