The confrontation between the fishermen, and the warships of the two countries, was intense and often bordered on conflict. Always, however, tiny Iceland managed to impose its will on its implacable friend and NATO ally, Great Britain.
As catches dwindled, fishermen sought new sea areas, many of which were under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of other states, foreign to them. The use of steam in ships in the last quarter of the 19th century gave them an important advantage. Great Britain and Iceland depended heavily on fishing, especially Iceland, 25% of whose workforce were fishermen.
The "First Wakalaw War" is recorded in 1893, when Denmark, then occupying Iceland, imposed a fishing limit of 13 nautical miles (24 km) around its coast for foreign ships. British trawlers defied the ban, but the Danish navy showed determination and responded with ship seizures and heavy fines for seamen. The British government, fearing that the future of its fishing industry was at stake, came to a heavy-hearted agreement with Denmark. British ships could dock in Iceland, but could not fish within the 13 nautical mile restricted zone.
When the trawler "Caspian" in 1899 violated the agreement, the Danish reaction was immediate. The ship was shot and severely damaged, and its captain was tied to the middle mast of a Danish warship and taken to the Faroe Islands, where he was sentenced to 30 days' imprisonment for illegal fishing. The Old Albion's prestige was 'crushed'. The differences between the two countries remained unresolved until the outbreak of World War I (1914), which by necessity settled their confrontation.
The "Second Bacalaw War" lasted from 1 September to 12 November 1958. It was triggered by the Icelandic government's decision to extend its fishing zone from 4 to 12 miles. Great Britain announced that its fishing vessels would continue to fish in three areas of the closed zone under the escort of warships. Iceland's coastguard reacted, resulting in a series of incidents between the two countries' vessels, some involving the use of firearms. In the end, the Icelanders won this round as well and secured their right.
On 1 September 1972, the Icelanders once again challenged the British by extending their exclusive economic zone to 50 nautical miles (92.6 km). This was the beginning of the "Third Bacalaw War", which lasted until 8 November 1973. During the "war" the Icelanders used their secret super weapon, which eventually tipped the balance of the "war" in their favour. It was a device, built by Coast Guard Commander Petur Sigurson, that cut fishermen's nets, causing incalculable damage.
In early 1973 the British had some success when two of their warships intercepted an equal number of Icelandic warships. In a political manoeuvre, the Icelanders threatened to leave NATO, and on 16 September the Alliance's Secretary General, Joseph Luns, arrived urgently in Reykjavik for talks. On 3 October, Great Britain was persuaded to withdraw its warships and on 8 November 1973 the two sides came to an agreement. British fishing vessels would enter certain areas of the 50-mile exclusive zone, but could not catch more than 130,000 tons of fish per year.
The agreement between the two states expired in 1975, when the "Fourth Bacalaw War" broke out. Iceland extended its exclusive economic zone to 200 nautical miles (370 km). Great Britain once again refused to accept it and urged its fishermen to violate it. The Icelanders continued to cause great damage to the British by "cutting nets" and also by ramming their ships.
The most serious incident occurred very close to the Icelandic coast, when three British tugs tried to ram an Icelandic coast guard ship. The latter returned fire and the three tugs were forced to retreat. Iceland appealed to the UN Security Council, accusing Great Britain of violating its national sovereignty. At the same time, Iceland sought to procure ships from the United States to improve the operational capabilities of its fleet. When Washington refused, Reykjavik turned to the Soviet Union.
At the height of the crisis, Iceland, in another political maneuver, threatened to close the NATO base at Keflavik, sending shivers down the spine of the Alliance, which was seeing its ability to confront the Soviet Union in the North Atlantic diminish. The last naval incident took place on 6 May 1976, the 'victim' being an Icelandic warship, which was badly damaged. It was the last act of the Bacalaw War. At midnight, the British warships were withdrawn from the 200-mile zone, following pressure from Washington and NATO, who did not want to lose a valuable ally such as Iceland.
The dispute between the two countries was finally resolved by the new 1982 Law of the Sea, which came into force on 14 November 1994 and provides, among other things, for a 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone on the high seas for each coastal state.
Source: sansimera.gr
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