Battle of Møn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Møn
Part of Scanian War
Battle of Møns Klint by Christian Mølsted
Date 31 May 1677 Location between Møn and the coast of northern Germany Result Danish victory
Belligerents
Sweden	Denmark-Norway
Commanders and leaders
Erik Sjöblad	Niels Juel
Strength
3 men of war 5 armed merchants 4 minor vessels 394 guns	13 men of war 670 guns
Casualties and losses
8 ships at least 1,500 dead, wounded or missing	negligible

The Battle of Møn was an important naval battle. It is also known as the Battle of Fehmarn. This fight happened between May 31 and June 1, 1677. It was part of the Scanian War, a big conflict in Northern Europe.

A smaller Swedish navy group, led by Admiral Erik Sjöblad, tried to sail from Gothenburg. Their goal was to meet the main Swedish fleet in the Baltic Sea. But a stronger Danish-Norwegian force stopped them. This force was led by Admiral Niels Juel.

The battle lasted two days. The Danish-Norwegian side won a big victory. Sweden lost 8 ships and over 1,500 men. This included Admiral Sjöblad, who was captured. Denmark-Norway had very few losses. This win stopped the Swedish navy from joining all its ships. It also gave the Danish navy valuable captured ships. The battle showed that Denmark was very strong at sea during the war. It also set the stage for another big Danish-Norwegian victory later that year.

Why the Battle of Møn Happened

In March 1677, Henrik Horn became the leader of the Swedish navy. He was the third navy chief in a row with no experience at sea. This was a big problem for Sweden. The Danish fleet, however, had many skilled and experienced officers. This gave Denmark a clear advantage from the start.

King Charles of Sweden ordered Horn to gather his fleet. He also told a smaller group of ships, led by Erik Sjöblad, to join the main fleet. Sjöblad's ships were anchored near Gothenburg. Even though the main fleet was not ready, Sjöblad sailed on May 20. He tried to sail through a narrow passage called the Great Belt. But his ships got stuck because there was no wind.

Meanwhile, Danish Admiral Niels Juel was already at sea. He had 13 large warships. Juel had won big battles before, like the Battle of Bornholm and Battle of Öland in 1676. On May 28, Juel learned where Sjöblad's ships were. Within two days, the two fleets saw each other.

Comparing the Fleets

The Danish force was much stronger. They had more ships, more guns, and better equipment. Sjöblad's Swedish force had nine ships. Juel's Danish force had 13 ships. Eight of Juel's ships had 50 or more guns.

The Danish ships were built for war. Most of the Swedish ships were merchant ships that had been armed. They were not as good for fighting. In total, the Swedish ships had 394 guns. The Danish ships had almost 670 guns. The biggest guns on the Swedish side were only 12-pounders. These were quite small for naval battles.

The Battle Begins

Admiral Juel placed his ships between the Swedish fleet and the coast. On May 30, the Swedish leaders held a meeting. They decided to try and sail around the Danish force. On May 31, they set a course to the east-northeast.

That day, the wind died down again. Both sides started towing their ships to move forward. The Swedish ships tried to stay in a line. They moved at the speed of their slowest ships. Later that afternoon, the first Danish ships got close enough to fire. Before nightfall, a Danish ship called Enigheden caught and captured a Swedish ship, Wrangel Palats. During the night, the wind picked up again. This was good for Admiral Juel and his fleet.

Fighting on June 1

On the morning of June 1, the Danish force had the wind behind them. This gave them a big advantage. They could fire their heavier guns at Sjöblad's ships. They could also stay out of range of the lighter Swedish guns. The wind was too light for big, planned movements. So, Juel told each of his captains to attack the closest enemy ship. Their goal was to sink or capture them.

By 4 o'clock, Juel's main ship, Christianus V, caught up with Sjöblad's ship, Amarant. They fought for two hours with their cannons. The Swedish flagship lost a main mast part. Its largest sail was shot to pieces. Another Swedish ship, Andromeda, tried to help its admiral. But its crew refused to fight. They said they "did not want to go back and let themselves be slaughtered like sheep." Sjöblad had to give up and was taken prisoner.

The Swedish ship Kalmar Kastell was attacked by four Danish ships. It also surrendered. The captain of this Swedish ship ordered his gun officer to damage the ship's bottom. The Danish boarding party had to quickly run the ship aground. They later only managed to save the guns and rigging.

One by one, the Swedish ships were attacked. Havsfrun and Ängeln Gabriel were both captured. The rest of the Swedish fleet tried to escape. Rosen and five smaller ships tried to go back to Gothenburg. Rosen raised the English flag to trick the Danish defenses on land. It worked, but two other ships were captured. Only Andromeda, the damaged Gustavus, and one fireship managed to escape. They reached the main Swedish fleet in the Baltic Sea.

What Happened After the Battle

The captured Swedish ships and prisoners were taken to Copenhagen. Admiral Sjöblad was later traded for Danish prisoners on August 15. He was then put in charge of Gothenburg's defenses.

The Danish losses were very small. Some ships had damage, like the mainmast of Churprinsen breaking. But very few men were lost. For example, on Juel's main ship, only one person died and two were injured.

However, Juel was not happy with some of his officers. He held a special court for them. Five of his captains were accused of not following orders or showing poor discipline. One captain was found innocent. The others were punished with fines or reduced pay.

This Danish-Norwegian victory stopped Sweden from bringing all their ships together. Juel avoided fighting a much larger Swedish fleet. The Danish navy also gained new ships from the battle. The Swedish losses were over 1,500 men killed, injured, or captured. This defeat made the Swedish fleet weaker and the Danish fleet stronger.

Exactly one month later, the two main fleets met again. This was at the Battle of Køge Bay. That battle became the greatest Danish victory at sea. It also made Niels Juel a national hero.

Ships Involved in the Battle

The number in parentheses shows how many guns each ship had.

Danish Fleet

• Flagship: Christianus V (85), led by Niels Juel
• Churprindsen (74)
• Enighed (62)
• Gyldenløve (56)
• Nellebladet (52)
• Christianus IV (54)
• Christiania (54)
• Lindormen (50)
• Neptunus (42)
• Christiansand (40)
• Hommeren (37)
• Havmannen (34)
• Havfruen (30)

Swedish Fleet

• Flagship: Amarant (52), led by Erik Carlsson Sjöblad
• Andromeda (52)
• Wrangels Palats (38)
• Kalmar Kastell (72), an armed merchant ship
• Ängeln Gabriel (44), an armed merchant ship
• Havsfrun (44), an armed merchant ship
• Rosen (44), an armed merchant ship
• Gustavus (48), an armed merchant ship
• (Lilla) Gripen (8-12), a type of small ship
• Diana, Venus (yachts)
• S:t David and two unnamed ships (fireships)