In May 1961, the Scottish trawler Red Crusader was apprehended by the Danish frigate Niels Ebbesen off the Faroe Islands for allegedly fishing in forbidden territorial waters. A Danish boarding party took control of the vessel and ordered it to head toward Tórshavn. However, Captain Edward Hewett had other plans.
In an audacious escape attempt, Hewett locked the Danish officers in the mess hall and turned the trawler toward Scotland. The Danish frigate pursued, firing solid shot cannon shells and machine-gun fire at the unarmed fishing boat, striking its hull and mast. Despite the bombardment, the Red Crusader managed to cross into international waters, eventually arriving safely in Aberdeen with the Danish captives still aboard.
The international legal battle that followed created a major diplomatic dispute between Great Britain and Denmark, eventually resulting in a commission of inquiry that clarified maritime rules on the use of force at sea.