HDMS Det Store BæltThe original designs of the figurehead and ornamentation of the gallery are available at this reference by clicking "vis" was a frigate of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy, launched in 1782. In 1800, she was sold to the Danish Asiatic Company and renamed Holsteen.Marcussen - Holsten (I) record card
Construction and design Det Store Bælt was constructed at Bodenhoffs Plads to a design by Henrik Gerner. She was the first of at least three frigates constructed for the navy at Andreas Bodenhoff's dockyard. The next were Friderichsværn (1783) and Hvide Ørn (1784). Det Store Bælt was launched on 22 June 1782 and the construction was completed in August 1783.
Store Bælt was long with a beam of and a draught of . Her complement was 274 men. Her armament was 36 12-pounder guns.
Career Naval service She was commissioned in the Royal Danish Navy and served for some years as the cadet training ship in the North and Baltic seas.Topsøe-Jensen Vol 2 p 102Topsøe-Jensen Vol 1 p 199Topsøe-Jensen Vol 2 p 654 In 1785, she was under the command of Ole Andreas Kierulff (17421822).
In 1793 she was patrolling in the North Sea under the command of A J Herbst,Topsøe-Jensen Vol 1 p 569 and in 1795 and 1797 was part of a joint Danish/Swedish squadron enforcing neutrality and protecting trade.Topsøe-Jensen Vol 2 p 103 In 1797, she was under the command of Hans Lindholm.
DAC service In 1800 the Royal Danish Navy sold Store Bælt for 7,800 rigsdaler to the Danish Asiatic Company who renamed her Holsten
From her home port of Copenhagen Holsten completed three voyages to the East Indies: 1800–1801 1801–1803 under captain Jan Hendrick Helsding 1804–1805 also under captain Jan Hendrick Helsding.
Fate On 12 June 1805 Holstein, Helfding, master, was reported off Dover on her way from Bengal to Copenhagen. It appears that it was on a fourth voyage that she met her fate.
A report in the Madras Courier dated 10 February 1807 stated that the Danish company's ship Holstein was sailing from Copenhagen to Serampore when she was dismasted off Ceylon. She sailed to Mauritius for repairs."SHIP NEWS". Morning Chronicle (London, England), Monday, 21 September 1807; Issue 11964. On reaching Mauritius (then known as Isle de France) Holsten was condemned as unseaworthy.
The DAC replaced her, in December 1806, with the purchase from the French at Mauritius the recently captured East Indiaman , which the Company then renamed Holsten.CAVEAT: Differing sources report 1805, perhaps 1806, or 1807 as the year of demise. The first two editors here have concluded the true year is 1807 - see Talk page
Namesakes At least two other ships have borne similar names" Store Bælt (1875–1912), a gunboat.Balsved Storebælt (1995–1999), a patrol vessel.
Notes
References
Citations Balsved – Danish Naval History website Royal Danish Navy Museum database List of Ships T. A. Topsøe-Jensen og Emil Marquard (1935) "Officerer i den dansk-norske Søetat 1660-1814 og den danske Søetat 1814-1932“. Two volumes. Download here .