| Icelandic Coast Guard Landhelgisgæsla Íslands | |
|---|---|
 Icelandic Coast Guard insignia | |
 | |
.svg) | |
| Common name | Gæslan (The Guard) |
| Abbreviation | LHG |
| Motto | Við erum til taks Always Prepared |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1 July 1926 |
| Employees | 200 officers |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Iceland |
| Constituting instrument |
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| Specialist jurisdiction |
|
| Operational structure | |
| Agency executives | |
| Facilities | |
| Boats | 2 x Patrol vessels 2 x Patrol/survey boat |
| Patrol aircraft | 1Bombardier DHC-8-Q314 |
| Transport aircraft | 3Airbus H225s |
| Notables | |
| Significant operations | |
| Website | |
| lhg.is | |
TheIcelandic Coast Guard (Icelandic:Landhelgisgæsla Íslands,Landhelgisgæslan or simplyGæslan) is theIcelandic defence service responsible for search and rescue, maritime safety and security surveillance, national defense,[2] and law enforcement.[3] The nautical division is based at the port ofReykjavík, as well as a smaller base atSiglufjörður.[4] Its aeronautical division is based atReykjavík Airport.[5]
The Coast Guard is also responsible for theNATO area atKeflavík Airport and theIceland Air Defence System, which conducts ground-based surveillance of Iceland's air space.[6][7] It is also conducts hydrographic surveys and nautical charting.[8]
Its origins can be traced to 1859, when the corvetteØrnen 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.[9] The first cannon was put on the trawlerÞór in 1924 and on 23 June 1926 the first ship built for the Coast Guard, namedÓðinn, arrived in Iceland. Three years later, on 14 July 1929 the coastal defence shipÆgir was added to the Coast Guard fleet.[10]
The Icelandic Coast Guard played its largest role during the fishing rights dispute known as theCod Wars, between 1972 and 1976, when the Coast Guard ships wouldcut the trawl wires of British and West German trawlers, resulting in confrontations withRoyal Navy warships and tugs from the BritishMinistry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). The Icelandic Coast Guard goal was to enforce a disputed expansion of Iceland'sexclusive economic zone. Engagements between Icelandic gunboats and British warships involvingramming became the tactic of choice during this conflict.[11] At least 15 British frigates, five Icelandic patrol boats and one British supply ship were damaged by ramming between 1975 and 1976.[12] In the end, Iceland achieved its overall ambition of expanding its exclusive fishery zone to 200nautical miles (370 km) by June 1976.[13]
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.[1] The Coast Guard operates Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre (JRCC) Iceland which is responsible for search and rescue of vessels and aircraft in Iceland's search and rescue region (SRR) according to International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual.[14] Additionally the ICG is in the charge of defusingnaval mines, most of which were laid during theSecond World War,[15] and monitoring fisheries ininternational waters outside of the Icelandic economic zone in order toblacklist any vessel partaking inunregulated fishing and thus bar them from receiving services from any member of theNorth East Atlantic Fisheries Commission[16] in order to make unregulated fishing unprofitable. The Icelandic Coast Guard also occasionally operates within Greenlandic and Faeroese waters, following a bilateral agreement withDenmark regarding mutual aid in security, rescue and defence matters.
The Coast Guard accomplishes these tasks with the use ofoffshore patrol vessels (OPV),helicopters, surveillanceaircraft,satellites and a network of land based surface scanningradar.
The Icelandic Coast Guard is also in charge of theIceland Air Defence System, which operates four ground-basedAN-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 fromNorway,Denmark,Sweden and theUnited Kingdom, among others, participating along with the Icelandic Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has also taken part inpeacekeeping operations on behalf of theIcelandic Crisis Response Unit, although while usually using their own rank insignia, uniforms and weapons.
