A naval action viewed from a high vantage point ashore by a crowd of onlookers; at sea two Danish warships, the Christian VIII and Gefion burn on the right, lighting up the victor to the left; a host of barges sail between vessels and foreshore

Prince Albert’s older brother, Ernest II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, participated in the naval engagement at Eckernforde, and on 9 April 1849 Queen Victoria recorded in her Journal that Albert had rushed in to announce the news that …‘Ernest, who had gone to Schleswig, had had the good fortunes of taking a Danish Lines of Battle Ship, of 84 guns, a Frigate of 44 guns, - & 108 guns and 1100 prisoners!! It is wonderful, & thank God! He is safe….’ She continued, describing the final events of the naval attack: 'the Nassau Artillery opened fire on the 2 ships; - the rudder of the Frigate being injured, it ran foul, & surrendered. The 84 guns ship having taken fire, also surrendered, & immediately the Captain of the German [Battery?] went on board to save as many lives as possible & succeeded in saving 400, but unfortunately the ship blew up, with the poor Captain & 200 men. What a blessing for our dear Ernest.'

What had started as a Danish naval assault on Schleswig concluded with the Danes defeated and two of their ships lost and the surviving crew detained. The attack formed part of the First Schleswig War, 1848-51, the result of on-going tensions between southern Denmark and northern Germany as to who should control the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.

A painting of the same subject by Vilhelm Pedersen is in the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg.