26/08/2026
From August to October 1988 protests took place around Australia against visits by foreign warships as part of Bicentennial celebrations. Issues raised included Australia’s complicity in the nuclear arms race, safety risks associated with nuclear powered and armed ships, and support for a treaty and the recognition of First Nations sovereignty.
On 26 August unions in Darwin shut down the port for 24 hours to demand that a safety plan covering nuclear accidents be put in place. On the same day a protest flotilla attempted to block two nuclear armed warships from entering Fremantle. A large rally opposed to nuclear weapons and militarism took place once the ships had docked.
On 4 September protesters on Cairns’ foreshore met the arrival of the USS Berkeley, which provided proof of the risks posed by nuclear powered and armed ships by colliding with a boat in the harbour. Rallies against visits by US and British warships were also held in Brisbane later in the month where protesters were arrested for blockading a bus full of sailors. During an open day Catholic Worker activists performed an exorcism on board a US warship, pouring blood and ash on the deck and unravelling a banner. A large “No Nukes” banner also appeared on the side of the ship one morning. Protests during September also took place in Victoria where the South Western District Trades and Labour Council called on unions to refuse to supply services to warships and 200 people rallied against their arrival.
The bicentennial event in Sydney, which involved close to 60 warships, was protested by 80 kayaks, 30 yachts and numerous other vessels belonging to the Sydney Peace Squadron, Auckland Peace Squadron, Paddlers for Peace, and Greenpeace. With the addition of five ferries hundreds of protesters gathered on water on 26 September to call for the ships to return home.
When US, French, Italian and New Zealand warships arrived in Melbourne on the 12th and 14th October two of their number were prevented from docking due to bans placed by the Seamans’ union. Rallies of up to 1000 people were held on land alongside two peace flotilla actions on the water. Banners reading “No Death Ships” and “US Bases Out” were also hung from the side of USS Ingersoll.
These photos originally appeared in Nonviolence Today. To learn more about protests against nuclear warships visit- https://commonslibrary.org/project-iceberg-fremantles-response-to-visiting-nuclear-warships-in-the-1980s/
