The SV Rainbow warrior sailing on the high seas.
The History
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.
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
Take a virtual tour of the ship here: