HDMS Lougen (1791)
Encyclopedia
The first Lougen was a brig of 18 guns, launched in 1791. She was active protecting Danish merchant shipping and suppressing pirates in the Mediterranean and in the Caribbean. In March 1801, she fought off the British privateer Experiment and the 22-gun warship in a single action.Arab was commanded by John Perkins
John Perkins (Royal Navy officer)
Captain John Perkins, Royal Navy was a British naval officer.Perkins, nicknamed Jack Punch, was the first black commissioned officer in the Royal Navy. He rose from obscurity to be one of the most successful ship captains of the Georgian navy...
, the first black commissioned officer in the Royal Navy When the British captured the Danish West Indies in 1801 Lougen was part of the booty. The British later returned her to Denmark where she was broken up in 1802.
Service Record
- April 1793 - October 1794 Danish West IndiesDanish West IndiesThe Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", were a colony of Denmark-Norway and later Denmark in the Caribbean. They were sold to the United States in 1916 in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917...
- 1795 - 1796 Danish Home Waters (Elbe and West Jutland)
- 1797 - 1799 Mediterranean, in company with HDMS Thetis but not before the Battle of Tripoli (16 May 1797Action of 16 May 1797This battle took place on 16 May 1797 near Tripoli . The Danish squadron was victorious over a Tripolitan squadron that outnumbered them in terms of the number of vessels...
). The squadron of three frigateFrigateA frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s and two brigBrigA brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
s had the duty of protecting Danish shipping from interference by the BeyBeyBey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
of TripoliTripoliTripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
. - 1800 - 1801 Danish West Indies Carl Wilhelm JessenCarl Wilhelm JessenThis article contains material translated from the Danish article: Carl Wilhelm JessenCarl Wilhelm Jessen was a Danish naval officer and Governor of St Thomas in the Danish West Indies.-Career:...
was 1st officer of Lougen during the 1793-94 service, and captain in 1800-01. After the Napoleonic Wars he continued his close association with the Danish West Indies as commandant and later governorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of St ThomasSaint Thomas, U.S. Virgin IslandsSaint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
He was promoted rear admiral on his retirement from the Navy on 9 June 1822. He died on 30 March 1823 and was buried on St Thomas. In 1901 his body was transferred to the Naval Church på Holmen in CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.
On 1 September 1800 Lougen came to the rescue of the schooner Den Aarvaagne The name Den Aarvaagne translates as "Alert" or "The Watchman" when the latter was under attack by the British privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
Dreadnought. On Lougens approach, the privateer broke off the action.
Later in 1800, Lougen captured the privateer Eagle and brought the captured schooner into St Thomas.
Battle of West Kay
On 3 March 1801, as rumours of a diplomatic rift between Britain and Second League of Armed NeutralitySecond League of Armed Neutrality
The Second League of Armed Neutrality or the League of the North was an alliance of the north European naval powers Denmark–Norway, Prussia, Sweden and Russia. It occurred between 1800 and 1801 during the War of the Second Coalition and was initiated by Paul I of Russia...
were first reaching the Danish West Indies, and a full month before the first Battle of Copenhagen, Lougen met and fought with and the privateer Experiment off West Kay, St Thomas. The two British ships approached the brig Lougen, under the command of Captain C.W. Jessen, and the schooner Den Aarvaagne. Arab, commanded by Captain John Perkins
John Perkins (Royal Navy officer)
Captain John Perkins, Royal Navy was a British naval officer.Perkins, nicknamed Jack Punch, was the first black commissioned officer in the Royal Navy. He rose from obscurity to be one of the most successful ship captains of the Georgian navy...
, approached the two Danish vessels and, according to Danish accounts, without warning, fired several broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
s at Lougen before the Danish ship was able to return fire. Lougen, which had escaped serious damage, began to return fire steadily. Experiment initially attempted to capture Den Aarvaagne, but Den Aarvaagne obeyed orders to stay out of the fight and instead escaped south to Christiansted on St Croix
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Formerly the Danish West Indies, they were sold to the United States by Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies of...
with its intelligence on British actions. Experiment then joined Arab in the attack on Lougen, with the two British ships sandwiching the Danish ship. During the engagement, which lasted for over an hour, one of Lougens shots struck the Arabs cathead
Cathead
A cathead is a large wooden beam located on either bow of a sailing ship, and angled outward at roughly 45 degrees. The beam is used to support the ship's anchor when raising it or lowering it , and for carrying the anchor on its stock-end when suspended outside the ship's side...
and loosed the bower anchor. (Perkin's reported that it was the first shot from Lougen that loosed the bower anchor.) Arabs crew was unable to cut the anchor free, leaving Arab unable to manoeuvre effectively. This allowed Jessen to steer a course that brought Lougen under the protection of the shore batteries and then into St Thomas. The Danish government awarded Captain Jessen a presentation sword made of gold, a medal and 400 rixdollar
Rixdollar
Rixdollar is the English term for silver coinage used throughout the European continent .The same term was also used of currency in Cape Colony and Ceylon. However, the Rixdollar only existed as a coin in Ceylon. Unissued remainder banknotes for the Cape of Good Hope denominated in Rixdollars...
s (the equivalent of a whole year’s salary for a captain in the Danish Navy) for his actions.
British naval and military activity in the area could not be countered. British forces took Lougen as a prize when they occupied the Danish West Indies in March. One year later, in 1802, the British returned Lougen to Denmark when peace was restored, but the brig was later decommissioned and broken up.