What the last Cod War was like, by a veteran reporter
As a young reporter, I was on board HMS Leander in 1975 and saw several hair-raising close shaves between the British and Icelandic boats
British and Icelandic naval vessels faced-off in the Cod Wars in the mid-Seventies
Credit: Shutterstock
Does Britain’s threat of ‘gunboat diplomacy’ stand a better chance of success in saving our fish and protecting our fishermen from France and the EU than we had against Iceland in the ‘Cod Wars’ 45 years ago?
There certainly seems to be more determination on the part of ministers - at least so far - than there was all those years ago when as a rueful Roy Hattersely, then the Labour minister in charge, now recalls: We are always a bit embarrassed about sending warships against our friends and allies, the Icelanders.