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Wreck of Danish flagship sunk by famed British admiral discovered after 225 years

More than 200 years after being sunk by Admiral Horatio Nelson and the British fleet, a Danish warship has been discovered on the seabed of…

By Samantha Johnson / April 2, 2026

More than 200 years after being sunk by Admiral Horatio Nelson and the British fleet, a Danish warship has been discovered on the seabed of Copenhagen Harbour by marine archaeologists.

Working in thick sediment and almost zero visibility 15 metres (49 feet) beneath the waves, divers have been working against the clock to unearth the 19th century wreck of the Dannebroge before it becomes a construction site in a new housing district being built off the Danish coast.

Denmark’s Viking Ship Museum, which was leading the months-long underwater excavations, announced its findings on Thursday, 225 years to the day since the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801.

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“It’s a big part of the Danish national feeling,” said Morten Johansen, the museum’s head of maritime archaeology.

A cannon, thought to be from Danish flagship Dannebroge. Photo: Viking Ship Museum via AP
A cannon, thought to be from Danish flagship Dannebroge. Photo: Viking Ship Museum via AP

A great deal has been written about the battle “by very enthusiastic spectators, but we actually don’t know how it was to be on board a ship being shot to pieces by English warships and some of that story we can probably learn from seeing the wreck,” Johansen said.

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In the Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson and the British fleet attacked and defeated Denmark’s navy as it formed a protective blockade outside the harbour.

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