Sea Shepherd’s MV Steve Irwin

Sea Shepherd’s MV Steve Irwin in Newcastle Harbour

Sea Shepherd’s MV Steve Irwin

Although now retired from from its confrontations with Japanese whaling fleets, the MV Steve Irwin still looks impressive with its camouflage and skull painted deck house. Docked at Thales Marine in Newcastle, New South Wales, the ship is now owned by the non-profit organisation Ship4Good. Tours are a great way to learn about the fight to save the whales while contributing to the preservation of the ship.

We met our tour guide at the Thales Security Gate, where we were issued hi-visibility jackets for the walk to the ship. The jackets were necessary because the Thales dock is a working area.

Ship’s History

After a safety briefing our tour started with a talk on the ship’s history. Originally serving 28 years as the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency conservation enforcement patrol boat, FPV Westra, Sea Shepherd purchased her in 2006. Although originally named the MV Robert Hunter after Canadian Robert Hunter, co-founder of Greenpeace it was renamed the MV Steve Irwin following his death. Steve had been considering joining the vessel the following year before his death.

Over the next 12 years, the ship undertook 17 voyages ranging from anti-whaling and illegal fishing. These occurred in areas as diverse as the Antarctic and Mediterranean. However, she is most famous for confronting the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. These clashes occurred as close range, with activists throwing stink bombs onto Japanese ships and attempting to entangles their propellors. On several occasions, ships rammed each other, a very dangerous action because of the freezing Antarctic waters.

Tour of the Ship

Over the next hour we toured the ship from the bridge to engine room. On the bridge we were able to see where the ship and its operations were directed, with the large windows providing an excellent view of the surrounding area.

In the engine room, the two British Polar 12-cylinder 2,100 bhp Engines with their turbo chargers showed why Sea Shepherd bought this ship. The engines and the ship’s design gave it a speed able to match and overake the Japanese whaling fleet, while being relatively stable in rough seas. Along with the embarked helicopter this enabled them to find and harass the whalers.

Getting Around the Ship

Anyone intending on touring the ship should be aware of several restrictions. Several of the rooms and corridors are small and narrow. So if you are claustrophobic, this may be a problem. Moving from one deck to another is via steep stairways. If you are mobility impaired or have small children this may make getting around difficult. Remember to wear sensible enclosed shoes, because of the stairs and outside surfaces.

We had a great time here learning about the Steve Irwin’s history and seeing the inner workings of the ship.

Comments

11 responses to “Sea Shepherd’s MV Steve Irwin”

  1. Mthobisi Magagula Avatar

    Wow that ship is indeed historical and I love your blog by the way, it is all about the journey and not the destination. Nicely written blog💯🔥🔥🔥

    1. Destinations Avatar

      Thankyou for reading, really pleased that you like the blog.

  2. GP Avatar

    What a great way to honor Steve Irwin and the crew that worked that ship. Saving this ship as a museum is fantastic!

    1. Destinations Avatar

      It’s great that it’s being preserved. Hopefully it will stay in Newcastle, but the owner may move it to Brisbane. All depends on finance. As long as it gets preserved I will be happy.

      1. GP Avatar

        I’m with you!

    1. Destinations Avatar

      Thankyou for reading, it was a great tour of the ship. We really enjoyed it.

  3. Mike and Kellye Hefner Avatar

    Great post! I believe this is the first post I’ve ever seen about a ship, and it was very interesting. Thank you for sharing the Steve Irwin with us!

    1. Destinations Avatar

      Thankyou for reading, I’m pleased that you liked it.

  4. WorldWideWalkies Avatar

    What a fabulous old ship! So glad she is being preserved, and what a lovely memory of the irrepressible and wonderful Steve Irwin. He’s one of my heroes!

    1. Destinations Avatar

      It’s great that the ship is being preserved and honoring Steve at the same time. One of our heroes too.

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