Icelandic Coast Guard
Icelandic Coast Guard Landhelgisgæsla Íslands | |
---|---|
Bombardier DHC-8-Q314 | |
Transport aircraft | 3 Airbus H225s |
Notables | |
Significant operation | |
Website | |
lhg.is |
The Icelandic Coast Guard (Icelandic: Landhelgisgæsla Íslands, Landhelgisgæslan or simply Gæslan) is the Icelandic defence service responsible for search and rescue, maritime safety and security surveillance, national defense,[2] and law enforcement.[3] The Coast Guard maintains the Iceland Air Defence System which conducts ground-based surveillance of Iceland's air space and operate Keflavik airbase.[4][5] It is also responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical charting.[6]
History
Its origins can be traced to 1859, when the corvette Ørnen started patrolling Icelandic waters. In 1906, Iceland's first purposely built guard-ship, Islands Falk, began operation. Iceland's own defense of its territorial waters began around 1920 and the Icelandic Coast Guard was formally founded on 1 July 1926.[7] The first cannon was put on the trawler Þór in 1924 and on 23 June 1926 the first ship built for the Coast Guard, named Óðinn, arrived in Iceland. Three years later, on 14 July 1929 the coastal defence ship Ægir was added to the Coast Guard fleet.[8]
Cod Wars
The Icelandic Coast Guard played its largest role during the fishing rights dispute known as the
Operations
The Icelandic Coast Guard's (ICG) primary mission as stipulated in Section 1 of Act on Icelandic Coast Guard is conduct search and rescue, maritime safety and security surveillance, and law enforcement inside the 200-nautical-mile (370 km; 230 mi)-wide economic zone.
The Coast Guard accomplishes these tasks with the use of
The Icelandic Coast Guard is also in charge of the Iceland Air Defence System, which operates four ground-based AN-FPS(V)5 air surveillance radars and a control and command centre.
In the 1990s the Coast Guard started hosting exercises such as "Northern Challenge" which had military units from
The fleet also takes part in Frontex operations, and in that role ICGV Týr played a major part in the rescue of over 300 Syrian refugees in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in January 2015.[15]
Fleet
As of 2022[update], the Icelandic Coast Guard fleet consists of two OPVs, one
ICGV Týr, an
The coastguard has as well a 73-ton patrol and hydrographic survey vessel, named Baldur, built by Vélsmiðja Seyðisfjarðar shipyard in 1991. This vessel has no mounted weaponry but it has nonetheless been used for port security and fishery inspection.[citation needed]
The newest ship of the fleet, ICGV Freyja, was bought in September 2021[18][19] to replace the 46-year old ICGV Týr.[20] It arrived for retrofit at Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam in Schiedam on 11 October and was formally delivered to the Coast Guard on 1 November 2021. She departed for Siglufjordur on 2 November.[21]
Aeronautical division
After
In 1972, the ICG, along with the National Life-saving Association of Iceland, bought its first specialized
It took five years for another SAR helicopter to arrive but in 1980, the Coast Guard bought a new
In 1985, the new
In 1995, the ICG received a second specialised SAR helicopter when it bought an
As a response to the withdrawal of the Iceland Defense Force in 2006, the Coast Guard expanded its helicopters to four in 2007. That number was later reduced to three and as of 2022, it operates three Airbus Helicopters H225 helicopters named Gná, Gróa and Eir.[38]
The Coast Guard also operates a single
Vehicles
All major vehicles of the Icelandic Coast Guard are named after beings from Norse mythology.
Vessels
Vessel | Origin | Type | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
ICGV Freyja[40] | South Korea | Patrol vessel
|
Named after the goddess Freyja |
ICGV Þór | Chile | Patrol vessel | Named after the god Thor |
ICGV Baldur | Iceland | Patrol vessel
|
Named after the god Baldr, also performs hydrographic survey duties |
ICGV Óðinn[41] | Iceland | Special operation | Named after the god Óðinn
|
Decommissioned vessels
Name | Type | From | To | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
