USCG Fires On 'Ghost Ship'

The U.S. Coast Guard unleashed cannon fire Thursday at a Japanese vessel set adrift by last year’s tsunami, stopping the ship’s long, lonely voyage across the Pacific Ocean. A Coast Guard cutter fired on the abandoned 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru in the waters of the Gulf of Alaska and more than 240 kilometres from land, spokesman Paul Webb said. Soon after they started firing, the ship burst into flames, began to take on water and list, Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow said. Two hours later, it still hadn’t sunk so the Coast Guard resumed shelling. Officials decided to sink the ship as a safety precaution. Read more at http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1156973--u-s-coast-guard-fire…