The old Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn will leave the port at Vesturbugt today May 11th at one o‘clock. This will be Óðin’s first sailing in 14 years.
This is a test cruise where Óðin’s main engines will be restarted after several years of rest. Members of the Friends of Óðinn Association have in recent years worked on the maintenance of the ship and its engines which is one of their biggest tasks. Óðinn is owned by the Friends of Óðinn association but run by the Reykjavík Maritime Museum. Óðinn is one of the most popular and most beautiful part of the museum and a true harbour treasure.
The history of the Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn
The Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn was built in Aalborg, Denmark in 1959. It has a displacement of 910 tons, a length of 63 m, a beam of 10 m and a specially reinforced bow and hull for sailing through ice. Two main engines delivered a cruising speed of 18 knots. Navigation and telecommunication equipment was always state-of-the-art. The winch had a 20-ton bollard pull and a 3-km-long towline.
Óðinn took part in all three Cod Wars. Its most powerful weapon was a 57 mm cannon located on the bow. The most effective and famous weapon in the Cod Wars was the trawl warp cutter, which is displayed on the afterdeck. Óðinn proved a particularly good rescue vessel. It towed about 200 ships to land or safe shelter that had broken down, had fishing gear tangled in the propeller, or had caught fire. On 14 other occasions Óðinn pulled cargo ships or fishing vessels free that had run aground. Moreover, it rescued the crews of three vessels that had stranded, and twice saved the crews of sinking ships.
Óðinn patrolled Iceland’s territorial fishing grounds, monitoring both Icelandic and foreign vessels. This involved determining who was fishing and where, and the type of fishing equipment being used. Óðinn was often called on for assistance when weather conditions made transportation on land extremely difficult, particularly in remote communities. The helicopter was used when time was a factor in rescue missions and medical emergencies.
