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Around 8.30pm, 10 July 1985, Jean-Michel Bartelo put on his scuba gear and slipped beneath the water, heading for the Rainbow Warrior.
At the time, a French volunteer known as Frederique Bonlieu was helping out in the Greenpeace office in Auckland. But Bonlieu was in fact Christine Cabon, a French secret service agent.
In the office, she folded letters, sealed envelopes and sorted address labels. In secret, she monitored communication from the Rainbow Warrior, collected maps and investigated underwater equipment.
Her mission was to lay the groundwork for French saboteurs who were coming to sink the Rainbow Warrior.
The French wanted to stop Greenpeace’s plans for a peaceful protest against nuclear testing. They were particularly concerned about Polynesians launching outrigger canoes from the Rainbow Warrior. Polynesia is a French territory and the French feared any hint of independence.
The first bomb exploded at 11.38pm, lifting those in the mess off their seats. Davy Edwards rushed into the engine room to find a hole the size of a car, water pouring in.
Everyone was ordered off the ship but some went back to grab possessions. Fernando Pereira, the ship's photographer, was one of them, perhaps going after his precious cameras. There was a second explosion and, caught in a rush of water, Pereira drowned.
The crew were in shock. They gave statements to the New Zealand police, who reacted swiftly to the first act of terrorism on their soil.
Piecing together statements from members of the public, they were soon questioning a French couple, agents Prieur and Mafart of the French secret service.
Initially, the French government denied all knowledge but it soon became obvious that they were involved. As the evidence mounted, they admitted to planning the entire campaign.
Soon French Prime Minister Fabius appeared on television to tell a shocked world, "Agents of the DGSE (Secret Service) sank this boat. They acted on orders." The French minister of defence resigned.
Two divers, who were part of a large French Secret Service team, planted the bombs beneath the Rainbow Warrior. Only two French agents ever served time in prison, others simply disappeared.
In New Zealand, six weeks after the bombing, the preliminary hearing in the trial of agents Prieur and Mafart began in Auckland. It was expected to last for weeks but a deal was struck before the agents entered the courtroom.
In just 34 minutes, they pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and wilful damage, attracting sentences of 10 and 7 years to be served concurrently.
A UN negotiated settlement meant that the two agents were transferred to Hao atoll, a French military base in French Polynesia to serve their time. One was smuggled out of Tahiti under a false identity. They were each released in less than two years.
Fernando Pereira was a Dutch photographer, originally from Portugal. He drowned on 10 July 1985, when two explosions ripped through the hull of the Rainbow Warrior. The rest of the crew managed to flee to safety.
Pereira had just celebrated his 35th birthday in Rongelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands with the crew of the Rainbow Warrior. He was planning to go to Moruroa to bring photographs of French nuclear testing to the world. Tragically, his peaceful intention became the cause of his death.
Justice has never fully been served for the death of Fernando Pereira but his memory continues to inspire those aboard the Rainbow Warrior who work for a green and peaceful world.
After the bombing, the Rainbow Warrior was given a final resting place at Matauri Bay, in New Zealand's Cavalli Islands. It has become a living reef, attracting marine life and recreational divers.
The idea was first proposed by the New Zealand Underwater Association. It seemed a fitting end for a ship that had spent its time protecting the marine environment.
It was towed north with a patched hull on 2 December 1987. Ten days later, a crowd of well-wishers looked on as it was given a traditional Maori burial.
Now home to a complex ecosystem, the Rainbow Warrior has become a popular dive destination. The local Maori community maintains its kaitaki (conservation).
In a few short years, the Rainbow Warrior became an integral part of the environment it helped protect.
At the time, a French volunteer known as Frederique Bonlieu was helping out in the Greenpeace office in Auckland. But Bonlieu was in fact Christine Cabon, a French secret service agent.
In the office, she folded letters, sealed envelopes and sorted address labels. In secret, she monitored communication from the Rainbow Warrior, collected maps and investigated underwater equipment.
Her mission was to lay the groundwork for French saboteurs who were coming to sink the Rainbow Warrior.
The French wanted to stop Greenpeace’s plans for a peaceful protest against nuclear testing. They were particularly concerned about Polynesians launching outrigger canoes from the Rainbow Warrior. Polynesia is a French territory and the French feared any hint of independence.
The first bomb exploded at 11.38pm, lifting those in the mess off their seats. Davy Edwards rushed into the engine room to find a hole the size of a car, water pouring in.
Everyone was ordered off the ship but some went back to grab possessions. Fernando Pereira, the ship's photographer, was one of them, perhaps going after his precious cameras. There was a second explosion and, caught in a rush of water, Pereira drowned.
The crew were in shock. They gave statements to the New Zealand police, who reacted swiftly to the first act of terrorism on their soil.
Piecing together statements from members of the public, they were soon questioning a French couple, agents Prieur and Mafart of the French secret service.
Initially, the French government denied all knowledge but it soon became obvious that they were involved. As the evidence mounted, they admitted to planning the entire campaign.
Soon French Prime Minister Fabius appeared on television to tell a shocked world, "Agents of the DGSE (Secret Service) sank this boat. They acted on orders." The French minister of defence resigned.
Two divers, who were part of a large French Secret Service team, planted the bombs beneath the Rainbow Warrior. Only two French agents ever served time in prison, others simply disappeared.
In New Zealand, six weeks after the bombing, the preliminary hearing in the trial of agents Prieur and Mafart began in Auckland. It was expected to last for weeks but a deal was struck before the agents entered the courtroom.
In just 34 minutes, they pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and wilful damage, attracting sentences of 10 and 7 years to be served concurrently.
A UN negotiated settlement meant that the two agents were transferred to Hao atoll, a French military base in French Polynesia to serve their time. One was smuggled out of Tahiti under a false identity. They were each released in less than two years.
Death of a Greenpeace crew member
Fernando Pereira was a Dutch photographer, originally from Portugal. He drowned on 10 July 1985, when two explosions ripped through the hull of the Rainbow Warrior. The rest of the crew managed to flee to safety.
Pereira had just celebrated his 35th birthday in Rongelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands with the crew of the Rainbow Warrior. He was planning to go to Moruroa to bring photographs of French nuclear testing to the world. Tragically, his peaceful intention became the cause of his death.
Justice has never fully been served for the death of Fernando Pereira but his memory continues to inspire those aboard the Rainbow Warrior who work for a green and peaceful world.
2004: The Rainbow Warrior in Matauri Bay, New Zealand, where the crew have placed a wreath in memory of the first Rainbow Warrior lying below.
What happened to the Rainbow Warrior?
After the bombing, the Rainbow Warrior was given a final resting place at Matauri Bay, in New Zealand's Cavalli Islands. It has become a living reef, attracting marine life and recreational divers.
The idea was first proposed by the New Zealand Underwater Association. It seemed a fitting end for a ship that had spent its time protecting the marine environment.
It was towed north with a patched hull on 2 December 1987. Ten days later, a crowd of well-wishers looked on as it was given a traditional Maori burial.
Now home to a complex ecosystem, the Rainbow Warrior has become a popular dive destination. The local Maori community maintains its kaitaki (conservation).
In a few short years, the Rainbow Warrior became an integral part of the environment it helped protect.
You can't sink a rainbow
- The Rainbow Warrior sails again for a green & peaceful world
- Rainbow Warrior website
