Jylland is a Danish frigate, and is both a screw-propelled steam frigate and a sailship. It took part in the Battle of Heligoland on 9 May 1864, and is preserved as a museum ship in the small town of Ebeltoft, located on the Djursland peninsula in Denmark.
She was built for the Royal Danish Navy in 1860 as a sailing frigate with an auxiliar screw-drive steam engine and a wooden hull.[1] The figurehead was carved by the sculptor Julius Magnus Petersen and represents the region of Jutland in the form of the shepherd's rod and the fishing net.
During the Second War of Schleswig in 1864, she participated in the naval action against the Austrian-Prussian fleet in the Battle of Heligoland on 9 May 1864. Jylland along with Niels Juel and Heimdall bested two Austrian frigates and three small Prussian gunboats, but was unable to maintain the blockade of the Prussian North Sea ports. Jylland sustained considerable damage during the battle.[2]
By 1874, she was in use as a training ship for naval cadets.[3] In the 1890s she was reduced to stationary use and barely escaped scrapping in 1908. She served as a barracks and training ship between 1892 and 1908.[1] It was, however, decided to preserve her and she was towed to Ebeltoft in 1960. The hulked frigate further deteriorated until she was placed in dry dock in 1984.[1] Restoration proved to be a major task; over 60% of the timber had to be replaced in addition to the rigging, armament, engines and loose gear.
In Danish, she is known as simply Fregatten Jylland, although several ships have used this name. The restoration efforts were completed in 1994 and she is on permanent display in dry dock at the town of Ebeltoft, Denmark. A commemorative coin was issued by the National Bank of Denmark.[4]
Jylland is the last surviving screw frigate.