U.S. Coast Guard Sinks Tsunami Ghost Ship

Posted on April 6, 2012

The Japanese fishing vessel, Ryou-Un Maru, was sunk by the U.S. Coast Guard today. The ship, dubbed the "Tsunami Ghost Ship," has been adrift since the March 2011 tsunami, which followed a massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Japan's northeast coast. The ship was heading towards the U.S. west coast.

The Coast Guard first fired 25 mm cannons at the 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru. This was reportedly not enough to sink the stubborn ghost ship, so the Coast Guard used 50 mm shells, which ended the ship's crewless voyage.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the "derelict fishing vessel sank at 6:15 p.m. in 6,000 feet of water." Here is some raw footage of the U.S. coast guard sinking the ship. Take a look:

TSUNAMI