Battle of Bornholm (1563)


The Battle of Bornholm was the first naval battle of the Northern Seven Years' War.
The naval engagement took place on 30 May 1563 near Bornholm. A Danish squadron of 10 ships under the command of Jacob Brockenhuus at anchor near Bornholm, saw a Swedish squadron of 19 ships approaching under the command of Jakob Bagge. Brockenhuus sent only the three ships; Hercules 81, Hector 38 and Hjort 46, toward it to show that they didn't want to fight. However, when firing three shots as a challenge, they managed to hit one of the Swedish ships. Swedish forces promptly surrounded and attacked the Danish ships, capturing all three after a 4-hour fight. The remaining Danish ships remained at anchor.