Peter Willemoes

Peter Willemoes
Peter Willemoes depicted by Jacob Rieter (1801)
Born	(1783-05-11)11 May 1783 Assens, Denmark
Died	22 March 1808(1808-03-22) (aged 24) Great Belt, Denmark
Buried	Odden Cemetery, Zealand
Allegiance	Denmark-Norway
Service / branch	Royal Danish Navy
Rank	Lieutenant
Battles / wars	Battle of Copenhagen Battle of Zealand Point

Lieutenant Peter Willemoes (11 May 1783 – 22 March 1808) was a Danish naval officer. He died in the Battle of Zealand Point. He is commemorated by a statue on the harbourfront in his native town of Assens. Willemoes was born on 11 May 1783 in Assens on the island of Funen, where his father was a public servant. At the age of twelve he was sent to the Naval Academy in Copenhagen. He became a cadet in 1795 and sekondløjtnant (second lieutenant) in 1800.^[1]