Foreign Tuna Crews Jumping Ship

Thirteen foreign crewmen of Japanese coastal tuna boats have run away over the past six months, bringing the total number of missing foreign fishermen to 127 since 2003, according to transport ministry officials. The 13 crewmen are Indonesians who came to Japan under the "maru ship" system, which was introduced in 2003 to allow foreigners to work aboard Japanese fishing boats to cover the acute shortage of labor in the nation's fishing industry and to enhance its competitiveness. The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry has found that the 13 crewmen ran away from ports at Shiogama in Miyagi Prefecture, Nachikatsuura in Wakayama Prefecture and Choshi in Chiba Prefecture between late October and April, according to the officials.Most of the 127 are believed to have come to Japan to secure other jobs by taking advantage of the easy procedures to work on boats under the system. Some were found doing agricultural work in Ibaraki and other prefectures. Since a series of cases involving missing foreign fishermen was made public in October, a national association of coastal bonito and tuna fishing operators has taken steps to prevent further incidents, including stepping up foot patrols at ports. However, their efforts have proved ineffective, partly because of brokers who arrange jobs for illegal workers.

Tugboat Hits Pipeline, Spills Gas Into Carquinez Strait

A gasoline spill at a pier in Martinez that was initially estimated to be 1,500 gallons has turned out to have been only about 5 gallons, California Department of Fish and Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response spokeswoman Carol Singleton said. The 78-foot tugboat Independence was passing by the Tesoro's Golden Eagle refinery Avon wharf facility when it hit three pipes at about 12:20 a.m., Coast Guard spokesman Kevin Neff said. The tug was headed west toward the San Francisco Bay when it hit the landward side of the wharf. The pipes are used to transfer gasoline to ships, Neff said. The pipes, about 12 inches in diameter, were not transferring gasoline when struck, but residual fuel left in the pipeline spilled into waters in the area of the Carquinez Strait about a mile and a half from the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, Neff said. A rough initial estimate suggested that about 1,500 gallons of gasoline spilled. Neff said other liquid may have leaked into the water, but the amounts were hard to determine due to a lack of early-morning light.tugboat IndependenceThe Coast Guard response to the spill will include drug and alcohol testing of the tugboat crew, and emergency response agencies have been notified, Neff said. There were no other boats and no other activity in the area at the time of the crash, according to the Coast Guard. Coast Guard crews had not deployed boom at about 4:30 a.m. while an investigation in the dark continued, Neff said. Wednesday's spill comes about six months after the Cosco Busan crashed into a support tower of the Bay Bridge, spilling more than 50,000 gallons of fuel into the bay. The pilot at the helm of that ship, Captain John Cota, is charged with two felonies for allegedly lying to the Coast Guard about annual medical reports. Cota's lawyer is trying to move the trial outside the Bay Area, because, he said, potential jurors have been exposed to leaked government accusations. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson was one of many who complained that the city was not notified for 12 hours after that spill. Initial reports suggested just 140 gallons poured into the bay that foggy day. That spill is known to have killed about 2,000 birds. But some wildlife biologists feared that more than 20,000 birds may ultimately have died from that spill.

Paint Makes Things Invisible to Radar

A German inventor has developed a paint called AR 1 that can hide a vehicle from radar, and most importantly, "all militarily relevant frequencies." How it works is unclear, though one test researcher proposes it's either by reflecting radar waves in a pattern so they cancel one another out, or by utilizing microscopic magnets to absorb radar radiation. And no, it won't get you out of speeding tickets.The inventor's story is an interesting one, involving thousands of hours of lab trial and error, as well as international military interest in his product ... that far outshined the response from his own country's military. But apparently the most promising and equitable use for such a paint could be civilian. Airport towers and buildings have a long history of interfering with flight control radars. And to simply make them disappear would be quite useful—as opposed to calling hangar 12 in for a landing or something.

Coast Guard Rescues Sailor Off Ocean City, Md.

A Coast Guard helicopter pulled a stranded sailor to safety when his sailboat went aground off Ocean City, Md., today, officials said. Officials said someone on shore saw the boat go aground and called the Coast Guard.A helicopter from Atlantic City and a rescue boat from Ocean City arrived, and the copter crew hoisted Robert Pollak of Sayville, N.Y., to safety. He was reported in good condition after being taken to Ocean City Municipal Airport.

Spirit of Columbia towed by Coast Guard

A 143-foot cruise ship, Spirit of Columbia, had to be towed by the Coast Guard after the ship reportedly lost power to both generators and was operating on one of two propellor engines. The Coast Guard responded to a call from a disabled 143-foot cruise ship, Spirit of Columbia, with 89 passengers onboard that reportedly lost power to both generators and was operating on one of two propellor engine's two miles from Warm Springs Bay at 8 p.m. Saturday.Spirit of ColumbiaCoast Guard Cutter Liberty stationed in Auke Bay responded to assist. While the Liberty was en route to the scene, Spirit of Columbia effected repairs to both main generators but still had only one operable propellor. Escorted by Liberty, Spirit of Columbia is estimated to arrive in Auke Bay at 4:30 p.m. today. The Spirit of Columbia does not know what caused the propellor engine to stop working. No injuries have been reported. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Missing Couple's Boat Found In Mexico

Authorities have found a fishing boat belonging to an Oceanside couple who were reported missing this week. The boat belonging to Josh Hartman and Ana Martin washed ashore near Rosarito, a Mexican beach community 20 mile south of the border, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The couple were last seen heading out Thursday morning from Oceanside Harbor to fish for bait.Hartman's mother said her son called that afternoon to say he caught a lot of fish and was heading back. No one has heard from them since. Two rifles were found on board the boat, but according to the Coast Guard, the family said the rifles would have been there anyway. Authorities continue to search for the couple.

