Net cutters
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The net cutters were the secret weapon employed by the Icelandic Coast Guard during the later two Cod Wars to cut the trawl wires of foreign trawlers fishing within the then newly-claimed Exclusive Fisheries zones.
They were designed by Pétur Sigurðsson, director of the Icelandic Coast Guard for the 1958 war. However they weren't put into use until 1972 on September 5 at 25 minutes past ten, when V/s Ægir, under captain Guðmundur Kjærnested's command, encountered an unmarked trawler fishing North-East of Hornbanki. The master of this black hulled trawler refused to divulge the trawlers name and number, and after being warned to follow the Coast Guards orders he played Rule Britannia over the radio. At 10:40 the net cutter was deployed into the water for the first time and Ægir sailed along the trawlers port side. The fishermen tossed a thick nylon rope into the water as the patrol ship closed in, attempting to disable its propeller. Ægir after passing the trawler veered to the trawlers starboard side, then the net cutter, 160 fathoms behind the patrol vessel, cut one the trawling wires. As V/s Ægir came about to circle the unidentified trawler its angry crew threw coal as well as garbage and a large fire axe at the Coast Guard vessel. And a considerable amount of swearing and shouting came through the radio which resulted in trawler being identified as Peter Scott H-103.[1]
[edit] Other users
The net cutters have not only been used by the Icelandic Coast Guard. The Norwegian Coast Guard has had the net cutters in its inventory for a long time and has successfully used them against Icelandic trawlers near Svalbard.
List of known users:
[edit] Sources
- ^ Sveinn Sæmundsson, Guðmundur skipherra Kjærnested, Örn og Örlygur. [Reykjavík]. 1984. p. 187-189.
- Icelandic Coast Guard
- Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, Þorskastríðin þrjú : saga landhelgismálsins 1948-1976, Hafréttarstofnun Íslands. Reykjavík. 2006. ISBN 9979701412
