Battle of Tromsø
| Battle of Tromsø | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Napoleonic Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Denmark–Norway |
 United Kingdom | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Hans Carl Bodenhoff Grøn † | unknown | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Tromsø garrison | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 35 men, 7 cannons, 1 cutter, 1 schooner | 80 men, 1 frigrate | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 5 dead, 13 wounded | 12 dead, 14 wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Tromsø or the Battle of Pølsehavna[1][2][3] was an unsuccessful British attempt a to enforce a blockade against Norway during the Napoleonic Wars.[2] It took place in Pølsehavna in Tromsø.[2][3] After the battle Hans Carl Bodenhoff earned the title "The lion from Tromsø".[2][3] Horatio then returned to the United Kingdom due to the British suffering major losses.
Background
[edit]The HMS Horatio was originally going to Hammerfest and Vardøhus to raid and attack them but this was cut short by the skirmish at Tromsø.[2]
Battle
[edit]The British followed the cutter to Pølsehavna.[2] Early that morning they attacked the Norwegians with 80 men. After lieutenant Grøn was killed, the British quickly boarded the cutter.[2] The British then tried to take the town of Tromsø, although it failed, forcing them to retreat.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Pølsehamna (Tromsø) – lokalhistoriewiki.no". lokalhistoriewiki.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g Skancke, Kristian (2024-06-18), "Napoleonskrigene i Finnmark", Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian), retrieved 2025-02-12
- ^ a b c d "Innsiden.no - Plyndring, skipsverft og tørrfisk". www.innsiden.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2025-02-12.