BLAA HEJREN Danish frigate 1734

[aukepalmhof]

Built as a wooden hulled frigate on the Danish Navy yard at Gammelholm in Copenhagen
She was designe by K.N. Benstrup.
29 July 1734 launched as the BLAA HEJREN (Blue Heron).
Figurehead, crowned lion.
Tonnage about 260 ton, dim. 27.5m.long from bow to stern, 6.70m beam..
Crew 81
Armament: 18 x 4pdrs.
1734 Completed.

Danish Navy; Denmark; 27.5 m over the stern and stem; 18 fourpound canons;crew of 70 men. On May 1, 1736, Captain Benjamin de Fontenay received orders to “sail along the North Sea and follow the given instructions that he was not to open until he reached the Skaw.” He was to sail with the frigate "BLAA HEJREN" of the royal Danish/Norwegian fleet. An accident occurred when they reached Laeso. The galley caught fire, and when it was successfully put out, they sailed to Norway to repair damages. The frigate was only two years old and proved to be a very good sailer. Like many of the naval vessels of the same period, and irrespective of the name, she was mounted with a fierce and threatening crowned lion as figure head. The instructions ordered the frigate to West Greenland where no royal ship had ever been “to protect the Colony there and to claim the King's right for this land.” The frigate bears Kap Farvel on June 11 and the course was set north towards Disko Bay. On June 14, the anchor was dropped at Christianshaab. All foreign ships, mostly Dutch whalers, had been hailed on the way, and if necessary, brought to a stop with round shots across the bows. Kap Farvel was passed on August 2 in order to return home. The BLAA HEJREN was again sent to Greenland the year after in order to “warn, and with power, keep Dutch tradesmen from trading with the Greenlanders, to prevent foreigners from committing acts of violence in Greenland, and to support the Colony's Trading Vessels . . .” However, these two expeditions were far too expensive for them to continue, and 122 years passed before one of the Navy's ships, the brig ØRNEN in 1859 was sent to inspection in Greenlandic waters. The Danish tradesman Jakob Severin's ships had to defend the Danish rights themselves in 1738 and shots were exchanged at Jakobshavn. The Dutchmen had to surrender even though they outnumbered the Danes. The Danish canons carried the farthest.
Sources: Greenland Collector, Volume 1 No.2 July 1996; WP 43:15. 306 295 1996 20.00 Kr

 BLAA HEJREN was sold on 4 September 1756 to the Treasury for 3000 rigsdaler and then served as a station ship in the West Indies, which from 1755 were administered by the Treasury.
Unknown fate.
Naval Base, National Archives .


An interesting article about the BLAA HEJREN time in Greenland waters is given on: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10 ... 785#d1e640
Greenland 1996 15Kr. Sg 309. Scott?