Landmark Tugboat Demolished In Gulfport

The S.S. Hurricane Camille tugboat is no more after demolition crews tore it down. Long a popular tourist attraction, in recent years the 72-foot-long landmark had deteriorated into more of an eyesore. Owner Lucille Moody said it was time for the boat to go after 35 years sitting just off the beach in Gulfport along U.S. Highway 90.Built in 1943, the tugboat was pushed ashore in August 1969 by Hurricane Camille. Moody eventually opened a gift shop on the property, using the old boat to lure customers. For local residents, the familiar tugboat became a symbol of strength against two storms — Camille and Katrina. For visitors, it was a favorite landmark and photo opportunity.

Grounded Container Ship Freed

A container ship that ran aground in Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay this morning has been refloated and is heading back to port. The Francoise Gilot came to grief about 5.50am (AEST) today when it lost power and drifted out of the shipping channel and on to sand in the south of the bay.The Francoise Gilot after it ran aground.Two tug boats were sent to assist the stricken 160m vessel but it managed, under its own power, to pull free of the sand at Hovell Pile, near McCrae. "She's free and she's making her way up to the north of the bay on her own steam," Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) spokesman Peter Harry said.

Navy To Name Ship After SEAL Who Won Medal Of Honor

The Navy will name a new destroyer in honor of Lt. Michael Murphy, a SEAL commando who died in a firefight with Taliban militiamen nearly three years ago and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism. Navy Secretary Donald Winter announced the new ship’s name at a ceremony in Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y., a community on Long Island near Murphy’s hometown of Patchogue. The ship is scheduled to join the fleet in 2010. Murphy, 29, was killed as he radioed for help for himself and three other SEALs during a battle on an Afghan mountainside. Already wounded, he moved into an open area in order to get a clear signal for the distress call; a fatal round caught him in the back as he was speaking on his satellite phone.Murphy was the first Navy member to be awarded the medal since the Vietnam War. Along with Murphy and two SEALs on the ground, 16 American troops who answered the distress call were killed when their rescue helicopter was downed by a rocket-propelled grenade. The dead included six SEALs based in Virginia Beach, one of them a member of Murphy’s ground team. The engagement was the single bloodiest fight to date for American forces in Afghanistan and the deadliest single day for the Navy’s special forces since World War II.

Number Of Dead In Brazilian Boat Accident Rises To 26

The number of dead in a boat accident in the Brazilian Amazonian state of Amapa rose to 26 on Tuesday, with 20 people still missing, authorities said. The unlicensed ship, Comandante Sales, floundered and partially sank in the Solimoes River near the town of Manacapuru, some 80 kilometres from state capital Manaus. An estimated 110 passengers were travelling on the boat at the time of the accident, based on the accounts of survivors. Some 100 Navy, Civil Defence and Fire Department officers continued Tuesday to look for victims.Rescue workers search the capsized Comandante Sales boat in the Solimoes River.The shipwreck occurred some 20 minutes after the boat left Lago del Pesquero, where many of the passengers had taken part in a religious celebration. Many of the passengers were able to swim to the riverbank. Another boat immediately went to the aid of the passengers, and Fire Department forces later succeeded in getting the ship righted and anchoring it on the riverbank. The Navy Command said in a statement that the ship had not been unauthorized to leave port since January, because it lacked the necessary documents and its crew lacked required training. Authorities had launched an investigation into the causes of the accident.

Soldiers Say Porn Ban May Hurt Morale

Legislation that would restrict the sale of certain men's magazines on U.S. military bases around the world would be bad for morale, according to soldiers at Grafenwöhr. U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., has introduced legislation that would close a loophole in the current law that allows the sale of some sexually explicit material on military bases by lowering the threshold required to deem material "sexually explicit." A Department of Defense committee that reviews materials sold on bases ruled last year that magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse are not pornographic. But Broun's Military Honor and Decency Act includes language that could make those magazines eligible for the ban. The prospect of missing out on men's magazines was not welcomed by soldiers at Grafenwöhr. "We all read 'em," said Pfc. Paul Rubio, 31, of Bakersfield, Calif. "There are times we just read 'em for the technological parts like the new gadgets that come out. They have good stories sometimes too."Sgt. Simon Brown, 34, of Daytona Beach, Fla., said men's magazines build morale. "It's not all about the pictures, although 80 percent of it is," he said. Pfc. Greg Smith, 21, of Northboro, Mass., a regular Playboy reader, said soldiers should be allowed to buy nudie magazines at the exchange. "Playboy is good entertainment while you are on the can. They have jokes and good stories," he said. Broun, a Marine veteran, told Newsweek recently that the magazines sold in military exchanges are partly responsible for a rise in sexual assaults in the military and other problems. "Allowing the sale of pornography on military bases has harmed military men and women by: escalating the number of violent, sexual crimes; feeding a base addiction; eroding the family as the primary building block of society; and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad," Broun says on his Web site. The legislation would require the DOD to annually review material that is not currently deemed sexually explicit to determine if it should be prohibited, according to the Web site. Some soldiers say magazines that could be banned are particularly important downrange. Brown deployed to Afghanistan in 2002 and 2005 and is preparing to go to Iraq with the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade this summer. When he was in Afghanistan he was one of the first to pick up a new copy of Maxim or FHM when it came out, he said."It would suck if they ban it," he said. "It's bad enough we are down there to begin with. Taking that away would be like a knife in the chest. I'm not saying I'm depending on Maxim to keep me alive over there, but it helps." Publications such as Maxim and FHM are not named by Broun, but lowering the threshold of the sexually explicit definition might mean such magazines would be targeted for a ban. Some troops in the Pacific region said the proposed legislation would impinge upon their personal freedoms. "They're making it a point of undermining soldiers to almost make them feel like we're back in elementary school," Pfc. Nickolas Sears said Friday at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea. "We're all adults here, and if it's something we want to do, we should feel free to choose as we please." Other than on base, there's no place in South Korea to buy magazines like Playboy, he said. "I believe it's a breach of freedom of speech," said Senior Airman Garrett Deese, 25, of Elk Grove, Calif., who just completed a tour with the 8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. He said he wonders whether such a ban would lead to barring other types of magazines lawmakers chose to challenge. He also questioned whether Broun's link between magazines and sexual assaults within the military would stand close scrutiny.At Yokota Air Base, Japan, military spouse Roberta Woolley said she understands the need for balance between rules and individual rights, but said the military has tougher standards than the rest of American society. "It's a good idea," she said of the proposed ban. "I think there's better literature out there.... In the military, we sell cigarettes and alcohol legally. But it's also questionable whether they promote a healthy lifestyle. "I've seen all these magazines, and they don't make men or women intelligent or beautiful. And even though they're hidden, there is still exposure to children as well. It's the parents' responsibility to give ideas about body awareness to their children. I don't think Mr. Hefner presents a positive image of men or women in his magazine." A female soldier at Grafenwöhr -- Sgt. Pou McCall, 23, of Riverside, Calif. -- said men's magazines don't bother her a lot, but she'd support a ban. "What if it was their (soldiers') sisters (in the magazines)? It doesn't take a magazine for sexual harassment to happen but it increases it," she said. Army and Air Force Exchange service public relations manager Judd Anstey said AAFES sold $231,000 worth of Penthouse, Playboy and Playgirl magazines in Europe last year. "Sales of these three titles account for 2.7 percent of total European magazine sales ($8.5 million) at AAFES facilities," he said. The sales accounted for 0.5 percent of worldwide AAFES magazine sales of $46.4 million, he said.

