Fishery Protection Squadron
Encyclopedia
The Fishery Protection Squadron is a front-line squadron
of the Royal Navy
with responsibility for patrolling the UK's Extended Fisheries Zone. The squadron, with headquarters at Portsmouth Naval Base, are equipped with four s; three are based in the UK, while is based in the Falkland Islands
.
The squadron is the oldest front-line squadron in the Royal Navy, and boasts Admiral Lord Nelson amongst those who have served in it. Originally, the squadron was based on the coast of North America, Iceland and the UK, patrolling much of the North Atlantic against French and American incursions. Over the past hundred years it has been slimmed down to follow a more policing-oriented approach, dealing mainly with infringements by civilian fishermen. Despite this, it still has a strong military role, as evidenced in its role in the Cod War
s of the 1960s-70s.
, the Marine and Fisheries Agency and DEFRA that allows the squadron to conduct inspections of all fishing vessels in all UK (excepting Scottish) waters. FPS vessels can also stop British fishing vessels in international waters. In the 2008/09 contract year, the squadron spent 700 days at sea on patrol, conducting 1,102 inspections. From the inspections, 231 ships broke UK or EU law. As a result, 144 verbal warnings, 33 written warnings and 10 Financial Administrative Penalties were handed out. The most serious breaches resulted in eight vessels being detained at UK ports. When a vessel is detained, the captain of the squadron ship contacts the DEFRA operation centre in London
, which formulates a decision based on information provided to it by ships, aircraft, District Fishery Inspectors and fishermen, and then relays this decision back to the fishery protection ship.
In 2008, 60% of all fish caught in the EU were caught within British jurisdiction. With as many as 500 fishing ships in British waters at any one time, including dozens from other EU countries, it is acknowledged to be a very difficult task to patrol UK fishing grounds. There is also monthly rotating aerial surveillance of the entire fishing area under call-sign "Watchdog", with aircraft provided by Direct Flight Aviation. Each aircraft transmits the identity and position of the vessel to squadron ships, which, combined with satellite data from navigational databases which allows the squadron to build a surface picture of fishing activity.
Each day, data from the inspections is sent to fisheries managers. The managers form part of several agencies which co-ordinate on a super-national level to monitor the fish stocks, negotiates fishing agreements and plan conservation measures.
s at other trawlers. In these circumstances the FPS ships are required to separate the trawlers and act as an informal arbitrator in the dispute to prevent further conflict or injury. Their Rules of Engagement reflect this role.
When a vessel is inspected, a boarding team from the FPS ship is sent. The team is formed of a Royal Navy and British Sea Fisheries-qualified officer, an assistant boarding officer, and a small security team. The officer sent could include the Commanding Officer, Executive Officer (XO) or First Lieutenant, assisted by the Gunnery Officer, XO's Assistant or Operations Officer. They work together to examine documentation, ensure the fishing gear (and landed fish) are of legal size, and liaise with the FPS and DEFRA via radio.
fishermen in Great Yarmouth
fought skirmishes with foreign fishermen, who would be hanged as pirates from the gallows at Cross Sands if caught.
, English fishermen were beginning to fish in the waters around Iceland
, and the King ordered that minimal protection be provided by and paid for by levies from the fishing industry. Richard III
and Henry VII
continued this, but occasionally this protection was not enough: 1,200 English herring fishermen were killed in a single action by Flemish
warships, and the Scottish
often had difficulties with Dutch
fishermen. Because of these and other incidents, by the 16th century it was clear that an organised force was required. A petition was put forward to the Lord High Admiral for a small bark or two. As a result, the first Fishery Protection ship was commissioned for an annual fee to the Admiralty of £100, paid for by the fishermen of Yarmouth. It took the form of a wafting ship (wafting meaning 'to convey safely' or 'to convoy'), which patrolled the North Sea
fishing grounds during the herring season.
This ship was eventually replaced in 1659 by a dedicated fishery protection ship for Yarmouth, with a crew of 25 and an armament of "swords, half-pikes, muskets and an ample supply of large stones". In the 18th century a similar arrangement was brokered by Scottish fishermen from George III, also for an annual payment of £100. This amount is still paid today, although as a token gesture. Samuel Pepys
was connected with Fishery Protection: he received an annual honorarium
for efforts to gain similar protection on behalf of English fishermen.
Lord Nelson, before he became famous, captained in 1781 as part of the Fishery Protection Squadron in North America, capturing the U.S. fishing schooner
Harmony off the coast of Cape Cod
. He took it in tow, with the master of the schooner acting as pilot for both ships for the unfamiliar shores around Boston Bay
. Once the ships were safe, he allowed the schooner to continue unimpeded, saying to the master, "You have rendered us a very essential service, and it is not the custom of English seamen to be ungrateful. In the name, therefore, and with the approbation of the officers of this ship, I return your schooner and with it this certificate of your good conduct. Farewell, and may God bless you." The certificate of good conduct protected the schooner from capture by a British ship. In return, the master gave a present to Nelson of "four sheep, some poultry, and a quantity of vegetables", which Nelson ordered to be shared amongst the sick. Even today, on Trafalgar Day
, the flag officer
shaves with the same cut-throat razor used by Nelson while he commanded Albermarle.