The fleet also takes part inFrontex operations, and in that roleICGV Týr played a major part in the rescue of over 300 Syrian refugees in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in January 2015.[17]
As of 2022[update], the Icelandic Coast Guard fleet consists of two OPVs, onecoastal hydrographic and patrol vessel and an independent fastrigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), as well as numerous smaller boats assigned to the larger units. In 2011 the Coast Guard receivedICGVÞór, built by the Asmar shipyard inTalcahuano,Chile.[18][19]
ICGVTýr, anÆgir-class offshore patrol vessel, the second youngest, built by Århus Flydedok a/s and launched in 1975.ICGV Ægir,lead ship of theÆgir class, is ICGVTýr'ssister ship, built by Ålborg Værft a/s and launched in 1968. Each ship is equipped with two or more RHIBs of various sizes and armed with a40 mm Bofors cannon. Various kinds ofsmall arms as well as other man-portable weapons are also carried on board each of the ships.Týr andÞór are also equipped withsonar systems and theÆgir-class vessels haveflight decks and ahangar for a smallhelicopter. While the Coast Guard does not operate small enough helicopters to use the hangars, the flight decks are often used by the helicopters of the Aeronautical Division on various missions.[citation needed]
The coastguard has a 73-ton patrol and hydrographic survey vessel, namedBaldur, built byVélsmiðja 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[20][21] to replace the 46-year oldICGVTýr.[22] It arrived for retrofit at Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam inSchiedam on 11 October and was formally delivered to the Coast Guard on 1 November 2021. She departed for Siglufjordur on 2 November.[23]
The Icelandic Coast Guard operates allemergency maritime rescue, land-basedsearch and rescue andemergency aerial medivac services in Iceland. Most of its mission time is dedicated to these purposes but also conducts maritime surveillance offishing grounds andgeological surveys (e.g. during volcanic eruptions)[24] using its fleet of helicopters and aircraft. Its fixed-wing aircraft have also been deployed inillegal migration flow surveillance in theMediterranean, on behalf ofFrontex.[25]
AfterWorld War II, the Coast Guard occasionally leased civilian aircraft for short term monitoring of shipping and fishing in the territorial waters, first in 1948 when aGrumman Goose was leased fromLoftleiðir.[26][27] On 10 December 1955, the Coast Guard acquired its first aircraft when aConsolidated PBY-6A Catalinaflying boat was acquired from the Civil Aviation Administration. It was originally from theIceland Defense Force but was damaged nearLanganes in 1954. It was namedRán and registered as TF-RAN.[28][29][27]
In 1972, the ICG, along with theIcelandic Association for Search and Rescue, bought its first specializedsearch and rescue helicopter, aSikorsky S-62 that was namedGná, from theUnited States Coast Guard.[30][31] Three years later,Gná crashed inSkálafell, with no injuries, after a shaft in the tail propeller broke.[32][33]
It took five years for another SAR helicopter to arrive but in 1980, the Coast Guard bought a newSikorsky S-76 which was given the nameRán. The helicopter performed admirably, including in March 1983, whenRán, along with a FrenchAérospatiale SA 330 Puma, one of two temporarily deployed in the country,[34] rescued 11 people fromHafrún ÍS-400 after it ran aground at Stigahlíð in theWestfjords.[35] However, in November 1983,Rán crashed in Jökulfirðir in theWestfjords of Iceland during a training mission, killing its four man crew,[36] in what remains the deadliest accident in the ICG history. The loss ofRán and some of the Coast Guard's most experienced flight members nearly caused the shutdown of its helicopter program.[37] After some deliberation, the decision was made in 1984 to continue the program and buy a newAérospatiale SA 365N Dauphin II and rent another until the new one would arrive.[38]
In 1985, the newSif arrived and with it, several changes were made to the helicopter program, including to training, expanding crew rosters, addition of helicopter doctors and shift plans to expand its availability.[37]Sif went on to become one of the ICG most successful aircraft to date. During its 22-year career it took part in several high profile rescue operations aroundIceland[39] and is credited to have been involved in the rescue of around 250 lives.[40]
In 1995, the ICG received a second specialised SAR helicopter when it bought anAérospatiale AS-332L1 Super Puma which was given the nameLíf. The new helicopter continued on the success ofSif and gained national fame when it rescued 39 sailors in three separate incidents during a six-day period in March 1997.[41]
As a response to the withdrawal of theIceland Defense Force in 2006, the Coast Guard expanded its helicopters to four in 2007. That number was later reduced to three.
Previous notable aircraft operated consisted of theConsolidated PBY Catalina,Douglas C-54,Fokker F27,Bell 47J/G,MD 500C,Sikorsky S-62,Sikorsky S-76,Eurocopter AS365,Eurocopter AS350.[42] Three former aircraft of the Icelandic Coast Guard can be viewed and boarded at theIcelandic Aviation Museum inAkureyri, the helicoptersTF-SIF andTF-LÍF, and the Fokker F-27 TF-SYN.[43]
As of 2022, it operates threeAirbus Helicopters H225 helicopters namedGná,Gróa andEir.[44]
The Coast Guard also operates a singleBombardier DHC-8-Q314, registered asTF-SIF, modified for maritime surveillance and reconnaissance. This plane has been extensively modified by FIELD to carry a modern Mission Management System and suite of surveillance sensors, air operable door and communications/navigation equipment.[45] It is occasionally also used for surveillance of volcanic eruptions, such as the2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull.
