page_title: Neptune's Navy
section_title: Past
hierarchical_section_title: Neptune's Navy / Fleet / Past
caption_attribution_description: English: Farley Mowat. I took this at Docklands, Melbourne, Australia in 2005.
context_page_description: Neptune's Navy is the name that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society uses to refer to the ships it operates. Most of these vessels are used to disrupt or hinder fishing, whaling or sealing operations that the group considers illegal.
context_section_description: The group has historically operated a number of vessels. The Ocean Warrior, later renamed the RV Farley Mowat was purchased in 1996 but seized by the Canadian government in April 2008. Due to the age of the vessel, the Society has decided not to pursue any avenue of reacquiring it. Paul Watson in fact stated that they had intentionally utilised a vessel that had become too old for Sea Shepherd to keep in action further.
  In June 2009 Sea Shepherd announced that the trimaran Earthrace, later renamed Ady Gil, would accompany its 2009–10 operations against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Pete Bethune, the operator of the vessel, said that an agreement was reached with Sea Shepherd for the boat to adopt a support role. On October 17, 2009, the Earthrace was presented to the media with a new black paint job, and renamed Ady Gil, after the name of a major sponsor. On January 6, 2010 the vessel was badly damaged in a collision at sea with the Japanese vessel Shōnan Maru 2. The Ady Gil sank on January 8 while she was being towed towards the French Dumont d'Urville Station in Antarctica after it filled with water and became too heavy to tow. The financial loss was estimated at about $1.5 million.
  The Steve Irwin was obtained in 2006 and originally called the Robert Hunter. It was renamed in honor of Australian Steve Irwin ("The Crocodile Hunter"). Terri Irwin, his widow, gave her support to Sea Shepherd, saying, "Whales have always been in Steve's heart and in 2006 he was investigating the possibility of joining the Sea Shepherd on part of its journey to defend these beautiful animals."
  Sea Shepherd operated the MY Steve Irwin until December 2018. Because of high maintenance cost and the ship's age the vessel was decommissioned and retired from the Sea Shepherd Fleet. It will be stripped for parts with most being transferred to the MY Ocean Warrior.
caption: One of Sea Shepherd's former ships, the RV Farley Mowat in Melbourne, Australia. It was permanently seized by the Government of Canada for illegal interference in the seal hunt.
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