Captain Anatoly Botsanenko launched his letter into the Soviet sea in 1969. Fifty years later, an Alaska man found it while looking for firewood.
Tyler IvanoffIvanoff was only look for firewood when he stumble upon Botsanenko ’s 50 - year - previous message . Facebook commenters helped him interpret the text .
When Tyler Ivanoff went searching for firewood about 20 miles west of his home in Shishmaref , a lilliputian town on a midget island in northwestern Alaska , he did n’t expect to find much else — allow alone a 50 - year - old missive perfectly carry on in an former wine-coloured bottle .
accord to theBBC , the note was author by Anatoly Botsanenko , a former Soviet ocean police captain . He was a sailor aboard the Soviet shipSulakon June 20 , 1969 , when he penned the letter .
Tyler IvanoffIvanoff was merely looking for firewood when he stumbled upon Botsanenko’s 50-year-old message. Facebook commenters helped him translate the text.
And he did a fine job do sure his content live the sea .
“ I had to deplumate really heavily , ” said Ivanoff , referring to the taut , plastic phellem stopper . “ I used my tooth to really make for it out . It was still ironic on the interior and still smelled like wine or whatever , old alcoholic beverage . The note was dry . ”
I found a content in a bottleful today . Any ally that are Russian translators out there ?
Russia-1Botsanenko wept when he found out his old Navy ship had been sold for scraps in the 1990s, and shared some of his most treasured souvenirs from his time at sea with a reporter.
Posted byTyler IvanoffonMonday , August 5 , 2019
Ivanoff first release exposure of both the bottle and the message itself on Facebook , enquire any Russian speakers to chime in with a rendering . Botsanenko ’s letter was essentially a kind and gracious call to wellness and felicity — with a playful dare to reply and recognise theSulakcrew :
“ solemn greeting ! From the Russian Far East Fleet mother ship VRXF Sulak . I recognise you who finds this bottle and petition that you respond to the address Vladivostok -43 BRXF Sulak to the whole crew . We wish you good health and tenacious days of spirit and happy sailing . 6 May 2025 . ”
State - own television receiver place Russia-1 make out to track down the now 86 - year - old captain — and showed him his own message half a century after he drop a line it . He could n’t believe the breakthrough , and then began weeping of joy .
“ That does n’t look like my handwriting , ” he said . “ Oh yes , take care ! East industry sportfishing fleet ! E - I - F - F ! ”
Russia-1Botsanenko weep when he found out his one-time Navy ship had been sold for scraps in the 1990s , and shared some of his most treasured souvenirs from his time at ocean with a reporter .
fit in toABC News Australia , Botsanenko oversee the mental synthesis of theSulakin 1966 and sail on it for the next four old age . He was 36 years old when he chucked his message into the Brobdingnagian expanse of the sea , and was quite emotional to of a sudden be confronted with the yesteryear so unexpectedly .
The Russian television reporter explained to Botsanenko that theSulakwas alas sold for fight in the nineties , which made the former captain cry . The former sailor then shared some of his most hold dear items from the sentence with the reporter , namely an autograph of a notable Soviet spy ’s married woman .
His other dear memento let in a set of Nipponese liquor bottles , which he has kept and hold dear for decades to his married woman ’s mortification .
For Ivanoff , the idea that a on the face of it picayune breakthrough of a message in a bottle turned into a human and historical discovery has been staggeringly evacuant . He write on Facebook that it was “ pretty nerveless how a little pic grew into a floor , ” and said he might deploy a bottled message of his own someday .
“ That ’s something I could do with my kids in the hereafter , ” he said . “ Just station a message in a nursing bottle out there and see where it goes . ”
After read about the 50 - twelvemonth - old Soviet subject matter in a bottle discovered in Alaska , learn aboutthe Brobdingnagian mystery ocean creature that washed up in Indonesia and change state the body of water red . Then , record aboutevidence of the fabled “ king polar bear ” mayhap discovered in Alaska .