and the surrounding area was seen as very important. At the time, the British hugely outnumbered the Americans in terms of fishery protection vessels, with 226 guns to 31 respectively. On 5 August 1853, contingents of the U.S. and British fishery protection squadrons for the area met at Halifax, Nova Scotia
for a goodwill visit. The steamer , carrying Commodore Shubrick and his flag, arrived under dense fog and heavy rain at 8:00 pm. Princeton saluted the citadel
, and fired a 15-gun salute "for the red cross of St. George", which was displayed by Vice Admiral Sir George Seymour on . There was a minor problem when Commodore Shubrick received with a 13-gun salute; he returned the salute to the Vice Admiral with an equal number of guns, rather than the 15 that the Vice Admiral was traditionally entitled to. He believed that "a commander in chief is a commander in chief", whatever his rank. The rest of the event went without any problems, as did a similar event held at Berkeley Springs, Virginia
.
At the end of May 1898, and arrived at St Johns
from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to form part of the fishery protection squadron for the French treaty coast. They were sighted off Trepassey by the Americans, who reported on their arrival in the New York Times. With these new arrivals and others, by the end of 1898 the entire squadron had been rebuilt with powerful, modern cruisers replacing the outdated corvettes previously seen. The squadron was rebuilt in part because of the threat of an oversized French armoured cruiser sent to the area the previous year, which was seen as a threat despite being too large to enter most of the local harbours. Two smaller ships were also sent by the French to replace local wooden transport vessels, and in Autumn a French squadron gathered at Saint Pierre and Miquelon, forcing the British government to respond by sending two extra ships to Sydney, Nova Scotia
, only 18 hours steaming from St Peirre. For two weeks near the end of the year, a small scale war seemed likely, but was averted after diplomatic talks.
, resulting from the Peace of Utrecht. The treaty allowed the French to fish along the Newfoundland coast between Cape St. John
and Cape Ray
, however it made no claims about whether this was an exclusive right. As a result, the two nations roughly shared the fishing grounds under an unstable joint sovereignty
understanding, but the respective fishery captains were given what were described by the local press as "autocratic powers". These powers were given to the captains by the Newfoundland government, granted via yearly act of the Newfoundland Legislature. In 1900, the bill was rejected in an attempt to force the British to act over what was seen as an encroaching and overbearing French presence. The British prepared to defend the area against the three French warships sent to the area each year. Colonel T Henry McCallum was appointed as governor of the colony. McCallum had already built a reputation for organising the defence of colonies, having previously fortified Singapore
and Hong Kong
. Fifty men were taken aboard as part of a local naval reserve force, with the hope of expanding the force to as many as 1,000 within a few years. There were also plans to turn St. John's into a naval fortress, akin to that of Halifax, Nova Scotia
.
of 1904, and on 9 May 1923 a trawler from Hull—the Lord Astor—was seized by a Russian gunboat off the coast of Murmansk
for alleged illegal fishing. The trawler was captured after the fishery protection sloop returned briefly to Norway to re-coal and resupply. Godetia was soon relieved by under Captain Evans, commander of the fishery protection cruiser squadron.
on 1 June 1953, to act as reviewing ship for a "Coronation fleet review" involving about 70 fishing vessels from the ports of Hopeman
, Burghead
and Nairn
, as well as Lossiemouth proper. A Fleet Air Arm
helicopter gave a demonstration of air-sea rescue operations as part of the display.
On 17 April 1957, the Glasgow Herald reported that several East Anglia
n herring drifters (based at Aberdeen
) were encountering trouble with Russia
n fisherman, who were intentionally fouling the nets of the British in the fishing grounds 40 miles off the coast of Norway
. The Ocean Starlight (Yarmouth) lost 50 nets, the George Spashett (Lowestoft) lost 42, and the Ocean Sunlight (Lowestoft) lost 14. The skippers lodged complaints with the Fishery Board Officer at Aberdeen, and it was considered "possible that a fishery protection vessel may be sent".
About a year later, in April 1958, was sent to the northern fisheries to protect British trawlers against Russian incursions, and , a fishery protection vessel, was officially handed over to the Burmese Navy to become a minesweeper and training vessel. The handover ceremony took place at the Pool of London
, and was presided over by the Burmese ambassador and Earl Mountbatten.
. Other countries, such as West Germany
, Holland and France intervened in the conflict. The squadron's task was to protect British trawlers from attacks by Icelandic trawlers and coast guard vessels. By 25 August, over 100 trawlers were on their way to fish in the area, protected by four armed ships from the Fishery Protection Squadron. All trawlers carrying children were warned to move out of the conflict area.
—a from the 3rd Training Squadron commanded by Lieutenant Commander R C Mayne—was transferred to fishery protection duties. It left Chatham on August 27, 1958 to keep the squadron at full strength after it had been depleted by other vessels being withdrawn for refits. Unfortunately, one day after leaving, she was forced to drop anchor off Sheerness
after salt water was found in her boilers.
