Evening star., 1942-01-28
U-Boat Sighted
In Gulf; Hunted
By Planes, Ships
Naval Commundunt
Believes Second Sub
OFF Texas Shore
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Axis submarines, ranging the
eastern American coast from the
gulf of Mexico to northern Ca
madam waters, have sunk at
least IA American and Allied
ships since the undersea raiders
appeared off Nova Scotia jan
uary IL.
Latest announced blow was the
torpedoing of a large Allied pas
senger liner carrying 32l passengers
and crew from Bermuda to an East
ern port. Only II have been saved,
five bodies recovered and 245 persons
are missing from the liner The po-
sition of the attack was not given.
Among the survivors were II
Americans. II of them from st.
Joseph, Mo.
AS this blow was announced, the
Navy at Corpus Christi, Tex, said
that a submarine "doubtlessly Ger
man" had been sighted IS miles from
nearby Port Aransas and that prob
ably another U-boat was in the vi
cinity. Planes and ships from the
station are now seeking the craft,
said Capt. Alva Bernhard. COM
mandant of the naval air station at
Corpus Christi.
The torpedoing of the liner was
reported by Capt. Helgesen of the
rescue ship. the New York-to-Puerto
Rico steamer Coamo, on his arrival
in San Juan. He said he picked up
the survivors Friday night, five days
after the liner had been struck twice
by torpedoes and sunk.
Two Attacked Yesterday.
These announcements followed
last nights report of a U-boat's
sinking the 7,096-ton American
Tanker Francis E. Powell off Lewes.
Del, with an indicated loss of three
lives
The fate of another American
tanker, the Pan-Maine. 7.237 tons,
remained in doubt following a ra-
dio report yesterday afternoon that
she was being attacked. The Pan
3sAoAA4C NdA AkCb 90 AAC3A.
Thirty-three survivors from q
Greek freighter and a Norwegian
tanker arrived at an Eastern
Canadian port last night and re-
ported that 81 men were missing
or dead in successful attacks on
their vessels.
Five Dead In Lifeboat.
Capt. Helgesen said all the survi-
vors were taken from e single life
boat intended to accommodate So
persons. In all rs had crowded into
the boat, but five died during their
five days adrift.
The steamer was said to have
been attacked without warning, the
first torpedo striking No. 2 hatch
on the port side just forward of the
bridge The second wrecked the
engine room, putting out all lights.
The steamer was said to have
gone down so quickly there was no
time to send out an SOS.
The fate of any other suryi-
vors was not known. Those Capt.
Helgesen rescued said their lfeboat
drifted apart from the others
Sub Sent Up Smoke Bomb.
The sub sighted in the Gulf Of
Mexico, probably sneaked in during
the night with the intention of at
tacking oil tankers, Capt. Bern
hard said.
The submarine was sighted by a
naval plane on patrol.
1T is possible that the second
submarine is also in the vicinity
since it is known that they have
been operating in pairs elsewhere,
and shortly after the submarine
was sighted a smoke bomb appeared
out of the water four miles south
of it," Capt. Bernhard said.
Smoke bombs. released by sub
marines. rise in the air similar to a
rocket before settling back on the
water. They frequently are used
by submarines as distress signal.
The captain was unable to &C
count for the smoke bomb other
than through the possibility of its
indicating second craft.
Patrol planes from the station, he
disclosed. are patrolling an area ex-
tending $50 miles north of the border
east of Corpus Christi.
Plane Told to Maintain Contact.
Capt Bernhard said after the
plane reported the submarine he
directed it to maintain contact" q
with the undersea vessel. The Navy
plane was unarmed, he said.
-"It evidently frightened the sub
marine because 1t submerged" Capt.
Bernhard said.
Crew members of the tanker
Powell, brought ashore at Norfolk