The Action of 18 April 1695 refers to an incident where an English frigate by the name of Sea-horse demanded that the Swedish man of war Wachtmeister lower its topsail on 18 April 1695, after the refusal of the Wachtmeister, a firefight broke out, resulting in the Sea-horse retreating and the Dano-Swedish convoy emerging victorious.
| Action of 18 April 1695 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Swedish Empire  Denmark–Norway |
 England | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Gustaf Wattrang |
Anthony Tollett | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Wachtmeister |
Seahorse | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 ship | 1 ship | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None |
1 ship damaged Several wounded | ||||||
Action
editIn the English channel, off the coast of Sussex, a Dano-Swedish convoy fleet of 180 Swedish and Danish merchant ships, led by the Wachtmeister met an English frigate on 18 April. The English frigate, named the Seahorse began inspecting the merchant ships, and then demanded one of the ships salute it, which was promptly refused, with the answer that the ship behind it would give them the reason for it, which happened to be the Wachtmeister[1][2][3]
When the English captain, Anthony Tollet[4] sent his boat onboard the Wachtmeister to know the reason for the refusal to strike their sail, the Swedish captain, Gustaf Wattrang, sent his Lieutenant on board the Seahorse to tell him that the Swedes had orders to not strike to any ship in the world, especially such a "diminutive" one.[1]
Upon hearing the reason, Tollet sent the Lieutenant back to the Wachtmeister, and told him to notify Wattrang that unless he saluted the Seahorse, he would fire his broadside cannons at the Wachtmeister.[1] After this, the Englishmen fired two bullets at the Swedes, but only into the air.[2][5]
Since the Swedes continued to refuse, Tollet did as he promised and fired a broadside at the Swedes directly aimed towards the main body of the Wachtmeister. Wattrang then directed the Wachtmeister towards the Englishmen, delivering a broadside, leading to a firefight that lasted for more than 3–4 hours.[1][2][5]
Since the Seahorse was significantly smaller than the Wachtmeister, it was eventually forced to give up, and retreated, leaving the Dano-Swedish convoy victorious in the battle.[2]
Aftermath
editAfter the battle, the English envoy's secretary and priest, Priest Robinson, went to Count Bengt Oxenstierna and apologised, claiming that Tollet was a "young fool who knew nothing of what he was doing".[5]
See also
edit- Skirmish at the Isle of Wight – 1647 engagement of the English Civil War
- Anglo–Swedish skirmish (1695) – Anglo–Swedish naval skirmish
- Stockholm incident – Seizure of a Swedish ship by English ships in 1651
- Action of 10 August 1695 – 1695 engagement of the Nine Years' War
References
edit- ^ a b c d Great Britain. Public Record Office (1908). Calendar of state papers, Domestic series, of the reign of William III. Preserved in the Public Record Office. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. London : Printed for H. M. Stationery off., by Mackie.
- ^ a b c d Fryxell, Anders (1852). Berättelser ur Swenska historien: Karl den elftes Historia. 15-20 (in Swedish). Hjerta. p. 235.
- ^ "De svensk-engelska segelstrykningsdispyterna". members.tripod.com. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Charnock, John (2011-02-24). Biographia Navalis: Or, Impartial Memoirs of the Lives and Characters of Officers of the Navy of Great Britain, from the Year 1660 to the Present Time. Cambridge University Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-108-02633-8.
- ^ a b c "113 (Biographiskt lexicon öfver namnkunnige svenska män / 22. Wachenfelt-Wässelius)". runeberg.org (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-09-05.