The Spanish fishing trawler Sonia sank off the Cornish coast of England on 20 October 1984. On 19 October, off the coast of County Wexford, Ireland, the Sonia had been spotted by the Irish Naval Service patrol vessel Aisling whose commander suspected the Spanish vessel was fishing illegally. The Sonia was ordered to halt and prepare to receive a boarding party but did not comply. The Aisling pursued the Sonia for five hours, during a force 8 storm. The crew of the Aisling fired almost 600 small arms rounds during the pursuit, initially as warning shots but later targeting the structure of the trawler. The pursuit ended once the Sonia reached British territorial waters. Some seven hours later, just after midnight on the morning of 20 October, the Sonia sent out a distress signal stating tha