US NAVAL VESSEL VISITS UKRAINE’S SEVASTOPOL WHILE SEARCHING FOR WW II WRECK

Interfax-AVN
Sept 4 2008
Russia

Kiev, 4 September: The US Navy oceanographic vessel Pathfinder
arrived in the Sevastopol seaport on an unofficial visit on Thursday
[4 September]. The vessel will stay in the Sevastopol seaport on 4-6
September and then on 15-17 September, the Ukrainian State Border
Service said.

The Pathfinder will take part in the US-Ukrainian search for the
Armenia medical vessel, which sank offshore the Ayu-Dag Cape and the
Ai-Todor Lighthouse in 1941.

The Ukrainian Culture and Tourism Ministry and the State Service
for National Cultural Heritage granted permission for the search
on 10 April, 2008. The US embassy sent a memo to that effect to the
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on 30 July, and the issue was coordinated
with authorized agencies on 11 August. Then the Ukrainian Cabinet
permitted the vessel to visit the Ukrainian seaport for taking aboard
fresh water and food.

The Ukrainian State Border Service handled the visit formalities.

That is the second US vessel to visit Sevastopol this September. The
Dallas Coast Guard ship paid a visit on September 1-2. It was engaged
in the US supply of humanitarian aid to Georgia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress