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===2011===
===2011===
The ''Steve Irwin'' began patrolling the territorial waters of [[Libya]] in June 2011 in an effort to spot unauthorized bluefin tuna fishing boats and cut their fishing nets. It was met with attempts by some fishermen to incapacitate it, to which it responded with water hoses and stink bombs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Melvin|first=Don|title=Eco-group's founder uses 'aggressive nonviolence'|url=http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2011/06/13/activists_search_for_tuna_boats_with_helicopter/|accessdate=6 July 2011|newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]|date=13 June 2011|agency=[[Associated Press]]|quote=He hoped to find boats whose names were not on the ICCAT list at all, making them clearly illegal. Those he would confront, sending in divers to cut the nets and free the tuna.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Melvin|first=Don|title=Environmentalists, tuna fishers battle at sea|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Environmentalists-tuna-fishers-battle-at-sea-1418436.php|accessdate=6 July 2011|newspaper=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|date=11 June 2011|agency=[[Associated Press]]|quote=The fishermen also attempted to lay a rope in front of the activists' boat, the Steve Irwin — owned by the U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society — hoping to disable it. Environmentalists responded with fire hoses and stink bombs.}}</ref> On July 15, 2011 the ship was held by the British Government due to a pending lawsuit by a Maltese fishing company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2011/07/19/emergency-sos-from-captain-paul-watson-save-our-ship-1263|title=Emergency SOS from Captain Paul Watson: Save Our Ship!|publisher=[[Sea Shepherd Conservation Society]]|date=July 19, 2011|accessdate=July 22, 2011}}</ref> The ship was released on August 2, 2011 after a bond of [[Pound sterling|£]]520,000 was posted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2011/08/02/sea-shepherds-flagship-vessel-the-steve-irwin-is-free-at-last-1272|title=Sea Shepherd's Flagship Vessel the ''Steve Irwin'' is Free at Last|publisher=Sea Shepherd Conservation Society|date=August 2, 2011|accessdate=August 6, 2011}}</ref>{{Better source|date=August 2011}}
operation no compromise was quiet for the irwin. it only saw the nissan once and was forced to return to port before it could give chase. it did however aid in the search for the yacht bezerk when it sank. the irwin found the beserks liferaft and confermed the worst. the irwin never got to use its water cannon on the whalers since thay gave up and went home before the irwin could chatch them. later in the year the irwin receved a new WWII style [[dazzle paint]] job.(can we please request a photo of that) the paint job makes it easyer to tell it and [[MY bob barker]] apart at distance since the irwin has a 77 panted on its bow (which succeeded in fooling the us military and some somali pirates into thinking the irwin was a norwegian navy vessel) while the bob barker has a "cartoon shark mouth" on its bow. The ''Steve Irwin'' began patrolling the territorial waters of [[Libya]] in June 2011 in an effort to spot unauthorized bluefin tuna fishing boats and cut their fishing nets. It was met with attempts by some fishermen to incapacitate it, to which it responded with the water cannon and stink bombs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Melvin|first=Don|title=Eco-group's founder uses 'aggressive nonviolence'|url=http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2011/06/13/activists_search_for_tuna_boats_with_helicopter/|accessdate=6 July 2011|newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]|date=13 June 2011|agency=[[Associated Press]]|quote=He hoped to find boats whose names were not on the ICCAT list at all, making them clearly illegal. Those he would confront, sending in divers to cut the nets and free the tuna.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Melvin|first=Don|title=Environmentalists, tuna fishers battle at sea|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Environmentalists-tuna-fishers-battle-at-sea-1418436.php|accessdate=6 July 2011|newspaper=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|date=11 June 2011|agency=[[Associated Press]]|quote=The fishermen also attempted to lay a rope in front of the activists' boat, the Steve Irwin — owned by the U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society — hoping to disable it. Environmentalists responded with fire hoses and stink bombs.}}</ref> On July 15, 2011 the ship was held by the British Government due to a pending lawsuit by a Maltese fishing company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2011/07/19/emergency-sos-from-captain-paul-watson-save-our-ship-1263|title=Emergency SOS from Captain Paul Watson: Save Our Ship!|publisher=[[Sea Shepherd Conservation Society]]|date=July 19, 2011|accessdate=July 22, 2011}}</ref> The ship was released on August 2, 2011 after a bond of [[Pound sterling|£]]520,000 was posted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2011/08/02/sea-shepherds-flagship-vessel-the-steve-irwin-is-free-at-last-1272|title=Sea Shepherd's Flagship Vessel the ''Steve Irwin'' is Free at Last|publisher=Sea Shepherd Conservation Society|date=August 2, 2011|accessdate=August 6, 2011}}</ref>{{Better source|date=August 2011}}


