The Icelandic Coast Guard operates all
emergency maritime rescue, land-based
search and rescue and
emergency aerial medivac services in Iceland. Most of its mission time is dedicated to these purposes but also conducts maritime surveillance of
fishing grounds and
geological surveys (e.g. during volcanic eruptions) using its fleet of helicopters and aircraft. Its fixed-wing aircraft have also been deployed in
illegal migration flow surveillance in the
Mediterranean, on behalf of
Frontex.
History After
World 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 a
Grumman Goose was leased from
Loftleiðir. On 10 December 1955, the Coast Guard acquired its first aircraft when a
Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina flying boat was acquired from the Civil Aviation Administration. It was originally from the
Iceland Defense Force but was damaged near
Langanes in 1954. It was named
Rán and registered as TF-RAN. Three years later,
Gná crashed in
Skálafell, with no injuries, after a shaft in the tail propeller broke. It took five years for another SAR helicopter to arrive but in 1980, the Coast Guard bought a new
Sikorsky S-76 which was given the name
Rán. The helicopter performed admirably, including in March 1983, when
Rán, along with a French
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma, one of two temporarily deployed in the country, rescued 11 people from
Hafrún ÍS-400 after it ran aground at Stigahlíð in the
Westfjords. However, in November 1983,
Rán crashed in Jökulfirðir in the
Westfjords of Iceland during a training mission, killing its four man crew, in what remains the deadliest accident in the ICG history. The loss of
Rán and some of the Coast Guard's most experienced flight members nearly caused the shutdown of its helicopter program. After some deliberation, the decision was made in 1984 to continue the program and buy a new
Aérospatiale SA 365N Dauphin II and rent another until the new one would arrive. in 1989.In 1985, the new
Sif 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. and is credited to have been involved in the rescue of around 250 lives. In 1995, the ICG received a second specialised SAR helicopter when it bought an
Aérospatiale AS-332L1 Super Puma which was given the name
Líf. The new helicopter continued on the success of
Sif and gained national fame when it rescued 39 sailors in three separate incidents during a six-day period in March 1997. As a response to the withdrawal of the
Iceland Defense Force in 2006, the Coast Guard expanded its helicopters to four in 2007. That number was later reduced to three.
Retired aircraft Previous notable aircraft operated consisted of the
Consolidated PBY Catalina,
Douglas C-54,
Fokker F27,
Bell 47J/
G,
MD 500C,
Sikorsky S-62,
Sikorsky S-76,
Eurocopter AS365,
Eurocopter AS350. Three former aircraft of the Icelandic Coast Guard can be viewed and boarded at the
Icelandic Aviation Museum in
Akureyri, the helicopters
TF-SIF and
TF-LÍF, and the Fokker F-27 TF-SYN.
Today As of 2022, it operates three
Airbus Helicopters H225 helicopters named
Gná,
Gró and
Eir. The Coast Guard also operates a single
Bombardier DHC-8-Q314, registered as
TF-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. It is occasionally also used for surveillance of volcanic eruptions, such as the
2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull. ==Vehicles==