MV Sharpie
The MV Sharpie is a cutter class vessel owned and operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society since December 2017. She is being used in their direct action campaigns against illegal fisheries activities.[4][5]
![]() MV Sharpie | |
History | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Owner | United States Coast Guard |
Builder | Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana |
Launched | 1991 [1] |
Out of service | 17 March 2014 [1] |
Homeport | Bayonne, N.J. |
Name | Since December 2017: MV Sharpie |
Owner | Sea Shepherd Conservation Society |
Operator | since 2017: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society |
Identification | MMSI number: 325925000[2] |
Status | in active service |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Island-class patrol boat |
Type | cutter |
Tonnage | 168 GT |
Length | 34 m (112 ft) |
Beam | 6.4 m (21 ft) |
Height | 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in) |
Draught | 7.0 m (23.0 ft) |
Propulsion | Two V-16 Caterpillar diesels[3] |
Speed | 29.5 knots |
Range | 3,300 miles |
Endurance | 5 days |
Overview
The ship is an Island-class patrol boat built by Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana and first launched in 1991 as the U.S. Coast Guard cutter] Bainbridge Island. The vessel is identical to her sister ships MY Farley Mowat and MV John Paul DeJoria. After 22 years of service, it was retired in a ceremony in New Jersey on 17 March 2014.[1]
The vessel was purchased and was donated to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society by medtech entrepreneur Chris Sharp, and it was presented at a press conference on 11 December 2017 in Miami, Florida. The vessel was renamed MV Sharpie, named after its donor. She is a 34-metre (112 ft) cutter powered by two Caterpillar diesel engines and can travel at a maximum speed of 29.5 knots (54.6 km/h; 33.9 mph) with a range of 3,300 nautical miles (6,100 km; 3,800 mi).[6]
Incidents
In January 2019, a "mob of over 50 skiffs" threw Molotov cocktails and rocks burning the MV Sharpie's Hull and breaking windows.[7]
In February 2020, the MV Sharpie was fired upon while on "routine" patrol of the Vaquita Refuge in the Gulf of California.[7]
See also
- Neptune's Navy, Sea Shepherd vessels
- Sea Shepherd Conservation Society operations
References
- Coast Guard Bids Farewell to Historic Cutter. Gail Dale, Military.com. 17 March 2014.
- Sharpie - Pleasure Craft. Marine Traffic. 2017.
- U.S.C.G.C. BAINBRIDGE ISLAND (WPB-1343) (PDF). Intrepid Museum.
- Sea Shepherd Launches New Anti-poaching Vessel M/V Sharpie Archived 2017-12-08 at the Wayback Machine. Sea Shepherd. 7 December 2017.
- Sea Shepherd Launches New Anti-Poaching Vessel M/V Sharpie. Ocean News & Technology.8 December 2017.
- "Sea Shepherd Unveils New Vessel". The Maritime Executive. December 11, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
- Hessedal, Kelly (February 9, 2020). "Shots fired at conservation group's ship in the Upper Gulf of California". KFMB-TV. Retrieved October 21, 2020.