The outbreak of the Revolutions of 1848 across Europe in February complicated matters; the newly created Frankfurt Parliament sought to unify the German states into a single country.

In May, the squadron was reinforced with the steamer Gejser, which had been sent to intercept British vessels that stopped in the protected waters of British-controlled Heligoland before attempting to dash into Hamburg when the sail-powered warships were unable to catch them.

[4][7] In an attempt to avoid destruction, Valkyrien turned for the coastal waters of the island of Heligoland, then part of Great Britain, as the Germans would not be able to pursue the ship without violating British neutrality.

Britain refused to recognize the Frankfurt Parliament or its navy, and the foreign secretary, Lord Palmerston, went so far as to refer to the German fleet as pirates.

Rota and Thetis moved to block the Germans' path back to the Weser, forcing them to divert to the mouth of the Elbe.

[9] After Brommy entered the Elbe and arrived at the port of Cuxhaven, the Danish ships laid off the river entrance to prevent him from making another attack on the blockade force.

[10] Fearing further incidents that might provoke the British government, the Frankfurt Parliament ordered Brommy to remain in port for the rest of the conflict.

The Danes sought to lure out the German warships to eliminate the threat posed to their blockade squadron, including an attempt by Gejser to steam into the Weser, which prompted Barbarossa and another vessel to pursue the Danish ship.

[12] Not long after Brommy's second sortie, the Frankfurt Parliament collapsed and the navy accordingly fell into disarray due to power struggles between Austria and Prussia.