ICGV Þór (I) | Armed trawler | 1926 | 1929 | The first ship own by the Icelandic Coast Guard. Originally a trawler and later a Danish research vessel named Thor, it was bought by Björgunarfélag Vestmannaeyja in 1920 to be used as a rescue ship. In 1926, the Icelandic government bought the ship for the Coast Guard. It stranded in Húnaflói in 1929.[42] |
ICGV Óðinn (I) | Patrol vessel | 1926 | 1936 | Arrived in 1926[43] and served until it was sold to Sweden in 1936.[44] |
ICGV Ægir (I) | Patrol vessel | 1929 | 1968 | Arrived new in July 1929.[45] Used for coastal patrol, rescue and research.[46] Sold for scrap in 1968.[47] |
ICGV Þór (II) | Patrol vessel | 1930 | 1939 | Built in Stettin, Germany, in 1922 as Senator Schäfer. Arrived in Iceland in 1930 and served with the Coast Guard until 1939. Used as a transport ship until sold to England in 1946. Stranded in Scotland in 1950.[48] |
ICGV Gautur | Patrol vessel | 1938 | 1964 | Built in 1938 in Akureyri.[49] Originally named Óðinn (II) but renamed when a new Óðinn (III) arrived, Gautur is one of Óðinn's pseudonyms. Put up for sale in 1963[50] and sold a year later.[51] |
ICGV Baldur (I) | Fast patrol boat | 1945 | 1946 | A fast patrol boat originally built for the Turkish Navy in 1943 but expropriated by the United Kingdom. Bought early in 1946 but used for less than a year and returned because of bad characteristics in rough seas.[52][53] |
ICGV Njörður | Fast patrol boat | 1945 | 1946 | Named after Njörðr the god of wind, fertile land along the seacoast, as well as seamanship, sailing and fishing. A fast patrol boat originally built for the Turkish Navy in 1943 but expropriated by the United Kingdom. Bought early in 1946 but used for less than a year and returned because of bad characteristics in rough seas.[52][53] |
ICGV Bragi | Fast patrol boat | 1945 | 1946 | Named after Bragi the god of poetry. A fast patrol boat originally built for the Turkish Navy in 1943 but expropriated by the United Kingdom. Bought early in 1946 but used for less than a year and returned because of bad characteristics in rough seas.[52][53] |
ICGV Sæbjörg | Patrol and rescue ship | Built in 1947 to 1948. Owned by the National Life-saving Association of Iceland but operated by the ICG.[48] Decommissioned in the mid 1960s. | ||
ICGV María Júlía | Patrol, research and rescue vessel | 1950 | 1969 | Named after one of those who financed her construction. Joint ownership by the ICG and the National Life-saving Association of Iceland. Operated by the ICG. Decommissioned in the late 1960s[54] and sold in 1969.[55] |
ICGV Þór (III) | Offshore patrol vessel | 1951 | 1982 | Built in 1951 for the 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. Sold in 1982.[42][56] |
ICGV Albert | Patrol and rescue vessel | 1956 | 1978 | Built in 1956 and jointly owned by the ICG and the National Life-saving Association of Iceland, now ICE-SAR. Operated by the ICG. Decommissioned and sold in 1978.[57] |
ICGV Óðinn (III) | Offshore patrol vessel | 1960 | 2006 | An offshore Patrol Vessel named after Óðinn the all-seeing father of the gods. Decommissioned in 2006 and turned into a museum ship.[58]
|
ICGV Ægir (II) | Ægir class | 1968 | 2020 | Danish-built Ægir-class offshore patrol vessel named after Ægir, the king of the sea. It was the flagship of the ICG during the last two Cod Wars. It was decommissioned in 2020 and put up for sale.[59] |
ICGV Árvakur | Lighthouse tender and patrol ship | 1969 | A lighthouse tender and patrol ship built in Holland in 1962 for the Department of Lighthouses and arrived in 1963. Transferred to the Coast Guard in 1969. Was put for sale in 1988.[60] | |
ICGV Týr
|
Armed whaler | 1972 | 1973 | Armed whaler (Hvalur 9) borrowed during the second Cod War[61] It was nicknamed Hval-Týr by the Icelanders and Moby Dick by the British.[62] |
ICGV Týr (II) | Ægir class | 1974 | 2021 | Danish-built Ægir-class offshore patrol vessel named after Týr, the god of combat and heroism. It was decommissioned in 2021 and put up for sale.[63][64][65] |
ICGV Baldur (II) | Armed trawler | 1975 | 1977 | Named after the god |
ICGV Ver | Armed trawler | 1976 | 1976 | Built in 1974 in Poland for Krossvík hf. in Akranes. Operated by the ICG in the last Cod War in 1975–1976.[67] |
In addition the Coast Guard has rented or borrowed a number of civilian vessels and aircraft for shorter periods, which are not listed.
