Copenhagen a Disaster...for the British

Is it possible for Copenhagen to have turned into a complete disaster for the RN? Better preparation by the Danes, several British ships-of-the-line grounded and pounded by shore batteries, the ships-of-the-line in the Inner Run and in the harbor sortie, and perhaps Nelson and Parker are killed? The Danish fleet would certainly have taken a pounding, but what would the effect of shattering a British squadron in the process be?

EDIT: The 1801 battle, if it isn't clear.
 
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With your mentioning Nelson and Parker there shouldn't be room for doubt.

And I guess you wouldn't be satisfied with Nelson not putting the binocular to the blind eye. Even if that might have been the worst damage to the British. :D

Danes could have trained their crews better so they'd aim at hulls instead of rigging delivering some real damage.

During the British advance the night before battle a Danish shore battery of mortars loosened a few rounds but it could have been used to greater effect.

The real effect would be in better weather allowing the Swedish ships-of-the-line to link up with the Danish-Norwegian fleet.
We had a discussion on this just a short time ago. Ah yes its here
That could have made for some serious damage to the British.

But then the hardcore RN fans will possibly claim the Brits would only loose a fraction of their ships and it wouldn't really affect the outcome of war. :D
 

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Why would the Swedes help? The Swedes considered Britain a friend (even though not an ally, yet) and Napoleon as the Devil himself.
 
Why would the Swedes help? The Swedes considered Britain a friend (even though not an ally, yet) and Napoleon as the Devil himself.

They were part of the Neutrality League as was Denmark and Russia!!!

If you had bothered reading the thread in the link you'd have gotten some of the history behind. :rolleyes:
 
The biggest problem when trying for a Danish victory (or a smaller defeat) in 1801 is the range of the artillery. A 36 pdr cannon had a range of some 1600 meters while the largest bombards had a range of around 3600. Thus the RN could sail past Kronborg and Copenhagen could be bombarded from Kongedybet while the Danish artillery was not able to reach the British ships. That is why the Danes had to place their defensive line i the Sound in the first place.

And a stationary line is never a match for a mobile fleet. The battle of Copenhagen was lost for the Danes long before it began.
 
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