First battle of Öland (1564)

Action of 30 May 1564
	Part of Northern Seven Years' War
	; Final battle at Mars, by Hans Bohrdt
Date	30–31 May 1564
Location	Between Gotland and Öland, Baltic Sea
Result	Dano-Lübeckian victory
Belligerents
Sweden	Denmark ; Lübeck
Commanders and leaders
Jakob Bagge	Herluf Trolle; Friedrich Knebel
Strength
35 vessels, 3,500 sailors; 1,700 soldiers	26 ships, 4,600 sailors; 10 ships, 2,018 sailors
Casualties and losses
1 ship, flagship Mars with approximately 800 sailors, additionally 101 sailors were killed on other ships	1 ship, Lange Bark sunk on the 30th losses unknown, and approximately 300 boarders on the Mars

The first battle of Öland (Swedish: Första slaget vid Ölands norra udde) took place on 30–31 May 1564 between the islands of Gotland and Öland, between a fleet of Allied ships, the Danes under Herluf Trolle and the Lübeckers under Friedrich Knebel, and a Swedish fleet of 23 or more ships under Jakob Bagge. It was an Allied victory.

Only some of the ships on each side were involved, the rest being unable to join or continue their part in the battle due to the wind. On 30 May, Danish flagship Fortuna was damaged and Lange Bark sunk, but on 31 May the Swedish ship Mars was boarded by Byens Løffue, Engel, and Fuchs before catching alight and exploding, killing most of its crew and 300 boarders. Jakob Bagge and his Second, Arved Trolle [sv], were taken prisoner. Swedish casualties apart from in this ship were 101. Fleming took over the fleet and sailed it back to Älvsnabben, while the Danes sailed to Copenhagen.

Ships involved

Denmark/Lübeck

Fortuna (Danish flag)
Byens Løffue 56
Engel (Lübeck flag)
Lange Bark (Lübeck) — sunk 30 May
Arck
Fuchs (Lübeck)
other ships

Sweden

Mars 173 (flag) — blew up 31 May
Elefant 65 (Fleming)
Finska Svan 82
Svenska Hektor 87
19 or more other ships

References

Kloth, Herbert: "Lübecks Seekriegswesen in der Zeit des nordischen 7-jährigen Krieges 1563–1570", Zeitschrift des Vereines für lübeckische Geschichte und Altertumskunde, Vol. 21 (1923), pp. 1–51, 185–256 plus Vol. 22 (1923–25), pp. 121–52 & 325–79

External links

Copperprint engraving - First or second battle?