Golden Rule peace boat arrives in Philly

A fully restored, 65-year-old peace boat arrived on the Delaware River waterfront Tuesday, midway along a 15-month voyage around the eastern half of the country. The boat is making 100 ports of call to support local peace initiatives and press the U.S. government to join the 86 countries that have either signed or ratified the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The historic 34-foot wooden ketch Golden Rule, now owned by Veterans for Peace, was the first boat to engage in direct environmental action, setting sail in 1958 with a crew of Quaker pacifists to stop nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands.

They were intercepted, arrested and jailed in Hawaii, but sparked global public outrage against nuclear weapons that resulted in the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, and inspired Greenpeace boats a decade later.

Local peace activists greeted the boat with banners, songs, and waving arms as it docked in the marina across from the Moshulu on Penn’s Landing. City Councilmember Mark Squilla read a proclamation after the Granny Peace Brigade, Brandywine Peace Community, members of Back From the Brink, and the American Friends Service Committee joined the Philadelphia chapter of Veterans for Peace in welcoming the boat, escorted by Gloucester City’s tall ship, the schooner North Wind.

Later in the evening, Sally Willowbee, from South Jersey, the daughter of George Willoughby, one of the original Golden Rule crew, spoke during a potluck dinner at the Friends Center on Cherry Street.

The arrival opens a week of events celebrating the boat’s part in ending above-ground nuclear testing, and issuing a warning about nuclear power.

The crew will be leafleting at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and Korean War Memorial, and on Thursday evening Swarthmore College will host a presentation and display archival material and memorabilia from their Peace Collection for visitors to explore.

The boat’s visit to Philadelphia culminates on Saturday with a 4 p.m. peace walk from Independence Mall to the marina at Penn’s Landing (with a stop at Christ Church for a brief peace observance) with a concert with food, dancing and more to send the boat off to New York City on Sunday.