Admiral Juel
The privateer brig Admiral Juel was the second largest ship in Denmark-Norway to be granted letters of marque during the Gunboat War between Denmark and Britain. The British Royal Navy captured her in a notable single ship action in 1808. Background The 1807 British attack on Copenhagen by land and sea left Denmark with few warships and poor options in continuing the fight with her new enemy. The ship-of-the-line and a handful of brigs were (temporarily) safe in Norwegian ports, and the squadrons of gunboats elsewhere on the coast were primarily for defence. Within one week of the British forces departing with the remains of the Danish fleet, King Christian VII's government in Copenhagen promulgated the Danish Privateers Regulations (1807). Denmark was at war with Britain, and a part of the fight would fall to privateers. Denmark and Norway issued Kaperbrev (letters of marque). From 1807 to 1813 Danish shipping companies donated suitable ships (brigs, schooners and galleases) to the state which could then equip the ships for their new privateering role. One such ship was the brig Admiral Juel. Danish privateers were an important tactical weapon in the furtherance of the war. They were not on an equal footing