U.S. Tanker Breaks In Two

Northern Advocate, 14 March 1947, Page 5

U.S. Tanker Breaks In Two

(Rec. 1.30 p.m.) HONOLULU, Mar. 13. A search plane located two halves of the American tanker Fort Dearborn, which broke in two in heavy seas 800 miles north-west of Honolulu. Members of the crew were seen on the stern half, which was reported to be riding well, although the bow section appeared to be sinking. Freighters reached both the bow and stern sections of the- tanker at dawn today and' prepared in heavy seas to rescue the Fort Dearborn’s crew.

Earlier, a search plane sighted at least two members of the crew on file sinking bow section and dropped a portable radio transmitter and life rafts.

Two rafts were also dropped on the deck of the stern section and two others nearby.

The freighter St. John’s Victory took up position off the stern section where 40 of the tanker’s 42 crew members huddled with liferafts ready for abandoning ship. The steamship Telfair Stockton stood off the bow section where two men clung to the forepeak with the deck awash beneath them and spray hurled at them by a 40-miles an hour wind.

The two sections had drifted 10 miles apart. Navy planes from Midway Island are maintaining a shuttle overhead to report on the progress of the rescue.