Alaska News

Coast Guard cutter blasts 'ghost ship' down to Davy Jones

According to the US Coast Guard, on Thursday evening, the USCG Cutter Anacapa sank the derelict Japanese fishing boat that had been posing a hazard to navigation off the coast of Alaska and British Columbia. The vessel now sits on the bottom under more than 6,000 feet of water.

The unmanned vessel was cast adrift by the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last year, but it was spotted drifting off the coast of British Columbia on March 20.

The operation to sink the vessel began at 1 p.m. approximately 180 miles west of Southeast Alaska's southernmost coast. The effort was delayed when a Canadian fishing boat, the Bernie C, approached to attempt salvaging the hulk. A Canadian official told The Associated Press that the Bernie C found it was unable to tow their prize.

When the Bernie C cleared out, the crew of the cutter directed two sets of cannon fire at the hull of the vessel, at first from a 25-millimeter gun, then a 50-millimeter one.

The vessel caught fire due to the highly explosive ammunition being used. Hours later, it capsized and sank.

Light sheening and minimal debris have been reported from the sinking of the vessel, and the sheening is expected to quickly dissipate.

Read much more from the AP, here, and see the official Coast Guard release, which includes several photos and a video, here.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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