Mystic in Stonington in New London County, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
Tsunami Boat from Japan
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones, June 24, 2023
1. Tsunami Boat from Japan Marker
Length: 25'
Beam: 6'
This fiberglass Japanese fishing boat was swept out to sea during the deadly March 11, 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, then drifted across the Pacific Ocean for a decade. It landed on a beach near Waldport, Oregon on March 21, 2021.
The Japanese disaster left some 20,000 people dead, and it also led to an incredible biological "rafting" event. Researchers have found that tsunami debris transported some 300 species of living organisms from Japan to North America and Hawaii. This boat brought with it a living colony of crustaceans, tubeworms, and other invertebrates. It is part of the tsunami debris research of Dr. James T. Carlton and of the Coastal and Ocean Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport Museum and his colleagues.
See the lobby of the building for more about this boat and for examples of the debris and the creatures that rafted across the ocean after the tsunami. The drama and power of this rafting event inspired Alexis Rockman's painting, Tsunami, on exhibit in the Collins Gallery in this building as part of our major exhibit, Alexis Rockman, Oceanus.
Erected 2023 by Mystic Seaport Museum. (Marker Number 2023.22.)
Topics. This historical marker is
this page online
Location. 41° 21.783′ N, 71° 57.823′ W. Marker is in Stonington, Connecticut, in New London County. It is in Mystic. Marker can be reached from Greenmanville Avenue (Connecticut Route 27) south of Rossie Pentway, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 57 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic CT 06355, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Venture Smith, 1730 - 1805 (a few steps from this marker); Tango (within shouting distance of this marker); Matthew Henson, 1866 - 1955 (within shouting distance of this marker); Bower Anchor (within shouting distance of this marker); Mystic Seaport Museum First Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Acadia (within shouting distance of this marker); An Aquinnah Wampanoag History of a Whaling Ancestor (within shouting distance of this marker); Thomas S. Greenman House (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stonington.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones, June 24, 2023
2. Tsunami Boat from Japan Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 70 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 28, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
