Williamstown’s anti-whaling history, recent and past, will be highlighted when Sea Shepherd’s Captain Paul Watson gives a Father’s Day reading from his book.
The War That Saved the Whales includes a chapter titled ’A warm reception in Williamstown’, telling the story of a visit to Williamstown by the CSS Shenandoah – the most successful anti-whaling ship of its time, 155 years ago.
Kerrie Goodall, the founder of not-for-profit Ship4Good who owns and manages Sea Shepherd’s decommissioned flagship vessel, MV Steve Irwin, grew up in Williamstown’s famed Shenandoah House. The house is known for a massive mural of the confederate raider on the side of the building.
Her father, Leigh Goodall, started the Shenandoah Society which evolved into the Williamstown Maritime Society and instigated Seaworks, where ’The Steve’ is permanently moored. Mr Goodall will join Captain Watson for the Father’s Day reading: Goodall and Watson sharing Captain Wadell’s anti-whaling campaign aboard Shenandoah.
The Shenandoah’s officers, under the command of James Waddell, prided themselves on not harming any of the 1053 people they took captive from whaling ships at sea.
“We couldn’t do the National Heritage Week festival to share the story through an exhibition aboard The Steve due to COVID, so this is the next best thing,“ Ms Goodall said.
When the confederate ship arrived in Williamstown in 1865, there was debate over whether to call the crew heroes or pirates.
While the US consul in Melbourne fumed at the presence of a confederate ship known for burning its whaling fleets, the public was in awe.
“The confederate navy was sent out to destroy Yankee whaling ships – whale oil at the time being the crude oil of our day, it was their major financial contributor to the Yankees’ campaign in the civil war,“ Ms Goodall said.
“So, cutting off the income for the Yankees obviously would benefit the confederates.
“The Shenandoah sunk and burnt tens of thousands of litres of whale oil – some 38 Yankee whaling ships.“
To register to listen to Captain Watson’s reading, visit Ship4Good on Facebook or at ship4good.com.au
