The MV ''Sirius'' was a Greenpeace ship named after the star

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...

. The ''Sirius'' was built with modern specifications at the Boele shipyard in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 1950 as one of 7 pilot vessels. The ship, originally owned by the

Royal Dutch Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world a ...

, was sold to Greenpeace during 1981 while in dry dock. The ship was refitted, repaired, and repainted. It took ten weeks to paint her. The ship's colour scheme was soon changed to a green hull and rainbow colours and a white dove of peace with an olive branch was painted on the bow. ''Sirius'' was refitted with more modern navigation systems, communication equipment, lifeboats, and rafts. The pantries were turned into outdoor engine rooms and the mess room became a storage room. ''Sirius'' served as the flagship of Greenpeace Netherlands through 1998, after which she was retired. Until 2018 she was docked at Amsterdam, where she serves in an educational capacity, offering shipboard tours and environmental education. At around midnight on September 30–31, 1988, while on passage from Cabrera to

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Sirius was forced to seek shelter in Majorca during a Force 9 severe gale. After turning the vessel, the crew sighted distress flares 8 miles from Dragonera Island. Sirius set course for the flares, and a small sailing yacht was found to be sinking. One of her four British crew was missing overboard, but two young men were rescued. A fourth, skipper Ron Davies of Honor Oak,

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...

, went down with the yacht when it sank during the rescue. Sirius continued to search for the missing men and then took the two survivors to Port D'Andratx when she was relieved by a navy patrol boat and a tug sent from Palma.Greenpeace Press Statement, Saturday September 31, 1988. On 10 January 2018 ''Sirius'' was towed from Zaandam to Haarlem to be scrapped.

References

History Of Many Greenpeace Ships
Ships built in the Netherlands Merchant ships of the Netherlands Ships of Greenpeace 1950 ships {{Merchantship-stub

See also

References