HDMS Najaden (1811)
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History | |
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Builder | Hohlenberg at Nyholm, Copenhagen |
Laid down | August 1808 |
Launched | 26 October 1811 |
In service | 29 February 1812 |
Fate | Destroyed in battle, 6 July 1812 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Frigate |
Tons burthen | 1202 |
Length | 143 ft 6 in (43.74 m) |
Beam | 36 ft 6 in (11.13 m) |
Draught |
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Propulsion | sail |
Complement | 336 men |
Armament | 26 × 18-pounder guns + 6 × 18-pounder carronades + 4 × 6-pounder guns |
HDMS Najaden
Origin
During their occupation of Copenhagen in 1807, the British destroyed a partially built ship-of-the-line by hacking away the supports so that the ship fell on its port side, which crushed most of its timbers. The starboard side was essentially intact however, and the Danes used these timbers to build a new frigate – the Najaden.[Note 1]
Career
During her entire short life, Najaden's captain was the Danish naval officer
Battle of Lyngør
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Plan_over_slaget_ved_Lyng%C3%B8r_6._juli_1812.jpg/220px-Plan_over_slaget_ved_Lyng%C3%B8r_6._juli_1812.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Slaget_ved_Lyng%C3%B8r_1812.jpg/220px-Slaget_ved_Lyng%C3%B8r_1812.jpg)
Najaden's captain, Hans Peter Holm, also commanded the squadron that consisted of the three brigs - Kiel,
Within 45 minutes of the commencement of the action, Najaden had sunk, having suffered 133 dead and 82 wounded. Captain Holm survived, only to drown in an accident a few months later. The battle resumed as Norwegian gunboats found their way into Lyngør. At 2 a.m. on July 7, Dictator, which had grounded, pulled herself off and departed from the battleifeld. The British took Lolland and Kiel as prizes but had to abandon them after the two vessels grounded. The British did not set fire to either as they still had their crews and wounded aboard. The action cost Dictator five killed and 24 wounded, Calypso three killed, one wounded and two missing, and Flamer one killed and one wounded.[3] Overall, the Danish recorded their losses as 300 men killed or wounded.
Notes
References
- ^ Danish Naval Museum database Archived 2016-03-28 at the Wayback Machine Najaden including design plans and model
- ^ Record Card for Najaden
- ^ a b "No. 16623". The London Gazette. 14 Jul 1812. pp. 1363–1364.
External links
- Najaden - The Frigate from the Norwegian Marine Museum
- The original report from Captain Holm on the loss of Najaden (in Danish)
- Individual record cards in Danish for ships of the Danish Royal Navy can sometimes be (April 2019) found on the internet at Orlogmuseet Skibregister. The Danish Naval Museum is building a new website at which details, drawings and models may be available. For individual ships already listed, including Najaden, see here Archived 2012-12-31 at the Wayback Machine.
- Record card for the Najaden (1811) in Danish
- Biography of Hans Peter Holm (in Norwegian)
- Model of Najaden (1811)