Hostilities began on 4 September, four days after the extension came into effect. reported that the Icelandic gunboat Aegir had attempted to ram her while she was escorting British trawlers in the disputed area. Two reports were received from the ship during the evening. The first, at 19:00 BST
read, "Four gunboats in the area and plainly up to something. While covering trawlers from Aegir she plainly tried to ram me." The second, at 20:30 BST, read, "Russell had drawn abreast Aegirs starboard side and was steaming at 12 knots on the same course at a distance of 200ft. Intention was to shield trawlers from Aegir... Aegir sounded one short blast [signifying an intention to turn to starboard] and put wheel over. Her wake showed considerable wheel used. I had to use 20 degrees to get clear. Aegir passed close astern."
The Admiralty announced that the destroyer had sailed to the area to replace , which had to return to the UK because of problems with her radar. The trawler Northern Foam, from Grimsby
, had a boarding party of nine Icelandic officers and crew taken off her on 2 September. Before the trawler was boarded by Icelandic forces, an officer read out the punishments by megaphone to the crew. On the 16th, an attempt by ICGV Thor to board the trawler Red Lancer resulted in the Arctic Explorer—temporarily under the command of a Royal Navy Commodore who was visiting the ship at the time—coming to Red Lancers assistance. Explorer was flanked by Lagos and , two destroyers, and forced the boarding party from Thor to retreat. Explorer was presented with the Commodore's pennant as a memento of the incident. In another incident, on 7 October, naval surgeons managed to amputate six fingers from an injured fisherman from the trawler Loch Inver. The operation was performed aboard , in the officer's mess, as Iceland had forbidden sick and injured men to be landed at Icelandic ports.
By the end of the first war, the squadron was recorded to have given assistance on 360 occasions. After the war, there was some experimentation with hovercraft, which were planned to be armed with several machine guns and capable of 50 kn (60.9 mph; 98 km/h). Four hovercraft—with a crew of 18 each—would have been able to take on the duties of six minesweepers, each with a crew of 35. Because of the limited range and poor sea-keeping qualities of hovercraft, however, these plans were quickly abandoned in favour of regular craft.
On 1 September 1972, Iceland again expanded her maritime exclusive economic zone
, this time to 50 mi (43.4 nmi; 80.5 km). This provoked another dispute, eventually escalating to further armed conflict between the UK and Iceland. Iceland's expansion was recognised by fishermen from all nations except two: the UK, and Germany, who still fished up to 12 mi (10.4 nmi; 19.3 km) from the Icelandic coast. German trawlers, however, tended to be more interested in saithe and ocean perch rather than cod
, haddock
and flatfish
; because of this, they tended to stick to oceanic, rather than coastal waters. As the dispute escalated, British trawler captains began to cover their names and registration numbers to avoid action from Icelandic courts; as an additional, and somewhat less effective measure some hoisted the Jolly Roger
in addition to the Union Jack. The Icelandic Coastguard viewed this as a violation of international law, and took many photographs of the trawlers displaying these signs; including a picture taken on 5 September 1972 of a ship believed to be the trawler Peter Scott (H103). The Icelandic strategy involved the use of net-cutters, invented by Commander Péter Sigurǒsson, Director of the Coast Guard, with assistance from Friŏrik Teitsson from the Icelandic lighthouse institution and Tómas Sigurǒsson, who were both ironmongers. The invention—tested in 1958—was known as the trawlwire cutter; it was not used until 5 September 1972, after every Icelandic ship had been equipped with it. The ships would take a two-step approach:
As previously mentioned, the Ægir
carried out the first successful cutting on 5 September in an action against a trawler believed to be the Peter Scott, sailing under a pirate flag and a Union Jack, with its registration number and name covered. Throughout 1972, 10 trawlers had their nets cut: nine British, and one West German. For the year of 1973, this had expanded to 60 British and 14 West German trawlers; a loss of hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of nets.
A British response was inevitable given the anger of the trawler captains at the time. The captains believed that they were well within their rights to fish on what they understood to be the high seas, an assumption they interpreted from the 'interim measures of protection' issued by the International Court of Justice
on 17 August 1972. As such, and in line with the ICJ's ruling, the British government endeavoured to protect British trawlers up to the 12-mile limit, provided that the total catch did not exceed 170000 LT (172,728.5 t). British trawler captains, eager to protect their nets, tried several tactics:
Because of the failure of all the above tactics, British trawlers withdrew from Icelandic waters on 17 May 1973, citing fears for their own safety and livelihoods. They informed the British government that unless the Royal Navy were sent to protect them, they would not return to fishing in that area. Two days later, on 19 May, the government acquiesced, and a number of British frigates sailed north.
vessels, were in the disputed area to protect an average of 46 trawlers from Icelandic harassment. In order to keep some on station at all times, seven frigates were taken from ordinary duties to be assigned to the squadron. In addition, several Nimrod
maritime patrol aircraft were sent to the area, and the total manpower assigned was in the region of 2,000 personnel. The strategy used by the British was relatively straightforward: they marked out "fishing boxes" for use by trawlers, protected by high-speed frigates at the outer edges, and with the slower tugs ready to see off any attempts by the ICG to intervene inside the boxes.
