Marine archaeologists have uncovered the long-lost Danish warship Dannebroge, sunk during the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen by a British fleet commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson. The 48-meter flagship exploded after hours of cannon fire, killing much of its crew. The cannon fire tore through the Dannebroge’s upper deck, the blast reverberating across the Danish capital. Divers have been excavating the wreck lying 15 meters beneath Copenhagen Harbor, navigating thick sediment and near-zero visibility. They have recovered cannons, uniforms, shoes, bottles, and even part of a sailor’s jaw—likely one of the 19 crew members never accounted for. “You get closer to the people on board,” said diver Marie Jonsson, describing how tactile exploration reveals life aboard the doomed ship. The discovery was announced on Thursday, on the 225th anniversary of the battle in which thousands died as Nelson’s fleet defeated the Danish Navy as it tried to protect Copenhagen Harbor. “It’s a big part of the Danish national feeling,” said Morten Johansen, head of maritime archaeology at Denmark’s Viking Ship Museum.
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