13th May,2011
The navigator on watch informed the captain of the Ussuriiskaya taiga that a four engine plane with the identifying marks of the US Coast Guard was approaching the refrigerator ship. At the same moment Mochalov saw the plane come in over the port side. The roar of the engines rolled over the deck. Banking, the plane flew off.
"Did they make contact?" the captain asked.
"No," the radio operator replied.
"Buzzing," Mochalov decided. The plane came back. This time it approached the Ussuriiskaya taiga from the starboard side. It passed within inches of the masts, then banked again.
"You're going to knock the masts down, you dolt!" the captain exclaimed.
No contact was made. Silence reigned on channel 16.* No information came through on the additional frequencies either.
Let us change gears again and pause for a moment.
Civil ships are continuously being buzzed by military aircraft, escorted by cutters and even heavy vessels. I have been told this by many captains, sailors and fishermen.
The planes appear suddenly, do not respond to radio inquiries, intersect your course and circle overhead at impermissible heights. Why do they approach ships? Why do they circle over them? What are they looking for? What will they do next?
You cannot get an answer, no matter how hard you try. All you can do is watch. And wait. And guess. And frankly-worry. The sad state of world affairs is perceptible at sea as well as on shore. Perhaps even more so at sea.

From - No Man Is An Island
Written By - Gennady Bocharov