Action of 2 March 1808
Encyclopedia
The Action of 2 March 1808 was a minor naval battle between Royal Navy
's 18-gun Cruizer-class
brig-sloop HMS Sappho
, and the 28-gun Danish
brig of war Admiral Yawl, during the Gunboat War
. The British ship commanded by Captain George Langford, standing to the eastward from off Scarborough, discovered and chased the Danish enemy, that was steering a course in order to cut off several merchant vessels to leeward. Sappho was armed with sixteen 32-pounder carronade
s and two sixes, and had a complement of 120 men. This was more than enough to capture the two-decker Danish brig Admiral Yawl, commanded by Jørgen Jørgensen
.
In the engagement Sappho had one man wounded and one man injured. Admiral Yawl had two dead: her second officer and a seaman. As a result of the action Langford received promotion to Post-captain
, and in 1847 the Admiralty issued the Naval general Service Medal with the clasp "Sappho 2 March 1808" to all surviving claimants from the action.
Sappho carried sixteen32-pounder carronade
s and two 6-pounder guns, manned by a crew of 120 men and boys. The Admiral Juul was a brig, but unusual in that she had her armament on two decks; on her first or lower deck she had twelve 18-pounder carronades and on her second, or principal deck, she carried sixteen 6-pounder guns. Her crew consisted of 83 men and boys. The weight of the broadsides favored Sappho at 262 pounds versus 156 pounds for the Admiral Yorol, as did the relative size of the crews.
The Danish captain was the colourful and erratic adventurer Jørgen Jørgensen
, who in 1801 had been a member of the crew, and perhaps second in command, of Lady Nelson
. On Lady Nelson he participated in at least one voyage of exploration along the coast of Australia. In his autobiography he states that his father joined seven other merchants from Copenhagen jointly to purchase the Admiral Yawl and present it to the Crown in a spirit of reprisal against the British after the Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
. The Government commissioned, manned, and armed Admiral Yawl.It is not clear from this account whether she was a privateer or a naval vessel. Jorgenson reports that by cutting through the ice a month before it was expected that any vessel could get out, he was able to come unawares among the English traders and capture eight or nine ships before Sappho interrupted his cruise.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's 18-gun Cruizer-class
Cruizer class brig-sloop
The Cruizer class was an 18-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops were the same as ship-sloops except for their rigging...
brig-sloop HMS Sappho
HMS Sappho (1806)
HMS Sappho was a Cruizer class brig-sloop built by Jabez Bailey at Ipswich and launched in 1806. She defeated a Danish brig, the Admiral Yawl in a single-ship action during the Gunboat War,The vessel's name varies by account. Variants include: Admiral Juhl, Admiral Jawl, Admiral Juul, and Admiral...
, and the 28-gun Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
brig of war Admiral Yawl, during the Gunboat War
Gunboat War
The Gunboat War was the naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing small gunboats against the conventional Royal Navy...
. The British ship commanded by Captain George Langford, standing to the eastward from off Scarborough, discovered and chased the Danish enemy, that was steering a course in order to cut off several merchant vessels to leeward. Sappho was armed with sixteen 32-pounder carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
s and two sixes, and had a complement of 120 men. This was more than enough to capture the two-decker Danish brig Admiral Yawl, commanded by Jørgen Jørgensen
Jørgen Jørgensen
Jørgen Jørgensen was a Danish adventurer during the Age of Revolution. During the Action of 2 March 1808 his ship was captured by the British. In 1809 he sailed to Iceland, declared the country independent from Denmark and pronounced himself its ruler...
.
Action
On 2 of March while cruising off Scarborough, Sappho discovered an armed brig that was steering a course as if intending to cut off several merchant vessels to leeward. Sappho gave chase and at about 1330 hours fired a shot over the brig, which was waving British colours. Substituting Danish for British colours, which she had previously hoisted to deceive Sappho, the Danish vessel responded to a shot fired over her by discharging her broadside. Langford immediately bore down and brought what turned out to be the Admiral Yawl to close action. The engagement lasted about half an hour before Admiral Yawl struck her colours.In the engagement Sappho had one man wounded and one man injured. Admiral Yawl had two dead: her second officer and a seaman. As a result of the action Langford received promotion to Post-captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
, and in 1847 the Admiralty issued the Naval general Service Medal with the clasp "Sappho 2 March 1808" to all surviving claimants from the action.
Sappho carried sixteen32-pounder carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
s and two 6-pounder guns, manned by a crew of 120 men and boys. The Admiral Juul was a brig, but unusual in that she had her armament on two decks; on her first or lower deck she had twelve 18-pounder carronades and on her second, or principal deck, she carried sixteen 6-pounder guns. Her crew consisted of 83 men and boys. The weight of the broadsides favored Sappho at 262 pounds versus 156 pounds for the Admiral Yorol, as did the relative size of the crews.
The Danish captain was the colourful and erratic adventurer Jørgen Jørgensen
Jørgen Jørgensen
Jørgen Jørgensen was a Danish adventurer during the Age of Revolution. During the Action of 2 March 1808 his ship was captured by the British. In 1809 he sailed to Iceland, declared the country independent from Denmark and pronounced himself its ruler...
, who in 1801 had been a member of the crew, and perhaps second in command, of Lady Nelson
Lady Nelson
The Royal Navy purchased Lady Nelson in 1799. She spent her career exploring the coast of Australia in the early years of the 19th century. She was the first known vessel to sail eastward through Bass Strait, the first to sail along the South coast of Victoria, as well as the first to enter Port...
. On Lady Nelson he participated in at least one voyage of exploration along the coast of Australia. In his autobiography he states that his father joined seven other merchants from Copenhagen jointly to purchase the Admiral Yawl and present it to the Crown in a spirit of reprisal against the British after the Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
The Second Battle of Copenhagen was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet and in turn originate the term to Copenhagenize.-Background:Despite the defeat and loss of many ships in the first Battle of Copenhagen in...
. The Government commissioned, manned, and armed Admiral Yawl.It is not clear from this account whether she was a privateer or a naval vessel. Jorgenson reports that by cutting through the ice a month before it was expected that any vessel could get out, he was able to come unawares among the English traders and capture eight or nine ships before Sappho interrupted his cruise.