Skipper Buys Anti-Whaling Ship for $10, Sails Again

When Kerrie Goodall heard the legendary anti-whaling ship MV Steve Irwin was heading to a Hong Kong scrapyard, she couldn't let it happen. She bought the entire vessel for $10.

The ship had spent a decade ramming Japanese whaling vessels and shutting down illegal fishing operations in the Southern Ocean. Sea Shepherd estimates it helped save more than 6,000 whales during its 10-year career protecting the Antarctic.

But in 2019, the famous blue and grey camouflaged ship was retired and destined for the junkyard. Goodall saw an important piece of Australia's maritime conservation history about to disappear forever.

She took the gamble. Since 2022, Goodall and a team of volunteers have poured more than 4,000 hours into restoring the ship to seaworthy condition. She even took a job at a local paint company just to learn the proper techniques for repainting the vessel.

The commitment went deeper than time. Goodall sold her businesses and properties to fund the restoration. "This is my legacy," she said from Newcastle Harbour, where the ship has been docked during its transformation.

Engineer Steve Ward joined as a volunteer and helped bring the ship's systems back to life. What started as a plan for a floating museum became something bigger: a return to active conservation work.

The Ripple Effect

Now renamed Ship4Good, the vessel has left Newcastle and is sailing to Melbourne's Docklands. For up to two months each year, it will tackle marine conservation campaigns along Australia's east coast, removing ocean debris and reducing invasive species.

The rest of the time, it will be open for public tours, educating visitors about ocean conservation. Goodall calls it "an eco battleship" that deserves to be both memorialized and put back to work.

A $10 investment has given new life to a ship that once fought whaling wars in Antarctic waters. Now it's ready to inspire the next generation of ocean protectors while continuing the work it started.