DISPUTE: Inhabitants are concerned the Spanish authorities
want to control the British outpost of Gibraltar
Posted on 05/23/2009 7:29:31 AM PDT by yankeedame
Royal Navy warships have forced heavily armed Spanish ships to retreat from British waters around Gibraltar. Relations between the 30,000 residents of the British outpost and mainland Spain have become strained following what the Foreign Office described as 'a violation of British sovereignty'.
The warships were dispatched after Spanish ships sent boarding parties to inspect fishing boats in British waters, despite having no authority to do so.
DISPUTE: Inhabitants are concerned the Spanish authorities
want to control the British outpost of Gibraltar
The Rock's inhabitants fear Spain could damage their economy by making moves to seize control of its sea and air traffic.
The incident on May 8 is the latest in a long series since Britain was handed Gibraltar in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.
The Spanish Government has refused to recognise that territorial waters were a part of that agreement and made repeated attempts to reclaim them....
The latest incident followed a day after Gibraltar's government vowed to block EU moves to give responsibility for the environment around the Rock to Spain. A spokesman for Gibraltar's opposition GSLP/Liberal party said: 'The latest incident is far more serious than anything that has happened before. It represents a frontal challenge to British sovereignty, jurisdiction and control over Gibraltar's territorial sea. 'As such the UK must not only respond to Spain, but must also extract guarantees from Madrid that it will never happen again.'...
STAND-OFF: The Royal Navy sent warships to see off Spanish vessels
which had entered Gibraltar's waters
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Aren’t the Spanish about 0 - 435 versus the Royal Navy?
I lost count around 1820.
When I was stationed in Spain in the early 80s, Americans were not allowed to travel directly to Gibraltar because of the ongoing feud between Spain and England. We had to go to Morocco and take a ferry to visit Gibraltar. During my stay, relations between England and Spain thawed somewhat, and Americans were then allowed to walk across the bridge to Gibraltar (Spaniards could drive).
Nice to see some things never change...
The French have offered a plan whereby they would oversee the area as an honest broker to both the British and Spanish. The only condition is that it be renamed as “De Gaulle Stone”
Should add, that I was only talking about Navy-on-Navy. The Brits also have an airworthy Vulcan and an airworthy Victor to tank it. Plus a Lancaster. So they’ve got the heavy-bomber category, hands-down.
“New York State National Guard”
Careful there, buddy. The NY National Guard has much to be proud of, and could probably kick many countries ass all by themselves.
Do you mean the same NYS National Guard that has seen multiple Iraq deployments, or is there some othe group whom you wish to insult?
My Army days were concluded after I fought in the Korean War and received a serious injury that still remains. I did get a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for my experience.
Now, since you're ready to jump my ass, what has been your experience and why would you take offense when I was trying out a metaphorical example?
Read my #48, then fire away!
I agree...completely...
Though there are still some fine men - and lots of them in Britain, not as many as there should be and not as many as they need.
We in the U.S. are in no position to gloat.
To paraphrase Michelle — for the first time in my adult life, I no longer regard the majority of Americans as being worthy of the sacrifices of the many fine men whose losses we remember this week who have been lost while defending the Republic or the freedom of others
We are clearly overrun by assholes, perverts, Leftists, lazy, corrupt, dishonest, drug addled and inept clowns in America. The election of Obama confirmed my low opinion of most of today’s “Americans”...
This generation will be cursed by our grandchilden and their children...
If you look at my innocuous comment #23, then #46 & 47 to me you could see why I was waving my service record.
HA!!!!!
Wellllll kinda sorta? :o)
Lookit.
The Brits used to know how to be the best navy in the world!! {~that work? {g} }
Plus they weren't too shabby in the Falklands War, that has to count for something.
"The only area where the RN has a qualitative advantage over Spain is in nuke subs. And in a littoral fight Spain's subs would have an even fight with what the RN would throw at them...Setting aside the submarine issue (which would end up being a matter of one side or the other getting a lucky shot), the RN voluntarily abandoned organic air cover for it's Invincible-class CVLs when they retired the Sea Harrier. The RAF/RN Joint Harrier Force's GR.7s and 9s would get eaten alive by Spain's AV-8Bs, which are radar-equipped (the APG-65, which is also carried by the F/A-18C Hornet) and can bring AMRAAMs to the fight -- giving them a beyond-visual-range engagement capability that the RN couldn't counter...Unless the RN were to throw their Vanguards into the fight and turn Madrid and some of Spain's other major population centers into smoking glass, Spain would be the odds-on favorite --(favourite?)<-- I'm a Yank -- to win. Possibly in a cakewalk."
Ahhhhh you don't happen to *write* for Jane's by any chance, do you? If not, you should. Sound like you know your naval stuff inside and out & then some. ;^)
Explains why you had to correct an Army guy. :o)
Thanks for taking the time to relate up to date, accurate information concerning the topic at hand, my friend. :^)
Thanks - appreciate the comments and compliments! I don’t write for Janes, but I am an avid reader (Aviation Leak too!)
One thing to add, there never should have been a fight in the Falklands to begin with. Argentina was emboldened by major cuts in the RN in the late 70s an early 80s. Specifically the retirement and scrapping, without replacement, of the HMS Ark Royal - which was the last “conventional” (catapults and arrester gear) carrier in the RN, as well as the sale of HMS Invincible (later rescinded) to Australia and the retirement of HMS Intrepid (assault ship, which was quickly returned to service and took part in the retaking of the Islands).
It’s believed that if the RN still had the Ark, with her Phantoms (fighter/bombers with BVR capability), Buccaneers (medium attack jets) and Gannetts (airborne early warning and control), there’s no way that the Argentinians would have made a play for the Falklands.
Fascinating insight, my friend.
I recall Reagan catching unholy hell from the miserably rotten-to-the-core Liberal-Socialists *and* their quisling mediots for lending aid to Maggy T.
Some things never change, eh?
IIRC there was [some] serious doubt concerning the RN's Harrier jump-jet. Whether it could perform the entire job, was too slow for certain missions?
Now the Harrier-carrier {hey, a RAP? :o) } was/is an odd looking thing. However when compared to a conventional carrier, money-wise, a bargain considering the state of GB. Isn't that correct?
"It’s believed that if the RN still had the Ark, with her Phantoms (fighter/bombers with BVR capability), Buccaneers (medium attack jets) and Gannetts (airborne early warning and control), there’s no way that the Argentinians would have made a play for the Falklands."
I might've previously heard that theory, can't remember anymore. Age, it ain't for sissies. ;^)
I can clearly recall the chaos the French Exocet surface-to-surface missile caused, though. One even sunk a RN warship. Of course *that* sinking was avenged 10x over by the time everything was said and done.
The Argentinians had plenty to regret when the war ended, that's for sure.
In any event the Falklands were the last time the Brits had to do anything militarily and I thought their army, marines and the RN didn't do too bad.
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