Ryou-Un Maru

Ryou-Un Maru
Ryou-Un Maru adrift near Alaska, 4 April 2012
History
Japan
NameRyou-Un Maru
Port of registryJapan
Launchedc. 1982
Out of serviceMarch 2011
FateDamaged and sent adrift by tsunami in Japan, later sunk by naval artillery in Alaska
General characteristics
TypeSquid fishing boat
Tonnage150 tons
Length45 m (148 ft)
Propulsionmotor (diesel)

Ryou-Un Maru (漁運丸; Fishing Luck) (also Ryō Un Maru) was a Japanese fishing boat that was washed away from its mooring in Aomori Prefecture by the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and drifted across the Pacific Ocean. It was spotted a year later by a routine Royal Canadian Air Force air patrol about 150 nautical miles (280 km; 170 mi) off the coast of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. The unmanned hulk entered U.S. waters on 1 April 2012, and, after salvage attempts failed, was sunk by the U.S. Coast Guard on 5 April 2012 to prevent the hulk from becoming a hazard to navigation.