Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise on the Gareloch

Today a bunch of us from Faslane365, Faslane Peace Camp, Helensburgh CND and Trident Ploughshares were picked up from Helensburgh pier by a Greenpeace RIB, one of their inflatable speedboats, and taken out to the Greenpeace boat Arctic Sunrise where we joined members of Clergy Action, and MSPs Rosie Kane (SSP), Frances Curran (SSP) and Patrick Harvie (Green Party). On the pier we were being closely surveilled by the MOD (Ministry of Defense) polis and in the water we were accompanied by 3 MOD boats. Under dark clouds we sailed up the Gareloch to get the closest view most of us have ever had of the Vengeance in 12 Berth. The clergy went out in the RIB and laid a CND wreath in the water as close to the high security boom as the heavy police presence would allow. As I looked through binoculars at the dark grey metal sub, which carries the destructive power of 1500 Hiroshima bombs tears streamed down my face. After all these years of opposition these abominable things are still here in this beautiful place. Mists shrouded the hills. It was cold on deck and raining steadily.

Lunch was served in the galley, where I talked with Rosie Kane. She told of her 7 days in prison, where the women clearly understood why she was there. The government is planning to spend all this money on Trident but there is no money for their communities. Asked about Jack McConnell's recent parliamentary attack on MSPs who had been arrested in the Faslane365 Blockade she said she had to laugh at these politicians who built their careers signing CND petitions, but now that they are in power support Trident.

After lunch the Bosun gave us a tour of the boat. She is an Ice Breaker. Greenpeace did actions against her when she was a seal hunting vessel, before they bought her and refitted her for her present purposes as a campaigning vessel. Refitting her for campaigning was, I thought, a perfect ploughshare action. She will be docked at Greenock for a week, and sail down to London her current mission to oppose the government plans to upgrade Trident. Danny the Bosun from Brazil, who, rumour has it started life on the Sunrise as a stowaway and now is 3rd in command, showed us where the small arctic helicopter is stored in the hold, rolled into position on the hydraulic lift, which raises it up to the deck though 7 ton doors, then rolled onto the deck where it takes off and lands. The chopper wasn't on board for this campaign. It is currently on the Esperanza which is with the burning Japanese whaler in the Southern Ocean off the coast of Antarctica. Esperanza is offering to tow the whaler, because there is no help anywhere near and would take a month to get there. But apparently the Japanese are refusing help from Greenpeace, considering them to be terrorists. Unofficially, the situation is very strange because according to the Law of the seas, if a foundering ship is rescued by another vessel that vessel can claim the right of ownership of the vessel it rescues. Greenpeace would probably not want to claim that right, but then that would put them in the position of effectively giving a whaling vessel back to a company which would continue to use it for whaling.
See photos and read about the Defending Oceans campaign on the Greenpeace website at www.greenpeace.org.uk/oceans/?&CFID=6953701&CFTOKEN=33715979
Greenpeace also has some good info on Trident and nukes in general in the Peace and Disarmament section of their website: www.greenpeace.org.uk/contentlookup.cfm?SitekeyParam=D-F&CFID=6953701&CFTOKEN=33715979&MenuPoint=D

Meanwhile back in the Clyde Estuary it was time to say goodbye to the Sunrise. In rougher seas than when we had boarded we had to climb out the hatch through the side of the ship, down a rope ladder onto the bow pontoon of the Grey Whale, the RIB which was matching speed with the ship, its nose pressed against the hull of the Sunrise. When the RIB drifted a foot or two away leaving a gap, just as the person in front of me in the queue was about to step down so the crewman who was assisting had to pull him back up for a moment before it was safe again to step into the RIB. As we pulled away from the Sunrise we could see what a beautiful vessel she is in forest green with a rainbow and seagull on her prow and another rainbow and whales on the bridge. Speeding back over the rough water Danny gave us a bit of excitement at 20 to 25 then faster, perhaps 30 knots. We were hooting and hollering, and holding on tight to the side ropes. We hope to see them again later in the week when they are planning to deliver food to the peace camp.