Man Missing After Boat Capsizes In St. Lawrence River

The coast guard and Montreal firefighters are searching for a man whose boat capsized in the St. Lawrence River. Montreal police Const. Yannick Ouimet said two boaters clung to wreckage for two hours before a 51-year-old man slipped away. His 37-year-old boating partner held on for an extra hour and was rescued by family members who came along in another boat.The boaters were all headed toward a family residence on an island near Montreal. The rescued man, who is expected to be released from hospital later Monday, told police they were only a few hundred metres from shore when the boat hit a wave and flipped. Police say the men were not wearing life-jackets.

Baltic Cruise Ship Runs Aground Off Latvia

A Baltic cruise ship with 984 people on board ran aground off the north-west coast of Latvia, coast guards said. Passengers - most of them Germans - were not in immediate danger and remained on board the 173-metre (567-foot) Mona Lisa, coast guard spokeswoman Liene Ulbina told DPA. The Bahamas-registered vessel was en route to the Estonian capital Tallinn from Riga, when it ran aground for the ninth time in its 42-year history, Latvian Defence Minister Vinets Veldre told reporters Sunday afternoon before leaving for the scene of the accident. Weather conditions weren't a factor in the accident, he said.The Bahamas-registered cruise ship Mona Lisa.The Latvian Maritime Administration experts were on board the ship owned by Germany's Lord Nelson Seereisen company to determine how to pull it free. It remained unclear whether they would need to evacuate passengers. The coast guard said the crew had been inspecting the ship and had not found any sign of damage or oil tank leaks. The air force and border guards were on standby although there were no signs of damage to the Mona Lisa, which was stranded in the Irbe strait outside Riga, 38 km from the shore, Ulbina said. The Captain of the ship is from Greece. The officers are from Ukraine, according to the Baltic News Service.

Boat Explosion Kills 2

A cabin cruiser exploded Saturday morning on Australia's Yarra River in Melbourne, killing a husband and wife and injuring four family members.Two people were killed and several others injured while a boat was being refuelled in Melbourne.The 33-foot boat had just been refueled when the blast occurred. The couple who died, described as being in their 60s, were standing just above the vessel's fuel tanks.

Barge Breaks In Half In Seattle

Workers were removing the remaining gravel from a barge at Harbor Island that buckled earlier in the day, was partly submerged and dumped part of its load into the Duwamish. "It is taking on water but still floating. Apparently, it isn't in danger of sinking," said Kathy Davis, a spokeswoman from the state Ecology Department. A crew from the Ash Grove Cement Co. was removing gravel from the barge for Stoneway Concrete around 4 p.m. when the accident happened, said Craig Puljan, the Ash Grove plant manager in Seattle. An Ash Grove crew was using a front-end loader and portable conveyer to unload the barge, he said. No one was injured. Much of the sand and gravel on the barge had been removed before it broke, but some slid into the waterway. "One of the issues is that it is on top of a Superfund site," Davis said."We are asking them not to dredge the lump of material that fell into the waterway until we have a plan. Dredging it could stir up sediments." The company is expected to submit a salvage plan before removing the barge, said Coast Guard Lt. Jennifer Runion. Her agency is investigating whether the 273-foot barge was loaded properly. The barge is owned by Island Tug & Barge Co. A second, larger barge equipped with a crane was brought in to help in the recovery effort. Using the crane, crews removed the front-end loader, whose diesel fuel posed a potential spill danger. A man who identified himself only as Mike said he was working on his sailboat when he heard the accident. "I thought there was an earthquake," he said. "The boat started rocking like mad. It did throw up a pretty good wave."

