Sinking Of Japanese Tsunami Ghost Ship, In Pictures

This picture shows the view as a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flies over the Japanese tsunami “ghost ship” Ryou-Un Maru in the Gulf Of Alaska on April 4, 2012. The ship was pulled out to sea during the Japanese tsunami of 2011.

This picture shows members of the Coast Guard crew dropping a “Self Locating Data Marker Buoy” (they call it an SLDMB, of course!) right near the tsunami ghost ship.This will track its exact location on April 4 and April 5, 2012 so they can find it to sink it.

In this photo of the Japanese tsunami ghost ship, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa watches the vessel burn after firing on it. The whole operation had to be delayed because of an active fishing vessel that was in the area earlier in the day on April 5, 2012.

This image shows the Ryou-Un Maru on fire but not yet ready to sink. Coast Guard crews watched the ship for two hours then had to fire on it again.

In this photo of the tsunami ghost ship, it is listing to starboard and taking on water on April 5, 2012.

Here’s a picture of the ghost ship on its side with the back of the ship already under water. The Japanese fishing vessel is still on fire as it sinks.

To me, this picture feels like a scene out of the movie Titanic. Thankfully, no people on this ship. But can’t you just imagine how it is taking on water in this photo of the ghost ship? Four fifths of the ship underwater and probably sinking pretty fast. Just like the way the last part of Titanic slipped into the sea.

Here’s the final U.S. Coast Guard photo of the Ryou-Un-Maru ‘ghost ship’ sinking into the Pacific Ocean. I wonder what stories that vessel could tell about its journey on the sea? If it could talk it would help unravel the mystery of how it got here so fast and where, exactly, the trip had taken it.

How did we get these photos? The Coast Guard says we can thank Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Thomas and Charley Hengen. Want to see more incredible pictures from the U.S. Coast Guard? Here’s where you should start. But you better have a lot of time on your hands because what these folks do is impressive!