Denmark's unused strength and training gap

British victory owed as much to Denmark-Norway's failure to use available resources as to British skill. Fourteen modern ships under Steen Bille and a similar number of smaller vessels remained in harbour, while Crown Prince Frederick's command system persisted with a failing plan. Volunteers with little or no naval experience were rowed out to reinforce battered floating batteries against Royal Navy crews accustomed to large-scale action. Danish frigates had fought ferociously in earlier convoy clashes, but courage in small actions could not supply the practiced coordination required in a mass fleet battle. Patriotic enthusiasm and martial ancestry could not replace repeated training, clear command arrangements, and institutional preparation.