The Cod Wars were a series of 20th-century confrontations between the United Kingdom and Iceland about fishing rights in the North Atlantic. Each of the disputes ended with an Icelandic victory.
Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch different species of fishes or sometimes targeted species. Trawls are often called towed gear or dragged gear.
A fishing trawler is a commercial fishing vessel designed to operate fishing trawls. Trawling is a method of fishing that involves actively dragging or pulling a trawl through the water behind one or more trawlers. Trawls are fishing nets that are pulled along the bottom of the sea or in midwater at a specified depth. A trawler may also operate two or more trawl nets simultaneously.
The Icelandic Coast Guard is the Icelandic defence service responsible for search and rescue, maritime safety and security surveillance, and law enforcement in the seas surrounding Iceland. The Coast Guard maintains the Iceland Air Defence System which conducts ground surveillance of Iceland's air space and operate Keflavik airbase. It is also responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical charting.
Bottom trawling is trawling along the seafloor. It is also referred to as "dragging". The scientific community divides bottom trawling into benthic trawling and demersal trawling. Benthic trawling is towing a net at the very bottom of the ocean and demersal trawling is towing a net just above the benthic zone. Bottom trawling can be contrasted with midwater trawling, where a net is towed higher in the water column. Midwater trawling catches pelagic fish such as anchovies and mackerel, whereas bottom trawling targets both bottom-living fish (groundfish) and semi-pelagic species such as cod, squid, shrimp, and rockfish.
The Arctic Corsair(H320) is a deep-sea trawler, built in 1960, that was converted to a museum ship in 1999. She is temporarily berthed at Alexandra Dock in Kingston upon Hull, England, pending completion of a new permanent location in the city's Museums Quarter. Exhibits and guides aboard the boat tell the story of Hull's deep-sea fishing industry.
ICGV Týr is an Ægir-class offshore patrol vessel and the former flagship of the Icelandic Coast Guard. The ship was built by Dannebrog Værft in Denmark in 1974–1975 and entered service in 1975. Týr is the second largest ship in the Icelandic Coast Guard and participated in the Third Cod War. The ship conducted patrols, search and rescue, fishery inspections, general law enforcement and counter-terrorism operations in the Icelandic exclusive economic zone and the waters of the surrounding territories, such as Greenland and Jan Mayen. Týr was decommissioned in 2021 and sold in 2022.
ICGV Ægir is a former offshore patrol vessel of the Icelandic Coast Guard. Built by Aalborg Værft, in Denmark, she is the lead ship of the Ægir class and has one sister ship of an improved design, ICGV Týr. The ship entered service in 1968 and participated in the two last Cod Wars against the United Kingdom. Ægir primarily conducts patrols, search and rescue, fishery inspections, general law enforcement and counter-terrorism operations in the Icelandic exclusive economic zone. In 2020, the patrol vessel was taken out of service and sold two years later.
ICGV Óðinn is a decommissioned offshore patrol vessel formerly operated by the Icelandic Coast Guard. She is the oldest ship in the coastguard's fleet, and it is believed that her Burmeister & Wain engines are the only such engines that are still serviceable in the world today. Since her withdrawal from active duty, she has served as a floating exhibit at the Reykjavík Maritime Museum in Reykjavík Harbour. The ship is still maintained, and operative as of June 2022.
HMS Russell was one of a dozen Blackwood-class frigates of second-rate anti-submarine frigates built for the British Royal Navy during the 1950s. She was named for Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford, commander at the Battle of Barfleur in 1692.
Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the First and Second World Wars. Some—known in the Royal Navy as "Admiralty trawlers"— were purpose-built to naval specifications, others adapted from civilian use. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust vessels designed to work heavy trawls in all types of weather, and had large clear working decks. A minesweeper could be created by replacing the trawl with a mine sweep. Adding depth charge racks on the deck, ASDIC sonar below, and a 3-inch (76 mm) or 4-inch (102 mm) gun in the bow equipped the trawler for anti-submarine duties.
The Ægir-class offshore patrol vessel is a class of two offshore patrol vessels serving in the Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG). They participated in the two latter Cod Wars. The vessels conduct patrols, search and rescue, fishery inspections, general law enforcement and counter-terrorism operations in the Icelandic exclusive economic zone and the waters of the surrounding territories, such as Greenland and Jan Mayen.
This is a brief overview of historical warfare and recent developments in Iceland. Iceland has never participated in a full-scale war or invasion and the constitution of Iceland has no mechanism to declare war.
Guðmundur Hjaltason Halldórsson Kjærnested was an Icelandic commander in the Icelandic Coast Guard and took part in all three Anglo-Icelandic Cod Wars.
The Overseas Patrol Squadron is a front-line squadron of the Royal Navy with responsibility for patrolling the UK's Extended Fisheries Zone, both at home and around British Overseas Territories. The squadron, with headquarters at HMNB Portsmouth, is equipped with eight of the River-class patrol vessels.
ICGV Þór was an offshore patrol vessel of the Icelandic Coast Guard. The third coast guard ship to bear the name, she was the flagship of the fleet and served in all three Cod Wars conflicts between Iceland and the United Kingdom.
ICGV Baldur was a naval trawler of the Icelandic Coast Guard. The second coast guard ship to bear the name, it served in the third Cod Wars conflict between Iceland and the United Kingdom. Due to its sharp stern, the icelandic gunboat could inflict heavy damage on hostile warships by colliding with its stern section. Baldur knocked out three British frigates during the conflict.
Four ships of the Icelandic Coast Guard have been named ICGV Þór.
ICGV Þór was the first patrol ship of the Icelandic Coast Guard. It was named after the nordic mythology god Þór. She was built by Edwards Brothers at North Shields, England in 1899 as a steam trawler for Danish-Icelandic trade and fishing association in Geirseyri and later served as a research ship for Denmark. In 1920, Björgunarfélag Vestmannaeyja bought the ship for use in fishing control and rescue work. After paying for its operational cost for several years, the Icelandic government decided to buy the ship in 1926. With its purchase, the Icelandic Coast Guard was de facto established. In the early years, the ship was armed with two 57 mm cannons, which were later replaced by one 47 mm cannon. Þór ran aground at Húnaflói during a storm on 21 December 1929. As a result, it was decided to buy a new patrol vessel in its place.
ICGV Ægir was an offshore patrol vessel of the Icelandic Coast Guard built by Burmeister & Wain, in Denmark in 1929. It was named after Ægir, the personification of the sea in Norse mythology. The ship entered service in July 1929 and participated in the first of the Cod Wars against the United Kingdom. Ægir primarily conducted patrols, search and rescue, fishery inspections, research and nautical surveying operations in the Icelandic exclusive economic zone. With the arrival of new Ægir in 1968, the ship was decommissioned and sold for scrap.
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