China Opens World’s Longest Sea Bridge

The world's longest sea bridge was formally opened yesterday linking Shanghai to the industrial city of Ningbo across Hangzhou Bay in China. The 22-mile bridge will reduce the driving distance between the eastern side of Shanghai and the port town of Ningbo by 75 miles.The official opening was shown live on state television and traffic was due to start on the six-lane bridge late last night. The bridge is a cable-stayed structure built at a cost of 11.8bn yuan (£500m), of which 30% came from private investors. The project was an early example of private contribution to a major public infrastructure project. Construction started in November 2003.The bridge is designed to last 100 years. It will also help boost economic integration and development in the Yangtze river delta, which covers 39,000 square miles of land comprising Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, an area with 72.4 million people. Sun Ningwei, vice-president of the Xinhai Electric Company, based in Cixi, Ningbo, said of the new bridge: "I think it will be easier for our company to recruit high-calibre employees, who always prefer working in small cities like Cixi but living in big cities like Shanghai. They can leave Shanghai for Cixi in the morning and go back in the afternoon. It's only 1.5 hours' drive," she said. The 20.2-mile Donghai Bridge had been the previous longest sea-crossing structure, linking Shanghai to the Yangshan deep water port.

1st Cruise Ship Of The Season Arrives In Juneau

The first cruise ship of the season has arrived in Juneau. The Norwegian Star pulled into port early Wednesday morning and passengers were soon scouting the downtown streets, maps in hand. More than one million passengers are expected to visit Juneau this season, a slight increase over last year. The season ends Sept. 27 with the scheduled departure of the Infinity. Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Lorene Palmer said each visitor is projected to spend an average of $186, totaling more than $195 million. That compares to about $176 million spent in 2005.The Norwegian Star"Just by sheer volume we're going to see more economic impact in Juneau," said Palmer. Those figures do not include crew spending or spending by independent travelers who are expected to number between 70,000 to 75,000. Cruise ship visitors will arrive aboard about 50 ships owned by 12 different cruise lines. They will include three new ships: the Millennium owned by Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises' Tahitian Princess, and the Spirit of Glacier Bay owned by Cruise West. Palmer said the name Spirit of Glacier Bay has been used in the past, but this is a new vessel.

The Young Marines

Stand up! Now get on your face! Push up! "Marine Corps!" These words are shouted in unison by several young recruits as they push their bodies off the ground. Does this sound familiar? Of course it does. Although it's not a platoon of Marine recruits sounding off at Marine Corps Recruit Depots Parris Island or San Diego, it's the Camp Foster Young Marines. The Young Marines program is a volunteer organization offered by the United States Marine Corps for boys and girls ages 8 through 17. The program promotes physical fitness, self-discipline, leadership, teamwork and a healthy, drug-free lifestyle among youth. The organization was founded in the United States in 1958 and was established in Okinawa in 1995. Female recruits were added to the ranks in 1975 and the organization has increased to more than 10,000 Young Marines around the world. The mission of Young Marines is to positively impact America's future by providing quality youth development programs for children that nurtures and develops its members into responsible citizens, explained Cpl. Jeffrey McDowell, the Camp Foster Young Marines senior drill instructor.The path to become a Young Marine starts with dedicating 13 Saturdays to attend Young Marine recruit training. During the training recruits perform various physical activities, learn the history of the Young Marines, and receive classes on leadership, close-order drill, teamwork, customs and courtesies, and the Marine Corps rank structure. In order for a Young Marine recruit to complete boot camp, they must also pass two written tests. "These kids are all volunteers here on the island," said Sgt. Dexter White, the Camp Foster Young Marines commanding officer. "They sacrifice every Saturday to better themselves." Upon completion of recruit training, the Young Marines will embark on an adventure that will benefit not only themselves but also have a positive impact on their peers as well, according to White. They will earn rank as they increase in physical fitness, show leadership capability and initiative. In order to earn the next rank, a Young Marine must show the willingness to strive for more, White explained.Once a Young Marine attains the rank of noncommissioned officer, they will be taught how to give classes on topics such as drug, tobacco and alcohol awareness. "When a Young Marine gets promoted to NCO, they are expected to know things such as land navigation, drill and public speaking," White said. "Just like the Marine Corps - we award more responsibility to each of them once they have demonstrated the ability to work beyond their limits." One Young Marine feels the organization has helped him achieve more than the average person his age. "I joined this program to become more disciplined," said Young Marine Cpl. Calen Wood. "Young Marines has given me the opportunity to learn about things that I would not learn anywhere else. Most of my friends play video games on Saturdays and I would rather spend my Saturdays doing this." Parents are always providing positive feedback about their children, McDowell explained. "I definitely recommend it for every child," said Carrie McGuigan, the mother of a Young Marine recruit. "I signed my son up because I think it will build his self-confidence tremendously. This program brings out the best in these children."

