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Battle of Grimstad Bay

Coordinates: 58°21′00.2″N 8°36′26.9″E / 58.350056°N 8.607472°E / 58.350056; 8.607472
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  • Comment: Is there a reason to have the 'further reading' section (which I changed its name to, it was previously 'sources'), if it does not provide any further information to the article nor is inline? Can they be turned into inline citations to support the information on the article? TheBritinator (talk) 19:14, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Battle of Grimstad Bay
Part of the Napoleonic Wars
Date16. March 1811
Location58°21′00.2″N 8°36′26.9″E / 58.350056°N 8.607472°E / 58.350056; 8.607472
Result

Dano-Norwegian Victory

  • British navy fled, leaving the Norwegian ship behind.
Belligerents
Denmark–Norway  United Kingdom
Strength
Unknown amount of Norwegian volunteers 1 Battleship
Casualties and losses
Unknown Several killed or wounded

The Battle of Grimstad Bay was an amphibious assault by the United Kingdom against Denmark–Norway that took place in the town of Grimstad, situated on the southern coast of present-day Norway. The battle was a part of the blockade that the Royal Navy maintained on the country from 1807 to 1814 during the Napoleonic Wars.[1]

Course

HMS Venus was in pursuit of four merchant vessels that had sought refuge in the fjord leading to Grimstad. Among these vessels was the sloop Frau Maria, which was en-route from Bergen to Flensburg in Denmark (now Germany) carrying fish, salt, and cod liver oil.[1]

The frigate anchored outside the outer islands of Grimstad and deployed three ship's boats manned by armed marines. These boats made their way into Grimstad bay and boarded the Frau Maria. The local defense force in Grimstad mobilized and engaged against the British marines using rifles and a few small cannons. Despite their efforts, the marines managed to set sail on the sloop but inadvertently sailed into a narrow bay with no passage leading to the ocean. They were trapped and were forced to abandon the ship and retreated back to HMS Venus. It was reported that several marines were killed or wounded in the engagement.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Fiendtlige operasjoner nær Grimstad 1811-12" (PDF) (in Norwegian). pp. 1–4.
  2. ^ "Bataljen på Grimstad havn" [Lykken snur] (in Norwegian).

Further reading

  • Bergwitz, Joh. K.: Grimstad 1800-1850: som type paa norsk smaaby. Kristiania og København: Gyldendalske Boghandel, 1916.
  • Beutlich, F.: Norges sjøbevæpning 1810-1814. Oslo: Aschehoug, 1940.
  • Grimstad bys historie. Grimstad: Grimstad bymuseum, 1927.
  • Landgraff, J.: Grimstadslægter. Grimstad: [J. Landgraff], 1892.
  • Landgraff, J.: Grimstadslægter II. Tillæg og rettelser med register. Grimstad: [J. Landgraff], 1901.