How a Confederate order became HDMS Danmark

The ship was ordered in July 1862, but the political climate surrounding Confederate construction in Britain changed sharply as the war continued and after the Emancipation Proclamation. By summer 1863 Confederate agents were trying to sell the unfinished vessel to the Imperial Russian Navy. Her large crew requirement strained Confederate manpower, while a six-metre draught made her unsuitable for the shallow waters in which Confederate naval forces often operated. The builder was effectively warned that construction might continue but delivery would not be allowed. Like several other British-built vessels ordered for the Confederacy, she could instead have entered Royal Navy service. Thomson cancelled the Confederate contract in 1863, continued work at a slower pace, and launched the ship in February 1864, leaving an available ironclad just as Denmark entered another war.