When an ICG vessel was sighted, the frigates would sail towards it and place themselves between the trawlers and the ICG vessel, sailing parallel at close range. Occasionally, because of the close manoeuvring and heavy seas, one ship would find itself across the path of another. This led to accusations of ramming between the two countries, but accounts from each side differ as to who rammed who; the British maintain that the Icelandic vessels turned and rammed them using their strengthened bows, whereas Iceland maintain that the British ships turned across their bows and immediately slowed down. Altogether, 14 'rammings' were recorded by the ICG between October 1972 and September 1973.
Squadron (naval)
A squadron, or naval squadron, is a unit of 3-4 major warships, transport ships, submarines, or sometimes small craft that may be part of a larger task force or a fleet...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
with responsibility for patrolling the UK's Extended Fisheries Zone. The squadron, with headquarters at Portsmouth Naval Base, are equipped with four s; three are based in the UK, while is based in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
The squadron is the oldest front-line squadron in the Royal Navy, and boasts Admiral Lord Nelson amongst those who have served in it. Originally, the squadron was based on the coast of North America, Iceland and the UK, patrolling much of the North Atlantic against French and American incursions. Over the past hundred years it has been slimmed down to follow a more policing-oriented approach, dealing mainly with infringements by civilian fishermen. Despite this, it still has a strong military role, as evidenced in its role in the Cod War
Cod War
The Cod Wars, also called the Icelandic Cod Wars , were a series of confrontations in the 1950s and 1970s between the United Kingdom and Iceland regarding fishing rights in the North Atlantic....
s of the 1960s-70s.
Current operations
Royal Navy officers assigned to the FPS have a secondary role as British Sea Fisheries Officers. There is a formal contract between the Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, the Marine and Fisheries Agency and DEFRA that allows the squadron to conduct inspections of all fishing vessels in all UK (excepting Scottish) waters. FPS vessels can also stop British fishing vessels in international waters. In the 2008/09 contract year, the squadron spent 700 days at sea on patrol, conducting 1,102 inspections. From the inspections, 231 ships broke UK or EU law. As a result, 144 verbal warnings, 33 written warnings and 10 Financial Administrative Penalties were handed out. The most serious breaches resulted in eight vessels being detained at UK ports. When a vessel is detained, the captain of the squadron ship contacts the DEFRA operation centre in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which formulates a decision based on information provided to it by ships, aircraft, District Fishery Inspectors and fishermen, and then relays this decision back to the fishery protection ship.
In 2008, 60% of all fish caught in the EU were caught within British jurisdiction. With as many as 500 fishing ships in British waters at any one time, including dozens from other EU countries, it is acknowledged to be a very difficult task to patrol UK fishing grounds. There is also monthly rotating aerial surveillance of the entire fishing area under call-sign "Watchdog", with aircraft provided by Direct Flight Aviation. Each aircraft transmits the identity and position of the vessel to squadron ships, which, combined with satellite data from navigational databases which allows the squadron to build a surface picture of fishing activity.
Each day, data from the inspections is sent to fisheries managers. The managers form part of several agencies which co-ordinate on a super-national level to monitor the fish stocks, negotiates fishing agreements and plan conservation measures.
Conflict and boarding
Occasionally, a fishing trawler with foul another's nets, or the sensitive border areas in the middle of the English Channel will be the focus of a dispute between trawlers. These disputes can escalate to attempted rammings, disruption of each other's fishing, shining searchlights into bridges and even firing flare gunFlare gun
A flare gun is a firearm that launches flares. It is typically used for signalling, as distress signalling, at sea or from the ground to aircraft...
s at other trawlers. In these circumstances the FPS ships are required to separate the trawlers and act as an informal arbitrator in the dispute to prevent further conflict or injury. Their Rules of Engagement reflect this role.
When a vessel is inspected, a boarding team from the FPS ship is sent. The team is formed of a Royal Navy and British Sea Fisheries-qualified officer, an assistant boarding officer, and a small security team. The officer sent could include the Commanding Officer, Executive Officer (XO) or First Lieutenant, assisted by the Gunnery Officer, XO's Assistant or Operations Officer. They work together to examine documentation, ensure the fishing gear (and landed fish) are of legal size, and liaise with the FPS and DEFRA via radio.
History
The Fishery Protection Squadron is the oldest squadron of the Royal Navy and can be traced back to 1481, although some sources, including the Royal Navy, date it to 1379. Even before an organised navy was established, the herringHerring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
fishermen in Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
fought skirmishes with foreign fishermen, who would be hanged as pirates from the gallows at Cross Sands if caught.
Early History
During the reign of Edward IV and the Wars of the RosesWars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
, English fishermen were beginning to fish in the waters around Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, and the King ordered that minimal protection be provided by and paid for by levies from the fishing industry. Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
and Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
continued this, but occasionally this protection was not enough: 1,200 English herring fishermen were killed in a single action by Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
warships, and the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
often had difficulties with Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
fishermen. Because of these and other incidents, by the 16th century it was clear that an organised force was required. A petition was put forward to the Lord High Admiral for a small bark or two. As a result, the first Fishery Protection ship was commissioned for an annual fee to the Admiralty of £100, paid for by the fishermen of Yarmouth. It took the form of a wafting ship (wafting meaning 'to convey safely' or 'to convoy'), which patrolled the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
fishing grounds during the herring season.
