Battle of Oliwa

pl:Bitwa pod Oliwą Battle of Oliwa or battle of Danzig / Gdańsk roadstead was a naval battle between Polish fleet and Swedish squadron, on November 28, 1627. It took place before Gdańsk harbour, but it is commonly known as the Battle of Oliwa (Oliwa is now a part of Gdańsk). It was the first and the last naval battle of the Polish fleet, but it brought a victory.

The battle took place during the Polish-Swedish war. The Swedes had a strong navy then, and they maintained a blockade of the Polish shore, especially Gdańsk harbour. On November 28, 1627, the Polish fleet engaged the Swedish blocking squadron. The Polish ships were more numerous, but only 4 galleons had full combat value, the rest were smaller ships. The Swedes had longer tradition of a seamanship, while the Polish navy was new-born.

The Poles were commanded by Admiral Arend Dickmann, on the galleon Sankt Georg. The Polish fleet of 10 ships was anchored at Gdańsk roadstead, while the Swedish squadron of 6 ships sailed from the direction of Hel Peninsula. The Poles raised anchors and rushed towards the Sweds, who did not expect such reaction. The battle soon split into two encounters.

The Polish flagship Sankt Georg, supported by a smaller ship Meerweib, attacked the Swedish Tiger, flagship of Admiral Nils Stiernsköld. The ships stuck together and the Polish naval infantry, fighting hand-to-hand, captured Tiger. Meanwhile, the Polish Vice-Admirals ship, the small galleon Meerman attacked the bigger Swedish galleon Sol. As a result, the Swedish captain of Sol blew his ship up rather than allow its capture. The remaining 4 Swedish ships escaped and a pursuit failed. In the battle, both Admirals were killed.

The battle was propagated widely by the Polish court. There also appeared a saying, that: "the sun set at noon that day" (for "Solen" means the sun).

Polish ships:
(it seems that they carried German names, though now they are known for their Polish translated names - in brackets)

• 1st Squadron
  • (Ritter) Sankt Georg (Polish language: (Rycerz) Święty Jerzy) - galleon, 31 guns, 400t
  • Fliegender Hirsch (Latający Jeleń) (="Flying Deer") - galleon, 20 guns, 300t
  • Meerweib (Panna Wodna) (="Sea Virgo") - 12 guns, 160t
  • ? (Czarny Kruk) (="Black Raven") - 16 guns, 260t
  • ? (Żółty Lew) (="Yellow Lion") - 10 guns, 120t
• 2nd Squadron
  • Meerman (Wodnik) (="Aquarius") - galleon, 17 guns, 200t
  • König David (Król Dawid) (="King David") - galleon, 31 guns, 400t
  • ? (Arka Noego) (="Noah's Ark") - 16 guns, 180t
  • ? (Biały Lew) (="White Lion") - 8 guns, 200t
  • Feuerblase (Płomień) (="Fireblaze") - 18 guns, 240t

Swedish ships:

• Tiger - galleon, 22 guns, 320t (captured)
• Sol - galleon, 38 guns, 300t (sunk)
• Pelikan - galleon, 20 guns, 200t
• Mane - galleon, 26 guns, 300t
• Enhörn - galleon, 18 guns, 240t
• Papegoja - 16 guns, 180t

See History - Military history - List of naval battles - History of Poland

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