British mining feints complicate Norwegian neutrality patrols

Norwegian neutrality patrols had to distinguish actual British mine-laying from deliberate feints. Some British destroyers could lay mines, others escorted minelayers, and ships without mine-laying equipment sometimes imitated the operation. A slow passage along a mine-laying pattern could suggest that a destroyer or light cruiser had created a minefield even when it had laid nothing. The activity repeatedly angered Norwegian authorities, while British complaints that Norway was failing to mine its own waters met objections about funding and permission. Norwegian destroyer captains also received command of nearby torpedo boats and broad instructions to take whatever action the situation required.