Naval battle near Hel

The Battle of Hel was a naval raid took place on July 29, 1571, when a squadron of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy raided the Baltic Sea ports of Puck and Hel, destroying or capturing fifteen ships of the privateer fleet (Polish: Flota kaperska) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and taking those that were captured back to the city of Copenhagen.

Battle of Hel
Date July 29, 1571 Location Off Hel, Baltic Sea Result Danish victory
Belligerents
Denmark-Norway	Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Franke	Krzysztof Minckenbeck
Strength
18 warhips	15 warhips
Casualties and losses
None	2 warships destroyed 13 warships captured

Background

After the conclusion of the Northern Seven Years' War, Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish privateers continued to attack merchant vessels which traded with Tsardom of Russia via the port of Narva. Both the Polish-Lithuanians and the Swedes refrained from direct attacks on Dano-Norwegian fleet, while Denmark regarded all such raids as piracy. Under the circumstances, Copenhagen decided to undertake activities directed against the Commonwealth.

Battle

In July 1571, a squadron of eighteen Danish ships under a Danish admiral, Franke, entered the waters of the Gdańsk Bay. On July 29 near Hel, the Danes attacked and destroyed two Polish-Lithuanian ships, commanded by Krzysztof Minckenbeck,[1] after which a Danish landing party landed on and penetrated into Hel Peninsula without resistance.

On the same day Dano-Norwegian ships entered the Bay of Puck, where eight Polish-Lithuanian warships plus five captured ships were stationed near the port city of Puck. The Dano-Norwegians broke the resistance of Polish-Lithuanian privateers and captured all thirteen ships, taking them to Copenhagen. As a result of the raid, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Navy was reduced to half of its previous strength.[2]

Aftermath

In late August 1571, Dano-Norwegian ships once again appeared in the Gdańsk Bay. This time the Polish-Lithuanians had been warned in advance, and all Polish-Lithuanian warships had left Puck, sailing to the city port of Gdańsk, where they found protection. For two weeks the Dano-Norwegian fleet blockaded Gdańsk, demanding that all ships inside Gdańsk be handed over to them. The Gdańsk authorities refused to do so, and to punish the city, a Dano-Norwegian blockade was enacted on the city, and stopped in the Øresund as many as thirty-four merchantmen which were headed for Gdańsk.[3] The Dano-Norwegian victory proved that Polish-Lithuanian privateers, although experienced enough to guard the sea coast, were unable to successfully engage the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy.[4]

See also

• Battle of Oliwa
• List of naval battles
• History of Poland

References

1. Co kryją polskie wody ? „Milcząca flota Bałtyku” (What do Polish waters hide? A silent fleet of the Baltic)
2. Słońce zaszło w południe (The sun set at middaly). History of the Navy of the Kingdom of Poland, by Michal Lipka
3. Słońce zaszło w południe (The sun set at middaly). History of the Navy of the Kingdom of Poland, by Michal Lipka
4. Slowianie nad Baltykiem by Marek Toczek. Klub Inteligencji Katolickiej

Further reading

• Edmund Kosiarz, Wojny na Baltyku X-XIX w., Wydawnictwo Morskie Gdańsk 1978