Fifteen Missing Sailors Found Inside Ukrainian Sunken Ship

The bodies of 15 missing sailors were found inside the Ukrainian Neftegaz 67 vessel, which sank in the Xianggang bay in late March. The bodies were taken to a morgue for identification. Water is being pumped out of the vessel. Once that is done, experts will assess the condition of the sunken ship and the possibility of towing it to the shore. The Neftegaz 67 was lifted with the help of Asia’s largest floating crane on Sunday. The wreck occurred near the Island of Lantau on March 22 through the collision with a large Chinese dry cargo ship. Seven out of 25 crewmembers of the Neftegaz 67 were rescued. Divers also found three dead bodies. The sunken vessel was lying upside down in a strong current at the depth of 37 meters. It was turned up on Monday and the fuel tanks were secured in order to avoid a leak. However, the hoisting operation was delayed several times because of bad weather. A fog and the strong current made it impossible to lift the vessel on Saturday. About 100 specialists, among them 30 divers, took part in the operation of the Chinese company Guangzhou Salvage. Ukraine was paying $250,000 per day for using the crane, while the entire cost of the hoisting operation was about $10 million. The Chinese company pledged to raise the sunken ship to the surface, pump away water, close the holes, keep the ship afloat, tow it to the shore and dispose of the scrap metal.Neftegaz 67The accident occurred in a strait between the Island of Lantau and the New Territories, four kilometers northeast of the international airport. A dry cargo ship en route from mainland China had a head collision with the Ukrainian ship en route from Shenzhen in the sick fog. The Ukrainian ship got a big hole in its hull and sank immediately. Seven people, including a Chinese citizen – a representative of the company that chartered the ship, were thrown overboard and picked up by rescuers. That was the largest wreck offshore Xianggang in the past decades. Chernomorneftegaz CEO Anatoly Prisyazhnyuk said that families of the missing crewmembers would receive aid. “We will give them financial and humanitarian assistance ensured by our laws and extra,” he said. “I think that our company can give assistance not only to wives but also to children if, God forbid, they lose their breadwinners.” Meanwhile, families of the Neftegaz 67 crewmembers accused Chinese rescue services and the Ukrainian government of the insufficiently active search-and-rescue effort. The Ukrainian governmental commission went to Xianggang only two days after the shipwreck. The largest floating crane in Asia, which was due to hoist the vessel on March 28, was late to arrive to the wreck scene. There was no search party on land. Some family members said they had tried to call their husbands by mobile phone but received answers in Chinese.

17 Boat People Found Off California Coast

U.S. border agents intercepted a 26-foot boat off the coast of Southern California they say was carrying 17 suspected illegal immigrants. Thirteen men and four women were taken into custody. U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Vince Bond said one of the 17 will be charged with smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States. Agents using night vision equipment spotted the boat running without navigation lights about 1 a.m. about 10 miles off the coast of Point Loma.The boat had no registration markings, Bond said. Immigration officials say it's the second time in about a month a boat carrying suspected illegal immigrants has been found. In the last case, 15 people were found adrift in a boat about 15 miles west of Mission Bay. The officials say there have been at least 20 such attempts in the past several months.

Commander Of Legendary Ship Exodus Dies At 90

The man who commanded the clandestine operations that brought in four ships carrying some 24,000 illegal immigrants between 1945 and 1948, Yossi Harel, died yesterday in Tel Aviv at the age of 90. The writer Yoram Kaniuk, a friend of Harel, told Haaretz that when the ships he commanded sailed past the coast of Turkey, Harel would think of the Armenian village in Franz Werfel's novel "40 Days of Musa Dagh," which described the Armenian genocide. "He loved the Armenian people and felt close to them," Kaniuk said, adding that he wanted to mention Harel's sensitivity to the Armenians as a sign of the great humanitarianism and compassion that were central to his Harel's character. Harel was born in 1919, a sixth-generation Jerusalemite. He joined the Haganah at age 15 and later became part of the unit commanded by Orde Wingate, where he earned a reputation for bravery. Kaniuk related that David Ben-Gurion and Shaul Avigur (commander of the Aliyah Bet illegal immigration campaign and founder of Shai, the Haganah intelligence service) had marked him out as suitable to command the clandestine immigration ships because in addition to his leadership skills and fighting prowess, "there was something very hevreman [sociable] about him.Yossi HarelHe was not the kind of clap-you-on-the-back hero. He was a man of manners, the type who didn't raise his voice. He was a man of conscience and a daring fighter." He was also sensitive, and showed special care for women about to give birth on the ship, Kaniuk said. Kaniuk also said, "Many of the sabras were snobs. They felt like heroes and did not show great sensitivity to the [Holocaust] survivors. It was hard for them to get in touch with their Jewishness. To Yossi, his Jewishness was important, as someone who had grown up in Jerusalem and not in Tel Aviv or on a kibbutz." Harel commanded the major clandestine immigrant operations, including four ships: Knesset Israel, The Exodus, Atzma'ut and Kibbutz Galuyot. By the time he was 28 he had been responsible for about 24,000 immigrants had come in under his command, more than one-third of those smuggled into the country secretly between 1945 and 1948. The Exodus, whose Captain was Yitzhak "Ike" Aharonovich, went down in history for its heroic voyage from France in July 1947, carrying 4,500 Holocaust survivors, and the fight for months to keep it from being turned back by the British. Eventually the ship was forced back to Europe and sailed to Hamburg, Germany.Jewish immigrant ship Exodus
But the high point in Harel's career was not the more famous Exodus, according to an earlier article in Haaretz by historian Dr. Aviva Halamish. It was the two-and-a-half week voyage of the Knesset Israel. The ship set sail in November 1946 from Yugoslavia with 4,000 souls on boad. According to Halamish, this voyage brought to the fore the contrasts between the Yishuv, the Jewish community in pre-state Israel, and the clandestine immigrants, who were Holocaust survivors and "carried their struggle with them." Inspired by the story of the Knesset Israel, the poet Natan Alterman wrote in the newspaper Davar of the "division of labor" between the two groups. Harel later went on to study mechanical engineering in the United States. He was called back by Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Moshe Dayan to command Unit 131, the intelligence unit that operated the Israeli spy ring that collapsed in Egypt in 1954. Eventually, Harel left the army and went into business. Harel is to be buried tomorrow at Kibbutz Sdot Yam, near Caesarea.

Ship Hired By US Fires Warning Shots In Gulf

A cargo vessel under contract with the US Navy fired warning shots on two small boats which approached the ship in the Gulf and failed to respond to radio communications, the US Navy said. The small speed boats left the area after the warning shots and the US ship Westward Venture received radio contract from a unit of the Iranian Coast Guard, the Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said.Westward VentureThe Navy could not confirm that the boats during the incident were Iranian. US Navy ships in the Gulf have in the past had encounters with small Iranian boats. One of the bigger incidents between the two countries took place in January, when three Iranian fast boats came dangerously close to three US warships in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz before vanishing as one of the US vessels was preparing to open fire.

