SV Rainbow Warrior

SV Rainbow Warrior

"There will come a time when the earth is sick and the animals and plants begin to die. Then the Indians will regain their spirit and gather people of all nations, colours and beliefs to join together in the fight to save the Earth: The Rainbow Warriors."

Named after this native American prophecy, the Rainbow Warrior is not only the Greenpeace flagship, she is an icon for environmentalists around the globe.

The original Rainbow Warrior was a rusty 418-tonne trawler called the Sir William Hardy, found languishing in the Isle of Dogs by Greenpeace in 1978. Overhauled by London volunteers in just three months, she set off to confront Norwegian and Icelandic whaling fleets. It was to be a dangerous mission, with bad weather and visibility, and the threat of violence. But it was a successful one as the crew worked out how to decipher the whalers radio signals, and succeeded in positioning themselves between the harpoons and the whales, saving many lives.

Famous for the violence of her own destruction: In early 1985, a French secret service agent planted two bombs on her, whilst she was moored in Auckland Harbour in New Zealand. The ship sank. And the ship's photographer Fernando Pereira drowned.

The second Rainbow Warrior was built in 1957 in Yorkshire, as a steam-powered fishing vessel. Converted by Greenpeace, she is now 55.2 metres long with a sailing speed of five to seven knots and a maximum speed under engine power of 12 knots. She has a large oak dolphin standing on her fore-deck, and carries the wheel and bell from the original ship. See for yourself and take a virtual tour of the ship.

The Rainbow Warrior has travelled everywhere from South America to the South Pacific, from the Antarctic to the Atlantic. And she has been involved in all the Greenpeace campaigns protesting against Star wars, challenging the World Trade Organisation in Dohar, promoting renewable energy, intercepting British Nuclear Fuels plutonium transports, the list is endless.