At ten to midnight on 10 July 1985, Fernando Pereira was murdered. He had just turned 35. Fernando was below deck aboard the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour when two bombs, attached by agents of the French secret service, ripped apart the hull. He was knocked unconscious and drowned.
Fernando on board the Rainbow Warrior
His daughter Marelle remembers waving her father farewell at the airport three months earlier when he was flying off to meet the Rainbow Warrior. Eight years old at the time, Marelle recalls him saying “just take care of your mum, I’ll do my trip and I’ll be home soon.”
The innocent little girl had no idea that she would never see her dad again.
Fernando joined the Rainbow Warrior in Hawaii. It was a journey to expose the blatant disregard of the US and French governments for the health and environment of Pacific islands. But it ended in tragedy.
The global condemnation of the bombing was instant. Terrible photos hit the front page of every newspaper around the world. The Rainbow Warrior became a part of history. What the bombers did not realise was this: you can’t sink a rainbow.
Watch a video of what happened on that fateful day in 1985 and read the full account of what has been discovered since then
