Battle of Grimstad Bay

Battle of Grimstad Bay
Part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Gunboat War
Depiction of the battle
Date 16 March 1811 Location Grimstad, Norway 58°21′00.2″N 8°36′26.9″E Result Dano-Norwegian victory British navy fled, leaving the Norwegian ship behind.
Belligerents
Denmark–Norway	United Kingdom
Strength
Unknown amount of Norwegian volunteers	1 frigate
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Several killed or wounded

The Battle of Grimstad Bay (Norwegian: Bataljen på Grimstad havn) 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 Dano-Norwegian 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 carrying fish, salt, and cod liver oil.^[1]

Venus anchored outside the outer islands of Grimstad and deployed three small boats manned by Royal Marines. These boats made their way into Grimstad bay and boarded Frau Maria. Dano-Norwegian forces in Grimstad mobilized and engaged the British-controlled sloop using rifles and a few small cannons. Despite their efforts, the marines managed to set sail on Frau Maria but inadvertently sailed her 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 Venus. It was reported that several marines were killed or wounded in the engagement.^[2]

References

1. "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.