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 19:57, 17 August 2011

Warning: Display title "MY Steve Irwin" overrides earlier display title "MY <i>Steve Irwin</i>" (help).
MY Steve Irwin refueling in Hobart, 2009
History
Name1975–2005: FPV Westra
Owner1975–1999: Secretary of State for Scotland
Operator1975–2003: Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency
Ordered1974
BuilderHall, Russell & Company, Aberdeen, Scotland
Yard number962
ChristenedFPV Westra
In service1975-2003
Out of service2003–2005 (laid up for disposal)
HomeportLeith, Scotland
Statusactive as of 2011
History
Dutch FlagNetherlands
Namelist error: <br /> list (help)
2005–2007: MV Robert Hunter
since 2007: MY Steve Irwin
OwnerSea Shepherd Conservation Society
Operatorsince 2005: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Port of registryRotterdam, Netherlands
In service2005
HomeportHobart Tasmania
IdentificationIMO number: 7340370
General characteristics
Class and typeIsland class patrol vessel
Tonnage885 grt
Length59.43 m (195 ft)
Beam10.97 m (36 ft)
Draught4.26 m (14 ft)
Propulsion2 x British Polar Engines 12 cylinder 2,100 bhp (1,600 kW), driving a variable-pitch propeller
Speed12.5–16.5 knots (23–31 km/h)
Crew43
Notes[1]

The MY Steve Irwin is the 59-meter (194 ft) flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and used in their direct action campaigns against whaling and other activities the group opposes. The vessel was built in 1975 and formerly served as a Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency conservation enforcement patrol boat, the FPV Westra, for 28 years.

Sea Shepherd had originally christened the vessel the MV Robert Hunter after Canadian Robert Hunter,[2] co-founder of Greenpeace, but it was renamed in honor of The Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin on December 5, 2007.[3] Irwin had considered joining the vessel on a voyage to Antarctica shortly before his death, and the renaming was endorsed by his widow Terri.[4]

Registration

In January 2007, the ship was struck from the British Ship Register after a Japanese request.[5] The boat has been registered in the Netherlands as of October 8, 2007.[6]

Career

The FPV Westra[1] was laid up ready for disposal in 2003 when Sea Shepherd purchased her and renamed her the Robert Hunter. The vessel was purchased because in previous campaigns the RV Farley Mowat could not keep up with the Nisshin Maru due to its greater speed.[citation needed]

2007

In February 2007, the Robert Hunter joined the Farley Mowat in order to prevent the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru from hunting in an action Sea Shepherd called Operation Leviathan. Sea Shepherd members threw bottles of butyric acid onto the decks of the Nisshin Maru. The Japanese say three members of the whaler were injured in the attack. The Robert Hunter and Farley Mowat obstructed the path of the whaling boat,[7] and the Robert Hunter and Kaiko Maru collided with each other. One Japanese official accused the Sea Shepherd organisation of behaving "like pirates". The Robert Hunter sustained a 3-foot gash in the hull above the waterline at the stern of the ship.[8] Three days after the collision, an unrelated fire broke out in the engine room of the whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru and killed one crew member.[9]

The Steve Irwin has also participated in "Operation Migaloo" (named after Migaloo, the albino humpback whale) that started in November 2007,[10] and after repairs were completed in Launceston and a brief stop over in Melbourne, she was scheduled to depart for the Antarctic on December 1, 2007. Some media have reported that during this operation, Sea Shepherd vowed to ram Japanese vessels involved in the hunting of whales.[11] Sea Shepherd has denied this statement, saying that they are a non-violent organization.[12]

2008

MY Steve Irwin arriving in Melbourne, 2008.