Aircraft
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maritime patrol | ||||||
Bombardier Dash 8
|
Canada | Maritime patrol / SAR | 1[68] | |||
Helicopter | ||||||
Eurocopter EC225 | France | Utility / SAR | 3[68] |
Retired
Previous notable aircraft operated consisted of the
Radars
The Iceland Air Defense System monitors Iceland's airspace. Air Defense is provided by fighter jets from NATO allies, which rotate units for the Icelandic Air Policing mission to Keflavik Air Base. The Iceland Air Defense System's Control and Reporting Centre is at Keflavik Air Base and reports to NATO's Integrated Air Defense System CAOC Uedem in Germany.[5]
- Iceland Air Defense System, at Keflavik Air Base[70]
- Control and Reporting Centre, at Keflavik Air Base
- H1 Radar Station, at Miðnesheiði, with AN/FPS-117(V)5
- H2 Radar Station, on Mount Gunnolfsvík, with AN/FPS-117(V)5
- H3 Radar Station, at Stokksnes, with AN/FPS-117(V)5
- H4 Radar Station, on Bolafjall, with AN/FPS-117(V)5
Weaponry
The Icelandic Coast Guard possesses over 200 firearms, with more than half of them in storage.[71][72][73] In 2014, the Coast Guard received 250 Heckler & Koch MP5 from the Norwegian Armed Forces.[74] The acquisition of the weapons caused an uproar in Iceland due to several facts, including that the mostly unarmed Icelandic Police was to receive 150 of them and conflicting statements from Icelandic and Norwegian officials on whether they were a gift or bought.[75] In June 2015, the weapons were returned to Norway.[76]
Currently in use
Model | Calibre | Type | Origin | Quantity | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AR-15
|
5.56mm | Semi-automatic rifle | United States | 6 | Model 2017. Bought the same year and first used during a peace keeping mission.[77][78] |
Bofors 40 mm L/70 | 40mm | Autocannon | Sweden | 4 | Purchased from Norway and refurbished.[77] |
Bofors 40 mm L/60 | 40mm | Autocannon | Sweden | 4 | Model 1936. Gift from Denmark.[77] |
Glock 17 | 9mm | Semi-automatic pistol | Austria | 20 | Models 1990, 2006 and 2012. Bought from a dealership in Reykjavík.[77] |
H&K MP5A2N | 9mm | Submachine gun | Germany | 50 | Model 1990. Gift from Norway in 2011.[77][79] |
Rheinmetall MG 3
|
7.62mm | General-purpose machine gun | Germany | 10 | Model 1990. Gifted by Norway in 2013 along with 50 sets of |
Currently in storage
Model | Calibre | Type | Origin | Quantity | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Browning M2 | .50 BMG | Heavy machine gun | United States | 3 | Model 1939. Came with a seaplane which the ICG had in operation.[77] |
H&K G3 | 7.62mm | Battle rifle | Germany | 20 | Model 1959. Gift from Denmark 2006.[77] |
Cannon 37 mm | 37mm | Cannon | — | 3 | Model 1898. Gift from Denmark.[77] |
Cannon 47 mm | 47mm | Cannon | — | 3 | Model 1909. Gift from Denmark.[77] |
Cannon 57 mm | 57mm | Cannon | — | 5 | Model 1892. Gift from Denmark.[77] |
M1 carbine | 30 Carbine
|
Carbine | United States | 30 | Model 1940. Lent to the Reykjavík Police 1986.[80] |
M2 carbine
|
30 Carbine
|
Carbine | United States | 20 | Model 1940. Lent to the Reykjavík Police 1986.[80] |
QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss | 47mm | Cannon | France | 1 | Model 1912. At a museum in Ísafjörður.[77] |
Remington Model 870 | 12-gauge | Pump action shotgun | United States | 4 | Model 2000. Bought from a dealership in Reykjavík.[77] |
SMLE Lee-Enfield
|
.303 | Bolt-action Repeating rifle
|
United Kingdom | 10 | Model 1910. Unknown origin.[77] |
S&W .38 Police Special | .38 Special | Revolver | United States | 12 | Model 1940. Marshall aid.[77] |
Steyr SSG 69 | 7.62mm | Sniper rifle | Austria | 8 | Model 1989. Bought from a dealership in Reykjavík.[77] |
Ranks
Officers
NATO code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | OF(D) | Student officer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Icelandic Coast Guard[81] |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Forstjóri Landhelgisgæslunnar | Framkvæmdastjóri aðgerðasviðs | Framkvæmdastjóri siglingasviðs / Framkvæmdastjóri varnarmálasviðs | Flugrekstrarstjóri / Flaggskipherra / Yfirflugstjóri / Tæknistjóri | Skipherrar / Flugstjórar / Deildarstjórar | Næstráðandi / Yfirstýrimaður / Flugmaður / Yfirvélstjóri | Yfirmaður eftir 6 ár / Stýrimaður / Vélstjóri / Flugmaður | Yfirmaður eftir 2 ár / Stýrimaður / Vélstjóri / Flugmaður | Byrjandi í yfirmannastöðu |
Enlisted
NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Icelandic Coast Guard[81] |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yfir Bátsmaður MS-3 | Bátsmaður MS-2 | Bátsmaður MS-1 | AS-4 | AS-3 | Háseti AS-2 | AS-1 |
See also
- Military of Iceland
- Iceland Defense Force (United States Armed Forces in Iceland)
References
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- ^ "Welcome to the Icelandic Coast Guard". Icelandic Coast Guard. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Security and Defence". Icelandic Coast Guard. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ a b HQ AIRCOM Public Affairs. "Iceland's Role In Nato Integrated Air And Missile Defence System". Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "Hydrographic surveying and nautical charting". Icelandic Coast Guard. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "The Icelandic Coast Guard "Always Prepared"" (PDF). Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ISBN 9781841622156.
- ISBN 978-1848320437.
- ISSN 1571-9979.
- ^ "RCC Iceland- Rescue Centre for mariners and aircrafts [sic]". Icelandic Coast Guard. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ O'Donnell, Sam (5 June 2020). "Coast Guard Unearths World War 2 Era Explosive". The Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ^ USA Today-Arizona RepublicJan 4, 2015, Section B page2
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- ^ Samúel Karl Ólason (30 October 2021). "Undirbúa heimsiglinguna frá Rotterdam". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ ISBN 9979602775.
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- ^
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- ^ Hallur Már (11 May 2020). "Óðinn sigldi á ný". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 11 June 2022.
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