Peter Wessel Tordenskiold

Peter Wessel Tordenskiold (1690–1720) was a Norwegian-born vice-admiral in the Dano-Norwegian navy and a daring raider of the Great Northern War. He moved from Trondheim to Copenhagen in 1704 and joined the navy.

In 1714, when his ammunition ran low during a fight with a Swedish privateer, he asked his opponent for more. Frederick IV ordered a court-martial over his recklessness, but he was acquitted after citing the naval code and promoted.

Ennobled as Tordenskiold in 1716, he destroyed most of the Swedish transport fleet at Dynekilen, forcing Charles XII to abandon Norway, and in 1719 took Marstrand and Carlsten fortress. In November 1720 he was killed in a duel near Hanover.