First battle of Öland (1564)

Action of 30 May 1564
Part of Northern Seven Years' War
Date 30–31 May 1564 Location Between Gotland and Öland, Baltic Sea Result Danish/Lübeck victory Territorial changes Baltic Sea
Belligerents
Sweden	Denmark Lübeck
Commanders and leaders
Jakob Bagge	Herluf Trolle Friedrich Knebel
Strength
35 vessels, 3500 sailors 1700 jacks	26 ships, 4600 sailors 10 ships, 2018 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 help due to the wind. On 30 May 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, 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 (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