The statue is located at the harbour in Oslo.

This is the story of the famous war hero:

PEDER TORDENSKJOLD (1691–1720) was an eminent Danish naval hero. He was the tenth child of alderman Jan Wessel of Bergen, Norway, and was born in Trondheim on October 28, 1691. As a young boy, Wessel was wild and unruly, causing his pious parents much trouble. Eventually, he ran away by hiding on a ship bound for Copenhagen. There, the king’s chaplain, Dr. Peder Jespersen, took pity on the friendless lad and nurtured his love for the sea by sending him on a voyage to the West Indies. Jespersen later secured him a vacant cadetship.

After further voyages to the East Indies, Wessel was appointed 2nd lieutenant in the royal navy on July 7, 1711. Shortly afterward, he became captain of a small 4-gun sloop named Ormen (The Serpent), which he used to patrol the Swedish coast, gathering valuable intelligence. In June 1712, despite the Danish admiralty’s doubts—who considered him too reckless for command—he was promoted to captain of a 20-gun frigate. His main supporter was the Norwegian admiral Lovendal, who recognized his talent.

Wessel quickly became known for two things: his bold attacks on Swedish vessels regardless of the odds, and his exceptional seamanship, which always allowed him to evade capture. During the later stage of the Great Northern War, when Sweden’s fleet mainly transported troops and supplies to its German provinces, Wessel’s daring raids severely disrupted Swedish operations. He frequently captured transports, raided fjords where enemy ships hid, and intercepted Swedish frigates.

In July 1714, Wessel engaged a frigate commanded by an English captain en route to Gothenburg. The battle lasted all day, was paused overnight, and resumed the next morning, ending inconclusively. His boldness earned him many enemies in the Danish navy, and he was court-martialed for allegedly endangering the king’s ships. However, his spirited defense and disdain for less courageous officers impressed King Frederick IV, who dismissed the charges and promoted Wessel to captain.

In 1715, when Charles XII returned from Turkey and reinvigorated Swedish forces, Wessel distinguished himself in numerous battles along the Pomeranian coast. He caused great damage by capturing enemy frigates and destroying transports. Upon returning to Denmark in early 1716, he was ennobled with the title “Tordenskjold” (Thundershield).

Later that year, when Charles XII invaded Norway and laid siege to Fredrikshald, Tordenskjold forced him to lift the siege by attacking the Swedish transport fleet anchored in the narrow Dynekil strait, destroying it almost entirely with minimal losses. For this feat, he was promoted to commander but made an enemy of his superior, Admiral Gabel, by acting without consulting him.

Tordenskjold’s first major command came in early 1717, when he led a squadron tasked with destroying the Swedish Gothenburg squadron, which disrupted communications between Denmark and Norway. Due to some officers’ disloyalty—they resented serving under the young adventurer—he failed to fully achieve his objectives. His enemies exploited this failure, and he faced another court-martial in 1718. Again, his patron Admiral U. C. Gyldenløve defended him, and the charges were dropped.

In December 1718, Tordenskjold brought King Frederick IV news of Charles XII’s death and was promoted to rear admiral. His last notable achievement was capturing the Swedish fortress of Marstrand, where he partially destroyed and captured the Gothenburg squadron that had long eluded him. He was rewarded with the rank of vice admiral.

Tordenskjold did not live long after the war ended. On November 20, 1720, he was killed in a duel with Livonian colonel Jakob Axel Staël von Holstein.

Although his victories (except Dynekil) were less significant than those of Sehested at Stralsund and Gyldenløve at Rügen, Tordenskjold is, after Charles XII, the most heroic figure of the Great Northern War. His courage matched that of “The Lion of the North,” but he lacked the absolute self-control that gave Charles XII’s bravery its almost superhuman character.