Iceland requested an expansion of its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, and the first cod war lasted from September 1, 1958 to March 11, 1961, when the Icelandic Coast Guard shelled warnings and cut the nets of British fishing boats, while Britain sent ships to escort them. In the end Iceland won, but gave Britain a 3-year buffer period.
Iceland announced the expansion of its exclusive fishing area to 50 nautical miles. The Second Cod War lasted from September 1972 to November 1973, after an agreement within NATO that Iceland had a 50-nautical-mile exclusive fishing area, but britain could catch 150,000 tonnes of fish before 1975.
The Second Cod War produced the only casualty of the three Cod Wars: an engineer on an Icelandic patrol ship was electrocuted while welding and damage from the impact of a British warship.
On 19 July 1974, the British trawler CS Forester fished within 12 nautical miles of Icelandic territorial waters and was chased by the Icelandic patrol ship V/spor to 100 nautical miles offshore. V/Spor shelled the CS Forester with solid shells after the shelling deterrent failed, hitting two rounds and destroying the water tank and engine room. The captain was sentenced to 30 days in prison and fined £5,000.
Iceland announced the expansion of its exclusive economic zone to 200 nautical miles. The Third Cod War lasted from November 1975 to June 1976. On June 1, 1976, at a NATO-mediated meeting, Iceland and the United Kingdom reached an agreement. A total of 24 British trawlers are allowed to enter Iceland's exclusive economic zone to catch 30,000 tonnes of fish a year.
Icelandic Aegir-class patrol ships destroy British fishing boats
Icelandic patrol vessels used net cutters to cut the nets of British fishing vessels
Fishing net cutter
Schematic diagram of cutting a fishing net
Schematic diagram of the expansion of Iceland's exclusive economic zone
Cod Wars participating ships
The First Cod War
Iceland
2 patrol ships, 4 patrol boats
United Kingdom
17 destroyers, 19 frigates, 1 mine-laying ship, 1 minesweeper, 10 supply ships
Second Cod War
Iceland
3 patrol ships, 2 patrol boats, 1 armed whaling ship
United Kingdom
30 frigates, 1 destroyer, 11 supply ships
Third Cod War
Iceland
4 patrol boats, 2 patrol boats, 2 armed trawlers
United Kingdom
22 frigates, 7 supply ships
The Third Cod War was damaged on both sides
Iceland
5 patrol boats were damaged
United Kingdom
1 trawler, 15 frigates, and 1 supply ship were damaged
The Icelandic patrol ship ICGV Odinn and the British Lyander class frigate HMS Scylla during the Third Cod War
A painting depicting an Icelandic Aegir-class patrol ship destroying a British fishing boat
Battleship ships (partial)
Icelandic ICGV Odinn patrol ship
British Leander-class frigate HMS Scylla
The Icelandic patrol ship ICGV TYR, which rammed the British frigate Type 12 Andromeda, on 28 December 1975
British Frigate Type 12 Andromeda
Image from the web