Icelandic Coast Guard

The Origins of the Icelandic Coast Guard ( Landhelgisgæsla Íslands or Landhelgisgæslan ) can be traced back to the year 1859, when the corvette began Ørnen with patrols in Icelandic waters. In 1906, the first built specifically for this purpose patrol boat Islands Falk came to Iceland. The defense of its own territory at sea began about 1920. Officially, the Icelandic Coast Guard was established on 1 July 1926. A crucial role was played by the Icelandic Coast Guard at the time of the cod wars with England to fishing rights in the waters around Iceland.

Problem coastal protection

For years, Iceland had the fishing zones increases around the island and can be monitored as a NATO member, the United States. Now the base is Keflavík closed and the Americans are deducted. With the withdrawal of the Americans from Iceland, the country is responsible for coastal security itself. Not an easy task because the existing powers of LANDHELGISGÆSLAN are low. Finally, the independent 85th Group was formed as part of EUCOM (European Commands ) the Iceland Defense Force (IDF ) and was under the command of Colonel Philip G. Gibbons / USAF. He was placed under seven Squadrons with approximately 700 American and more than 700 Icelandic civilian employees. The fight strong component of the 85th Operations Squadron McDonnell Douglas F -15, F -18, Lockheed Martin HC -130, Orion, and Boeing KC -135 you will not miss. It is rather the 56 RQS, the 56th Rescue Squadron of the Americans with their nachtankfähigen helicopters Sikorsky HH -60G Pavehawk, which was stationed until now permanently in the North Atlantic to rescue (SAR ) and combat rescue missions to fly ( CSAR). In this gap now LANDHELGISGÆSLAN must encounter.

History

Tasks

But most important task is to protect the fishery limits. So, for example, had In mid-June 2006, the LANDHELGISGÆSLAN applied a trawler of the Faroe Islands with the help of a reconnaissance helicopter and a boarding party which was in the Icelandic fishery zone fishing.