Petersburg Pilot -

­­­­OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA (AP) — A U.S. Coast Guard cutter poured cannon fire into a Japanese ghost ship that had been drifting since last year's tsunami, sinking the vessel in the Gulf of Alaska and eliminating the hazard it posed to shipping and the coastline.

The cutter's guns tore holes in the 110-foot Ryou-Un Maru on Thursday, ending the abandoned vessel's long, lonely journey across the Pacific. As the crew pummeled the ship, it burst into flames and began taking on water, officials said.

A huge column of smoke could be seen over the gulf as a Coast Guard C-130 cargo plane, se...