MYSTERY SUBMARINES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27357, 5 April 1950, Page 7

MYSTERY SUBMARINES

Tracked Down By Radar Equipment CRAFT NOT SIGHTED NZP A—Copyright Rec. 9 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO, Apl. 3. The captain of a United States destroyer reported today that contact had possibly been made through electronic equipment with one or more unidentified submarines off the Californian coast. Captain J. A. Holbrook, commander of the destroyer Colohan, which was despatched on March 30 to search off Cape Mendocino as the result of reports that undersea craft had been sighted, said 90 minutes alter reaching the assigned area on Thursday night radar indications were picked up which were tracked for 80 minutes. “ From all indications it appeared there were two submarines operating in the area. One dived, and the other conducted evasive tactics, which we tracked for about one hour.”

Captain Holbrook said the next possible contact was shortly after midday on Friday, when sonar contact was picked up. “We tracked this for about one hour, and then requested aircraft to verify it. This they did. We searched* the area thoroughly for the next two days and a-half, but made no further contact."

A strange submarine was reported to have been sighted off the coast of California on Sunday, the second such report in five days. The navy announced that a report had 1 been received from the coastguard lifeboat station at Point Arguello, north of Santa Barbara station, which said that a submarine was seen this morning about eight miles from the coast. The coastguard report said the submarine was travelling about 15 miles an hour. Its running lights were on. No guns were evident.