Dynekilen was a narrow, cliff-lined inlet that could have been strongly defended by a prepared force. Tordenskjold entered before sunrise with a mixed squadron carrying 147 guns. Most of the commanding officers were young, with ages ranging from their twenties to their mid-thirties. The captured Swedish pilot guiding him had previously brought one of the artillery transports into the fjord, so the attacker inherited detailed local knowledge of the target. Tordenskjold then shifted into a galley and a smaller boat to examine the defenses personally. Once he confirmed that the Swedish ships and troops were not in fighting order, he brought the gunboats and frigates into position for the attack.
Chapter · 26:17-30:42
Reconnaissance and surprise inside Dynekilen
A captured Swedish pilot guides Tordenskjold's squadron into the narrow fjord, where close reconnaissance reveals an unprepared and poorly arranged defense.