Pacific North Current

East of Japan, the North Pacific's eastward currents carry water into a vast expanse without a nearby shore. Their power could turn a coastal voyage into a crossing of the ocean. In 1832 the Japanese vessel Hōjun-maru lost control in a storm and drifted for months; its crew survived on rice and rainwater before reaching the American coast. Winds and currents had carried the damaged ship far beyond its intended route.