HMS Ulla Fersen (1789)
Encyclopedia
HMS Ulla Fersen was a frigate of the Swedish Royal Navy
, designed by Frederik H. Chapman, and launched in 1789. She served during the Russo-Swedish War (1788-1790)
, most notably at the Battle of Reval
. British vessels twice detained her, once in 1796 and again in 1801, with the first event resulting in a major court case bearing on the meaning of neutrality
. She was completely rebuilt in 1802, and lost in a storm in 1807.
, six frigates, some storehouses, and a hospital. T Various contingencies prevented the plan’s full implementation. Still, Ulla Fersen was the last ship built under the original plan.The Sjöhistoriska Museet (National Maritime Museum), Stockholm, has a structural model of Ulla Fersen.http://www.sjohistoriska.se/sv/Fordjupning/Marketstore/Foremal1/?msobjid=0042132 Although the Swedish navy referred to her as a frigate, or a light frigate, she may perhaps be better described as a corvette
(contemporary French usage), or a sloop of war (contemporary British usage).
She was named for Ulla (Ulrika Eleonora) von Höpken
, née von Fersen
, a Swedish lady-in-waiting
and member of the nobility
.
(1764–1833) and Ulla Fersen with executing, in 1790, the first naval operation of the war. Together with the frigate Jarramas he sailed to Rågå near Rågervik
(also known as Baltischport in German and Rogerwick in English) in Estonia. There he expected to find a Russian squadron of 10-12 smaller vessels. When he arrived on 17 March (6 March OS) there was no Russian squadron. Cederström sent in a small landing party that destroyed a battery with 49 cannons and burned down a depot of grain and naval stores.
During the Battle of Reval, which took place on 13 May 1790 (2 May OS) off the port of Reval (now Tallinn
, Estonia
), Ulla Fersen served as the flagship for General-Admiral Prince Karl
, Duke of Södermanland, brother to the Swedish king, Gustav III
. The attempt to eliminate Admiral Chichagov's Russian squadron, which had wintered in the harbour at Reval, was unsuccessful, and Prince Karl signaled the withdrawal from Ulla Fersen, which had stayed out of Russian cannon shot.
Sweden was neutral at the time and Cederström was under strict orders from King Gustav IV
of Sweden not to permit foreign interference with Swedish vessels in convoy under the protection of a Swedish naval vessel, and to resist with force if necessary. Still, Cederström chose to avoid loss of life and did not resist, and understandably so. Busy was armed with sixteen 32-pounder carronade
s and two 6-pounder guns, and Speedwell was armed with fourteen 4-pounder guns and 12 ½-pounder swivel guns. This gave the British a combined broadside in excess of 290 pounds, versus Ulla Fersons 54 pounds.
On 28 February 1803, a British court found that the Elsabe, Maas, master, was a legitimate prize. What is not clear from the decision is whether only one vessel was guilty of carrying potential naval stores to a destination under the blockade, or whether this was a test case for the entire convoy.
Cederström was recalled to Sweden and tried, presumably for disobeying orders. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was pardoned just before he was due to be executed and was for a while detained at a fortress. Still, he went on to have a distinguished career and ended up an admiral.
on 18 March with both Ulla Fersen and the French privateer Premier Consul, which Dryad had captured at about the same time.It is curious that although the London Gazette published the letter that Captain Charles John Moore Mansfield of Dryad wrote announcing his capture of the Premier Consul, there appears to be no letter concerning the capture of Ulla Fersen. All British accounts of the capture come from the commercial press.
Ulla Fersen, was under the command of Captain Hans Hampus Fallstedt (1767–1808) and was on her way to the Swedish colony of Saint Barthelemy
. Although clearly out-gunned, as Dryad carried thirty-six 18-pounder guns and eight 32-pounder carronades, which gave her a broadside of 452 pounds, Fallstedt apparently wished to escape Cederström’s fate, hence the resistance and casualties. The British detained Ulla Fersen at Portsmouth and then released her after negotiations.
, Germany, on 20 April 1807. Her captain at the time was Major Peter Holm. There is evidence to suggest that not all her crew was lost.
Swedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
, designed by Frederik H. Chapman, and launched in 1789. She served during the Russo-Swedish War (1788-1790)
Russo-Swedish War (1788-1790)
The Russo-Swedish War of 1788–90, known as Gustav III's Russian war in Sweden, Gustav III's War in Finland and Catherine II's Swedish War in Russia, was fought between Sweden and Russia from June 1788 to August 1790.-Background:...
, most notably at the Battle of Reval
Battle of Reval
The naval Battle of Reval or took place on 13 May 1790 during the Russo-Swedish War , off the port of Reval .-Origins:...
. British vessels twice detained her, once in 1796 and again in 1801, with the first event resulting in a major court case bearing on the meaning of neutrality
Neutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
. She was completely rebuilt in 1802, and lost in a storm in 1807.
Design and construction
Frederik Henrik af Chapman, whom some credit as the first naval architect, designed Ulla Fersen. In 1787 he had proposed a ten-year plan that called for five ships of the lineShip of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
, six frigates, some storehouses, and a hospital. T Various contingencies prevented the plan’s full implementation. Still, Ulla Fersen was the last ship built under the original plan.The Sjöhistoriska Museet (National Maritime Museum), Stockholm, has a structural model of Ulla Fersen.http://www.sjohistoriska.se/sv/Fordjupning/Marketstore/Foremal1/?msobjid=0042132 Although the Swedish navy referred to her as a frigate, or a light frigate, she may perhaps be better described as a corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
(contemporary French usage), or a sloop of war (contemporary British usage).
