1801 - Armistice with Denmark

	Naval History of Great Britain - Vol III
1801	Lord Nelson at Copenhagen	69

fair wind. Part of this night, as many others had been, was passed in active service. Captain Hardy proceeded in a small boat, to examine the channel between the British anchorage and the Danish line, and actually approached near enough to sound round the first ship of the latter ; using a pole, lest the noise of throwing the lead should lead to a discovery. On his return, at about 11 P.M., Captain Hardy went on board the Elephant, and reported the depth of water up to the Danish line. This assurance of the practicability of the channel was gratifying news to Lord Nelson, and prevented him from sleeping during the remainder of the night.

We will now endeavour to give a description of the formidable force, which was to be the object of the morning's attack. It consisted of two-decked ships, chiefly old and in a dismantled state, frigates, prames, and radeaus, mounting altogether 628 guns, as particularized in the following table

			Guns
Denomination*	Name	Description of Vessel	36 � pds	24 pds	18 pds	12 pds	8 pds	Total	Men �
B. S.	Provesteen	An old three-decker cut down, dismantled and condemned	28	28				56	515
B. S.	Wagner	An old two-decker; quarter-deck cut down, condemned	-	48	-	-	-	48	361
	Rensburg	A prame for the transport of cavalry, with masts and sails	-	20	-	-	-	20	216
Pr.	Nyburg	Ditto .. ditto	-	20	-	-	-	20	209
B. S.	Jutland	An old two-docker condemned; with out poop or masts	-	24	-	24	-	48	396
Rad.	Suersishen	Square floating battery, with masts			20			20	117
B. S.	Cronburg	An old condemned frigate; cut down and dismantled	_	22	_	-	-	22	196
Rad.	Hajen	A square battery like the Suersishen	-	-	20	-	-	20	155
B. S.	Dannebrog	An old condemned two-decker, cut down and dismantled	-	24	-	24	14	62	336
sm.-ves.	Elwen	A small repeating vessel, rigged	-	6	-	-		6	80
Rad.	Grenier's-float	Old and without masts	-	24			-	24	120
Pr.	Aggerstans	An old cav. transport, without masts	-	20	-	-	-	20	213
gun-ship
74	Zealand	A two-decker condition and unrigged	-	30	30	-	14	74	529
B. S.	Charl. Amelia	A condemned Indiaman		26	-	-	-	26	225
Rad.	Sohesten	A square battery like the Suersishen		18				18	126
gun-ship
60	Holstein	A two decker, newly repaired	-	24	-	24	12	60	400
B. S.	Indosforethen	An old condemned two-docker, cut down and dismantled		26	-	26	12	64	390
Frigate	Hielpern	A good completely rigged ship or frig.	20		-		-	20	265
		Total:	48	360	70	98	52	628	4849

These 18 vessels were moored in a line from a mile to a mile and a half in extent; flanked at the north end, or that nearest the town, by two artificial or pile-formed islands, called the Trekroner batteries, one of thirty 24, the other of thirty-eight 36 pounders, with furnaces for heating shot; and both of which

* B. S. stands for block-ship, Pr. for prame, and Rad. for radeau.

� For the mode of equalizing the Danish and English calibers, see vol.i., p.42.

� Believed to be exclusive of soldiers and artillerymen.

[From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913): Praam \Praam\, n. [D. praam; cf. G. prahm, F. prame; all of Slavonic origin, from a word akin to E. fare. See {Fare}.] (Naut.) A flat-bottomed boat or lighter, -- used in Holland and the Baltic, and sometimes armed in case of war. [Written also {pram}, and {prame}.] ]

[From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913): radeau: n. [F.] A float, a raft.]

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