Herbst became a cadet in 1757, second lieutenant in 1763 and first lieutenant in 1769.[2]
In 1770-1771, he was second-in-command of the frigate Falster which joined the Mediterranean squadron. When the commander of the ship fell ill, Herbst took over the command of the ship on the return voyage. In 1771-1772, he returned to the Mediterranean. In 1773, he served as enrollment officer in Aalborg. In 1775–1776, he captained the schooner Støren. In the same year, he was promoted to captain lieutenant. In 1779–1783, he was first-in-command of the frigate St. Jan on another voyage to the Mediterranean with the annual presents to the rulers of the North African pirate States. In 1781, he was promoted to captain. From the Mediterranean, he continued to the Danish West Indies. On the voyage, in 1782, the ship was captured by two Spanish frigates and taken to Cádiz. After lengthy negotiations, it was finally possible to continue the voyage. On his return to Copenhagen, partly in appreciation of his conduct during the incident with the Spannish frigates, Herbst was appointed adjutant general to the king. He was later commander of a guard ship in the Øresund. In the following years, he was commander of changing ships in the Baltic squadron. In 1794, he became commander of a ship of the line in the squadron. He was also made a member of the Regulation Committee (1790), Construction Committee (1791) and chief of the dredging service (1794). In 1796, he was promoted to commodore. The year 1804 saw him promoted to division chief (divisionschef). In 1809, following the British confiscation of the Danish fleet after the Second Battle of Copenhagen and the outbreak of the Gunboat War, Herbst was put in charge of Prøvestenen with a number of barges and gunboats under his command. After the Gunboat War, he returned to the position as division commander.[1]
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