Battle of Frisches Haff facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Frisches Haff
Part of the Pomeranian War
Seeschlacht im Stettiner Haff 1759, Unknown author
Date 10 September 1759 Location Oder Lagoon, Oder, Prussia 53°48′16″N 14°08′25″E / 53.80444°N 14.14028°E / 53.80444; 14.14028 Result Swedish victory
Belligerents
Sweden	Prussia
Commanders and leaders
Karl Rutensparre	Ernst von Köller
Strength
4 galleys 4 demi-galleys 2 galiots 3 sloops 13 gunboats	4 galleys 4 galiots 4 gunboats
Casualties and losses
44 killed and wounded 1 gunboat sunk	30 killed and wounded 490 captured 2 galleys captured 2 galleys sunk 2 galiots captured 2 galiots sunk 1 gunboat captured

The Battle of Frisches Haff was a naval battle fought on September 10, 1759. It was part of the larger Seven Years' War. This battle took place in the Szczecin Lagoon, also known as Stettiner Haff. The name Frisches Haff was an older name for this lagoon.

In this battle, the Swedish navy fought against the Prussian navy. The Swedish forces had 28 ships and about 2,250 men. They were led by Captain Lieutenant Carl Rutensparre and Wilhelm von Carpelan. The Prussian forces were smaller, with 13 ships and 700 men, led by Captain von Köller. The Swedish side won a big victory. They completely destroyed the small Prussian fleet. Because Prussia lost its ships, it could no longer control the sea. This meant that Prussian positions on Usedom and Wollin islands were left open. Swedish troops then took over these areas.

Why the Battle Happened

At the start of the Seven Years' War, Sweden was ruled by a group called the Caps party. This group was friendly with France. They saw the war against Prussia as a chance to get back lands they had lost. These lands were in Pomerania, a region near the Oder river. Sweden wanted to control the mouth of the Oder river again.

The leader of the Caps party, Baron Anders Johan von Höpken, sent an army. About 14,500 Swedish soldiers went to Stralsund. This city was the capital of Swedish Pomerania. Their main goal was to capture Stettin, a city that controlled the Oder river's mouth.

The Swedes tried to attack first but were pushed back. The Prussian army, led by Marshal Hans von Lehwaldt, stopped them. A new Swedish commander, Count von Rosen, took over. He stayed safe in Stralsund. But then, Russian forces attacked Prussia in another area. This made Marshal Lehwaldt leave Swedish Pomerania in June 1758.

Sweden sent more soldiers and a new commander, Count Hamilton. He took advantage of Prussia's problems. The Swedes went on the attack again. Even though many Prussian soldiers had left, they fought hard. Battles and small fights happened often. Neither side could get a clear win.

Then, the fighting moved to the sea. Prussia started building a fleet in Stettin. They turned fishing and transport boats into warships. They wanted to challenge the Swedish ships that were helping the Swedish army. When Sweden found out about these plans, they decided to destroy this new Prussian fleet.

The Battle Itself

In early August 1759, the Swedish fleet, led by Ruthensparre, sailed into the Oder river. They moved towards the Stettin lagoon. On August 8, they broke through the defenses at Peenemünde. They then entered the western part of the lagoon. This part was called Kleines Haff by the Germans.

On August 22, the Swedes had an early victory. They fought a Prussian fleet led by Captain von Köller near Anclam. Then, on September 10, the two fleets met again. This time, they fought near Neuwarp.

The Swedish ships, commanded by Wilhelm von Carpellan, lined up in four rows. The strongest ships were in the first row. These were four galleys, each with 13 guns. Next were four demi-galleys, which had 5 guns each. These ships could use both sails and oars. After them were three sloops and one ship with howitzers. Finally, there was a line of 13 gunboats.

The Prussians had four galiots and four galleys. Each of their galleys had 12 cannons. They also had five gunboats.

When the ships got close enough, the Swedes formed a single line. However, three Swedish demi-galleys and nine gunboats sailed south. They thought they saw unknown ships there. These turned out to be neutral ships, but it meant these Swedish ships missed the start of the battle.

The battle lasted for four hours. It ended in a huge defeat for Prussia. Most of their main ships were sunk or captured. More than 600 Prussian sailors were captured. The Swedes had much smaller losses. Only 13 of their men were killed and 14 were wounded.

What Happened After

The Swedish victory meant they now controlled the lagoon. They used this control to capture the island of Wollin. However, their main goal, the city of Stettin, stayed in Prussian hands.

Even after this big loss, the Prussians did not give up. They started to build a new fleet. So, the Battle of Frisches Haff was a victory for the Swedes, but it did not last forever.

In 1762, Russia left the war. This put Sweden in a very difficult spot. They knew they could not fight against the strong army of King Frederick II of Prussia alone. So, the Swedes offered to make peace. They suggested going back to how things were before the war. Frederick accepted this idea. They signed the Treaty of Hamburg on May 22, 1762.

Ships in the Battle

• Sweden
  • Carlskrona, a galley with 13 cannons
  • Cronoborg, a galley with 13 cannons
  • Malmö, a galley with 13 cannons
  • Blecking, a galley with 13 cannons
  • Svärdfisk, a half-galley with 5 cannons
  • Delphin, a half-galley with 5 cannons
  • Cabilliou, a half-galley with 5 cannons
  • Stor, a half-galley with 5 cannons
  • 1 ship armed with howitzers
  • 3 sloops
  • 13 gunboats
• Prussia
  • Kœnig von Preussen, a galiot with 14 cannons
  • Prinz von Preussen, a galiot with 14 cannons
  • Kœnig Heinrich, a galiot with 14 cannons
  • Kœnig Wilhelm, a galiot with 14 cannons
  • Jupiter, a galley with 11 cannons
  • Mars, a galley with 11 cannons
  • Neptunus, a galley with 10 cannons
  • Merkurius, a galley with 10 cannons
  • 5 gunboats