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The Corfu Channel Incident consists of three separate events involving Royal Navy ships in the Channel of Corfu which took place in 1946, and it is considered an early episode of the Cold War.〔〔(Times Online ) Obituary: Lieutenant-Commander Hugh Knollys Navigator who won a DSC on D-Day and survived when his destroyer hit a mine in the postwar Corfu Channel incident.〕〔 During the first incident, Royal Navy ships came under fire from Albanian fortifications.〔 The second incident involved Royal Navy ships striking mines and the third incident occurred when the Royal Navy conducted mine-clearing operations in the Corfu Channel, but in Albanian territorial waters,〔 and Albania complained about them to the United Nations.〔 This series of incidents led to the ''Corfu Channel'' case, where the United Kingdom brought a case against the People's Republic of Albania to the International Court of Justice.〔(JSTOR ) The Corfu Channel Case Quincy Wright The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 43, No. 3 (July 1949), pp. 491–494 (article consists of 4 pages) Published by: American Society of International Law Retrieved 31-07-08〕 The Court rendered a decision under which Albania was to pay £844,000 to the United Kingdom. This is equivalent to £ in 2015 terms. Because of the incidents, Britain, in 1946, broke off talks with Albania aimed at establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Diplomatic relations were only restored in 1991.〔 == History == The incidents started on 15 May 1946 when two Royal Navy ships, HMS ''Orion'' and HMS ''Superb'', crossed the Corfu Channel following a prior inspection and clearing of the strait.〔〔(ABC CLIO Schools ) Corfu Channel Incident (1946)〕 While crossing they came under fire from fortifications situated on the Albanian coast.〔〔 Although the ships suffered no material damage and no human casualties occurred, Britain issued a formal demand for "an immediate and public apology from the Albanian Government".〔 Such apology was not forthcoming, however, and the Albanian Government claimed that the British ships had trespassed into Albanian territorial waters.〔〔(Digest of International Cases on the Law of the Sea ) By Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, United Nations Office of Legal Affairs Published by United Nations Publications, 2007 ISBN 978-92-1-133759-4. 272 pages〕 The second incident was more serious.〔 On 22 October 1946, a Royal Navy flotilla composed of the cruisers HMS ''Mauritius'' and HMS ''Leander'', and the destroyers and HMS ''Volage'', was ordered northward through the Corfu Channel with the express orders to test the Albanian reaction to their right of innocent passage.〔(Australian Journal of Legal History ) Half Light Between War and Peace: Herbert Vere Evatt, The Rule of International Law, and The Corfu Channel Case〕〔〔(Institute for International Law and Justice )〕 The crews were instructed to respond if attacked.〔 They were passing close to the Albanian coast in what they considered to be a mine-free zone with ''Mauritius'' leading and ''Saumarez'' following closely. ''Leander'' was about one and two-thirds of a nautical mile or three kilometres away accompanied by ''Volage''.〔 Near the bay of Saranda, just prior to 3 p.m., the destroyer ''Saumarez'' struck a mine and was heavily damaged.〔〔〔(People's war on BBC ) Picture of the moment of impact and estimate of men lost〕 The destroyer ''Volage'' was ordered to tow the ''Saumarez'' south to Corfu harbour.〔〔 At approximately 4:16 p.m., while towing, ''Volage'' struck a mine also and sustained heavy damage.〔〔 Both ships' bows were completely blown off and adverse weather conditions in the straits made the towing effort exceedingly difficult with both ships sailing stern-first,〔〔(HMS ''Cardigan Bay'' Association )〕 but after twelve hours of effort both ships managed to reach the Corfu harbour.〔 Forty-four men died and forty-two were injured in the incident.〔〔 Between thirty-two and forty-three of the dead are estimated to have belonged to the crew of ''Saumarez''.〔〔〔(Battleships UK ) Photo of HMS ''Saumarez'' after hitting a mine during the Corfu Channel Incident and estimate of men lost. Retrieved 31 July 2008〕 The ''Saumarez'' was damaged beyond repair while the damage to ''Volage'' was repairable.〔〔〔(The Threat of Force in International Law: ) the open framework The menu choice : a guide to interpretation Precedents of the International Court of Justice Deciphering post-Charter practice: means and limits Open threats to extract concessions Demonstrations of force Countervailing threats or ...By Nikolas Stürchler Published by Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-87388-8. 358 pages〕 The Albanian coastal batteries did not fire during this incident and an Albanian Navy vessel approached the scene flying the Albanian flag and a white flag.〔 Since Albania had no appropriate vessels at that time, the mines were probably laid by Yugoslavian minelayers ''Mljet'' and ''Meljine'' on Albanian request, around 20 October 1946.〔 Joseph Caruana, ''Pole minowe! Incydent w Kanale Korfu'', in: ''Okręty Wojenne'' nr. 2(30)/1999〕〔Owen Pearson.(''Albania as dictatorship and democracy: from isolation to the Kosovo War'', p. 154. )〕 The British Minister of Pensions at the time of the incident awarded full military pensions to the disabled and to the widows of the dead.〔(Hansard on the Corfu Channel Incident )〕 The third and final incident occurred on 12 November – 13 November 1946 when the Royal Navy carried out an additional mine sweeping operation in the Corfu channel, codenamed ''Operation Retail''.〔〔〔(The Law and Organisation of International Commodity Agreements ) By Kabir-ur-Rahman Khan Published by BRILL, 1982 ISBN 978-90-247-2554-0. 416 pages〕 Under the direction of the ''Allied Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean'' the mine-sweeping operation took place within Albanian territorial waters, but without authorisation by the Albanian government, and had the additional purpose of using the mines as ''corpora delicti'' to prove that the British were acting in self defence by attempting to clear hazards to navigation.〔〔 There was also present a French naval officer who, at the invitation of the ''Mediterranean Zone Board'', acted as an observer. An aircraft carrier, HMS ''Ocean''〔http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/hms_ocean_1945.htm〕 (Captain, later Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Casper John), cruisers and other warships provided cover. Twenty-two contact mines were discovered and cut from their undersea moorings. The placement of the mines was such that the minefield was deemed to have been deliberately designed and not simply a random aggregation of isolated mines. Two of the cut mines were sent to Malta for further examination.〔 It was then discovered that the mines were of German origin but they were free of rust and marine growth. They were also freshly painted and their mooring cables were recently lubricated. It was concluded that the minefield was laid shortly before the incident involving ''Saumarez'' and ''Volage''. Mine fragment analysis from the ''Volage'' confirmed the mines were similar to the ones at Malta.〔 Following the third incident, Albania, under prime minister Enver Hoxha, dispatched a telegram to the United Nations complaining about an incursion by the Royal Navy into Albanian coastal waters.〔〔(Straits Used for International Navigation ): A Spanish Perspective By José Antonio de Yturriaga Published by Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1991 ISBN 978-0-7923-1141-6. 372 pages〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Corfu Channel incident」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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