Action of 2 March 1808

Action of 2 March 1808
Part of the Gunboat Wars
HMS Sappho capturing the Danish brig Admiral Jawl, Francis Sartorius
Date 2 March 1808 Location off Scarborough, North Sea Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Denmark–Norway
Commanders and leaders
George Langford	Jørgen Jørgensen
Strength
1 brig-sloop	1 brig
Casualties and losses
2 wounded[1]	1 killed 2 wounded 1 brig captured[1]

The action of 2 March 1808 was a minor naval battle between the Royal Navy's 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop HMS Sappho, and the 28-gun, Danish two-decker brig Admiral Yawl, during the Gunboat War. Sappho, under the command of Captain George Langford, discovered and chased Admiral Yawl, which was steering a course to intercept several merchant vessels to leeward. After a short engagement Sappho captured Admiral Yawl, commanded by Jørgen Jørgensen.^[1]

Admiral Yawl (her actual name was Admiral Juel), appears in references under a variety of names including Admiral Yorol and Admiral Juul. No ship of this name is recorded as having been commissioned in the Royal Danish Navy^[2] (nor by her previous French name of Christine Henrietta), although four ships of more modern time have been named for Niels Juel^[3] who was an admiral in the late seventeenth century. The ship Admiral Juel in this engagement was a merchant ship turned privateer.^[4] Her commander Jørgen Jørgensen (or Jürgensen) is not included in Topsøe-Jensen's work on Danish Naval officers, or in Project Runeberg/DBL.