On January 15, 2008, after throwing packages of foul-smelling butyric acid onto the decks and attempting to entangle a hunting boat's propeller,[13] two Sea Shepherd members boarded the Japanese whaling vessel Yushin Maru № 2. Paul Watson stated that it was his intention to create an international incident through the boarding and expected detainment.[14] They later stated that their intent had been to present a protest note to its captain.[15] Benjamin Potts, a 28-year-old cook from Sydney, Australia, and Giles Lane, a 35-year-old engineer from Leeds, United Kingdom, were detained by crew of the Yushin Maru № 2.

Sea Shepherd claimed that the two had been kidnapped and tied to the radar mast for several hours with ropes and zip ties.[16] Potts and Lane, however, later stated that they were tied for only fifteen minutes to the side of the ship and a couple of minutes to the radio mast before being taken below deck.[17] Glenn Inwood, a spokesperson for the whalers from the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), said that the activists were being held in an unlocked office, but were being guarded.[18] In another statement, they stated that the action of boarding their vehicle was illegal and that the men were being held pending decisions on their future.[19]

On January 16 the ICR issued a statement claiming that the protesters had thrown canisters of acid on board the ship and attempted to damage property. They also denied claims that the men had been assaulted and tied to the ship's mast. Hideki Moronuki further stated that "The ICR (Institute of Cetacean Research) is ready to release the two Conservationists provided that full security can be secured for our research vessel. Sea Shepherd is a very violent organization." In a letter faxed to the Steve Irwin, the ICR stated that part of the handover conditions include that Sea Shepherd "must not take any violent action or video/photo shooting activities against us."[20] The acid in question was, according to Sea Shepherd, butyric acid, which was used not to damage the ship itself but to render the work-deck unusable due to its foul and long-lasting smell.[21]

On January 17, the Australian customs ship MV Oceanic Viking started preparation to transfer the two men held on the whaling vessel.[22] On the morning of January 18, the two men were safely transferred to the MV Oceanic Viking.[23] After an investigation by the Australian Federal Police, no criminal action was taken against the conservationists.[24]

Both sides accused the other of terrorism during the incident. The ICR called the butyric acid attack on the Yushin Maru № 2 an "inhumane terrorist attack" and called on the Australian Government to seize the Steve Irwin.[25] Conversely, Steve Irwin 1st Officer Peter Brown stated that “the Institute of Cetacean Research is acting like a terrorist organisation [...] Here they are taking hostages and making demands. Our policy is that we don’t respond to terrorist demands.”[26][27]

Following the March 3 clashes between Sea Shepherd members aboard the Steve Irwin and Japanese whalers, the Dutch government announced that it was investigating the incident as the vessel sails under the Dutch flag.[28]

2009

On February 6, the MY Steve Irwin collided with the vessel Yushin Maru № 2 (Japanese: 第2勇新丸) and later with the vessel Yushin Maru № 3 (Japanese: 第3勇新丸) while they were whaling in the Southern Ocean.[29] The Japanese-based Institute of Cetacean Research claimed that MY Steve Irwin deliberately turned into the stern side of the vessel Yushin Maru № 3 to ram her. Video footage of the incident was later released by the institute showing the incident.[30] MY Steve Irwin's operator Paul Watson denied the ramming, saying "They weren't rammed, two vessels collided - the Yushin Maru 3 and the Steve Irwin when they shot in front of us to transfer whale."[31]

