Posted on 01/06/2010 9:09:19 AM PST by jazusamo
A conservation group's boat had its bow sheared off and was in danger of sinking as it took on water Wednesday after it was struck by a Japanese whaling ship in the frigid waters of Antarctica, the group said.
The boat's six crew members were safely transferred to another of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's vessels, the newly commissioned Bob Barker. The boat is named for the American game show host who donated $5 million to buy it.
The clash was the most serious in the past several years, during which the Sea Shepherd has sent vessels into far-southern waters to try to harass the Japanese fleet into ceasing its annual whale hunt.
Clashes using hand-thrown stink bombs, ropes meant to tangle propellers and high-tech sound equipment have been common in recent years, and crashes between ships have sometimes occurred.
The society said its vessel Ady Gil — a high-tech speedboat that resembles a stealth bomber — was hit by the Japanese ship the Shonan Maru near Commonwealth Bay and had about 10 feet (three meters) of its bow knocked off.
Locky Maclean, the first mate of the society's lead ship, said one crewman from New Zealand appeared to have suffered two cracked ribs, but the others were uninjured. The crew members were safely transferred to the group's third vessel, though the Ady Gil's captain remained on board to see what could be salvaged, he said.
"The original prognostic was that it was sinking, but at this point it is flooded with water but it seems to still have a bit of buoyancy," Maclean told The Associated Press by satellite phone from the ship, the Steve Irwin.
The group accused the Japanese ship of deliberately ramming the Ady Gil.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Whaling war ping!
Good.
I feel soooooo bad.
Ping to your favorite TV show:
“Hippies Failing Badly”
Cool boat (I want one)... don’t know if it is worth 5 Million though. It looks to me they ran straight into the larger vessel and had warnings complimented by a water hose trying to keep them away.
Yep, it looks to me it ran into their path.
They finally did protesteth too much. :)
With Global Warming rapidly melting the ice and frying the world, these people should’ve enjoyed a dip in the tepid waters...at least the water was maybe a little bit cooler than the hot air....
The article was poorly written. Bob Barker donated 5 million to buy the larger ship which rescued the crew of the tub toy, the Ady Gil.
It couldn't be the helmsman though, who apparently hasn't the brains to have earned it.
Anyone know the make of the boat... looks like something Batman would have... see the Skull & Crossbones on the side?
Did the eco-crew survive?
Darn.
What the Japanese should do is PROSECUTE them for trying to intentionally RAM their fishing boat, an act of Violence for sure. By the way the smaller more maneuverable boat is REQUIRED by LAW to give way. They chose to Ignore this and It Is Their Fault. Arrest them for Attempted Piracy.
I fully support the enviromentalists on this issue (ya, I really do).
The bullet-proof 'Batmobile' set to wreak havoc on the Japanese whaling fleets
I guess bulletproof doesn't protect you from 100 tons of moving steel at sea.
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