Battle of Alvøen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Alvøen |
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| Part of the Gunboat War | |||||||
 Gunboat battle near Alvøen in Norway, 11 may 1808, Unknown author |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Denmark-Norway |
 United Kingdom |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Captain Bielke |
 George Bettesworth † |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 4 gunboats 1 gun shallop |
1 frigate | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4 killed | 2 killed 12 wounded |
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The Battle of Alvøen was a naval fight during the Gunboat War. This war was between Denmark-Norway and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The battle happened on May 16, 1808, near Bergen in Norway. It involved a British warship called HMS Tartar and five small Norwegian boats. These Norwegian boats were called kanonjolles and kanonsjalupps, which are types of gunboats.
At this time, the British Royal Navy was blocking the coast of Norway. This made it hard for Norway to get food and supplies from Denmark. Denmark-Norway had lost its main fleet in 1807. So, they built many small gunboats for coastal defense. These boats were much smaller than big warships like frigates.
The British frigate Tartar was looking for a Dutch privateer ship. A privateer is a private ship allowed to attack enemy ships. On May 15, 1808, the British ship was seen near Bergen. The next day, the five Norwegian gunboats were sent to fight it. The battle lasted about an hour. The British lost two men, including their commander, Captain Bettesworth. The Norwegians lost four men. The battle ended without a clear winner.
Contents
Why did the Battle of Alvøen happen?
The Gunboat War and Norway's struggles
After 1807, Denmark-Norway went to war against Britain. This happened because Britain captured their main fleet in the Battle of Copenhagen. The British Royal Navy then blocked the Skagerrak strait and patrolled the Norwegian coast. They captured merchant ships and attacked convoys.
Norway relied on grain imports, especially from Denmark. But the British blockade stopped these supplies. With their large fleet gone, Denmark-Norway had to build a new coastal defense. They built many small gunboats. People even donated money and valuables to help pay for these boats.
What was the role of privateers?
Norwegian privateers were also important. These were private ships given permission by the Danish government to attack and capture enemy vessels. They could keep most of what they captured. These privateers sailed as far as Scotland. British merchants demanded more protection from the Royal Navy.
Because of this, Britain sent more warships to the Norwegian coast. They wanted to stop privateers from reaching the open sea. They also wanted to prevent trading ships from entering Norwegian waters.
How did the British ship get to Bergen?
The search for the Gelderland
In May 1808, a Dutch frigate named Gelderland was in Bergen harbor for repairs. Several privateer ships were also there. The British Royal Navy learned about the Gelderland. They sent three ships, including the Tartar, to find it.
On May 15, the Tartar entered the area west of Bergen. Local fishermen told the British captain, George Bettesworth, that the Gelderland had already left Bergen.
How were Norwegian pilots tricked?
Some stories say the Tartar flew a Dutch flag when it entered Norwegian waters. The Netherlands was an ally of Denmark-Norway at the time. So, Norwegian fishermen and pilots thought the Tartar was a friendly ship. They rushed out to offer their help as guides.
However, when they boarded the Tartar, the pilots and fishermen were taken prisoner. They were forced to guide the British ship through the narrow fjords to Bergen. This trick helped the British get closer to the city.
One of the captured pilots later described what happened. He was asked to guide the ship to Bergen. The British captain even showed him a lot of gold money. But the pilot refused to take more than what was allowed by his country's rules.
The broken signal chain
The Tartar sailed past a signal station at Sotra. This station was part of a system that sent messages along the coast. The station's head and his assistant rowed out to the Tartar, still thinking it was a Dutch ship. They were also taken prisoner. This broke an important part of Bergen's defenses.
The captured Norwegians were held below deck on the Tartar. Only one or two were kept on deck to guide the ship. On the evening of May 15, the Tartar anchored near Bjorøyhamn. From there, the British sent out small boats to scout ahead. They wanted to see what ships were in Bergen harbor.
What happened during the battle?
On May 16, Senior Lieutenant J. C. A. Bjelke led the five Bergen gunboats out. They went to investigate the British frigate. The Tartar was stuck in calm waters and fog near Bjørø.
As the Norwegians approached, the British frigate started to move, being towed by smaller boats. A fierce fight began, lasting 57 minutes. One of the boats towing the Tartar was hit by a Norwegian shot. Observers on land saw five holes in its hull.
A small southerly wind then forced the gunboats to move back. They continued to fire at the frigate as it left the Gjelte fjord. The Norwegian gunboats mostly suffered damage to their oars.
What happened after the battle?
Some people thought the HMS Tartar was about to surrender. But then a helpful breeze came up, allowing the frigate to escape. The Norwegian commander, Bielke, said that if the wind had not come, the frigate might have been captured.
The Norwegians felt very proud after the battle. They had driven away a large British warship, even though they didn't capture it. This boosted their spirits. People quickly donated more money to build new gunboats. The HMS Tartar was the last major warship to try to enter the inner waters of Bergen. Large ships could easily become targets for the small, fast gunboats there.
The battle lasted only 57 minutes. Each gunboat fired its weapon about once every three minutes. Bielke thought this was impressive, as his crew had only trained for three weeks. The money raised from people was enough to build three new small gunboats. This helped Bergen maintain its defenses and protect trade along the coast.
The HMS Tartar sailed back to England for repairs. It later took part in other actions along the Norwegian coast. The ship eventually ran aground and sank in the Baltic Sea on August 18, 1811.
The Battle of Alvøen was not a huge blow to British operations. But it was very important for their actions along the Norwegian coast from 1808 to 1814. It showed them that they should avoid fighting too close to the shore.
Images for kids
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Gunboat battle near Alvøen in Norway, 11 may 1808, Unknown author
