Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Podcast
Tales of mishaps. misfortune, and misadventures
Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs
A Royal Navy frigate only a few feet away from an Icelandic Coast Guard vessel.

The Cod Wars

The Cod Wars were a series of confrontations that took place between Iceland and Great Britain in the waters surrounding Iceland during the 20th century. These conflicts primarily revolved around disputes over fishing rights and the control of fishing grounds. The disputes arose as Iceland sought to extend its exclusive fishing zone in order to protect its valuable cod fishing industry, which was vital to its economy.

The first Cod War occurred in the late 1950s and early 1960s when Iceland unilaterally extended its fishing limits from 4 nautical miles to 12 nautical miles. Great Britain, along with other nations, contested Iceland’s move and continued to fish within the expanded zone, leading to clashes between Icelandic patrol vessels and British trawlers. The second and third Cod Wars occurred in the 1970s and were marked by similar confrontations. Iceland further extended its fishing limits to 50 and then 200 nautical miles, leading to intensified conflicts with British trawlers. Ultimately, the disputes were resolved through diplomatic negotiations, with Iceland gaining significant control over the fishing grounds surrounding its shores and effectively securing its fishing industry.

Gallery

A fishing trawler and Coast Guard vessel a short distance apart at sea.
British Trawler Coventry City passes Icelandic Coast Guard Patrol vessel Albert off the Westfjords in 1958 during the first Cod War.
Aerial photo of a smaller coast guard vessel with a larger tugboat bearing down on it.
The ICGV Þór was badly damaged when it was rammed by the British tug Lloydsman in December of 1975. The photo was taken by Icelandic aerial surveillance.
Photos depicting a British warship and an Icelandic Coast vessel
The 1976 confrontation between the ICGV Þór and HMS Andromeda was one of the more serious confrontations of the Cod Wars.
The Icelandic gunboat Odinn passes within feet of the Royal Navy frigate HMS Scylla.
The Icelandic gunboat Odinn passes within feet of the Royal Navy frigate HMS Scylla. Copyright: © IWM.
A Royal Navy frigate only a few feet away from an Icelandic Coast Guard vessel.
The UK frigate HMS Mermaid collides with the Icelandic Coast Guard Vessel Þór in March 1976.
Captain Helgi Hallvarðsson of the Icelandic Coast Guard.
Photo of the iron anchor-shaped trawl wirecutter.
Iceland’s secret weapon, the warpcutter, or trawl wirecutter.
An illustration showing how a trawlwire cutter cuts trawling nets underwater.
The warpcutter, or trawlwire cutter, works by being fired across the trawl net and hauled back in, until catching the trawl line and cutting it.
Bronze statue looking out toward the ocean.
The bronze statue “For” by Steinunn Thorarinsdottir in Vik is the sister statue to “Voyage” in Hull.
Bronze statue colored light green of a man leaning in and looking toward the ocean.
The bronze statue “Voyage” by Steinunn Thorarinsdottir was gifted to the city of Hull by the Icelandic village of Vik in 2006. It was stolen in 2011 but replaced with a replica of its sister statue in Vik.

Sources

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *