The North Sea Patrol. Minesweepers of the Royal Navy, free from the hazardous war service, now play a vital role in protecting the rights of the North Sea fishermen. In the new spheres, they are the 'policeman' of the fishing grounds, ensuring the vessels from foreign ports do not take their catches from areas allocated to the British trawler fleets, and our austerity larder benefits greatly from their ceaseless vigilance. Recent Arctic weather, bringing ice floes down to the fishing grounds, has made the Navy men increase their effort. Restricted shipping gives the 'pirate' fishermen and a chance to work unobserved, and the minesweeper patrollers even more alert intercept and turn back any such attempt to 'poach' arrival captured the British fishermen. Photo shows, beneath the ubiquitous White Ensign, an officer on the minesweeper HMS Mariner scans the icy greyness of the North Sea for 'pirate' fishing vessels. 3 March 1947