USS Truxtun poster

This poster protested against the visit of the USS Truxtun to Wellington in 1982. The ship had visited previously in 1976 and 1980, and each visit had caused much protest in the ports of Wellington and Auckland because the USS Truxtun was designated as a 'Nuclear Guided Missile Cruiser'.

Nuclear ship visits

In 1971, the New Zealand government told the United States it would not accept visits by nuclear-powered vessels until the US accepted liability in the event of an accident. The US agreed to this in 1974. In 1976, the new government changed the policy to allow nuclear-capable warships to visit New Zealand ports. These visits were met with flotillas of protest yachts and boats.

Dangerous visitors

Anti-nuclear protest in New Zealand was distinctive because of these regular port visits. Though never used for nuclear testing, New Zealand was visited by about 120 American and British nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed vessels between 1960 and 1984. Since 1984, the New Zealand government has refused entry to all such vessels.