A “Courageous Danish Naval Hero”

by Charles Consolvo

In the Danish Cemetery on St Thomas is a monument to a former Governor and “Courageous Naval Hero”, Admiral Carl Jessen.

Admiral Jessen was born in Denmark in 1764 and entered the Danish Navy as a cadet in 1776. In 1796 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and in 1800 appointed as Captain of the Danish brig HDMS Lougen assigned to the Danish West Indies (DWI).

Tensions had been increasing between Britain and Denmark during this era of the French Revolutionary Wars as Denmark was claiming neutrality and trading with France and its allies. Fearful of the negative impact on its sources of trade in the Baltic, especially naval stores, Britain was determined to prevent an alliance among the navies of Denmark, Sweden and Russia.

Early in 1801 Britain delivered an ultimatum to Denmark, who rejected it. Britain then attacked and seized Copenhagen, and mobilized its army and naval forces in the Caribbean.

Although rumours of war had reached St Thomas, the Governor was not aware that Britain had declared war on Denmark at the beginning of the year. On the morning of March 3, the Governor dispatched the HDMS Lougen and the armed schooner Den Aarvagne to reconnoitre the waters off St Thomas. HDMS Lougen was a Danish brig of war mounting 20 guns with a crew of 87 under the command of her captain, Lieutenant Commander Carl Jessen.

At approximately 4:00pm on March 3, 1801 HDMS Lougen and Den Aarvagne encountered HMS Arab and the privateer Experiment off the southwest coast of St Thomas.. A running battle lasting perhaps 1 hour ensued along the south coast of St. Thomas, heading east, when the Lougen passed into St. Thomas Harbour under the protection of the cannon of Prince Frederik’s Battery and the Arab hauled off.

The Arab was a British sloop of war mounting 20 guns with a crew of 98 under the command of her Captain, John Perkins, (a very rare officer in the British Navy, if not unique in this period as he was a mulatto, the son of a plantation owner in Jamaica and a slave mother).

The action was recorded in the Captain’s Log, the original of which is preserved at the National Archives in Britain, extract quoted below, as well as in the Lieutenant’s Log and the Master’s Log at the Caird Library in Greenwich.

“PM Fresh breezes and cloudy. At 4 spoke the Experiment Privateer of Bermuda. Bore up and made sail in chace [sic] of a Brig and Schooner standing in for St Thomas, which proved to be the Danish Man of War Brig and Schooner. Fired to bring too [sic] the Brig at which she returned a broadside then a running fight ensued for about 40 minutes during which time we received 2 shot between wind & water our sails and rigging a little cut and 1 gun broke at 5 came within gun shot of the Fort when they fired round and grape shot at us which obliged us to wear round and to stand off by which means the Brig got into port. Ship making little water Carpenters stopping the shot holes.

AM Moderate and cloudy at day light observing the Brig close under the fort with her topmasts struck”

There is no mention in the logs of the battle involving either of the other ships, the Danish schooner Den Aarvagne or the British privateer Experiment. Immediately after being fired upon Captain Jessen likely instructed the schooner to proceed to St Croix with news that Denmark was at war with Britain. The Experiment, as a privateer was very unlikely to have joined in the battle as there was no profit to be had and damage would have cost the owners, with no recompense.

Neither the Captain’s log, nor the Master’s or the Lieutenant’s logs, all of which have been preserved, mention any involvement in the battle by the Experiment.

Unfortunately, no log for HDMS Lougen has been recovered.

The Danish Government made much more of the incident than is recorded by the British. Captain Jessen was awarded a “sword of honor” by the Danish King, and a popular colour print shows HDMS Lougen attacked on both sides by the HMS ARAB and the Experiment.

A Danish website, recording Danish Naval Exploits claims significant damage and loss of life inflicted on HMS Arab, however this is highly unlikely, not being recorded in any of the British officer’s logs.

On March 27, 1801, the British Army and Fleet descended on St Thomas, with 29 ships and 4,000 men. The island was surrendered without a shot being fired.

At the end of the hostilities in April, 1802, Captain Jessen was returned to Denmark, where he proved his courage again against the British when hostilities were resumed in 1807. Peace came again in 1815 and in 1822 he was an admiral and became Governor of St. Thomas, dying in 1823. In 1901 his remains were removed from St. Thomas and re-interred in Holmenskirke, the naval church in Copenhagen.