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Alaskan man discovers 50-year-old message in a bottle from Russian sailor

A Russian television network tracked a return address in Vladivostok to a retired soviet ship captain now living in Crimea.

AN ALASKAN MAN gathering firewood discovered a message in a bottle that is more than 50 years old and was dropped into the sea by a Russian sailor. 

Tyler Ivanoff, a teacher’s aide in Shishmaref, Alaska spotted the bottle on the shore near his village before opening it and realising there was a handwritten message inside. 

“Sincere greetings from the Russian far east fleet mother ship VRXF Sulak. We wish you good health and long years of life and happy sailing. 20 June 1969,” it said. 

Speaking to local media, Ivanoff said: “It was still dry on the inside and still smelled like wine or whatever old alcohol. The note was dry.”

A Russian television network tracked its return address in Vladivostok to a retired soviet ship captain now living in Crimea. 

Anatoly Botsanenko, interviewed by the station in a naval uniform, said he served on the Sulak in 1969 when he was 35.

Peering at the message on the reporter’s smartphone, Botsanenko said, “That’s not my handwriting.” But he then recognized the return address as his old home in Vladivostok.

“It’s pretty cool how a small photo grew into a story,” Ivanoff posted on Facebook after the message harnessed worldwide attention.

With reporting from - © AFP, 2019

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19 Comments
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    Mute Brian Flavin
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    Aug 19th 2019, 10:50 PM

    Amazing 50 years bottle would broke by rock as bottle haven’t broke from sea roughly tides sometimes past five decades and amazing story

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    Mute 5hbeZh0I
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    Aug 19th 2019, 11:02 PM

    @Brian Flavin: say what?

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    Mute Leroy Brown
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    Aug 19th 2019, 11:16 PM

    @5hbeZh0I: many things words said order in sentences no correctly formed is how what don’t get you purple monkey dishwasher?

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    Mute Padraig
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    Aug 19th 2019, 11:18 PM

    @5hbeZh0I: I say Brian is after drinking his own bottle.

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    Mute Michael Herron
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    Aug 19th 2019, 11:34 PM

    @Brian Flavin: very story, much wow.

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    Mute Robc
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    Aug 19th 2019, 11:42 PM

    @5hbeZh0I: I think Brian is deaf, that might explain how he composes his messages here. Go easy on the replies to him please.

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    Mute Con Cunningham
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    Aug 19th 2019, 11:59 PM

    @Robc: I thought you were being controversial , but then I looked at the difficulties facing the profoundly deaf , reading and writing. What made you consider this ?

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    Mute Robc
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    Aug 20th 2019, 2:57 AM

    @Con Cunningham: I wasn’t trying to be controversial at all. I have worked with people who are deaf and/or mute. I can see comparisons in brians way of writing to some of my friends.

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    Mute Robc
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    Aug 20th 2019, 3:02 AM

    @Robc: Btw. I don’t know Brian.

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    Mute Derek Lyster
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    Aug 20th 2019, 6:52 AM

    @Robc: he is

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    Mute Annie Citric
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    Aug 19th 2019, 10:33 PM

    Sweet.

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    Mute 5hbeZh0I
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    Aug 19th 2019, 11:04 PM

    Did he get a fine for littering?

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    Mute The only INFP in Ireland
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    Aug 19th 2019, 10:39 PM

    Found a note tied around a stone on a beach in Turkey once but couldn’t find anyone who spoke Arabic to translate :(

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    Mute Robc
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    Aug 19th 2019, 11:43 PM

    @The only INFP in Ireland: did you try Lucan?

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    Mute Paul Reid
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    Aug 20th 2019, 12:39 AM

    I wonder what ” the police ” think??

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    Mute The decline of Manchester United
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    Aug 20th 2019, 2:00 AM

    @Paul Reid: Roxanne you don’t have to put on a red light

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    Mute Thewestisbest
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    Aug 20th 2019, 11:34 AM

    @Paul Reid: Ha! I was just humming “Message in a bottle” as I was reading this.

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    Mute Anthony Doyle
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    Aug 20th 2019, 2:44 AM

    Everybody please be quiet before Trump hear’s about this and slaps a tariff on this import

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    Mute Nathan Carr
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    Aug 20th 2019, 8:01 AM

    Poor man, he was just a castaway
    An island lost at sea if you will.
    He experienced too many lonely days.
    Probably more loneliness than many men could bear.
    I’m glad he sent an SOS to the world before he fell into despair.

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