Drums, Flags, Tears and Smiles

Shirase leaves for Antarctica.

This morning at 10am, Shirase left Fremantle. Family and friends waved farewell as the ship departed on an expedition to Antarctica for the summer.

You may have noticed the orange ‘Icebreaker’, as she’s sometimes described, or ‘Military Ops’ as the ship tracking apps call her, in port over the past four days. She departed Yokosuka/Yokohama, Japan on 19 November, and arrived in Fremantle on 4 December.

Fremantle, you may be interested to learn, is the sister city of Yokosuka.

While in Freo, the crew enjoyed sunshine and Fremantle hospitality while some caught up with loved ones.

Fremantle has become a crucial port for refuelling and restocking supplies before and after missions to Antarctica.

Shirase is a fairly frequent visitor to Freo, as our previous Shirase articles show. Her arrivals and departures have become regular events that never fail to stir emotions in all who witness them.

The atmosphere this morning was alive with a mix of joy and sadness, accompanied by the waving of flags and the resonant beat of a taiko drum.

Nobbi played the drum accompanied by Mami on trumpet, with her 6-month-old son strapped to her back. Her little girl had her own drum.

These arrivals and departures bridge cultures and foster a sense of community. During visits, school children often visit the ship. Over the past couple of days, our new Fremantle Mayor, Ben Lawver, met with Japanese Consul-General Karimata, and along with the ship’s Captain and some crew, laid a wreath at Fremantle’s War Memorial.

It’s become a tradition that a wreath is laid at each visit.

These events bring with them opportunities for cultural exchange, friendship, and mutual respect.

We wish Shirase and her crew safe travels, a happy Christmas and New Year at sea, and look forward to her next visit to Fremantle in 2026.

*Story and photographs by Jean Hudson @jeansodyssey

Jean Hudson is our Shipping and Sailing Correspondent and also a regular feature writer, reviewer and photographer here on the Shipping News. You may also like to follow up her informative Places I Love stories, as well as other feature stories and Freo Today photographs, right here.

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