U.S. Navy holes protest ship

Press, 6 December 1989, Page 1

U.S. Navy holes protest ship

By

CULLEN SMITH

The new zealandek who was at the helm of the protest vessel Greenpeace when the ship was holed by United States warships off the Florida coast early yesterday said “it really felt like they were trying to sink us.” Speaking by radio-telephone as the Greenpeace limped into Port Jacksonville, Florida, last evening, Ms Sue Jolly, of Auckland, said she was shocked at the blatant incident in international waters about 2 a.m. New Zealand time.

“It was frightening, with the boats coming at us the way they were. There is nothing you can <lo when the ships are either side of you the way they were,” she said. “We were 60 miles out to sea, and they were a lot bigger than us.” United States Navy vessels, earlier warned the Greenpace away from a zone in which the nuclear-capable Trident missile was to be tested. “We told them we were in international waters and that we were determined to stay close and try to stop the testing,” Ms Jolly said.

Within minutes the Greenpeace, a 57m ocean-going tug and flagship for the conservation and peace group, was being rammed on both sides by United States Navy submarine support vessels. The Navy described the incident as a shouldering operation.

Ms Jolly said: “They rammed us five or six times and eventually holed us. We started our emergency round and worked on damage control. “They rammed us again after we had put out a Mayday (emergency alert). I couldn’t believe it would happen,” Ms Jolly said. An American commander was advised the Greenpeace was to evacuate by helicopter excess crew members and one person slightly injured after the collisions.

“They agreed we could maintain course, but just before the helicopter landed, the Navy ships closed in again,” Ms Jolly said. "It was just unbelieveable.”

Ms Jolly and two other New Zealanders among the international crew of 25 aboard the Greenpeace — Ms Joan Drumm, of Waiheke Island, and Mr Werner Stachl, of Kaponga, near New Plymouth — were unhurt in the incident.

Greenpeace termed the ramming an outrage. “This is an unbridled act of aggression against a peaceful protest in international waters,” said Mr Peter Bahouth, the executive director of Greenpeace, United Staets, in a statement released in Washington.

A United States Navy spokesman, Lieutenant Greg Smith, admitted to the news media that

the U.S.S. Grasp punched a hole in the hull of the Greenpeace.

Greenpeace said the United States Navy had claimed in a radio communication with the protest ship that it was exercising its right under international law to prevent anyone impeding the missile test.

But Mr Bahouth said this was nonsense.

“International law does not recognise the right of any nation to cordon off part of international waters for any purpose, including missile tests such as the Trident,” -he said. The United States Navy had no right to remove any foreignflagged vessel from any part of international waters.

“By its conduct, the United States Navy has itself violated international law,” Mr Bahouth said.

“Had our vessel belonged to a foreign government, it would have been an act of war,” he said.

Greenpeace has been opposing the Trident 2 missile programme, claimed to be the most expensive weapons system in United States history. Last July, the Greenpace disrupted the third planned set of tests for the Trident.

Yesterday’s test went ahead about half an hour after the Greenpeace was disabled.

The Commander of the Atlantic submarine fleet, Vice-Admiral Roger Bacon, described the launch as “perfect ... just beautiful.”