Battle of Heligoland, naval engagement on May 9, 1864, during the Second Schleswig War (see German-Danish War), pitting the Danes against a joint Prussian-Austrian force. Although a relatively small action, the battle provided the Danes with their greatest success in the war. It could not change the outcome of the conflict, which ended in a Danish defeat, but it did much to highlight Prussian naval weakness.
The Danish naval blockade of the German North Sea coast was their most effective effort in the war. German shipping was so much under threat that many German ships were reflagged as Russian to evade interception. The exasperated Prussians persuaded the Austrians to help break the blockade.
The two squadrons met off the then-British North Sea island of Heligoland. Three Danish, two Austrian, and three Prussian ships were engaged, none bigger than a frigate, all wooden-built and powered by a combination of sail and steam. From the start it was a Danish-Austrian fight; the Prussian ships could not keep up and, although they opened fire, they were too distant to play an effective role in the battle. Taking into account the superior Austrian guns, the forces were fairly evenly matched, and both sides battered each other in a furious cannonade.
However, the Danes, under the command of Captain Edouard Suenson, were able to concentrate their fire on the Austrian flagship Schwartzenberg, dismounting several guns before a lucky shot set fire to her foretopsail. With the ship’s pump destroyed, the fire spread and the Austrians were forced to seek sanctuary in neutral British waters, with a British frigate, the Aurora, safeguarding their passage. Any chance of the Danes catching them beforehand was frustrated when the Danish flagship Jylland suffered damage to its steering gear. The Austro-Prussian ship slipped away in the night. No ships were lost, but the blockade remained in place, giving the Danes an unquestioned victory. Three days later, Prussia requested a cease-fire, and the Danes lifted their blockade until June 20, when fighting briefly resumed.
Losses: Danish, 14 dead, 55 wounded; Austrian, 32 dead, 59 wounded; Prussian, none.