Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-24
40 lanes Sweep
Sea in Hunt for
Son Transport
Quite q Few Rufts
Reported Sighted
West of ireland
BY the Associated Press

Of1ANNON AIRPORT, ireland
Mar. 24.-Forty planes criss-
crossed the cold waters of the
Atlantic today in a hunt for a
giant United States Air Force
transport with SO persons aboard
They were spurred by a report
that quite a few" life RATS had
been sighted in the search area.
Five ships were also steaming
full speed for the area about $50
miles west of Ireland.
An NBC broadcast from London
quoted the British Admiralty al
source for information that sur
vivors already were being picked
up. The Admiralty denied it had
issued such a report. It could
not be confirmed by the United
States Navy in London or the
United States Air Force mission
at Shannon, either.
Flares, Wreckage Reported.
A B-29 pilot, in twosdramatic
radio messages, reported sighting
flares, wreckage or life RATS in
four different locations in the gen.
eral- search area. His plane was
not equipped to drop lifeboats or
provisions. but several others in
the area were.
American, British and Irish
planes joined the search above
the wind-tossed waters off the
Irish coast in one of history's
greatest sea hunts. Aboard the
missing plane which disappeared
in fog and rain early yesterday
was Brig. Gen. Paul T. Cullen,
deputy commander of the United
States I'd Air Force, and four
officers Of the Strategic Air Com
mand headquarters at Omaha,
Nebr.
One B-29 pilot returned to res
cue headquarters at Shannon say
ing he had sighted nothing in the
area where the wreckage and RATS
had been reported. He was 1t.
Herschel H. Lamb of Twin Falls,
Idaho. Air Force officials said drift
or navigational errors could &C
count for the discrepancy.
The pilot who had made the
first report had not yet returned
to Shannon.
Visibility Good.
Hunters had good visibility to-
day, but the sea was rough. Air
Force officials feared that sur
vivors might perish of exposure
before rescue. ..e
The five ships rushing to the
scene were the two United States
military transport vessels, the
General Muir and the Golden
Eagle. the British submarine
Thule and the international
weather ships Jig and Charlie
The Thule. at last report, was
only 40 miles away from the spot
where RATS were reported.
The Queen Mary and the Queen
Elizabeth, both in the Atlantic
were not likely to be diverted to
the hunt. Cunard Line sources
said the Queen Mary, en- route to
New York, was beyond the last
reported position of the plane
500 miles southwest of the Irish
coast. The Queen Elizabeth, on
the way to Southampton, would
not have reached the area.
A United States Skymaster and
a Bit equipped with lifeboats
that could be dropped by para
chute flew to the scene from the
United States air rescue station
here. A Super Fortress was circlinl
the area and directing other craft
En- Route to England.
The big missing transports
Globemaster II-was on a flight
from the United States to Eng.
land. 1t carried a crew of
and 48 passengers.
Gen. Cullen, whose headquarters
are at Barksdale Field, Shreve.
port, La, is a specialist in ali
photo reconnaissance. He com.
manded the air photo unit during
the A-bomb tests at Bikini ir
1916.
The other officers were identi.
fed as Col. Kenneth N. Gray
ICaa Or Nh