This indecisive battle took place on 4 October 1710, during the
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...
, in
Køge Bay
Køge Bay ( da, Køge Bugt) is an approximately shallow Danish bay in the southern part of Øresund, between Greater Copenhagen area in the North (or more precisely the southernmost peak of Amager) and Stevns Klint in the South, and as a part ...
, just south of
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
. Denmark had 26 ships of the line and 5 frigates with 1808 guns, and Sweden had 21 ships of the line and several frigates with 1512 guns. The Danish ship ''
Dannebroge
The ''Dannebroge'' was a Dano-Norwegian ship-of-the-line that exploded and sank on 4 October 1710, during the Great Northern War. Almost all of its crew of 600 were killed - one third of the victims were Norwegians. Admiral Iver Huitfeldt was a ...
'' exploded and of the 550-man crew only 9 survived. The Swedish ships ''Tre Kronor'' and ''Prinsessan Ulrika Eleonora'' ran aground. Because of the weather the battle could not continue. However, the Swedish fleet managed to sink and capture a Danish convoy of transport ships that were supposed to embark a Russian invasion force in Danzig. The action in Køge Bugt checked those Russian invasion plans of Sweden.
Ships involved
Denmark (
Gyldenløve
Gyldenløve, was a surname for several illegitimate children of House of Oldenburg, Oldenburg kings of Denmark-Norway in the 17th century.
Kings
The surname Gyldenløve was given to the sons of the following Dano-Norwegian kings:
* Christian I ...
)
''
Elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
'' 90 (flag)
''Fredericus IV'' 110
''Christianus V'' 100
''
Dannebroge
The ''Dannebroge'' was a Dano-Norwegian ship-of-the-line that exploded and sank on 4 October 1710, during the Great Northern War. Almost all of its crew of 600 were killed - one third of the victims were Norwegians. Admiral Iver Huitfeldt was a ...
'' 94 - Blew up
''Justitia'' 90
''Norske Løve'' 84
''Mars'' 80
''Tre Løver'' 78
''Prinds Christian'' 76
''Sophia Hedvig'' 76
''Wenden'' 72
''Dronning Louisa'' 70
''Haffru'' 70
''Beskjermer'' 64
''Ebenetzer'' 64
''Charlotte Amalia'' 60
''Svan'' 60
''Anna Sophia'' 60
''Fredericus III'' 56
''Oldenborg'' 52
''Sværdfisk'' 52
''Tomler'' 52
''Nelleblad'' 52
''Fyen'' 50
''Delmenhorst'' 50
''Island'' 50
Sweden (
Wachtmeister
(Wm; German for 'master-sentinel' or 'watch-master') is a military rank of non-commissioned officers (NCO) in Austria and Switzerland. The was initially responsible for the guard duty of the army. Later, it became the equivalent NCO-grade of ...
)
''Göta Lejon'' 90 (flag)
''Enigheten'' 94
''Tre Kronor'' 86 - Aground, scuttled next day
''Wenden'' 82
''Sverige'' 82
''Prinsessan Hedvig'' 80
''Prinsessan Ulrika'' 80 - Aground, scuttled next day
''Gota'' 76
''Nordstjernan'' 76
''Prins Carl'' 76
''Prins Carl Fredrik'' 72
''Småland'' 70
''Karlskrona'' 70
''Skåne'' 68
''Bremen'' 64
''Fredrika Amalia'' 62
''Westmanland'' 62
''Pommern'' 56
''Södermanland'' 56
''Wachtmeister'' 56
''Werden'' 54
Several fireships - Burnt? 2 days later
Sources
* Lars Ericson Wolke (2011), Sjöslag och Rysshärjningar s. 130-133
*Tor Jørgen Melien (2010), Iver Huitfeldt og slaget i Køge bugt 1710, Bergen: John Grieg AS: C. Huitfeldt forlag
* Gunnar Unger (1923). Illustrerad Svensk Sjökrigshistoria omfattande tiden intill 1680–1814. Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag
* Lars Ericson Wolke, Martin Hårdstedt (2009), Svenska sjöslag
* R.C. Anderson (1910), Naval Wars in the Baltic during the Sailing Ship Epoch 1522–1850. London: C. Gilbert-Wood
*''For Kongen og Flåten. Matros Trosners dagbok 1710-1714'' (1 ed.). Bergen: Fagbokforlaget. 2017. The diary is published by Hans Christian Bjerg and Tor Jørgen Melien.
Conflicts in 1710
Køge Bay
Køge Bay ( da, Køge Bugt) is an approximately shallow Danish bay in the southern part of Øresund, between Greater Copenhagen area in the North (or more precisely the southernmost peak of Amager) and Stevns Klint in the South, and as a part ...
1710 in Denmark
{{Denmark-battle-stub