Corpse Helped Boat Refugee Stay Afloat

The moonlight illuminated the young woman's fellow passengers from the capsized boat, scattered through the chilly ocean 15 miles from land. Some of them screamed for help. Others bobbed silently, face-down in the water. As the voices grew quiet one by one, Rodene Fileresaint clung to the only life preserver she could find: the lifeless body of a Haitian who had shared her American dream. "I was holding onto a dead woman to keep afloat," the 23-year-old high school student said. Nine hours later, day broke and rescuers finally arrived. Some two dozen people were dead. Three were alive, including Fileresaint. She was still clinging to the corpse. Thousands of Haitians fleeing poverty and hopelessness make the illegal crossing to Florida each year. The U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted 737 since Jan. 1; nobody knows how many more have drowned or been killed by sharks. This group of migrants took a common route, boarding a smuggler's boat to the Bahamas, two survivors told The Associated Press late Wednesday from hospital beds. Bahamian police grabbed several of the migrants as they reached land, and those who escaped made it to a safehouse, where they spent two weeks waiting to move on.A Haitian migrant who survived the capsizing of a boat off Nassau, Bahamas, is questioned by a Bahamian official at the Nassau Harbour Patrol Unit. The migrant is one of three who survived the tragedy.On Saturday night, they boarded a speedboat bound for Miami, with a planned stopover in Bimini, a speck of land where police don't have a single vessel to give chase. Fileresaint, the daughter of rice farmers, was excited: Her dream of becoming a nurse in Miami was finally within reach. Fileresaint said she counted 27 people aboard the speedboat. Survivor Johnny Boucher, 26, said they were packed shoulder-to-shoulder. An hour after leaving Nassau, the boat suddenly began to take on water, he explained. "I was sitting in the front of the boat. The boat was speeding," Boucher said through an interpreter, his eyes filling with tears. "Water was coming inside of the boat and we couldn't see where it was coming from. Women started screaming to turn back." Within moments, the boat capsized. Boucher said he had time to strip off two shirts, his pants and his shoes before plunging into the swells. "I thought I was going to die," he said. Boucher said he treaded water for hours as he screamed for help in Creole. The cramps were excruciating, he said, and he was nearly unconscious when he felt someone grab him and pluck him from the water Sunday morning. Fishermen had heard the screams and alerted authorities. Rescuers pulled bodies from the waters, but the Coast Guard told them to focus on the survivors, slipping life jackets onto the corpses so they could be picked up later.Coast Guard officers carry the body of one of the Haitian migrants who died after their boat sank off Nassau, Bahamas.The bodies of 12 women and two men were recovered before search operations were called off at dusk Wednesday. Rescuers said they were surprised to find so many bodies floating so soon after the accident. But John Sanders, director of the U.S. National Underwater Rescue and Recovery Institute, said that is to be expected, especially for people killed before hitting the water — say, by hitting their heads. Florida-based family members of one victim, 30-year-old Lorna Eugene, paid the equivalent of US$5,000 for a smuggler to take her to Miami to be with her fiance, according to relatives in Haiti. Her sister, Louna Eugene, said Lorna's family warned her about the dangers of the voyage. "We told her not to get on a boat full of people," Eugene said by telephone from Port-de-Paix in northern Haiti. She said her sister's fiance hopes to travel to Nassau, where Lorna is to be buried on Monday. Fileresaint remained hospitalized Thursday for exposure, while Boucher was taken to a migration detention center, according to William Pratt, the Bahamas' assistant director of immigration. The third survivor, a Honduran, was being held by police for investigation of smuggling.

Pilot Boat Aids Sick Sailor

Milford Haven Port Authority came to the rescue of a sick sailor yesterday, as they took a crew member from HMS Exeter to an awaiting ambulance. The warship was passing the Haven and diverted her passage in order to convey the crewman, who had a foot infection, to shore.HMS Exeter D89The port authority pilot's boat was in the area and, at the request of coastguard operations room,transferred the seaman from the Exeter to the port authority jetty. An awaiting ambulance then took him to Withybush Hospital. "The pilot's boat happened to be at sea when we got a call from the coastguard and we were happy to assist," said Milford Haven harbour master Mark Andrews.

