Neptune's Navy

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Two of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ships, the MY Steve Irwin (left) and the MY Bob Barker (right), here both docked in Hobart

Neptune's Navy is the name that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society uses to refer to the ships it operates. Most of these vessels are used to disrupt or hinder fishing, whaling or sealing operations that the group considers illegal.[1]

Fleet[]

Past[]

One of Sea Shepherd's former ships, the RV Farley Mowat in Melbourne, Australia. It was permanently seized by the Government of Canada for illegal interference in the seal hunt.

The group has historically operated a number of vessels.[1] The Ocean Warrior, later renamed the RV Farley Mowat was purchased in 1996 but seized by the Canadian government in April 2008.[2] Due to the age of the vessel, the Society has decided not to pursue any avenue of reacquiring it. Paul Watson in fact stated that they had intentionally utilised a vessel that had become too old for Sea Shepherd to keep in action further.[3]

In June 2009 Sea Shepherd announced that the trimaran Earthrace, later renamed Ady Gil, would accompany its 2009–10 operations against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Pete Bethune, the operator of the vessel, said that an agreement was reached with Sea Shepherd for the boat to adopt a support role.[4] On October 17, 2009, the Earthrace was presented to the media with a new black paint job, and renamed Ady Gil, after the name of a major sponsor. On January 6, 2010 the vessel was badly damaged in a collision at sea with the Japanese vessel Shōnan Maru 2.[5] The Ady Gil sank on January 8 while she was being towed towards the French Dumont d'Urville Station in Antarctica after it filled with water and became too heavy to tow. The financial loss was estimated at about $1.5 million.[6]

One of Sea Shepherd former boats, the MY Ady Gil in Hobart, Tasmania. The vessel sank after a collision with a Japanese whaler under disputed circumstances.

The Steve Irwin was obtained in 2006 and originally called the Robert Hunter. It was renamed in honor of Australian Steve Irwin ("The Crocodile Hunter").[7] Terri Irwin, his widow, gave her support to Sea Shepherd, saying, "Whales have always been in Steve's heart and in 2006 he was investigating the possibility of joining the Sea Shepherd on part of its journey to defend these beautiful animals."[8] Sea Shepherd operated the MY Steve Irwin until December 2018. Because of high maintenance cost and the ship's age the vessel was decommissioned and retired from the Sea Shepherd Fleet. It will be stripped for parts with most being transferred to the MY Ocean Warrior.[9]

Because of the COVID 19 pandemic Sea Shepherd has ended up selling vessels instead of maintaining them. Sea Shepherd acquired the Ocean 7 Adventurer for its 2011 campaign against Japanese whaling in the Antarctic, renaming it MV Gojira.[10] After a legal claim, Sea Shepherd have renamed the MV Gojira and the vessel is now known as MV Brigitte Bardot.[11] On December 29, 2011 the vessel was damaged by a 6 m (20 ft) rogue wave whilst pursuing the Japanese whaling fleet during Operation Divine Wind off the western coast of Australia. The main hull was cracked and the port side pontoon needed to be held together by straps.[12] In response to this incident and new tactics employed by the Japanese whaling fleet, Paul Watson has stated that he intends to procure more vessels to prevent themselves being outnumbered and shorthanded in future engagements. The Bardot served Sea Shepherd well for 11 years doing campaigns in the Faroe Islands, the Mediterranean, and the US until the pandemic when Paul Watson ordered it and the MY Alchemy retired because of high maintenance cost and the cost of transportation to campaigns and Sea Shepherd moving away from yachts to double hull vessels to prevent them being crushed when they are on campaign or in the ocean.[13]

MV Brigitte Bardot docked in Circular Quay, Sydney
Past vessels
Vessel name[14] Years
in use 		Flagged Fate
Sea Shepherd/Sea Shepherd I[15] 1978–79 UK Retired
Sea Shepherd II[15] 1980–92 UK Retired
Divine Wind[16] 1987–88 Panama Sold
Edward Abbey/Sirenian[17] 1990–2005 USA/Canada Donated to Ecuador
Cleveland Amory[18] 1993–94 Canada Retired
Whales Forever[19] 1994–96 St. Vincent Retired
Sea Shepherd III (1997)
Ocean Warrior (1996)
RV Farley Mowat (2002)[16] 		1997–2008 Canada (2002), UK (2006),
Belize (2006–07), Netherlands (2008) 		Seized by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Earthrace/MY Ady Gil [20] 2010 New Zealand Partnership
Sank after collision
Golfo Azzurro[21] 2012 Netherlands Chartered
Robert Hunter/MY Steve Irwin [22]
(Sea Shepherd Flagship[23]) 		2006 – 2018 UK/Netherlands Retired in late-2018[24][25]
MY Alchemy[26] 2018 – 2019 Marshal Islands Sold to new owner because of the pandemic
Gojira/MV Brigitte Bardot[27] 2010 – 2021 Dominica Retired in June 2021 and sold to private owner[28]

Current[]

As of 2018, the conservation society operates twelve ships, the MY Bob Barker, M/Y Conrad the MY Sam Simon, the RV Martin Sheen, the MY Jairo Mora Sandoval, a new MY Farley Mowat, the MV John Paul DeJoria,[29][30][31] the MY Ocean Warrior, the MV Sharpie, the MV Emanuel Bronner, , and the MV White Holly.