All major vehicles of the Icelandic Coast Guard are named after beings fromNorse mythology.
| Vessel | Origin | Type | Introduced | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICGV Freyja[46] |  South Korea | Patrol vessel | 2021 | Named after the goddessFreyja |
| ICGVÞór (IV) |  Chile | Patrol vessel | 2009 | Named after the godThor |
| ICGVBaldur (III) |  Iceland | Patrol vessel | 1991 | Named after the godBaldr, also performshydrographic survey duties |
| ICGVÓðinn (IV)[47] | Iceland | Special operations | 2011 | Named after the godÓðinn |
| Name | Type | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICGVÞór (I) | Armed trawler | 1926 | 1929 | The first ship owned by the Icelandic Coast Guard. Originally a trawler and later a Danish research vessel namedThor, it was bought byBjörgunarfélag Vestmannaeyja in 1920 to be used as a rescue ship. In 1926, the Icelandic government bought the ship for the Coast Guard. It stranded inHúnaflói in 1929.[48] |
| ICGV Óðinn (I) | Patrol vessel | 1926 | 1936 | Arrived in 1926[49] and served until it was sold to Sweden in 1936.[50] |
| ICGVÆgir (I) | Patrol vessel | 1929 | 1968 | Arrived new in July 1929.[51] Used for coastal patrol, rescue and research.[52] Sold for scrap in 1968.[53] |
| ICGV Þór (II) | Patrol vessel | 1930 | 1939 | Built in Stettin, Germany, in 1922 asSenator 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.[54] |
| ICGVGautur | Patrol vessel | 1938 | 1964 | Built in 1938 inAkureyri.[55] Originally namedÓðinn (II) but renamed when a newÓðinn (III) arrived, Gautur is one of Óðinn's pseudonyms. Put up for sale in 1963[56] and sold a year later.[57] |
| ICGVBaldur (I) | Fast patrol boat | 1945 | 1946 | A fast patrol boat originally built for theTurkish Navy in 1943 but expropriated by theUnited Kingdom. Bought early in 1946 but used for less than a year and returned because of bad characteristics in rough seas.[58][59] |
| ICGVNjörður | Fast patrol boat | 1945 | 1946 | Named afterNjörðr the god of wind, fertile land along the seacoast, as well asseamanship,sailing andfishing. A fast patrol boat originally built for theTurkish Navy in 1943 but expropriated by theUnited Kingdom. Bought early in 1946 but used for less than a year and returned because of bad characteristics in rough seas.[58][59] |
| ICGVBragi | Fast patrol boat | 1945 | 1946 | Named afterBragi the god ofpoetry. A fast patrol boat originally built for theTurkish Navy in 1943 but expropriated by theUnited Kingdom. Bought early in 1946 but used for less than a year and returned because of bad characteristics in rough seas.[58][59] |
| ICGVSæbjörg | Patrol and rescue ship | Built in 1947 to 1948. Owned by the National Life-saving Association of Iceland but operated by the ICG.[54] Decommissioned in the mid 1960s. | ||
| ICGVMaría 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[60] and sold in 1969.[61] |
| ICGVÞór (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.[48][62] |
| ICGVAlbert | 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.[63] |
| ICGV Óðinn (III) | Offshore patrol vessel | 1960 | 2006 | An offshore Patrol Vessel named afterÓðinn the all-seeing father of the gods. Decommissioned in 2006 and turned into amuseum ship.[64] |
| ICGV Ægir (II) | Ægir class | 1968 | 2020 | Danish-builtÆgir-class offshore patrol vessel named afterÆgir, 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.[65] |
| ICGVÁrvakur | 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.[66] | |
| ICGVTýr | Armedwhaler | 1972 | 1973 | Armed whaler (Hvalur 9) borrowed during the second Cod War[67] It was nicknamedHval-Týr by the Icelanders andMoby Dick by the British.[68] |
| ICGV Týr (II) | Ægir class | 1974 | 2021 | Danish-builtÆgir-class offshore patrol vessel named afterTýr, the god of combat and heroism. It was decommissioned in 2021 and put up for sale.[69][70][71] |
| ICGVBaldur (II) | Armed trawler | 1975 | 1977 | Named after the godBaldr, son ofÓðinn. An armed trawler which served in the thirdCod Wars conflict between Iceland and the United Kingdom. Due to its sharp stern, Baldur could inflict heavy damage on British ships colliding with its stern section and knocked out three frigates during the conflict.[72] |
| ICGVVer | Armed trawler | 1976 | 1976 | Built in 1974 in Poland for Krossvík hf. inAkranes. Operated by the ICG in the lastCod War in 1975–1976.[73] |