She was named for Ulla (Ulrika Eleonora) von Höpken
Ulla von Höpken
Ulla von Höpken, later von Wright, née von Fersen , was a Swedish lady-in-waiting and noble...
, née von Fersen
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
, a Swedish lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
and member of the nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
.
Russo-Swedish War
The Swedish Navy tasked Captain Olof Rudolf CederströmRudolf Cederström
Olof Rudolf Cederström was a naval commander, hired by the Swedish admiralty in 1779. In 1790 he conducted a raid against Paldiski . He distinguished himself in 1790 at the naval Battle of Reval and the Battle of Viborg Bay. During the following years he led ships against English pirates in the...
(1764–1833) and Ulla Fersen with executing, in 1790, the first naval operation of the war. Together with the frigate Jarramas he sailed to Rågå near Rågervik
Paldiski
Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri peninsula of north-western Estonia. Originally a Swedish settlement known as Rågervik, it became a Russian naval base in the 18th century. The Russians renamed it Балтийский Порт Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the...
(also known as Baltischport in German and Rogerwick in English) in Estonia. There he expected to find a Russian squadron of 10-12 smaller vessels. When he arrived on 17 March (6 March OS) there was no Russian squadron. Cederström sent in a small landing party that destroyed a battery with 49 cannons and burned down a depot of grain and naval stores.
During the Battle of Reval, which took place on 13 May 1790 (2 May OS) off the port of Reval (now Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
), Ulla Fersen served as the flagship for General-Admiral Prince Karl
Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII & II also Carl, , was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 until his death...
, Duke of Södermanland, brother to the Swedish king, Gustav III
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
. The attempt to eliminate Admiral Chichagov's Russian squadron, which had wintered in the harbour at Reval, was unsuccessful, and Prince Karl signaled the withdrawal from Ulla Fersen, which had stayed out of Russian cannon shot.
Ulla Fersen vs. Busy and Speedwell
Ulla Fersen, under Cederström, was escorting a convoy of Swedish merchant vessels in the North Sea when on 7 August 1798 he encountered two British warships, and . Captain John Ackworth Ommaney of Busy hailed Ulla Fersen and asked where the convoy was going. Cederström replied that they were bound for the “Spanish Sea”. Ommaney ordered the Swedes to permit boarding parties to inspect the merchant vessels to determine if they were carrying cargo proscribed under the British blockade and for destinations under enemy control. Cederström initially refused, but then relented and permitted the convoy to go into the Downs for further inspection.Sweden was neutral at the time and Cederström was under strict orders from King Gustav IV
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
of Sweden not to permit foreign interference with Swedish vessels in convoy under the protection of a Swedish naval vessel, and to resist with force if necessary. Still, Cederström chose to avoid loss of life and did not resist, and understandably so. Busy was armed with sixteen 32-pounder carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
s and two 6-pounder guns, and Speedwell was armed with fourteen 4-pounder guns and 12 ½-pounder swivel guns. This gave the British a combined broadside in excess of 290 pounds, versus Ulla Fersons 54 pounds.
On 28 February 1803, a British court found that the Elsabe, Maas, master, was a legitimate prize. What is not clear from the decision is whether only one vessel was guilty of carrying potential naval stores to a destination under the blockade, or whether this was a test case for the entire convoy.
Cederström was recalled to Sweden and tried, presumably for disobeying orders. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was pardoned just before he was due to be executed and was for a while detained at a fortress. Still, he went on to have a distinguished career and ended up an admiral.
Dryad vs. Ulla Fersen
The Portsmouth Telegraph reported on 16 March 1801: The Swedish frigate was the Ulla Fersen. The British frigate returned from the Irish Station to PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
on 18 March with both Ulla Fersen and the French privateer Premier Consul, which Dryad had captured at about the same time.It is curious that although the London Gazette published the letter that Captain Charles John Moore Mansfield of Dryad wrote announcing his capture of the Premier Consul, there appears to be no letter concerning the capture of Ulla Fersen. All British accounts of the capture come from the commercial press.
Ulla Fersen, was under the command of Captain Hans Hampus Fallstedt (1767–1808) and was on her way to the Swedish colony of Saint Barthelemy
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Barthélemy , officially the Territorial collectivity of Saint Barthélemy , is an overseas collectivity of France. Often abbreviated to Saint-Barth in French, or St. Barts in English, the indigenous people called the island Ouanalao...
. Although clearly out-gunned, as Dryad carried thirty-six 18-pounder guns and eight 32-pounder carronades, which gave her a broadside of 452 pounds, Fallstedt apparently wished to escape Cederström’s fate, hence the resistance and casualties. The British detained Ulla Fersen at Portsmouth and then released her after negotiations.
Fate
Ulla Fersen sank in a storm off Neuhoff on the island of UsedomUsedom
Usedom is a Baltic Sea island on the border between Germany and Poland. It is situated north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the River Oder in Pomerania...
, Germany, on 20 April 1807. Her captain at the time was Major Peter Holm. There is evidence to suggest that not all her crew was lost.