SEOUL - South Korea's sunken Sewol ferry was sailed away from its watery grave on Friday, beginning its final journey nearly three years after it went down with the loss of more than 300 lives.

A flotilla of tugs towed the wreck, lying on its side on a platform between two giant salvage barges, toward a semi-submersible that will finally bring it into port.

The 145-meter ship was brought to the surface in a complex salvage operation believed to be among the largest recoveries ever of a wreck in one piece, a key demand of the families of the dead.