In addition the Coast Guard has rented or borrowed a number of civilian vessels and aircraft for shorter periods, which are not listed.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Introduced | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maritime patrol | ||||||
| Bombardier DHC-8-Q314 | Canada | Maritime patrol /SAR | -300 MSA | 1[74] | 2009 | TF-SIF |
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Airbus H225 | France | SAR /Utility | 3[74] | 2019 | TF-EIR TF-GRO TF-GNA | |
Radar station withAN/FPS-117(V)5
Control and Reporting CentreTheIceland Air Defense System monitorsIceland's airspace. Air Defense is provided by fighter jets fromNATO allies, which rotate units for theIcelandic Air Policing mission toKeflavik Airport.The Iceland Air Defense System's Control and Reporting Centre is at the ICG centre at Keflavik Airport and reports toNATO'sIntegrated Air Defense System CAOC Uedem in Germany.[7]
The Icelandic Coast Guard possesses over 200 firearms, with more than half of them in storage.[76][77][78] In 2014, the Coast Guard received 250Heckler & Koch MP5 from theNorwegian Armed Forces.[79] The acquisition of the weapons caused an uproar in Iceland due to several facts, including that the mostly unarmedIcelandic Police was to receive 150 of them and conflicting statements from Icelandic and Norwegian officials on whether they were a gift or bought.[80]In June 2015, the weapons were returned to Norway.[81]
| Model | Type | Origin | Quantity | Details | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glock 17 | Semi-automatic pistol |  Austria | 20 | Models 1990, 2006 and 2012. Bought from a dealership in Reykjavík. | [82] |
| H&K MP5A2N | Submachine gun |  West Germany | 50 | Model 1990. Gift from Norway in 2011. | [82][83] |
| AR-15 | Semi-automatic rifle |  United States | 6 | Model 2017. Bought the same year and first used during a peace keeping mission. | [82][84] |
| Rheinmetall MG 3 | General-purpose machine gun | West Germany | 10 | Model 1990. Gifted by Norway in 2013 along with 50 sets ofbody armour. | [82][83] |
| Bofors 40 mm L/70 | Autocannon |  Sweden | 4 | Purchased from Norway and refurbished. | [82] |
| Bofors 40 mm L/60 | Model 1936. Gift from Denmark. |
| Model | Type | Origin | Quantity | Details | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S&W .38 Police Special | Revolver | United States | 12 | Model 1940.Marshall aid. | [82] |
| Remington Model 870 | Pump actionshotgun | 4 | Model 2000. Bought from a dealership in Reykjavík. | ||
| M1 carbine | Carbine | 30 | Model 1940. Lent to the Reykjavík Police in 1986. | [85] | |
| M2 carbine | 20 | ||||
| SMLE Lee-Enfield | Bolt-action rifle |  British Empire | 10 | Model 1910. Unknown origin. | [82] |
| H&K G3 | Battle rifle | West Germany | 20 | Model 1959. Gift from Denmark 2006. | |
| Steyr SSG 69 | Sniper rifle | Austria | 8 | Model 1989. Bought from a dealership in Reykjavík. | |
| Browning M2 | Heavy machine gun | United States | 3 | Model 1939. Came with a seaplane which the ICG had in operation. | |
| Cannon 37 mm | Cannon |  Denmark | Model 1898. Gift from Denmark. | ||
| Cannon 47 mm | Model 1909. Gift from Denmark. | ||||
| Cannon 57 mm | 5 | Model 1892. Gift from Denmark. | |||
| QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss |  France | 1 | Model 1912. At a museum in Ísafjörður. |
| NATO code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | ||||||||||||||
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 Icelandic Coast Guard[86] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||||
| Forstjóri Landhelgisgæslunnar | Framkv.stjóri aðgerðasviðs | Framkv.stjóri siglingasviðs / Framkv.stjóri varnarmálasviðs | Flugrekstrarstjóri / Flaggskipherra / Yfirflugstjóri / Tæknistjóri | Skipherrar / Flugstjórar / Deildarstjórar | Næstráðandi / Yfirstýrimaður / Flugmaður / Yfirvélstjóri | Yfirmaður eftir 6 ár / Stýrimaður / Flugmaður / Vélstjóri | Yfirmaður eftir 2 ár / Stýrimaður / Flugmaður / Vélstjóri | Byrjandi í yfirmannastöðu | ||||||||||||||||
| NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Icelandic Coast Guard[86] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Millistjórnandi/sérfræðingur MS-3 | Millistjórnandi/sérfræðingur MS-2 | Millistjórnandi/sérfræðingur MS-1 | Undirmaður AS-4 | Undirmaður AS-3 | Undirmaður AS-2 | Undirmaður/Byrjandi AS-1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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