| History | |
|---|---|
 Denmark-Norway | |
| Name | Flensborg |
| Namesake | Flensburg (Flensborg) |
| Operator | Danish East India Company |
| Launched | 1625 |
| Homeport | Copenhagen |
| Fate | Blown up off the Cape of Good Hope |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Frigate |
| Decks | 1/2 |
| Crew | + 84 |
Thefrigate andman-of-warFlensborg, orFlensburg, was a DanishEast Indiaman sent on 2 December 1629 toTranquebar as the third cargo to India. However, it wasblown up by thePortuguese off theCape of Good Hope in 1630.
Flensburg was launched in 1625 and commanded by Thimand Clausen.[1] In the following year, after being loaned out to theDanish East India Company, she went on a voyage toIreland with spare parts to thePerlen,[1] one of the company'sEast Indiamen, which was nearly wrecked on its home voyage toDenmark.[2]
In 1629,Christian IV of Denmarkconcluded peace withFerdinand II, which meant he could thus regain his interests for the Indian trade.[3] Subsequently, theFlensburg was sent toTranquebar together withFalken andFortuna.[4] She was under the command of captain Six Jacobsen. However, upon reaching theCape of Good Hope, theFlensborg was attacked by Portuguese vessels, which resulted in it catching fire and exploding.[5] Most of the crew was killed in the explosion, and the rest were imprisoned by the Portuguese.[1][6]
TheFortuna reached Tranquebar on 29 September 1631.
| Sinking of the Flensborg | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A View of the Cape of Good Hope, byWilliam Hodges | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 East India Company |  Portuguese Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Thimand Clausen Six Jacobsen | Unknown | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
 FlensborgFalken | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 ship 1 sloop | Multiple ships | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 ship sunk Most men killed 42 imprisoned | Unknown | ||||||
 | |||||||
TheSinking of theFlensborg (Danish:Flensborgs forlis), was a minor skirmish between Danish and Portuguese vessels in 1630 off the Portuguese-controlledCape of Good Hope. The skirmish resulted in the sinking of the Danishman-of-warFlensborg and caused great financial concerns about theDanish project in India.
In 1616 theDanish East India Company was established, and in 1620 it acquired the fishing village ofTharangambadi (Tranquebar).[7] The first European cargo arrived in 1623, and another was sent in 1624.[8] However, in 1625Christian IV of Denmarkinvaded theHoly Roman Empire, which meant a stop in dispatching ships to India.[3] Whenpeace was concluded in 1629, Christian regained his interests in the Indian affairs and sent two ships, theman-of-warFlesnborg, and a two-masteredsloop, to India in late 1629. They were shortly after followed by the two-mastered vessel,Fortuna.[3]
When reaching the good hope, theFlensborg came into a fight with thePortuguese.[3] The Portuguese were trying to maintain their monopoly of trade with India, which they claimed had been given to them by thePope.[5] In the initial skirmish between theFlensborg. and multiple Portuguese ships, theFlensborg was caught on fire and exploded.[6] Most of the men on board the ship were killed in the explosion, and the men who survived were taken as hostages by the Portuguese.[6]
According to other sources, the incident withFlensborg happened off theMalabar Coast, however, this has been rejected.[9]
When the news of the disaster of theFlensborg reachedCopenhagen, it led to speculations as to whether King Christian and the company would be able to invest more capital in theEast Indian Trade.[6] Some of the investors claimed it would be best to abandon the whole project, sell the Danish colonies, and bring the Danes home, others maintained that they should wait and see.[10]