U.S. ‘SPY’ SHIP LEAVES SEVASTOPOL FOR GREECE
RIA Novosti
16:50 | 18/ 09/ 2008
KIEV, September 18 (RIA Novosti) – A U.S. research ship with alleged
intelligence gathering capabilities has left Ukrainian territorial
waters and is heading toward the Mediterranean, a Ukrainian news
agency reported on Thursday.
The USNS Pathfinder (T-AGS 60) oceanographic survey ship, which is
owned by the Military Sealift Command and has a civilian crew and
scientists on board, was anchored in the Sevastopol harbor from
September 15 at the invitation of the Ukrainian government.
"The U.S. Pathfinder ship left Ukrainian territorial waters last
night…The research vessel, with 42 crew members on board, is heading
toward the Souda Bay port [Greece]," the UNIAN news agency quoted
officials from the Ukrainian Border Guard Service as saying.
According to official statements, Pathfinder was searching for a ship
which sank in the harbor during World War II.
The Soviet hospital ship Armenia was sunk on November 7, 1941 by
German torpedo-carrying He 111 planes while the ship was evacuating
refugees and wounded military and staff from Crimean hospitals. It
is estimated that approximately 7,000 people died in the attack.
However, Russian intelligence believes that ships of the Pathfinder
class could be used for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering
purposes.
The Pathfinder is the last of the four U.S. vessels that arrived in
the Black Sea in August-September to leave the region. The ships were
sent to the Black Sea after the 5-day war between Russia and Georgia
over South Ossetia.
On August 20, the Turkish government gave permission to three
U.S. warships to enter the Black Sea as part of relief efforts in
Georgia. They stayed in the region for 21 days, in line with the
terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention, which governs passage through
the Bosporus straits, and according to Washington have already left
the Black Sea.
Russia’s NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday that Russian
warships would continue patrolling waters off the coast of Abkhazia
until all U.S. ships leave the Black Sea.
From: Baghdasarian