The Danes, who had eighteen heavy gunboats for support, landed some 1000 troops in the darkness and fog and attempted to outflank the British positions. Their attack was uncoordinated and poorly equipped. However the batteries at Fort Yorke (the British base) and Massareenes stopped the assault. Gunfire from "Tartar" and "Sheldrake" forced the gunboats to move off westwards. The gunboats made their escape over the reefs while the ships had to beat round the outside. "Tartar" chased three gunboats towards Læsø but found herself in shoal water as night approached and gave up the chase. On the way back "Tartar" captured two Danish transports that it had passed while chasing the gunboats; one of them had 22 soldiers on board, with a considerable quantity of ammunition, shells and the like, while the other contained provisions.