U.S. Coast Guard to sink Japanese boat washed away by tsunami

[alp227]

Source: CNN

The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed a ship to sink a fishing trawler that was swept away more than a year ago by the tsunami off the coast of Japan and is now adrift near Alaska.

The crew of the Coast Guard's 110-foot CG Cutter Anacapa plans to assess the deserted trawler's condition Thursday morning, said Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow.

If its assessments are satisfactory, the crew will attempt to sink the vessel, named the Ryou-Un Maru, with the 25-millimeter cannon on board the cutter, Wadlow said.

The rust-stained trawler is part of a giant debris field in the Pacific Ocean that was generated by the devastating wall of water that struck northeastern Japan following a magnitude 9.0 earthquake on March 11, 2011.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/05/us/japan-tsunami-ship/index.html

[grasswire]

1. do they know what they will find?

I assume they are going to board the vessel.

This is just the first of the story. I wonder if salvage and treasure hunters have already been taking a look at the debris coming over the Pacific.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. Pretty much have to.

Not a high probability of human remains on board, but you never know.

[Posteritatis]

9. Coast Guard said it wasn't going to since they weren't sure how safe the ship is. (nt)

[thelordofhell]

2. This kind of makes me sad

Little survivor makes it all the way to the U.S.A. just to get sunk? There's no way it can be saved? Maybe renamed Survivor or something like that? What a shame.

[slackmaster]

4. I see two issues - It's a hazard to navigation, and the legitimate owner may be alive

Sinking it solves both problems.

[left on green only]

5. Not to mention the polluting of one of the worlds' seas

Mankind thinks that we can go on forever treating this planet as if it is indestructible, with little respect for the other forms of life with whom we share it.

I wonder how much trouble it would be to use one of those ocean going tug boats to pull the ship to harbor where it could then be removed from the water?

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[Art_from_Ark]

14. I agree

Since it was going to be scrapped anyway, why not just tow it to someplace where it can be properly scrapped and the metal salvaged, rather than just sinking it?

[Posteritatis]

11. It was going to be scrapped even before the tsunami. (nt)

[liberal N proud]

6. They can't capture the vessel and tow it to shore?

[Old Troop]

7. Good heavans! Do you have any idea how many

25mm rounds will have to be expended to sink that ship? Hopefully they won't be depleted uranium.

[Posteritatis]

10. One in the right place would do it. They aren't in a hurry. (nt)

[slackmaster]

15. One well-placed round would do the job. The boat has to sink, not sink instantly.

Especially an HE round.

25 mm guns are fun to shoot.

[cbayer]

8. Cool. I hope they film it and youtube it.

[4bucksagallon]

12. Didn't see a thread on this yet so posting it here.

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_update_read&edis_id=NC-20120328-34685-JPN&uid=12489

RSOE EDIS
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Friday, 6th April 2012 :: 00:02:21 UTC

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Nuclear Event in Japan on Wednesday, 28 March, 2012 at 05:45 (05:45 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Thursday, 05 April, 2012 at 15:54 UTC
Description
The operator of Japan’s tsunami-hit nuclear plant says tons of highly radioactive water appears to have leaked into the ocean from a purification unit.íThe leak comes as Tokyo Electric Power Co. struggles to keep the melted reactors cool and contain radiation and raises concerns about its ability to keep the plant stable. Similar leaks have occurred several times since last year, and officials say they do not pose an immediate health threat.íWorkers spotted the leak early Thursday coming from a section of hose on a device used to decontaminate cooling water leaking from reactors. The company said it appeared to have stopped the leak.íThe government declared in December the plant had achieved stability and radiation leaks have significantly decreased.

[Dead_Parrot]

13. Pity it's not a whaling ship

It's an imperfect world.

[ellisonz]

16. +1000

[uppityperson]

17. UPDATE It had been due to get scrapped, now is sunk.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2017915232_apustsunamighostship.html

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter poured cannon fire into a Japanese ghost ship that had been drifting since the last year's tsunami, sinking the vessel in the Gulf of Alaska and eliminating the hazard it posed to shipping and the coastline.
(clip)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency studied the problem and decided it is safer to sink the ship and let the fuel evaporate in the open water.
(clip)
A light sheen and minimal debris were visible as the vessel sunk, but the sheen is expected to quickly dissipate, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

The ship was at Hokkaido, Japan, and destined for scrapping when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake that struck the country in March 2011 triggered a tsunami.