For the next year, the ship was drydocked in Brisbane while repairs to the hull and other alterations could be made. Included in these renovations was the installation of the Steve Irwin's own water cannon for use in campaigns.[32] After departing drydock, the Ship toured around Australia, finally arriving in Fremantle to begin final preparations for Operation Waltzing Matilda, which she embarked upon on December 7.[citation needed] After three days, a suspected Japanese-chartered aircraft located the Steve Irwin en route to the Southern Ocean and instructed the MV Shōnan Maru 2 to observe the movements of the vessel. Contact with the security ship was made on December 10, with the Steve Irwin launching its helicopter and Delta RHIB to gather information on the vessel.[citation needed] Heavy swells barred the Delta from reaching the vessel, and, upon arrival, a Japanese LRAD was used against the helicopter which forced it to stand down.[33] For the next two weeks, the Shōnan Maru 2 continued to observe the Steve Irwin, despite continued attempts by the ship to lose the tail. Ultimately, the Steve Irwin returned to Australia, where the Shōnan Maru was unable to track it due to a heavy storm, in addition to legal complications. In addition, the Sea Shepherd Crew was assisted by a group called the "Taz Patrol," which tweeted the coordinates of the Yushin Maru № 3 to the Steve Irwin[citation needed]

2010

File:SeaSheaperd.theora.ogv
The Steve Irwin playing Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" over an amplified loudspeaker from the whalers' point of view on the Nisshin Maru.

In January 2010, the Ship continued to hunt for the Japanese fleet. After the loss of the MY Ady Gil in a collision with the Shonan Maru No.2, the Steve Irwin met up with the MY Bob Barker, with which it exchanged fuel, supplies, and crew.[34] The ship then returned to Fremantle to restock, departing on January 30.[35] In the meantime, the Bob Barker had located the factory ship, Nisshin Maru, and was tailing the ship. On February 8, the Steve Irwin joined the Bob Barker in pursuit of the Nisshin Maru. Once the two Sea Shepherd vessels had linked up, the Steve Irwin took up position behind the Nisshin Maru to obstruct the factory ships slipway and also engaged her with water cannon. On February 15, Pete Bethune departed from the Steve Irwin on a jet ski, boarding the MV Shōnan Maru 2. He was subsequently detained and later arrested by the Japanese Coast Guard for trespassing.[36][37][38] The two ships remained behind the whaler until the Steve Irwin was forced to return to Australia on February 18, arriving in Hobart on March 6.[citation needed]

2011

operation no compromise was quiet for the irwin. it only saw the nissan once and was forced to return to port before it could give chase. it did however aid in the search for the yacht bezerk when it sank. the irwin found the beserks liferaft and confermed the worst. the irwin never got to use its water cannon on the whalers since thay gave up and went home before the irwin could chatch them. later in the year the irwin receved a new WWII style dazzle paint job.(can we please request a photo of that) the paint job makes it easyer to tell it and MY bob barker apart at distance since the irwin has a 77 panted on its bow (which succeeded in fooling the us military and some somali pirates into thinking the irwin was a norwegian navy vessel) while the bob barker has a "cartoon shark mouth" on its bow. The Steve Irwin began patrolling the territorial waters of Libya in June 2011 in an effort to spot unauthorized bluefin tuna fishing boats and cut their fishing nets. It was met with attempts by some fishermen to incapacitate it, to which it responded with the water cannon and stink bombs.[39][40] On July 15, 2011 the ship was held by the British Government due to a pending lawsuit by a Maltese fishing company.[41] The ship was released on August 2, 2011 after a bond of £520,000 was posted.[42][better source needed]