The 1200-tonne Bob Barker, was named after famous television game-show host and animal activist Bob Barker, who made the purchase of the retired Norwegian whaling vessel possible with a donation of US$5 million.[32] This ship and the Irwin were both given new dazzle paint jobs in 2011. They are easier to tell apart now since the Irwin has a 77 painted on its bow while the Bob Barker has a sharks mouth design on its bow.

Because of what happened with the Brigitte Bardot Sea Shepherd has transitioned away from yachts and trimarans for fast patrol boats, cutters, and catamarans to modernize its fleet. Sea Shepherd acquired the 56 m (184 ft) long MY Sam Simon in June 2012, the vessel being named after the co-creator of The Simpsons who made a sizable donation to finance the vessel's purchase. Sam Simon was formerly operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency at the Maizuru Marine Laboratory under the name Seifu Maru.[33]

In January 2015, Sea Shepherd USA purchased two recently decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard patrol vessels. They are considerably faster than the other ships, with a top speed of 30 knots. These two ships are both 110-foot (34 m) Island-class patrol boats and are named MY John Paul DeJoria, (formerly named Jules Verne) and MY Farley Mowat.[34] In December 2017, Sea Shepherd unveiled a third U.S. Coast Guard patrol vessel, the MV Sharpie. This vessel is identical to the Farley Mowat and the John Paul DeJoria.

On January 26, 2015, at the annual Goed Geld Gala (Good Money Gala) in Amsterdam, Sea Shepherd received a donation of €8.3 million ($9.4 million) to purchase a new vessel for Sea Shepherd's submitted dream project "Stop Illegal Fishing in the Southern Ocean". The vessel was built by Dutch ship builder Damen in Turkey,[35] with a final cost of $12 million.[36] This custom-built ship is a Damen Stan patrol vessel 50 m long and 9 m wide. It was christened MY Ocean Warrior and it was launched in September 2016.[37][38] The Ocean Warrior is the current flagship, it has four engines capable of a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h), so it can outrun any ship in Japan's whaling fleet; it is also equipped with additional long-range fuel tanks.[36] Its maiden voyage was to be part of the 2016-2017 Operation Nemesis in the Southern Ocean.

On September 17, 2020 Sea Shepherd acquired the M/Y Conrad to replace the Bardot and the Alchemy for work in the Mediterranean because of the cost to ship those vessels there because of the pandemic and because of maintenance.[39]

On April 27, 2021, Sea Shepherd announced the purchase of a new ship, the Sea Eagle. The ship was purchased with the assistance of Allianz and will mostly be used for work in the Mediterranean Sea. [40]

Fleet as of 2021
Vessel name Years in service Flagged
MY Bob Barker[41] 2009 – present Netherlands
MY Sam Simon[42] 2012 – present Netherlands
MY Jairo Mora Sandoval 2013 – present UK
RV Martin Sheen[43] 2014 – present USA
MY Farley Mowat (new) 2015 – present Dominica
Jules Verne/MV John Paul DeJoria 2015 – present Dominica
MY Ocean Warrior
(fleet flagship)[44] 		2016 – present Netherlands
MV Emanuel Bronner 2017 – present Germany
MV Sharpie[45][46] 2017 – present Dominica
MV White Holly 2018 – present Dominica
M/Y Conrad 2020 – present Italy
MY Sea Eagle 2021 – present Netherlands

Other watercraft[]

The group has also operated smaller boats in its campaigns including jet skis, Delta RHIB and Zodiac inflatables deployed off of the larger vessels.[47] In 1999 Sea Shepherd briefly obtained a small personal submarine in hopes of using it against tribal whalers. The sub was never fully functional and Sea Shepherd decided to sell it instead for an undisclosed price.[1][48]

Aircraft[]

In addition to their maritime assets, Sea Shepherd also operates several types of aircraft from their ships; these have included Sikorsky S-300 and MD 500 helicopters which typically are carried aboard the Steve Irwin, unmanned drones, and a microlight aircraft that was briefly used during their campaign in the Faroe Islands. The aircraft are used to conduct forward reconnaissance to search for targets beyond visual range, as well as to monitor operations once a target is acquired.

Registration concerns[]

Sea Shepherd flag flying on the RV Farley Mowat.

