There was debate at the time whether to call the crew of the CSS Shenandoah pirates or heroes.
When the good ship CSS Shenandoah brought the American Civil War into Port Phillip Bay in 1865, thousands lined the docks of Williamstown to catch a glimpse of the Confederate raider.
This year, on March 29 at 7pm, maritime enthusiast Leigh Goodall, whose Williamstown home is emblazoned with a Shenandoah mural, will open a new Shenandoah and Colonial Navy room at Williamstown’s Pirates Tavern.
A night of celebration will precede an open day to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Williamstown Maritime Association (WMA).
Mr Goodall said that in 1865, the Shenandoah was allowed into Williamstown to make repairs to its propeller bearings, which had been damaged in a storm.
Opinion was divided over whether to celebrate the ship’s officers and crew who had been tasked with sinking Yankee whaling ships because they were fighting the north. ‘‘Whale oil was gold in those days,” Mr Goodall said. “Coincidentally, they could have saved the species because they sank about 38 whaling ships.”
WMA president Geoff Dougall said things had come full circle with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s three anti-whaling vessels scheduled to be back from the Antarctica by the pirate-themed family open day on March 30 from 10am.
He said the Pirates Tavern had raised $300,000 since 2005, so the day was also a way for the association to thank the community.
WMA’s free family open day will feature classic boats, vintage fire engines, historic re-enactments, canon firing and guided tours of the site. There will also be ferry rides and one-hour cruises on Melbourne’s tall ship Enterprize.
