Historic peace boat that tried to stop nuclear weapon testing sails into Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The “Golden Rule,” the historic vessel renowned for its use in an anti-nuclear-weapons protest in the 1950s, is visiting Portland for a limited time as part of a Pacific Northwest tour hosted by the organization Veterans for Peace.

The Golden Rule became known as the “world’s first peace boat” after four peaceniks sailed the boat toward the Marshall Islands in 1958, in an attempt to stop atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. The U.S. Coast Guard ultimately boarded the boat and arrested its crew. However, the protest drew international attention to the dangers of nuclear testing and directly inspired future peace organizations like Greenpeace.

“Rising public awareness of the danger of radiation led to worldwide demands to stop nuclear testing,” a pamphlet handed out by Veterans for Peace states. “In 1963, President Kennedy, the U.S.S.R, and the U.K. signed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.”

The boat, which is owned and operated by Veterans for Peace as part of its Golden Rule Peace Boat Project, is visiting Portland until Sept. 18. The Golden Rule’s next stops are Rainier (Sept. 18-20) and Newport (Sept. 24-30), before returning home to Humboldt Bay, Calif.
The Golden Rule was restored in 2010 after it sank in Humboldt Bay. Volunteers with Veterans for Peace and other organizations spent years restoring the boat before a celebratory and emotional relaunch in 2015.