Dispute Over Russian Gravestones At Calif Cemetery

VALLEJO, Calif. (AP) -- A gesture by the Russian government to honor six of its sailors who were buried in a San Francisco Bay area cemetery nearly 150 years ago is not sitting well with preservationists.

The Russian sailors died in 1863 while helping to fight a massive fire near San Francisco's waterfront. They were buried on Mare Island, where weathered stone slabs marked their graves for decades.

So to honor their heroism, the Russian Consulate bought new granite headstones for the site.

But Vallejo officials and preservationists told the San Francisco Chronicle that the Consulate did not follow proper procedures for the Navy cemetery, which is a national landmark. They say it violated federal guidelines that prohibit replacement of the grave markers.

City officials are now considering whether to force the Consulate to remove the new headstones.