A fishing boat that disappeared 10 years ago during a powerful tsunami has turned up on a small island in the Pacific.
The tiny vessel went missing from the city of Kesennuma in the prefecture of Miyagi in the north-eastern region of Tohoku, Japan, following the Great East Japan Earthquake back in 2011.
With a magnitude of 9.0, it was the most powerful ever recorded in Japan, with waves reaching 40.5 metres (133 feet), and over 10,000 people having lost their lives.
But almost a decade since the boat disappeared, it has been spotted off the coast of the island of Hachijo, 404 miles south of Japan.
According to reports, local fishermen cross-referenced the registration of the vessel and confirmed that it belonged to the fishing cooperative in Kesennuma.
The 18- foot (5.5 metre) boat, which was covered in coral and had fish, and crabs swimming in puddles inside, was towed to the coast by the local authorities.
A local resident and ocean expert, who has not been named, told The Mainichi newspaper: “It’s possible that after the boat was swept away to an area near the US west coast, it moved to Southeast Asia on the North Equatorial Current, and then washed up here on the Kuroshio Current.”
But this mysterious story isn’t the only piece of fascinating nautical news to hid the headlines in recent weeks.
Last month, a sailor in the US was rescued from his capsized boat almost 24 hours after he was reported missing.
Stuart Bee departed Cape Marina in Port Canaveral, Florida, on 27 November and did not return.
The following day the 62-year-old was reported missing, as he does not typically stay out on his boat overnight.
Thankfully, on 29 November, he was spotted by a passing container ship clinging to the bow of his capsized vessel, 86 miles out at sea.
He was brought aboard after almost two days at sea.
Lacruiser P. Relativo, a merchant mariner who was on board the Angeles container ship, recalled how the rescue came about.
In a post on Facebook, he said: “I was awakened by a call with a sense of urgency that we need to rescue someone. As merchant mariners, we were trained to the toughest degree of distress that can possibly happen at sea.
“However, the actual scene is often different. After careful manoeuvres, we successfully rescued Mr. Stuart. Before I could start questioning, he first asked me ‘What day it is today?’, ‘November 29!’, I responded.
“By the look on his face, I saw his teary eyes as he the made sign of the cross. He was drifted in the open sea for days, maintaining his stance at the top of his capsized boat, to not make any single move as it may trigger his yacht to sink fully.”
Source; LB
