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In 1977, at Greenpeace's first European office in London a plan was hatched to buy a boat with which to protect whales in the North Atlantic. A North Sea trawler known as 'Sir William Hardy' was found in Aberdeen. It had been used as a fishery research trawler by the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
With a commitment from the World Wildlife Fund's Netherlands office to help finance the ship as part of their campaign to save the whales, Greenpeace was able to purchase, and completely overhaul the ship. Fresh paint, in striking rainbow patterns, was applied to the super-structure and on the bow a dove of peace carrying an olive branch symbolised the vessel's mission. It was then rechristened the Rainbow Warrior.
On 29 April 1978, as the Rainbow Warrior steamed proudly from the London docks, the Greenpeace and United Nations flags flew together to reflect not only the international composition of the 24-member crew from 10 countries, but global concern for the plight of the whales. This was the first of many exciting campaigns for the Rainbow Warrior, but they were brought to an unhappy end on July 10th 1985.
The Rainbow Warrior prepared to lead a peace flotilla of ships from New Zealand to Moruroa to peacefully protest against French nuclear testing. Three days after her arrival in Auckland, French agents bombed the Rainbow Warrior in the harbour, sinking the ship and killing Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira.
In 1987, after 2 years of international arbitration, a panel of 3 arbitrators ordered the French Government to pay Greenpeace a US $8.159 million damage claim settlement. Greenpeace pledged to use part of the award to support the world-wide fleet of ships and its campaigns for a nuclear and pollution free Pacific. Greenpeace reaffirmed its decision for a burial at sea as an honourable end for the ship. On December 12, the Rainbow Warrior was sunk in the clear deep waters of the Pacific at Matauri Bay in New Zealand, with full Maori ceremony.
You can't sink a Rainbow…
In 1989, Greenpeace acquired another sailing vessel, known then as the Grampian Fame. She was bought from North Star Fishing Company Ltd., who had been using her as an oil rig stand-by vessel.
The Grampian Fame had been built in 1957 as a fully riveted, steam powered fishing vessel, forty-four meters long. She was equipped to hold 300 survivors in the hold. In 1966, the length was increased to her present fifty-five meters and the engine converted to diesel power. Greenpeace converted the Grampian Fame into a motor/sailing vessel by constructing three masts on the hull. The re-fitted vessel was equipped with the latest in electronic navigation, sailing and communications equipment, capable of long-range work in the Pacific Ocean. The process included making changes to the accommodations, engine room, and the addition of a sail rig.
She was then christened Rainbow Warrior II and launched in Hamburg on 10 July 1989, the fourth anniversary of the sinking of the first Rainbow Warrior.
The Rainbow Warrior prevents the departure of Rhein, a ship carrying GM soy.
Select Headlines from Rainbow Warrior 's Activities Around the World
Some of the present Rainbow Warrior's greatest moments took place when it returned to Moruroa in 1995 to protest France's resumption of nuclear testing.
Despite being rammed and stormed by French commandos, the Rainbow Warrior continued the protest by joining a peace flotilla with ships from around the world, before being stormed again and having its crew arrested.
Highlights of campaign work the ship has been involved with between 2000 and 2003:
2000
September 1 Sydney Harbour: The Rainbow Warrior sailed into Sydney Harbour during the Olympic games, with a message to carry the Green Games torch beyond Sydney 2000 and hoisted a 17 x 3 metre banner reading "Give the Planet a Sporting Chance".
2001
February 13 Auckland, New Zealand: The SV Rainbow Warrior sets sail for the South Pacific Star Wars test site to protest against the next scheduled test of the system and to call on President George W Bush to scrap the programme. The SV Rainbow Warrior sailed to the US Army Missile Testing Range at Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands where the launch site is located for the so called "kill vehicle" - a missile intended to intercept a simulated enemy missile fired from the Vandenberg US Air Force Base in California.
2002
March 25 Salerno, Italy: Greenpeace climbers who had spent over 70 hours chained to the stern ramp of the Kwanza - a ship carrying timber from the Cameroon Rainforest - came down voluntarily, were arrested by the police and taken away for questioning. The 2 climbers came down due to adverse weather conditions including high winds, driving rain and even snow. Any attempt to prolong the protest would have seriously endangered their health. They had climbed on to the Kwanza before it came into port to protest against the import of timber from ancient forests.
2003
February 1 Southhampton, England: UK Ministry of Defense officials arrested the Rainbow Warrior after a six-day anti-war protest. Up to twenty police boarded the vessel while six Ministry of Defense and police boats, as well as a Royal Navy tugboat, surrounded the Rainbow Warrior. Despite an interim high court ruling which denied a request by the Secretary of State for Defense to ban the Rainbow Warrior from the area, the Defense Department directed the forced removal of the Greenpeace vessel from Southhampton docks until further notice.
September 05 Reykjavik harbour, Iceland: The Rainbow Warrior launched a public tour that took the ship around the small North Atlantic Island. Greenpeace presented an offer to the Icelandic Government, giving them a chance to save their globally damaged reputation and the whales of the world, by turning the island into a 'Whale-Watching' destination for tourists.
June 13 Valencia, Spain: The Rainbow Warrior was boarded by approximately 50 agents of the Spanish Civil Guard riot police. The ship was sent to anchor and the captain and two activists were arrested for having boarded the timber transport vessel, Honour. They had been able to secure themselves onto the Honour's cranes, anchor chain and a boat ladder of the harbour pilot, in an 18 hour long protest before the Civil Guard took action against the environmentalists.
HIGHLIGHTS OF RAINBOW WARRIOR'S PREVIOUS VOYAGES TO INDIA
Rainbow Warrior Toxics Free Asia Tour 1999
Dec 10 1999 - Crew and activists on board the Rainbow Warrior blockaded the cargo vessel Clare headed for the ship-breaking yards at Alang, and in the following four days at shipbreaking yards, counted more than 60 ships in various stages of breaking, of which several were positively identified as OECD operated/owned.
Dec 22 1999 - The Rainbow Warrior tour moves on to Kerala, where the DDT Factory owned by Hindustan Insecticides Limited (HIL) is declared a toxic hotspot for releasing Persistent Organic Pollutants to the environment. The activists posted signs in sample spots and at the front of the factory, warning locals of the dangers to their health and environment that the factory poses. January 8 2000 - In an innovative 'music with a message' concert, musicians came together at Chennai as the Rainbow Warrior hosted a 'No more Bhopals' concert coordinated by "The Banned". This music concert was attended by over 5000 youth who left with a clear message to Remember Bhopal.
Rainbow Warrior's Corporate Accountability Tour of India
November 12 2003 - Rainbow Warrior arrived at Alang on the first leg of its "Corporate Accountability tour of India" to find that a UK ship "Genova Bridge" had beached at Alang, laden with toxic substances like PCBs, Asbestos, waste oil, sludge, TBT etc. Genova Bridge, (17665 dwt ro/ro; flag-St. Vincent & Grenadines; owner- V. Ships Commercial, London) was beached on November 9, 2003 even as the British authorities refused to give permission to US naval ships (the controversial Ghost fleet) for scrapping on their shores following environmental concerns raised by public, environmental organisations and the authorities themselves.
Find out more at our archived site: http://archive.greenpeace.org/saveordelete/warrior/rwarrior.html http://archive.greenpeace.org/~comms/rw/rw.html
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