The wreck of the Sjælland from the Battle of Copenhagen

Denmark’s battle against the world’s strongest seafaring nation, England, off Copenhagen is one of our most famous naval battles.

Denmark had kept neutral and stayed out of European conflicts for almost 80 years when the King’s acceptance of entry into a league of armed neutrality with Preussen, Sweden and Russian awoke England’s wrath.

The Danish naval force of 1801 was weak, as it has not been improved as planned in 1790, and the 80 years’ neutrality meant that the crew had no war experience.

In spite of the fact that the Danish Navy was prepared for an English attack, they were unable to defeat England’s major force headed by Lord Nelson. After 6 hours’ battle and more than 2,000 dead and wounded, the Danish Crown Prince accepted Lord Nelson’s offer of a truce. Later, it became clear that Nelson had been close to losing the Battle of Copenhagen.

One of the ships that was sunk in the battle in 1801 now lies just 300 meters off the coast, around 800 meters from the harbour Humlebæk Havn.

The ship of the line Sjælland was 53.32 meters long and 14.14 meters wide. The ship was launched on 4th August 1787 at Holmen, and she carried 74 cannons. In the Battle of Copenhagen, the crew numbered 533 men. During the battle, the ship was hit by 27 severe blows, her cannons were put out of action, the bow was shot to pieces, and the masts were tumbling down. The English forces decided to just set fire to her and let her drift away until she sank off Humlebæk.

Today, you can visit the site and go on an exciting historical diving trip to experience the wreck of this historical ship. A number of heavy oak timbers can be seen on the ocean floor. These timbers were placed cross-keel inside the ship and contributed to stabilising the construction of the ship. The bottom of the ship still remains, too, along with the ballast lying on the bottom.

The wreck is a good dive for beginners, as it is no deeper than four meters.

So if you carry a historian inside you or are just interested in an exciting historical location for a dive, come visit Humlebæk Havn and the wreck of the Sjælland.

Source: online wreck guide Vragguiden.dk (website in Danish)

Photo: M/S Museet for Søfart (Maritime Museum of Denmark). Coloured drawing "The Battle of Copenhagen" by C. Butty.

Coordinates:  Latitude: 55.976878
Longitude: 12.559178