References

  1. ^ a b "Fishery Protection Vessel List" (PDF). Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. April 30, 2007. p. 42. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  2. ^ Neptune's Navy, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
  3. ^ "Sea Shepherd Renames Its Whale Defending Ship the Steve Irwin". Sea Shepherd. December 5, 2007.
  4. ^ Sea Shepherd honours Steve Irwin Perth Now, December 5, 2007
  5. ^ Britain to deregister anti-whaler after Japan pipes up, The Age, January 30, 2007
  6. ^ Neptune’s Navy, The New Yorker, November 5, 2007
  7. ^ 2007.2.12 Sea Shepherd rammed The Kaiko Maru, Institute of Cetacean Research
  8. ^ Japanese whaler, anti-whaling ship collide, China Economic Net, February 15, 2007
  9. ^ Japanese whale hunt ended early , BBC News, February 28, 2007
  10. ^ Sea Shepherd Launches Campaign to Disrupt Japanese Whaling: Operation Migaloo, wildlifeextra.com
  11. ^ Environmentalists vow to ram whaling vessels, news.com.au, November 20, 2007
  12. ^ Sea Shepherd News, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, November 20, 2007
  13. ^ "Japan to release whaling activists". IHT/Asahi. January 17, 2008.[dead link]– Scholar search
  14. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Sea Shepherd. February 21, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  15. ^ Read the anti-whaling activists' letter, news.com.au, January 17, 2008
  16. ^ Whale protesters taken hostage, news.com.au, January 15, 2008
  17. ^ "Whaling protesters free on their ship", The Australian, January 18, 2008
  18. ^ Sea Shepherd demands activists' release ABC News, January 16, 2008, accessed January 16, 2008
  19. ^ "Japanese detain whaling activists". BBC News. January 15, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  20. ^ Whalers won't release hostages Daily Telegraph, February 17, 2008, accessed January 17, 2008
  21. ^ Sea Shepherd - How We Destroyed the Nisshin Maru
  22. ^ Australian ship Oceanic Viking may end Japanese whaling hostage drama Daily Telegraph, January 17, 2008, accessed January 17, 2008
  23. ^ Anti-Whaling pair return to Sea Shepherd
  24. ^ Canberra casts off whaling activists
  25. ^ "Protesters turn on each other in sea hunt for whalers". The Sydney Morning Herald. January 20, 2008.
  26. ^ "Japanese Whalers Make Demands for Return of Hostages". Sea Shepherd News. January 16, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
  27. ^ "Cape man fights whalers". CapeCodOnline.com. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  28. ^ "The Netherlands investigates anti-whaling campaign". March 5, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  29. ^ "MEDIA" (PDF). Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  30. ^ http://www.icrwhale.org/eng/090206SS2.wmv
  31. ^ "Garrett urges calm as whaling conflict escalates - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. February 7, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  32. ^ "'Spaceship' boosts anti-whaling force against Japan's might". Brisbanetimes.com.au. June 26, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  33. ^ Whale Wars, Season 3, Episode 1: "Surrounded by Spies"
  34. ^ "Countering Japan's Ministry of Truth". Sea Shepherd. February 8, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  35. ^ "Steve Irwin Rejoins Pursuit of Illegal Whalers". Sea Shepherd. February 2, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  36. ^ "Japan indicts anti-whaling activist". CNN. April 3, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  37. ^ "Japan charges New Zealand whaling activist Pete Bethune". BBC. April 3, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  38. ^ Fackler, Martin; McDonald, Mark (March 12, 2010). "Japanese Coast Guard Arrests Anti-Whaling Skipper". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  39. ^ Melvin, Don (13 June 2011). "Eco-group's founder uses 'aggressive nonviolence'". Boston Globe. Associated Press. Retrieved 6 July 2011. He hoped to find boats whose names were not on the ICCAT list at all, making them clearly illegal. Those he would confront, sending in divers to cut the nets and free the tuna.
  40. ^ Melvin, Don (11 June 2011). "Environmentalists, tuna fishers battle at sea". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Associated Press. Retrieved 6 July 2011. The fishermen also attempted to lay a rope in front of the activists' boat, the Steve Irwin — owned by the U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society — hoping to disable it. Environmentalists responded with fire hoses and stink bombs.
  41. ^ "Emergency SOS from Captain Paul Watson: Save Our Ship!". Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. July 19, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  42. ^ "Sea Shepherd's Flagship Vessel the Steve Irwin is Free at Last". Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. August 2, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
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