The Cub of Skagerrak

As international tensions grew before 1914, many nations sought to acquire cheap and reliable means for the defense of their countries. The Danes, a country which ultimately stayed neutral once the Great War broke out, were one such nation. Even though the Danish Navy was reasonably strong, given Denmark's long presence on Europe's northern seas and their big naval traditions, it too wanted to bolster its capabilities in the face of a possible Imperial German invasion (a resentment still lingering after the humiliating loss of Schleswig-Holstein to Austria and Prussia in 1864). 

The Danes wanted something quickly - and there were no quicker options than to commission a short series of monitor ships in British shipyards. Built and shipped over the course of the years 1910-1913, those monitors would be branded as Chrstian IV-class in the Danish Navy, and designated as coastal defence battleships. Their rather heavy armament mounted onto a small frame was enough to justify that. The set included a single 305 mm (12 inch) BL Mark X naval gun, and four older QF 152 mm (6 inch) guns mounted in casemates in the ship's central fortress. This combination of firepower, speed and small stature, proved to be capable enough to patrol Denmark's elongated coastlines.

Portrayed is the third model in the series, aptly named Tre Løver (Three Lions), as evidenced by the Danish royal crest mounted on the side of the central fortress. 


Pencil sketch, HB and 2B mehcanical pencil. 2015.