Suspected Tsunami Ship Removed from Oregon Beach

It was a reminder of a an event that most people would rather not think about - the 9.0 earthquake and following tsunami that devastated a section of the Japanese coast.

The 16-foot long boat made of fiberglass, metal, and rigid foam was spotted off the coast of Oregon on March 16 and finally made land just north of Coos Bay.

On Tuesday, Johnson Rock Products, working with the Coast Guard, moved the debris from the beach to a landfill for final disposal.

Earlier, scientists had removed algae, a live crab, and mollusks for study and identification.

The hope is to show conclusively that the boat was the latest piece of debris from the tsunami to land on the Oregon coast.

U.S. officials will work with their Japanese counterparts to try and determine the boat's home port.

While it had been damaged, officials were able to uncover an identification number.