Sinking of the Flensborg

The Sinking of the Flensborg (Flensborgs forlis), also known as the Sinking of the Flensburg, was a minor skirmish between Danish and Portuguese vessels in 1630 off the Portuguese-controlled Cape of Good Hope. The skirmish resulted in the sinking of the Danish man-of-war Flensborg and caused great financial concerns about the Danish project in India.

Background
In 1616 the Danish East India Company was established, and in 1620 it acquired the fishing village of Tharangambadi (Tranquebar). The first European cargo arrived in 1623, and another was sent in 1624. However, in 1625 Christian IV of Denmark invaded the Holy Roman Empire, which meant a stop in dispatching ships to India. When peace was concluded in 1629, Christian regained his interests in the Indian affairs and sent two ships, the man-of-war Flesnborg, and a two-mastered sloop, to India in late 1629. They were shortly after followed by the two-mastered vessel, Fortuna.

Action
When reaching the good hope, the Flensborg came into a fight with the Portuguese. The Portuguese were trying to maintain their monopoly of trade with India, which they claimed had been given to them by the Pope. In the initial skirmish between the Flensborg. and multiple Portuguese ships, the Flensborg was caught on fire and exploded. Most of the men on board the ship were killed in the explosion, and the men who survived were taken as hostages by the Portuguese.

According to other sources, the incident with Flensborg happened off the Malabar Coast, however, this has been rejected.

Aftermath and effects
When the news of the disaster of the Flensborg reached Copenhagen, it led to speculations as to whether King Christian and the company would be able to invest more capital in the East Indian Trade. Some of the investors claimed it would be best to abandon the whole project, sell the Danish colonies, and bring the Danes home, others maintained that they should wait and see.