What is the name of the ship on which Greenpeace members tried stop the French nuclear tests in the Pacific?

In 1985, this iconic Greenpeace flagship was preparing to lead a protest flotilla to Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific. The mission was to monitor and disrupt France's controversial nuclear weapons testing in the region. However, before it could depart, the vessel was sabotaged while moored in the harbor of Auckland, New Zealand. Operatives from the French secret service (DGSE) attached two mines to the ship's hull, sinking it in an act designed to neutralize the protest.

The bombing became a major international incident and a public relations disaster for France. The attack was not only an act of sabotage but also resulted in the death of Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira, who drowned after returning to the rapidly flooding ship to retrieve his camera equipment. The event was widely condemned as an act of state-sponsored terrorism. After initially denying involvement, the French government was eventually forced to admit its role, leading to severe political fallout.

The vessel's name was inspired by a North American Cree prophecy about a time when a "warrior of the rainbow" would rise to defend the Earth from destruction. Despite the sinking of the original ship, its legacy endured. Greenpeace soon launched a successor, Rainbow Warrior II, and later a purpose-built Rainbow Warrior III, ensuring the name remains a powerful global symbol of environmental activism and peaceful resistance.