Recruits Enlist Using Biometric Technology

When 20 recruits gathered yesterday at the Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station to sign their enlistment contracts, none needed a pen. Instead, they read their contracts on a computer screen, then pressed their index fingers onto an electronic pad next to it, becoming the first servicemembers to enlist using biometric technology. Air Force Maj. Michael D. Thomas, deputy station commander, swore in the recruits on Fort Meade, Md. This marked a big step in the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command’s transition to paperless enlistment recordkeeping, said Ted Daniels chief of the command’s accessions division. Nineteen-year-old Krista Hearne of Salisbury, Md., became the first recruit to sign her enlistment contract biometrically before taking her oath of enlistment to join the Army. Eighteen-year-old Chance Muller of Sharpsburg, Md., followed, becoming the first male applicant to use biometrics, in his case, to join the Marine Corps. After swearing them into the military, Thomas used his own index fingerprint to biometrically sign their contracts. When the process was completed, the new servicemembers received print-outs of their enlistment contracts, which included a facial photo and the fingerprint.U.S. Army recruit Krista N. Hearne, 19, of Salisbury, Md., poses with the electronic Army enlistment contract she signed with her fingerprint as she became the first person to enlist in the U.S. military using biometric signatures.No other paper was required for a process that once required multiple signatures and took reams of paper. “The process starts off without paper and it ends up without paper,” said Daniels. “But we do print out one copy, for the individual.” Many of the enlisting troops had seen biometrics technology used on television and thought it “pretty neat” to learn that they were to be the first enlistees to use it, Daniels said. “We told them what we were doing was revolutionary, that this was the first time it was being down within the Department of Defense,” he said. “They came through here and said, ‘This is pretty neat, man.’” Biometrics is becoming increasingly widespread in society. Some supermarkets used them at the checkout counter. Even Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., takes biometric measurements from guests’ fingers to ensure the same person uses a ticket from day to day. Daniels said biometrics will offer MEPCOM broad advantages, improving security, reducing redundancy and dollar costs and saving the command an estimated 70 million sheets of paper a year. Last year alone, the command administered 510,000 enlistment Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery tests and 348,000 physical examinations to recruit 266,000 new soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen.Air Force Major Michael D. Thomas conducts an enlistment ceremony for U.S. Army recruit Krista N. Hearne, 19, at the Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station. Hearne became the first person to enlist in the U.S. military using biometric signatures.Now using biometric technology, MEPS officials will capture each applicant’s biometric print at first contact. That information will be used to verify the applicant’s identity and track progress throughout the qualification process: from aptitude testing to medical screening to background check to contract signing to shipping off for boot camp or basic training. Biometric information captured at enlistment will become part of the servicemembers’ permanent personnel records. Ultimately it will follow them throughout their military careers, providing concrete verification of their identity. Because biometrics are unique to every individual and can’t be forged, they add security protections just not possible with traditional “wet” signatures, Daniels explained. “What we want to do is make sure whoever is next to you in the foxhole is exactly who they are supposed to be,” he said. Meanwhile, biometrics is expected to provide faster, less redundant personnel processes, he said. As it becomes widespread throughout the department and services, it will help short-cut procedures required for everything from getting a common access card to signing up for Tricare benefits through the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. “There will be no need to start from scratch each time,” Daniels said.

Somali Troops Hold Pirates As Dubai Ship Hijacking Ends

Several hijackers of a Dubai-flagged ship have been arrested after the vessel was stormed by Somali troops off the war-torn East African nation. The hijacking of the 'Al Khaleej' was the 12th such reported incident in Somali waters this year, according to International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which monitors crimes at sea. "A number of pirates have been arrested. We are trying to get a detailed report," IMB's assistant director Michael Howlett told reporters by phone from London on Tuesday. The troops boarded the vessel on Monday and freed the ship's crew. The pirates are believed to be from Somalia.IMB could not say the number of crew members and their nationalities. Information on the ship’s cargo was also not available. IMB declined to disclose the ship’s present location and the crew’s condition. According to a wire agency report, the 'Al Khaleej' was carrying food for sale in Somalia when it was hijacked seven kilometers off the port of Bosasso on Monday. Incidents of piracy have risen in recent months in and around Somali waters amid worsening chaos in the country.

18 Injured as Louisiana Prison Boat Collides With Vessel On Mississippi River

A boat carrying state prison employees collided with a barge on the swollen Mississippi River upstream from Baton Rouge on Sunday, injuring 18 people. The crew boat Helen G. Calyx with 20 people aboard, was taking workers who had just ended their shifts across the river, said Angie Norwood, spokeswoman for the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. No one went into the water, she said. The employees were first taken to the prison hospital, and 12 were transferred to other hospitals. The two most seriously injured were flown for treatment, Norwood said. Normally, the maximum-security prison uses a ferry to take workers and their vehicles back and forth from the west side of the river to the prison on the east side. But crewboats — typically used to move workers to offshore petroleum platforms — had been used recently because of the high water, Norwood said.Crew boat Helen G. Calyx used to transport employees of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola across the Mississippi River is docked at the Angola ferry landing after colliding with a barge Sunday night. An investigation is under way and the service is suspended.At Baton Rouge, about 40 miles downstream from Angola, the Mississippi is expected to crest April 21 at 42 feet. Flood stage at that point is 35 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The Coast Guard, which was investigating, could not immediately say whether high water played a role. Persistent heavy rains to the north have swollen the busy waterway, leading authorities to open a major spillway for the first time since 1997 in hopes of avoiding problems downriver. River pilots had voiced worries about the high water, saying it's harder to anchor and navigate in the quick currents. The Coast Guard had recently limited the number of barges that tugboats could push in the lower Mississippi. Last month, a freighter ran aground near New Orleans and caused 60 nearby barges to break loose from their moorings. A stretch of river was also closed near Vicksburg, Miss., when a barge sank after hitting a bridge. The penitentiary, which consists of prison camps on an old plantation, has about 1,500 employees.

Seaman Acts To Aid Man In Peril

A USS Kitty Hawk sailor was recognized this week for jumping onto train tracks to rescue a Japanese man who was having a seizure. Seaman Phillip Simmons was waiting for his train at Yokosuka’s Kenritsu Daigaku station April 8 when he saw a Japanese man start shaking, according to a Navy release. The man fell off the platform and onto the tracks below, Simmons said in the release. “I saw him start shaking, and start to lose his balance,” Simmons is quoted as saying in the release. “Another Japanese man tried to catch him, but he fell over into the tracks, so I jumped down to him and tried to get him up.” Simmons pulled the man to safety with help from other people at the station, the release said. The volunteers then pulled Simmons off the tracks just seconds before the train arrived, he said.“I could see the train coming and just kept thinking, ‘Oh [no], I need to get back up,’” Simmons said in the release. Once back on the platform, Simmons continued to care for the man, who continued to suffer seizures, while a station attendant called an ambulance, he said. When the man came out of the seizure, he tried to run from the people trying to restrain him, Simmons said. Another sailor, Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Dennis, witnessed this and was quoted in the release as saying, “Simmons was just trying to keep him calm.” “If Simmons wasn’t there that morning, that guy would be dead,” Dennis said. “He’s not the type of person to stand by and watch if someone needs help.” After a Japanese official confirmed Simmons’ story — the incident caused the sailor to arrive late for work in the enlisted barber shop — Simmons’ chain of command nominated the sailor for an award based on his actions.

