KITAKYUSHU, Japan (Kyodo) -- The Soya, the oldest active patrol vessel of the Japan Coast Guard, was retired Wednesday in a decommissioning ceremony, after sailing about 1.9 million kilometers, equivalent to 48 times around Earth, and rescuing more than 1,450 people.

Dubbed "the guardian of the northern sea," the 3,100-ton icebreaker was based in Kushiro in Hokkaido and responded to over 600 maritime incidents following its commission in 1978.

The Soya left Kushiro port on Nov. 4 and sailed to Kitakyushu. During the ceremony held at a dismantling facility in the southwestern Japan city, crew members lined up beside the vessel, painted over the ship's name on its side and poured sake over the bow as part of the farewell ritual.

Hideki Murota, chief of the Kushiro coast guard office, said the vessel "was popular among Kushiro locals" and did a "great job."