1807 - Lord Gambier at Copenhagen


 
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Naval history of Great Britain - Vol. IV
by
William James
1807 Lord Gambier at Copenhagen 289
Lord Rosslyn's corps from Stralsund, disembarked in the north part of Keoge bay. To defend the left of the army from the annoyance of the Danish gun-boats, a battery of thirteen 24-pounders had been erected at a spot named Svane-M�lle.

On the 22d three Danish prames, mounting 20 guns each, and from 28 to 30 gun-vessels, placed themselves in readiness to interrupt the army in the construction of some mortar-batteries in advance of the Swan-mill battery. To prevent this, the British advanced squadron, consisting, with the three sloops, five bomb-vessels, and seven gun-brigs, hereunder named, of three armed transports, and 10 launches fitted as mortar-boats, under the command of Captain Puget, of the Goliath, took a station within the crown battery.

Gun Sloop  
18 Hebe (hired) Captain Edward Ellicott.
18 Cruiser Captain Pringle Stoddart.
Mutine Captain Hew Steuart.
Bbs Thunderer (sic) [should probably read Thunder ie Thunderer was a 74] Captain George Cocks.
Vesuvius Captain Richard Arthur.
Etna Captain William Godfrey.
Zebra Captain William Bowles.
Gun-brigs Kite  
Fearless  
Indignant  
Urgent  
Pincher  
Tigress  
Desperate  
Safeguard  

On the 23d, at 10 A.M., these vessels were furiously attacked by the Danish prames and gun-boats ; assisted by the crown battery, floating batteries, block-ship Mars, and prame St.Thomas. The British returned the fire with spirit until 2 P.M. ; when, finding that their carronades, at the distance which the vessels had been obliged to take, were no match for the heavy long guns of the Danes, they drew off, with the loss of one lieutenant (John Woodford, of the Cruiser) and three seamen killed, and one lieutenant (John Williams, of the Fearless), seven seamen, and five marines wounded ; also with some damage to the vessels, particularly the gun-brigs, which, drawing the least water, were the most advanced. The Danish gun-vessels now turned their fire on the mill battery, but were soon compelled to retire, with one prame and several gun-boats damaged, and with a loss of nine men killed and 12 wounded.

On the 24th the Danish gun-boats remained quiet ; but on the 25th a division of them appeared in the channel between Omache, or Amag, and Zealand, and cannonaded the right of the British line, stationed in the suburbs, and composed of the Guards. On the 26th the gun-boats at the harbour's mouth resumed their attack upon the left, but the mill battery at length drove them in, after causing one, the Stube-Ki�bing, to blow up ; whereby, out of her complement of 59 men, she had 30 killed and 12 badly wounded. Several of the other gun-boats sustained both damage and loss. On the 27th the army succeeded in opening a battery of four 24-pounders upon the

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