Dog Rescued After Months At Sea

Snickers the Sea Dog is barely more than a pup, but he's already an old salt. The eight-month-old pooch spent three months adrift on a 15-metre boat and survived four months on tiny Fanning Island - 1609 kilometres south of Hawaii - where his owners left him after their sailing boat ran aground last December. Now the cocker spaniel, who is in quarantine on Oahu after being rescued April 9 by Norwegian Cruise Line workers and a group of other people, will be flown to Los Angeles to meet a man who desperately wants to adopt him: retired Las Vegas resident Jack Joslin. "I love animals," Joslin said today. "I had two dogs up until the middle of March. Then I had to have my border collie euthanised. The day they called saying the ashes were back was when I read the story (about Snickers).It occurred to me I could do something." Hawaiian Airlines, moved by the dog's survival story, has given the go-ahead on flying the animal for free to the mainland, said Peter Forman, a Hawaii-based airlines historian who helped negotiate Snickers' transport. Forman said he expects Snickers to arrive sometime in the next three days. Snickers' ordeal began when his owners catamaran began experiencing mast problems after setting off from California, said Gina Baurile of the Hawaiian Humane Society. The boat drifted to Fanning Island where it hit a reef and the dog's owners, Jerry and Darla Merrow, swam 200 metres to shore with Snickers and their parrot, Gulliver.They left the island soon after on a cargo vessel leaving their pets in the care of islanders, Baurile said. Efforts to contact the Merrows have been unsuccessful. Robby Coleman, who owns a sail boat off Fanning Island then started watching out for the dog and parrot on the island, Forman said. "Robby put out the SOS and a lot of people got involved," Forman said. After being contacted by Formans wife the Hawaiian Humane Society took the lead on Snickers rescue and organised for a ship to be sent out to Fanning Island to pick up the dog, said Norwegian Cruise Line spokeswoman Krislyn Hashimoto. The dog landed in Honolulu on Wednesday, cleared customs and has been in quarantine since, awaiting transport to LA, Hashimoto said.

South Africa Turns Back Ship Carrying Weapons To Zimbabwe

A ship carrying arms to Zimbabwe has left South African waters after a court refused to allow the weapons to be transported across South Africa. The An Yue Jiang, a Chinese ship, had been at anchor off Durban on South Africa's Indian Ocean coast since Monday, turning into a flashpoint for trade unions and others critical of President Thabo Mbeki's quiet diplomacy toward Zimbabwe. The 300,000-strong South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) refused to unload the weapons because of concerns Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's government might use them against opponents in the post-election stalemate. Several hours after Durban High Court Judge Kate Pillay gave her ruling the ship lifted anchor and left, SAPA said, citing sources that requested anonymity. It was not clear where it was going. Pillay issued her ruling after an Anglican bishop and another activist filed an application asking the court to block the arms in a politically charged case that has raised scrutiny of South Africa's policy on Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean officials have failed to issue results of the March 29 presidential election. Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he won the presidential poll and his party took a majority of the parliamentary seats. Mugabe and his supporters are preparing for a run-off as well as challenging some of the parliamentary results. "We are concerned that the current standoff could mean the arms would fall into the hands of those who want to use military force against the people of Zimbabwe," SATAWU General Secretary Randall Howard told Reuters on Friday. "The South African government cannot be seen as propping up a military regime," he said, adding that workers were refusing to handle four containers on the ship that contained ammunition and other arms.An Yue JiangA South African government spokesman confirmed that weapons were aboard the ship but said the government would not interfere with what it regarded as a trade matter between China and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's deputy information minister, Bright Matonga, said on Friday that no party had the right to stop the shipment. "Every country has got a right to acquire arms. There is nothing wrong with that. If they are for Zimbabwe, they will definitely come to Zimbabwe," he told South Africa's SAFM radio. "How they are used, when they are going to be used is none of anybody's business." The row over the ship has added to the pressure on Mbeki, who has been acting as a regional mediator between Mugabe and Zimbabwe's opposition and has come under fire for taking a relatively soft line on Mugabe's government. Tsvangirai called on Thursday for Mbeki to be removed as a mediator. For its part, China is trying to prevent the controversy from fuelling criticism over its human rights record and rule in Tibet ahead of hosting the Olympics in August. Violent protests have followed the Olympic torch across the globe. China's Foreign Ministry said in a short faxed statement to Reuters that it had seen the reports about the ship, but "did not understand the actual situation". "China and Zimbabwe maintain normal trade relations. What we want to stress is China has always had a prudent and responsible attitude towards arms sales, and one of the most important principles is not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries," the statement said.

Ship Sinks Off Puerto Rico

The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued 11 sailors off the coast of Puerto Rico after their Korean-registered cargo ship capsized in heavy seas. Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad says the entire crew of nine Guyanese, a Dominican and a Cuban fled the sinking vessel in a lifeboat.They were plucked unhurt from the Caribbean and taken to Jamaica. Castrodad said Wednesday that the 250-foot Tel Tale II was transporting silica sand when pounding waves caused its cargo to shift. The ship capsized Tuesday night about 300 miles off the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

Postmark Commemorates Air Force Reserve

The U.S. Postal Service is helping the Air Force Reserve celebrate its 60th anniversary with a commemorative pictorial cancellation that went into circulation April 14. A pictorial cancellation is a unique postmark offered by the Postal Service for special events. Maj. Todd Copley of the 94th Airlift Wing here worked with the post office in Marietta, Ga., to design the stamp. A postal cancellation, first used the 1840s, is one method of marking stamps at a postal facility so that they can be used only once.Postage can