Evening star., 1938-03-31
65 j. s. SHIPS HUNT
SECOND A|RPLANE
|L0ST IN MIMIC WAR
Naval Officers Still Hope
Six Aboard Will Be
Found Alive.
RECOVER TWO BODIES
OF VICTIMS OF CRASH
Toll in Maneuvers Off Hawaii
May Rise to 11-Three
Major Tragedies.
By the Associated Press.

HONOLULU, March 31-Sixty-five
American warships and 240 fighting
planes were ordered into an intensified
search at dawn today for six naval air
men who vanished during mimic war
fare which already had cost five lives.
No trace Of the plane was found
during night-long search.
Naval officers still held hope the six
aboard would be found alive.
Five men were killed yesterday when
their plane crashed off Waianae. Oahu
Island, in the third major feet air
tragedy of the year. Two others of
the crew escaped.
Bodies of Two Recovered.
Bodies of two of the victims were
recovered. One was identified as 1t.
L. O. Crane Of Nashville, Tenn, in
command of the plane. The other
body was not identified.
In previous tragedies during 1888
maneuvers seven men were lost when
ply patrol bomber vanished at sea
and II were killed February 2, when
two patrol bonbers collided in squally
weather in night operations of South
ern California.
The flying boat which vanished yes
terday was identified as 7VP1s, in
command Of 1t. Charles Signer.
Members Of his crew were: Aviation
Cadet r. J. Larrobino; P. 3. Pancoast,
aviation machinist mate, first class:
j. A. Bingham, aviation machinist
mate, first class; George T. Williamson,
radioman, first class. and c. R. Oulund-
sen. radioman, third class.
Believe Plane Forced Down.
Naval spokesmen said the plane
undoubtedly was forced down at sea.
After a night of listening to radios. a
spokesman said nothing was picked
up from the plane"
Failure to hear from the craft. he
said, docs not mean we are abandon
ing hope"
The plane was lost while maneuver-
ing with five other aircraft through
bad weather which made flying con-
ditions extremely hazardous.
The missing craft was one Of the
older type flying boats, the 6VPl8.
carrying crew of five men. It van
ished while flying with five other
planes.
The squadron took off at am.
(9:30 am. E. S. T) yesterday, but
only five planes returned at II am.
4:30 pm. E. S. t.. Returning avia-
tors lost trace of the missing craft
while scouting through squally
weather.
One Plane Lost for Hour.
One Of the planes which did return
was lost more than an hour.
The sixth plane disappeared within
an area 200 miles northwest of Oahu
Island. Naval officers hazarded no
opinion as to whether it had crashed,
been forced down or lost its bearings
and run out of gas.
"A very considerable portion Of the
feet" the Navy announced, was
diverted to searching for the craft
in hope of finding its crew alive. Under
direction Of Rear Admiral Walton r.
Sexton warcraft played their search
lights on the water all night.
Aircraft based at Pearl Harbor we're
ordered to join the hunt.
The seaplane tender Avocet sought
to recover the bodies and salvage the
shattered bomber, which crashed off
Waianae at the height of great mock
battle for control of Oahu Island,
largest of the Hawaiian group.
Clips Edge of Bluff.
The long-range bomber crashed
while flying low in heavy rain. Wit
nesses said it apparently clipped the
edge of bluff.
Both motors were torn loose and
parts of the plane were strewn over the
ocean bottom 100 yards offshore.
Radioman G. j. Miles of Wilmette,
ILL.,, escaped from the plane and swan
$50 yards to shore. H. F. Bartz, avia-
ton machinists' mate of Houston,
Tex, was washed ashore unconscious.
An authoritative source said Radio
man Miles had pulled Bartz and G. H.
O'Neal, aviation chief machinists'
mate of Trumbull, Tex, from the
wreckage and placed both. unconscious,
on the bomber's floating wing.
The other four, presumably trapped
in the cabin, were 1t. Crane, Aviation
Cadet w. H. Lear, Navigation Pilot B.
I. Windham and Radioman v. A.
Luciano.
In less tragic mishaps of the ma
(See WAR GAMES, Page A-4.)