SWITCH: Mobile | ePaper | Subscribe

Homes Rentals Jobs Autos Contests

Japanese tsunami

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, a plume of smoke rises from a derelict Japanese ship after it was hit by canon fire by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter on Thursday, April 5, 2012, in the Gulf of Alaska. The Coast Guard decided to sink the ship dislodged by last year's tsunami because it was a threat to maritime traffic and could have an environmental impact if it grounded. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Charly Hengen)

Coast Guard cannon fire sinks Japanese ghost ship

Mark Thiessen, Rachel D'Oro The Associated Press

Last updated Friday, April 6, 2012 - 9:47am

OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA — The long, lonely voyage of the Japanese ghost ship is over.

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter unleashed cannon fire on the abandoned 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru on Thursday, ending a journey that began when last year’s tsunami dislodged it and set it adrift across the Pacific Ocean.

Coast Guard, Ghost ship, Japanese tsunami, Tsunami debris, International Read more Comments

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, the derelict Japanese fishing vessel RYOU-UN MARU drifts more than 125 miles from Forrester Island in southeast Alaska where it entered U.S. waters March 31, 2012. The vessel has been adrift since it was launched by a tsunami caused by the magnitude-9.0 earthquake that struck Japan last year. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard)

Coast Guard to sink tsunami 'ghost ship'

Mark Thiessen, Rachel D'Oro The Associated Press

Last updated Thursday, April 5, 2012 - 9:01am

KODIAK, Alaska — The U.S. Coast Guard plans to use explosives to sink a derelict Japanese ship dislodged by last year’s massive tsunami.

Coast Guard, Ghost ship, Japanese tsunami, Ocean, Tsunami, Tsunami debris, International Read more Comments

A woman kneels near a pile of debris while offering prayers in the earthquake and tsunami devastated city of Rikuzentakata, Iwate prefecture, northeastern Japan, Sunday, March 11, 2012. Japan on Sunday was remembering the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation one year ago, killing just over 19,000 people and unleashing the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Little Japanese tsunami debris expected to reach West Coast

Carolyn Jones San Francisco Chronicle

Last updated Monday, March 12, 2012 - 1:39pm

SAN FRANCISCO -- A year ago, the great Japanese tsunami destroyed entire towns and killed thousands of people. But the dreaded second tsunami -- the 25 million tons of debris washed into the Pacific Ocean -- looks to be a much tamer affair.

Most of that garbage sank, disintegrated or joined the rest of the Pacific trash vortex. Very little of it is expected to wash up on West Coast beaches, officials say.

Garbage, Japanese tsunami, Ocean, Tsunami, Tsunami debris, National Read more Comments

Japan marks 1 year since quake, tsunami disaster

Malcom Foster, Miki Toda The Associated Press

Last updated Sunday, March 11, 2012 - 8:07am

Eds: Adds details and quotes. Restores previous material. An interactive of "before and after" photos, portraits, statistics and a timeline is available in the /2012/japan folder.

Earthquake, Japanese tsunami, Natural disasters, Tsunami, International Read more Comments

FILE - This Nov. 12, 2011 photo shows a view of the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Japan. The tsunami-devastated nuclear power plant has reached a stable state of "cold shutdown" and is no longer leaking substantial amounts of radiation, Japan's prime minister announced Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, marking a milestone nine months after the March 11 tsunami sent three reactors at the plant into meltdowns in the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, Pool, File)

Japan's tsunami-hit nuclear plant called 'stable'

Mari Yamaguchi The Associated Press

Last updated Friday, December 16, 2011 - 10:35am

TOKYO -- Japan's prime minister announced Friday that the country's tsunami-damaged nuclear plant has achieved a stable state of "cold shutdown," a crucial step toward the eventual lifting of evacuation orders and closing of the plant.

Earthquake, Japan, Japanese tsunami, Tsunami, International Read more Comments