This ship was eventually replaced in 1659 by a dedicated fishery protection ship for Yarmouth, with a crew of 25 and an armament of "swords, half-pikes, muskets and an ample supply of large stones". In the 18th century a similar arrangement was brokered by Scottish fishermen from George III, also for an annual payment of £100. This amount is still paid today, although as a token gesture. Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
was connected with Fishery Protection: he received an annual honorarium
Honorarium
An honorarium is an ex gratia payment made to a person for their services in a volunteer capacity or for services for which fees are not traditionally required. This is used by groups such as schools or sporting clubs to pay coaches for their costs...
for efforts to gain similar protection on behalf of English fishermen.
Lord Nelson, before he became famous, captained in 1781 as part of the Fishery Protection Squadron in North America, capturing the U.S. fishing schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Harmony off the coast of Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. He took it in tow, with the master of the schooner acting as pilot for both ships for the unfamiliar shores around Boston Bay
Boston Bay
Boston Bay may refer to:*Boston Bay, Illinois*Port of Boston, Massachusetts*Boston Harbor, Massachusetts* Boston Bay, Port Lincoln, South Australia* Boston Bay, Portland Parish, JamaicaSee also* The Boston Bay State Banner...
. Once the ships were safe, he allowed the schooner to continue unimpeded, saying to the master, "You have rendered us a very essential service, and it is not the custom of English seamen to be ungrateful. In the name, therefore, and with the approbation of the officers of this ship, I return your schooner and with it this certificate of your good conduct. Farewell, and may God bless you." The certificate of good conduct protected the schooner from capture by a British ship. In return, the master gave a present to Nelson of "four sheep, some poultry, and a quantity of vegetables", which Nelson ordered to be shared amongst the sick. Even today, on Trafalgar Day
Trafalgar Day
Trafalgar Day is the celebration of the victory won by the Royal Navy, commanded by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson over the combined French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. The formation of the Navy League in 1894 gave added impetus to the movement to recognise...
, the flag officer
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
shaves with the same cut-throat razor used by Nelson while he commanded Albermarle.
19th century
With historical rivalries between the U.S. and Britain in North America, the fishery protection squadron in NewfoundlandDominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
and the surrounding area was seen as very important. At the time, the British hugely outnumbered the Americans in terms of fishery protection vessels, with 226 guns to 31 respectively. On 5 August 1853, contingents of the U.S. and British fishery protection squadrons for the area met at Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
for a goodwill visit. The steamer , carrying Commodore Shubrick and his flag, arrived under dense fog and heavy rain at 8:00 pm. Princeton saluted the citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
, and fired a 15-gun salute "for the red cross of St. George", which was displayed by Vice Admiral Sir George Seymour on . There was a minor problem when Commodore Shubrick received with a 13-gun salute; he returned the salute to the Vice Admiral with an equal number of guns, rather than the 15 that the Vice Admiral was traditionally entitled to. He believed that "a commander in chief is a commander in chief", whatever his rank. The rest of the event went without any problems, as did a similar event held at Berkeley Springs, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
At the end of May 1898, and arrived at St Johns
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to form part of the fishery protection squadron for the French treaty coast. They were sighted off Trepassey by the Americans, who reported on their arrival in the New York Times. With these new arrivals and others, by the end of 1898 the entire squadron had been rebuilt with powerful, modern cruisers replacing the outdated corvettes previously seen. The squadron was rebuilt in part because of the threat of an oversized French armoured cruiser sent to the area the previous year, which was seen as a threat despite being too large to enter most of the local harbours. Two smaller ships were also sent by the French to replace local wooden transport vessels, and in Autumn a French squadron gathered at Saint Pierre and Miquelon, forcing the British government to respond by sending two extra ships to Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
, only 18 hours steaming from St Peirre. For two weeks near the end of the year, a small scale war seemed likely, but was averted after diplomatic talks.
| Ship/Vessel | Type | Guns |
|---|---|---|
| Leander | Ship | 50 |
| Vestal | Ship | 28 |
| Calypso | Ship | 18 |
| Media | Steamer | 6 |
| Argus | Steamer, 300 ihp | 6 |
| Basilisk | Steamer, 400 ihp | 6 |
| Devastation | Steamer | 6 |
| Rose | Steamer – hired | 2 |
| Neriey? | Cutter | 2 |
| Alice Rogers | Schooner – hired | 2 |
| Dart | Schooner – hired | 2 |
| Bomta? | Schooner – hired | 2 |
| Brisk | Steamer | 14 |
| Nerbuddar? | Brig | 12 |
French Shore
By 1900, the situation had escalated. The key issue was the French ShoreFrench Shore
The French Treaty Shore resulted from the 1713 ratification of the Treaty of Utrecht. The provisions of the treaty allowed the French to fish in season along the north coast of Newfoundland between Cape Bonavista and Point Riche. This area had been frequented by fishermen from Brittany since the...
