How did Horatio Nelson’s squadron reach Copenhagen’s defenses during the Battle of Copenhagen?

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Horatio Nelson Lord Nelson, detail of an oil painting by J.F. Rigaud; in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Eng.

To reach the Danish defenses during the Battle of Copenhagen, Horatio Nelson employed a strategic maneuver by navigating the fleet’s ships of shallower draught through a difficult channel. This allowed his squadron to bypass the shore batteries that were protecting the city’s northern approaches.1

The operation was notably bold and challenging, as the British were forced to navigate these shallow waters without proper charts, as the Danish had removed navigational markers as a defensive measure. Despite the difficulty of the route, which resulted in three British ships running aground during the early stages of the engagement, Nelson successfully led twelve ships of the line into action on April 2, 1801.2