Sea Shepherd Joins Search for Missing Japanese Whaler

Barrett808

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Tue Jan-06-09 09:23 PM
Original message

Sea Shepherd Joins Search for Missing Japanese Whaler

Edited on Tue Jan-06-09 09:29 PM by Barrett808

Source: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Steve Irwin has joined the search for missing Japanese seaman Hajime Shiraskai 30. Shirasaki fell off the Kyoshin Maru No. 2 and is believed lost at sea.

The Steve Irwin is presently with the Japanese whaling fleet at the position of 62 Degrees 17 Minutes South and 144 Degrees 50 Minutes West. This is 1800 miles Southeast of Dunedin, New Zealand and 2600 miles Southeast of Hobart, Australia.

Captain Paul Watson informed the fleet that the Sea Shepherd crew had no intention of harassing the whaling vessels while they are engaged in a search for the missing crewman's body. Captain Watson offered the Steve Irwin, two boat crews and a helicopter to assist in the search.

The Yushin Maru No 3 responded and declined Sea Shepherd's offer of assistance saying that they would not accept help from an "eco-terrorist organization."

Captain Watson answered that the Sea Shepherd crew would assist in the search nonetheless and would not interfere with the whalers while engaged in the search mission.

The Steve Irwin has deployed two boat crews and a helicopter to search the area for the body of the missing seaman.

The Steve Irwin has over extended its time to join in this search and will have to cut off and begin to return to port within 12 hours

Hobart is 10 days away and Dunedin is 7 days away. The Steve Irwin is planning on heading back to Hobart in Tasmania.

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oldtime dfl_er

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Tue Jan-06-09 09:26 PM
Response to Original message

1. So what happens if the Steve Irwin finds the body?

The Japanese whaling ship won't take it back?

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Kolesar

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Wed Jan-07-09 06:44 AM
Response to Reply #1

3. I don't recall seeing a big iron pot on the fantail of the militant vegetarians' vessel

:evilgrin:

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alittlelark

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Tue Jan-06-09 09:26 PM
Response to Original message

2. The Sea Shepard and her crew are doing what any civilized crew

would do. Too bad the whalers are dissing them for their civility.

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Thothmes

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Wed Jan-07-09 07:16 AM
Response to Reply #2

5. You are 100% correct. Unfortunately

there are some on this forum that have, in the past, called for the death of the men on the whaling vessels.

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formercia

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Wed Jan-07-09 07:00 AM
Response to Original message

4. It's a rough 7 days to Dunedin

We made that passage a dozen times with stops at Campbell Island. When you're on station, you can go with the weather but with a fixed destination, it can get pretty rough. Not a good place to run out of fuel and start taking 50 footers broadside.

I had a great job underway. I was a helmsman. It's a good way to stay fit.

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Kolesar

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Wed Jan-07-09 07:43 AM
Response to Reply #4

6. I read countless accounts of setting a sea-anchor and toughing it out

That was yachting, though. I don't know what a ship would do.

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formercia

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Wed Jan-07-09 08:11 AM
Response to Reply #6

7. We were just over 300 ft. long.

I don't even know if we had a sea anchor on board.

We had to spend a week in dry dock in Christchurch after one trip with 7 split seams and an engine that ripped loose from its mounts.

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Kolesar

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Wed Jan-07-09 10:14 AM
Response to Reply #7

8. The men who sailed the Peking around Cape Horn impressed the hell out of me

http://www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org/index1.aspx?BD=8995

The four-masted barque Peking represents the final chapter in the evolution of merchant vessels powered only by wind. Launched in Hamburg, Germany in 1911, she was used to carry manufactured goods to South America and to return via Cape Horn with nitrate.
___\|/___\|/___\|/___
The combination waves from two oceans produced 90 foot waves, I recall. The "nitrate" they refer to was guano on the isolated islands in the South Pacific. The digested fish remains were essential for the country's chemical industry. In other words, they risked their lives for bird doo-doo.

(not to take anything away from your sailings, :) )

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formercia

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Wed Jan-07-09 10:50 AM
Response to Reply #8

9. I have to admit diesel is much safer than sail

Edited on Wed Jan-07-09 10:53 AM by formercia

and four engines is better than one. Those old sailing ships made a lot of money if they made it home.

We were there in the mid '60s, long before GPS and sat communications. It was very quiet out there. In 7 months, we encountered only one ship.
The wildlife was spectacular. We took an expedition to the Snares Is. that hadn't been visited in 20 years. It was like the Galapagos. The Penguins would see our whaleboat leaving the ship and thousands would jump in to swim out and escort the whaleboat to shore. The seals were tame.

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Kajsa

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Wed Jan-07-09 10:53 AM
Response to Original message

10. So, the captain and crew of the Yushin Maru No 3

Edited on Wed Jan-07-09 10:57 AM by Kajsa

are calling the Sea Shepherd's crew " eco-terrorists" ?

They have it ass backwards.
They are defying the international ban on whaling.

The Maru needs all the help it can get to help find this man.
Too bad they are putting their egos ahead of this goal.

:(

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