MV Sharpie

The was a vessel owned and operated by the Sea [Shepherd Conservation Society] starting in December 2017. She was being used in their direct action campaigns against illegal fisheries activities.

Overview

The ship was an built by Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana and first launched in 1991 as the U.S. Coast Guard United States [Coast Guard Cutter|cutter] Bainbridge Island. The vessel was identical to her sister ships and. After 22 years of service, it was retired in a ceremony in New Jersey on 17 March 2014.
The vessel was purchased by Medtech entrepreneur Chris Sharp and donated to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, 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 long, powered by two Caterpillar diesel engines, and can travel at a maximum speed of with a range of.

Incidents

In January 2019, a "mob of over 50 skiffs" threw Molotov cocktails and rocks, burning the MV Sharpies hull and breaking windows.
In February 2020, the MV Sharpie was fired upon while on "routine" patrol of the Vaquita Refuge in the Gulf of California.