When Alson Kelen, a former municipality chief on the Pacific island of Bikini Atoll that was the site of a U.S. hydrogen bomb detonation on March 1, 1954, recalls how his mother used to pine for returning to her homeland, it still brings up strong feelings.
miniboat, part of the
Columbia River Maritime Museum s miniboat program, has fetched up in an exotic location while on its way to Japan.
This one,
S/V Liberty, launched by students from
Wyâeast Middle School in Vancouver, Washington, in the spring, was off to an inauspicious start: It crash-landed. It was repaired and relaunched in July.
This time, after over 100 days at sea, the Liberty landed 4,500 miles away on Nov. 4 on the
Ailuk Atoll. Located in the Marshall Islands, the tiny atoll has a population of only 357.
Amazingly, even after crossing a reef before landing, the Liberty arrived with minimal damage. The islanders initially left it alone for a while, fearing COVID-19 exposure, but after studying the miniboat further, they found the note affixed to it explaining the little vessel s story, and how to contact the students.
It is just the latest shipment of cocaine to be found floating on the sea this month.
A ghost boat carrying 649kg of cocaine worth an estimated €65 million has washed up in the Marshall Islands two weeks ago.
The massive haul of cocaine was discovered hidden in an abandoned fiberglass vessel on a beach at Ailuk Atoll, located between the Philippines and Hawaii.
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Marshall Islands police transport the confiscated packages of cocaine to an incinerator
Law enforcement officials have put forward a number of different theories about the find, including that they were abandoned when smugglers were in danger of being caught, or lost in storms.
In January 2014, Salvadoran fisherman José Alvarenga washed up in the Marshalls, more than 13 months after he set off from Mexico’s west coast with a companion, who died during the voyage.
Mr Hickson praised locals for notifying authorities about the most recent haul as sometimes drugs that wash up are sold rather than reported.
Police said the drugs were incinerated on Tuesday, apart from two packets, which have been sent to the US Drug Enforcement Administration for testing.