, resulting from the Peace of Utrecht. The treaty allowed the French to fish along the Newfoundland coast between Cape St. John
Cape St. John
Cape St. John is a headland located on the east coast of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Cape St. John forms the northeastern point of the Baie Verte Peninsula and has a high prominent peak with steep cliffs rising to an elevation of 74m that are...
and Cape Ray
Cape Ray
Cape Ray is a headland located at the southwestern extremity of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
, however it made no claims about whether this was an exclusive right. As a result, the two nations roughly shared the fishing grounds under an unstable joint sovereignty
Condominium (international law)
In international law, a condominium is a political territory in or over which two or more sovereign powers formally agree to share equally dominium and exercise their rights jointly, without dividing it up into 'national' zones.Although a condominium has always been...
understanding, but the respective fishery captains were given what were described by the local press as "autocratic powers". These powers were given to the captains by the Newfoundland government, granted via yearly act of the Newfoundland Legislature. In 1900, the bill was rejected in an attempt to force the British to act over what was seen as an encroaching and overbearing French presence. The British prepared to defend the area against the three French warships sent to the area each year. Colonel T Henry McCallum was appointed as governor of the colony. McCallum had already built a reputation for organising the defence of colonies, having previously fortified Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Fifty men were taken aboard as part of a local naval reserve force, with the hope of expanding the force to as many as 1,000 within a few years. There were also plans to turn St. John's into a naval fortress, akin to that of Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
.
Lord Astor incident
Tensions between Russia and the UK were heightened after the Dogger Bank incidentDogger Bank incident
The Dogger Bank incident occurred when the Russian Baltic Fleet mistook some British trawlers at Dogger Bank for an Imperial Japanese Navy force....
of 1904, and on 9 May 1923 a trawler from Hull—the Lord Astor—was seized by a Russian gunboat off the coast of Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
for alleged illegal fishing. The trawler was captured after the fishery protection sloop returned briefly to Norway to re-coal and resupply. Godetia was soon relieved by under Captain Evans, commander of the fishery protection cruiser squadron.
1950s
—from the Scottish region of the Fishery Protection Squadron—was sent to LossiemouthLossiemouth
Lossiemouth is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important fishing town. Although there has been over a 1,000 years of settlement in the area, the present day town was formed over the past 250 years and consists of four separate communities that...
on 1 June 1953, to act as reviewing ship for a "Coronation fleet review" involving about 70 fishing vessels from the ports of Hopeman
Hopeman
Hopeman is a seaside village in Moray, Scotland, on the coast of the Moray Firth, founded in 1805 to house and re-employ people displaced during the Highland clearances. The population is around 1 000 people in approximately 670 households.-The village:...
, Burghead
Burghead
Burghead is a small town in Moray, Scotland, about 8 miles north-west of Elgin. The town is mainly built on a Peninsula which projects north-westward into the Moray Firth, meaning that most of the town has sea on 3 sides. The present town was built between 1805 and 1809, destroying in the...
and Nairn
Nairn
Nairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
, as well as Lossiemouth proper. A Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
helicopter gave a demonstration of air-sea rescue operations as part of the display.
On 17 April 1957, the Glasgow Herald reported that several East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
n herring drifters (based at Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
) were encountering trouble with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n fisherman, who were intentionally fouling the nets of the British in the fishing grounds 40 miles off the coast of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The Ocean Starlight (Yarmouth) lost 50 nets, the George Spashett (Lowestoft) lost 42, and the Ocean Sunlight (Lowestoft) lost 14. The skippers lodged complaints with the Fishery Board Officer at Aberdeen, and it was considered "possible that a fishery protection vessel may be sent".
About a year later, in April 1958, was sent to the northern fisheries to protect British trawlers against Russian incursions, and , a fishery protection vessel, was officially handed over to the Burmese Navy to become a minesweeper and training vessel. The handover ceremony took place at the Pool of London
Pool of London
The Pool of London is a part of the Tideway of the River Thames from London Bridge to below Tower Bridge. It was the original part of the Port of London. The Pool of London is divided into two parts, the Upper Pool and Lower Pool...
, and was presided over by the Burmese ambassador and Earl Mountbatten.
First Cod War
The Fishery Protection Squadron played a key part in the Cod Wars of the 1950s through the 1970s. During the first war, known by the Royal Navy as Operation Whippet, two extra frigates and two minesweepers were sent to the squadron on 16 August 1958 to augment the defence against Iceland's unilateral tripling of its territorial watersTerritorial waters
Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most from the baseline of a coastal state...
. Other countries, such as West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, Holland and France intervened in the conflict. The squadron's task was to protect British trawlers from attacks by Icelandic trawlers and coast guard vessels. By 25 August, over 100 trawlers were on their way to fish in the area, protected by four armed ships from the Fishery Protection Squadron. All trawlers carrying children were warned to move out of the conflict area.
—a from the 3rd Training Squadron commanded by Lieutenant Commander R C Mayne—was transferred to fishery protection duties. It left Chatham on August 27, 1958 to keep the squadron at full strength after it had been depleted by other vessels being withdrawn for refits. Unfortunately, one day after leaving, she was forced to drop anchor off Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
after salt water was found in her boilers.