The vessels being engaged in controversial activities has caused registration issues with multiple governments, and the ships of the fleet have flown the flags of several different nations.[49][50][51][52][53]

In August 2006, the Farley Mowat had its registration revoked by Canada. Later that year, Japan requested that the United Kingdom strip the Robert Hunter of its flag and for Belize to strip the Farley Mowat of hers. The Robert Hunter was removed from the shipping registers of the United Kingdom since its activities were "inconsistent with her status as a pleasure vessel."[50] The International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize withdrew the use of the nation's flag after finding the Farley Mowat was not being used as a pleasure craft and stated that "it could not condone acts that threatened life and property at sea."[51] The Mohawk Traditional Council of Kahnawake offered support and flags of the Iroquois Confederacy to fly on the Farley Mowat and the Robert Hunter.[49]

In early 2010, the Bob Barker briefly falsely flew a Norwegian flag with the intent to deceive Japanese whalers.[52]

The Steve Irwin now sails under the Dutch flag,[54] but legislation was introduced to ban the group from using it.[53] The junior transport minister later noted that there was no further intention of deregistering the Steve Irwin.[55] In February 2010, after repeated requests by Japan, a new bill was introduced which would modify the registry law to allow ships to be struck from the registry if their conduct harmed the Netherlands' reputation.[56]

Also in February 2010, Japan announced that Togo had struck the Bob Barker from its registry.[57] The Bob Barker has since been re-registered in the Netherlands.[58]

References[]

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  4. ^ "Futuristic boat to join whale protest". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. June 29, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
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  6. ^ ABC News, January 8, 2010, Ady Gil sinks after whaling skirmish
  7. ^ Wotherspoon, Sarah (December 5, 2007). "Protest ship renamed to honour Croc Hunter Steve Irwin". Herald Sun. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  8. ^ "Sea Shepherd vessel named in honour of Steve Irwin". Shipping Times. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  9. ^ "Sea Shepherd Retires Steve Irwin". December 3, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  10. ^ Darby, Andrew (November 18, 2010). "Ady Gil and whalers both at fault for collision: inquiry". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  11. ^ "The Beast Transforms into a Beauty as Godzilla Becomes the Brigitte Bardot". Sea Shepherd. May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  12. ^ Jiji Press, "Sea Shepherd scouting vessel badly damaged", Japan Times, December 30, 2011, p. 2.
  13. ^ "Sea Shepherd Retires High-Speed Trimaran, Brigitte Bardot". Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  14. ^ "Sea Shepherd Welcomes the Farley Mowat and the Jules Verne to its Fleet". June 1, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b The Age Conservationist Admits Ramming 'Whaler' Accessed 090731
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "Complete List of Sea Shepherd Voyages". Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  17. ^ Sea Shepherd Vessel Departs US for Five-Year Patrol & Relief Mission in Galapagos Islands Business Wire, Accessed August 6, 2009.
  18. ^ "Neptune's Navy". Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  19. ^ "Norway shoots at anti-whalers". The Ellensburg Daily Record. July 7, 1994. p. 6. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
  20. ^ "Ady Gil and Japanese whaler both blamed for collision". The Guardian. November 18, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  21. ^ "Death in the Ferocious Isles: Sea Shepherd under Escort by the Danish Navy". Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. August 18, 2010. Archived from the original on February 12, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
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  23. ^ Sea Shepherd Worldwide Fleet.
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  29. ^ "Sea Shepherd eyes new ship".
  30. ^ Andrew Darby (June 26, 2009). "'Spaceship' boosts anti-whaling force". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  31. ^ "The Time is Right for Bob Barker to Rescue the Whales". Sea Shepherd. January 5, 2010. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
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  33. ^ Jiji Press, "Sea Shepherd converts Japan ship", Japan Times, December 13, 2012, p. 3
  34. ^ "Sea Shepherd Welcomes the Farley Mowat and the Jules Verne to its Fleet". Sea Shepherd Global. June 2, 2015. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  35. ^ "Sea Shepherd receives 8.3 million Euros from the Dutch Postcode Lottery for the Protection of the Southern Ocean". Sea Shepherd Global. January 27, 2015. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b Flitton, Daniel (November 15, 2016). "Sea Shepherd's $12m new custom-built vessel arrives in Australia". The Age. Australia. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
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  38. ^ Ronson, Jacqueline (March 31, 2016). "Sea Shepherd's First Custom Anti-Whaling Boat Will Intimidate Antarctica Crooks". Inverse. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
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  42. ^ "The M/V Sam Simon to Join the Sea Shepherd Fleet for the Next Voyage to Antarctica". Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. June 21, 2012. Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  43. ^ halter, Reese (November 10, 2014). "Martin Sheen Protects Oceans, Newest Sea Shepherd Vessel Unveiled". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
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  57. ^ "Detained antiwhaling activist in good health: Okada". Kyodo News International. February 19, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  58. ^ "The Bob Barker Goes Dutch". May 25, 2010. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
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