ICGV Týr

ICGV Týr is an Ægir-class offshore patrol vessel and the flagship of the Icelandic Coast Guard. The ship was built by Dannebrog Værft in Denmark in 1974–1975 and entered service in 1975. Týr is the second largest ship in the Icelandic Coast Guard and participated in the Third Cod War. The ship conducts patrols, search and rescue, fishery inspections, general law enforcement and counter-terrorism operations in the Icelandic exclusive economic zone and the waters of the surrounding territories, such as Greenland and Jan Mayen.

ICGV Týr
History
Iceland
Name: Týr
Namesake: Týr
Builder: Dannebrog Værft, Denmark
Launched: 10 October 1974
Commissioned: 15 March 1975
Identification:
Status: Active in service
General characteristics
Class and type: Ægir-class offshore patrol vessel
Displacement:
  • 1,233 t (1,214 long tons) standard
  • 1,500 t (1,500 long tons) full load
Length: 71.1 m (233 ft 3 in)
Beam: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draught: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Propulsion:
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range: 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement: 19
Sensors and
processing systems:		 Sperry surface search radar E/F-band
Armament: 1 × Bofors 40 mm (1.6 in)/L70 gun
Aircraft carried: One helicopter (Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma)
Aviation facilities: Helicopter deck and hangar

Description

Týr has a standard displacement of 1,233 tonnes (1,214 long tons) and 1,500 t (1,500 long tons) at full load. The ship measures 71.1 metres (233 ft 3 in) long with a beam of 10 m (32 ft 10 in) and a draught of 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in). The vessel is powered by two MAN 8L 40/54 diesel engines turning two shafts with Kamewa controllable pitch propellers rated at 9,800 kilowatts (13,200 hp). This gives the ship a maximum speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) with a range of 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).[1][2] The vessels have a 20-ton bollard-pulling winch and passive rolling tanks.[2]

The Ægir class was initially armed with a 57 mm (2.2 in) Hotchkiss cannon.[2] However, these weapons were replaced in 1990 with the Bofors 40 mm (1.6 in)/L60 autocannon,[1] which in turn was replaced with the 40 mm Bofors L70 in the late 2000s. Other weapons include net cutters, which the Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG) used during the Cod Wars.[3] A large crane is situated forward of the helicopter deck. The ships of the class are equipped with Sperry surface search and navigational radar. Týr is equipped with hull-mounted sonar. The ship sports a helicopter deck aft and a hangar located between the funnels. In 1997, the helicopter deck was extended. The ship has a complement of 19.[1]

Construction and career

The patrol vessel was ordered for construction by Dannebrog Værft of Denmark and launched on 10 October 1974. The vessel, named for the deity of Norse mythology, was commissioned in the ICG on 15 March 1975.[1][2] Týr primarily conducts patrols, search and rescue, fishery inspections, general law enforcement and counter-terrorism operations in the Icelandic exclusive economic zone (EEZ).[1]

Cod Wars

The Third Cod War began after Iceland extended its EEZ to 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) in November 1975. ICG vessels were deployed to chase unlicensed fishing trawlers out of the new limit. On 21 November Týr began cutting the nets of British trawlers.[4] ICG had armed all of its trawlers with net cutters. If a fishing trawler refused to leave the area, the ICG ships would come up astern of the fishing trawler at a right angle and using the net cutter, cut the fishing vessel's nets. The loss of the nets and the catch within was an expensive proposition for the fishermen, so they began to work together to prevent the ICG vessels from cutting their nets. Some of the fishing trawlers tried to prevent the ICG from cutting their nets by ramming the ICG ships.[5] The British Royal Navy sent tugboats and frigates to assist the British trawlers in the region. This led to a series of confrontations between the ICG and the Royal Navy.[4]

After a quiet period around Christmas, on 28 December 1975, Týr rammed HMS Andromeda, which was escorting two fishing trawlers at the time. On 6 February 1976 Týr collided with HMS Juno after the British frigate intervened while the Icelandic patrol vessel was attempting to cut the nets of the trawler Ross Altair. On 1 April Týr was involved in seven collisions with HMS Salisbury and HMS Tartar. On 6 May 1976 Týr survived being rammed twice by HMS Falmouth, which led Captain Guðmundur Kjærnested to give the order to man the guns against the much more powerful warship to deter further ramming. The ship received serious damage in the incident.[4][6] The Third Cod War ended on 1 June after an agreement was reached between Iceland and the United Kingdom.[4]

Later career
Týr in the centre in 2007

In 1994, a crane was fitted in Týr forward of the helicopter deck on the starboard side. In 1997, the ship underwent a refit that extended its helicopter deck and installed a radome atop the ship. In 2006, Týr underwent a refit in Poland that improved the bridge and accommodations along with the installation of in-flight refuelling equipment for the helicopters.[1]

The Icelandic Coast Guard fleet takes part in Frontex operations. In December 2014 Týr played a major part in the rescue of 408 migrants 165 nautical miles (306 km; 190 mi) off the coast of Malta in a drifting cargo vessel.[7] of 359 Syrian refugees were rescued in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in January 2015 after they had been abandoned by the crew of the cargo ship Ezadeen off the Italian coast.[8][9] On 11 June 2015, Týr was rammed and damaged by the Russian sailing ship Kruzenshtern at Reykjavík.[10]

Citations
  1. Saunders 2009, p. 323.
  2. Couhat 1986, p. 237.
  3. Kurlansky 1998, p. 164.
  4. Jones 2009, pp. 116–119.
  5. Kurlansky 1998, pp. 164–165.
  6. Boyes 2009, p. 131.
  7. Helgason, Haukur Már (14 December 2014). "Coastal Patrol Vessel Týr Rescues 406 Migrants Drifting On "Deadliest Route"". The Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  8. "Triton: des marins du Nord pourchassent les trafiquants en Méditerranée" [Triton: Northern sailors chasing traffickers in the Mediterranean]. L'Express (in French). Agence France Presse. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  9. Hooper, John (3 January 2015). "Refugees give thanks after 'ghost ship' Ezadeen rescued in Mediterranean". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  10. Elliott, Alëx (12 June 2015). "Russian Ship Hits and Damages Icelandic Coastguard Vessels". icelandreview.com. Retrieved 12 June 2015.

References
  • Boyes, Roger (2009). Meltdown Iceland: Lessons on the World Financial Crisis From a Small Bankrupt Island. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-60819-018-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. (1986). Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85368-860-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Jones, Robert (2009). Safeguarding the Nation: The Story of the Modern Royal Navy. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-043-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Kurlansky, Mark (1998) [1997]. Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World (Vintage Canada ed.). Canada: Vintage Canada. ISBN 0-676-97111-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009–2010 (112 ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Jane's Information Group Inc. ISBN 0-7106-2888-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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