On 22 July 1809, the expected British attack came when the brigs HMS "Snake" and HMS "Fancy" approached the town. Before reaching Hammerfest, the two vessels had successfully attacked the village of Hasvik. The following battle between Hammerfest's two two-cannon batteries and the Royal Navy warships with a combined number of thirty-two cannon between them was unusually intense and did not end before the Norwegian cannons had run out of gunpowder after about 90 minutes of combat. Both warships had suffered a number of cannonball hits and had at least one fatal casualty; a sailor who was buried at the local cemetery. During the battle, the local populace evacuated the town, and the "Snake" and "Fancy" remained in the town for eight days after the Norwegian defenders withdrew. The crews sacked the empty town before withdrawing.