Hostilities began on 4 September, four days after the extension came into effect. reported that the Icelandic gunboat Aegir had attempted to ram her while she was escorting British trawlers in the disputed area. Two reports were received from the ship during the evening. The first, at 19:00 BST
British Summer Time
Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland...
read, "Four gunboats in the area and plainly up to something. While covering trawlers from Aegir she plainly tried to ram me." The second, at 20:30 BST, read, "Russell had drawn abreast Aegirs starboard side and was steaming at 12 knots on the same course at a distance of 200ft. Intention was to shield trawlers from Aegir... Aegir sounded one short blast [signifying an intention to turn to starboard] and put wheel over. Her wake showed considerable wheel used. I had to use 20 degrees to get clear. Aegir passed close astern."
The Admiralty announced that the destroyer had sailed to the area to replace , which had to return to the UK because of problems with her radar. The trawler Northern Foam, from Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
, had a boarding party of nine Icelandic officers and crew taken off her on 2 September. Before the trawler was boarded by Icelandic forces, an officer read out the punishments by megaphone to the crew. On the 16th, an attempt by ICGV Thor to board the trawler Red Lancer resulted in the Arctic Explorer—temporarily under the command of a Royal Navy Commodore who was visiting the ship at the time—coming to Red Lancers assistance. Explorer was flanked by Lagos and , two destroyers, and forced the boarding party from Thor to retreat. Explorer was presented with the Commodore's pennant as a memento of the incident. In another incident, on 7 October, naval surgeons managed to amputate six fingers from an injured fisherman from the trawler Loch Inver. The operation was performed aboard , in the officer's mess, as Iceland had forbidden sick and injured men to be landed at Icelandic ports.
By the end of the first war, the squadron was recorded to have given assistance on 360 occasions. After the war, there was some experimentation with hovercraft, which were planned to be armed with several machine guns and capable of 50 kn (60.9 mph; 98 km/h). Four hovercraft—with a crew of 18 each—would have been able to take on the duties of six minesweepers, each with a crew of 35. Because of the limited range and poor sea-keeping qualities of hovercraft, however, these plans were quickly abandoned in favour of regular craft.
1960s
In 1967, the Fishery Protection Squadron consisted of three divisions:- First or Arctic Division
- Four Type 14 frigates: , , and . This division was responsible for patrolling northern NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, the Faeroes, GreenlandGreenlandGreenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, the White SeaWhite SeaThe White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
and the Barents SeaBarents SeaThe Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
.
- Four Type 14 frigates: , , and . This division was responsible for patrolling northern Norway
- Second or Home Division
- Consisting of four coastal minesweepers, this division patrolled the North SeaNorth SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, Irish SeaIrish SeaThe Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
and Scottish coastal waters.
- Consisting of four coastal minesweepers, this division patrolled the North Sea
- Third or Channel Division
- The smallest division, consisting of converted inshore minesweepers HMS Squirrel and HMS Watchful. It patrolled the English ChannelEnglish ChannelThe English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, arresting poachers and illegal fishing ships from FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
- The smallest division, consisting of converted inshore minesweepers HMS Squirrel and HMS Watchful. It patrolled the English Channel
1970s and the third Cod War
| Ship | Gross tons | Crew |
|---|---|---|
| 2450 | 251 | |
| 2450 | 251 | |
| 2450 | 251 | |
| 2450 | 251 | |
| 2500 | 263 | |
| 2500 | 263 | |
| 2500 | 263 | |
| 2500 | 263 | |
| 2500 | 263 | |
| 2380 | 235 | |
| 2380 | 235 | |
| 2380 | 235 | |
| 2150 | 225 | |
| 1180 | 140 | |
| 1180 | 140 | |
| 2300 | 253 | |
| 2300 | 253 | |
| 2300 | 235 | |
| 2170 | 237 | |
| 2300 | 253 (est.) | |
| 2380 | 235 | |
| Star Aquarius | 849 | 15 (est.) |
| Star Polaris | 897 | 15 (est.) |
| Star Sirius | 897 | 15 (est.) |
| Lloydsman | 2041 | 15 (est.) |
| RMAS Typhoon | 800 | 15 (est.) |
| Euroman | 1182 | 15 (est.) |
| Roysterer | 1630 | 15 |
| Statesman | 3583 | 15 (est.) |
| Rollicker | 1630 | 15 |
On 1 September 1972, Iceland again expanded her maritime exclusive economic zone
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
, this time to 50 mi (43.4 nmi; 80.5 km). This provoked another dispute, eventually escalating to further armed conflict between the UK and Iceland. Iceland's expansion was recognised by fishermen from all nations except two: the UK, and Germany, who still fished up to 12 mi (10.4 nmi; 19.3 km) from the Icelandic coast. German trawlers, however, tended to be more interested in saithe and ocean perch rather than cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
, haddock
Haddock
The haddock , also known as the offshore hake, is a marine fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. Haddock is a popular food fish and is widely fished commercially....
and flatfish
Flatfish
The flatfish are an order of ray-finned fish, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through and around the head during development...
