This POD occurs about a generation or so ago, during a dispute over fishing rights, after Iceland declared a 200 mile exclusion zone around itself. British [and others] fishing boats continued to work inside the exclusion zone, and tensions increased. I don't remember how it was resolved; or if it was, but there was an incident where the Icelandic gunboat Thor was rammed by a British warship after it tried to interfere with British fishing boats. Now the POD begins. OK, now what if world opinion went strongly against Britain; they were accused of acting like a schoolyard bully' taking advantage of poor little Iceland, fishing is all they got, etc. Public opinion was rabidly against Britain in the Scandinavian countries, so much so that the governments of Norway, Denmark and Sweden recalled their ambassadors from London, and threatened stronger action of Iceland didn't get a better deal.
To back up their word, Norway sent a destroyer, and Denmark despatched 2 frigates to the area of South East Iceland. The British boats continue to fish, Thor comes along again to stop them, and once again a RN ship rams Thor. But all of a sudden the Norwegian ship fires a shot across the bow of the RN destroyer, and her captain gets on the radio to his British counterpart, saying he is under strict orders from his govt. and has orders to fire on the Brits if they don't leave the Icelanders alone. The Danes concur with this. All of them are horrified at the thought of actually having to possibly shoot at the British, but they have been read the riot act, and know they will be court martialled if they don't strictly adhere to their orders. The governments in Copenhagen and Oslo are deadly serious.
So what happens next? Do the Brits blink first, do the Norse really have the will to carry out their threat, or what. I really can't see this turning into a shooting war, but stranger things have happened.
BTW, I realise this whole situation isn't entirely plausible, as Iceland had problems with Danish? fishing boats in later years, fishing inside the 200 mile zone, but lets overlook that and decide how far things could go in the name of Scandinavian 'unity'.
To back up their word, Norway sent a destroyer, and Denmark despatched 2 frigates to the area of South East Iceland. The British boats continue to fish, Thor comes along again to stop them, and once again a RN ship rams Thor. But all of a sudden the Norwegian ship fires a shot across the bow of the RN destroyer, and her captain gets on the radio to his British counterpart, saying he is under strict orders from his govt. and has orders to fire on the Brits if they don't leave the Icelanders alone. The Danes concur with this. All of them are horrified at the thought of actually having to possibly shoot at the British, but they have been read the riot act, and know they will be court martialled if they don't strictly adhere to their orders. The governments in Copenhagen and Oslo are deadly serious.
So what happens next? Do the Brits blink first, do the Norse really have the will to carry out their threat, or what. I really can't see this turning into a shooting war, but stranger things have happened.
BTW, I realise this whole situation isn't entirely plausible, as Iceland had problems with Danish? fishing boats in later years, fishing inside the 200 mile zone, but lets overlook that and decide how far things could go in the name of Scandinavian 'unity'.
