Peter Nicolay Skibsted

Captain Peter Nicolay Skibsted (12 January 1787 – 18 April 1832) was a Danish naval officer with a successful career marred only by the loss in 1810 of a squadron of three gunboats under his command to the British.

Birth Born in Copenhagen on 12 January 1787, Peter Nicolay Skibsted was the son of the brewer and alderman, Andreas Skibsted. His father owned the property at Niels Hemmingsens Gade 32.

Early career Skibsted entered the Danish Navy in 1798 as a volunteer cadet; he formally enrolled as a cadet in 1799 at the age of 12. He was a good swimmer and his senior officer reported in July 1801 that he had completed a swim of 2880 alen (1800 meters in modern measurement) in 63 minutes.

In 1802 he received a promotion to junior lieutenant, which led to his service on Friderichssteen in the Danish West Indies in 1803 and 1804. From 1806 to late February 1808 Skibsted taught at the Naval Cadet Academy. He spent part of his time on Prinds Christian Frederik, a ship-of-the-line that was then serving also as a cadet training ship.

Skibsted interrupted his teaching in August and September 1807 with service as commander of the gunboat Holbæk at the defence of Copenhagen.

In 1808 Skibsted commanded the gunboat Nykøbing at Ulfshale, south of Copenhagen. On 9 December 1808 he was promoted to senior lieutenant.

Assault By 1809 Skibsted was commanding officer of a squadron of gunboats based at Korsør in the Great Belt. It was here that a local blacksmith, Knud Eskildsen, laid charges of assault against him. Reportedly, Skibsted struck the blacksmith, who had been extremely rude to him in the presence and hearing of many of Skibsted's crew. Although his senior officer reported that Peter Skibsted never lost his temper, and that the blacksmith was known to be a very impertinent fellow, the court found Skibsted guilty of unlawful and violent assault. In judgement, the court fined Skibsted one month’s pay – to be donated to the hospital for injured sailors – plus court costs.

The press of Denmark, Germany, and Britain reported Skibsted's capture of Grinder, and it was to this achievement that Skibsted owed his appointment on 28 May 1810 as senior officer of a squadron of three newly completed armed luggers: Husaren, Løberen, and Flink. Senior Lieutenant N. H. Tuxen, who in the previous year had captured the brig , became captain of Løberen. Acting Lieutenant Thaysen commanded Flink. Each lugger carried one long gun and four brass howitzers and had a crew of 28 men.

Skibsted decided to follow the safer route south and west from Copenhagen via Bøgestrøm, Svendborgsund, the Little Belt and Aarhus Bay

The Danish record agrees in its essential details with a letter in London Gazette from Captain Pointz of Edgar. Prize money was paid in 1812.

After the battle Lieutenant Skibsted was taken on board Edgar along with the other prisoners, some to be exchanged and some to be held as prisoners of war. On 19 July a decision was made by the (Danish) Admiralty that Skibsted should face a court martial on his return from captivity.

Skibsted arrived as a prisoner at Yarmouth on 7 August 1810, from where he was taken to Northampton. One year later, on 26 August 1811, he was released and returned to the Fredericksværn Naval Headquarters. After a few days service at Arendal he returned to Copenhagen to the court of inquiry into the loss of the three luggers. The court ordered that he receive a reprimand and pay court costs.

Six months later, on 2 April 1812, a royal decree released him from any threat of further action relating to the events at Grenå but still required him to repay the court costs. Thereafter he served with the gunboat flotilla at Helsingør, where there may have been some degree of ill-feeling as Skibsted complained of being refused service at a restaurant in the town.

Later career 1812 With the brig Bornholm 1813–1814 Again with the gunboat flotilla at Helsingør 1815 Recruitment officer at Helsingør, and promoted to lieutenant-captain in September of that year. 1818–1820 He was first lieutenant of Diana and sailed with her to the Danish West Indies 1822 In command of the guardship station at Trekroner, on the northern approaches to Copenhagen 1823 He commanded the brig Falster and was promoted to full captain

Fate

Peter Nicolay Skibsted died on 18 April 1832 in Copenhagen, and is buried in the churchyard of the Danish Naval Church ved Holmen. He had married Ellen Sophia Cathrina von Bergen, daughter of probérmesterat Kronborg Rifle Factory Georg Wilhelm von Bergen, in 1813. She continued to receive a pension until their three sons had been commissioned as naval officers, or had otherwise left the naval cadet corps.