; because of this, they tended to stick to oceanic, rather than coastal waters. As the dispute escalated, British trawler captains began to cover their names and registration numbers to avoid action from Icelandic courts; as an additional, and somewhat less effective measure some hoisted the Jolly Roger
Jolly Roger
The Jolly Roger is any of various flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates. The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today is the skull and crossbones, a flag consisting of a human skull above two long bones set in an x-mark arrangement on a black field. This design was used by...
in addition to the Union Jack. The Icelandic Coastguard viewed this as a violation of international law, and took many photographs of the trawlers displaying these signs; including a picture taken on 5 September 1972 of a ship believed to be the trawler Peter Scott (H103). The Icelandic strategy involved the use of net-cutters, invented by Commander Péter Sigurǒsson, Director of the Coast Guard, with assistance from Friŏrik Teitsson from the Icelandic lighthouse institution and Tómas Sigurǒsson, who were both ironmongers. The invention—tested in 1958—was known as the trawlwire cutter; it was not used until 5 September 1972, after every Icelandic ship had been equipped with it. The ships would take a two-step approach:
- They would inform the trawler of their violation of Icelandic law, and request them to move outside the 50-mile limit.
- If this yielded no results, they would lower the cutter into the water, and attempt to cut the nets—worth several thousand pounds—by sailing past the stern of the trawler at right angles.
As previously mentioned, the Ægir
Ægir
Ægir is a sea giant, god of the ocean and king of the sea creatures in Norse mythology. He is also known for hosting elaborate parties for the gods.Ægir's servants are Fimafeng and Eldir.- Description :...
carried out the first successful cutting on 5 September in an action against a trawler believed to be the Peter Scott, sailing under a pirate flag and a Union Jack, with its registration number and name covered. Throughout 1972, 10 trawlers had their nets cut: nine British, and one West German. For the year of 1973, this had expanded to 60 British and 14 West German trawlers; a loss of hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of nets.
A British response was inevitable given the anger of the trawler captains at the time. The captains believed that they were well within their rights to fish on what they understood to be the high seas, an assumption they interpreted from the 'interim measures of protection' issued by the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
on 17 August 1972. As such, and in line with the ICJ's ruling, the British government endeavoured to protect British trawlers up to the 12-mile limit, provided that the total catch did not exceed 170000 LT (172,728.5 t). British trawler captains, eager to protect their nets, tried several tactics:
- Ramming of ICG vessels by trawlers. Although technically illegal under maritime law, the trawler Aldershot rammed the Ægir on 18 October 1972, 30 mi (26.1 nmi; 48.3 km) north of HraunhafnartangiHraunhafnartangiHraunhafnartangi is the northernmost point of mainland Iceland. It is located in the county of Norður-Þingeyjarsýsla....
. Brucella also tried ramming—on 28 December 1972—in an action against the Óǒinn to the east of Iceland. - Using two trawlers to operate one trawl net. Both trawlers would sail in line astern formation; the first would fish while the second would attempt to fend off Icelandic vessels. Unfortunately, this not only cut the number of vessels engaged in fishing in half: it was also ineffective against Icelandic vessels, as the high standard of seamanship required to steer a heavy, unwieldy trawler in tight formation in rough Atlantic seas was simply too much for a civilian fisherman.
- The British government rented four tugTugTuğ is a village in the Khojavend Rayon of Azerbaijan....
s; Englishman, Irishman, Lloydsman and Statesman. These tugs were sent out with orders to protect the trawlers in the disputed area, but as the tugs were unarmed, both intentional and unintentional collisions were the only way to defend the trawlers. However, this method cost the British taxpayer a substantial amount in rent and fuel costs, and did not have the desired effect.
Because of the failure of all the above tactics, British trawlers withdrew from Icelandic waters on 17 May 1973, citing fears for their own safety and livelihoods. They informed the British government that unless the Royal Navy were sent to protect them, they would not return to fishing in that area. Two days later, on 19 May, the government acquiesced, and a number of British frigates sailed north.
Fishery Protection Squadron intervention
After 19 May, three or four British frigates, four tugs, and as many as five Royal Fleet AuxiliaryRoyal Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...
vessels, were in the disputed area to protect an average of 46 trawlers from Icelandic harassment. In order to keep some on station at all times, seven frigates were taken from ordinary duties to be assigned to the squadron. In addition, several Nimrod
Nimrod
Nimrod means "Hunter"; was a Biblical Mesopotamian king mentioned in the Table of Nations; an eponym for the city of Nimrud.Nimrod can also refer to any of the following:*Nimród Antal, a director...
maritime patrol aircraft were sent to the area, and the total manpower assigned was in the region of 2,000 personnel. The strategy used by the British was relatively straightforward: they marked out "fishing boxes" for use by trawlers, protected by high-speed frigates at the outer edges, and with the slower tugs ready to see off any attempts by the ICG to intervene inside the boxes.
When an ICG vessel was sighted, the frigates would sail towards it and place themselves between the trawlers and the ICG vessel, sailing parallel at close range. Occasionally, because of the close manoeuvring and heavy seas, one ship would find itself across the path of another. This led to accusations of ramming between the two countries, but accounts from each side differ as to who rammed who; the British maintain that the Icelandic vessels turned and rammed them using their strengthened bows, whereas Iceland maintain that the British ships turned across their bows and immediately slowed down. Altogether, 14 'rammings' were recorded by the ICG between October 1972 and September 1973.