Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-08
Smithsonian. Wants
Museum in Civ
Boy Searched for Bodies
In Jet Seop|one Blast

Salvage crews today plumbed
the depths of Chesapeake Bay
off Point Lookout, Md, for the
bodies of three men and the
wreckage of a spectacular jet
seaplane which exploded and
crashed into the water late yes
terday.
The SeaMaster, first expert
mental model Of a long-range
seaplane unveiled only last
January by the Glenn L. Martin
plant, virtually disintegrated at
5000 feet two hours after a take
off from the Martin plant at
Middle River, Md.
The body of one man, para
chute still attached. was re-
covered before dusk, but dark
ness postponed the search for
the other victims until today.
The victims were:
Maurice Bernhard, IS, of Tow
son, Md, a Martin test pilot.
Herbert Scudder, 80. Of Chase,
Nd, a fight engineer.
James Hentschel, 20. of Balti-
more, also a flight engineer.
1t. Comdr. Victor Utgof, 38.
of the Nays Patuxent River
Naval Air Test Center.
Tore Apart in Middle
Eyewitnesses to the explosion
and crash said the four-en-
.gined, 60O-mile- an-hour craft
was trailing heavy black smoke
shortly before the blast tore 1t
apart fright In the middle" One
parachute was seen to open.
Another blast was reported as
the nose section Of the plane hit
the water. The scene is about
10 miles southeast Of Washing
ton where the Potomac flows
into Chesapeake Bay.
Salvage crews were on the
scene at 6:45 am. with vessels
from the Coast Guard, the Naval
Ordnance Laboratory. Solomons.
Md, and the Patuxent Air Sta
ton.
The first of about Is divers
on the scene went to the bottom
at 8:45, the Navy said. but no
other bodies had been recovered.
May Reassemble Debris
There was much debris float
ing in the water, the Navy
spokesman said. 1t will be taken
to the air station for possible re-
assembly in an effort to deter
mine cause of the explosion and
crash.
| A crew member of a Coast
Guard boat sent to the scene
from Point Lookout said three
helmets and one body were
picked up but there was moth
ing left Of the plane"
THE biggest piece we saw"
said Third Glass Petty Officer
Tommy Petty was a piece of
aileron from the wing about
g or 10 feet long. If anybody
lived through that 1t would be
a miracle"
Charles Davis, an oyster pack
er at Wynne. Md. said he was
standing on a wharf and watched
the plane disintegrate.
1T came along trailing black
smoke" he said. Then it just
Iexploded right in the middle.
Seconds later it was a ball of
fire. I no sooner saw flames
than the plane exploded. 1t
seemed to break into two main
pieces. The main part plum
meted into the river at about a
AS degree angle"
Explosion at 5000 Feet
Another eyewitness was D. H.
Buus. air controller in the tower
at Webster Field, north of Point
Lookout. He said he saw smoke
of a big explosion" He esti-
mated the altitude of the big
craft at about 5000 feet.
The aircraft Is in the medium
bomber category, designed 20
cruise at 10000 feet, carry a
30.000-pound payload which
could include atomic bombs and
operate from waterways almost
anywhere in the world The
Navy described it's basic mission
as minelaying and photo recon-
Nuisance.
Also lost was the complete
navigational. bombing and
C o m m u nications installations
planned for the new air giant.
whose tail assembly was three
stories high.
First Flight in July
The SeaMaster made its first
flight in July and staged a
sparkling performance at Bal
timore last month for Admiral
Arleigh Burke. Chief of Naval
Operations, and Admiral Earl
Mountbatten. Britain's First Sea
Lord.
the Associated Press said that
some experts regarded the sea-
plane as a possible airframe for
nuclear-powered engines. Air
Force interest also has been
reported.
Another SeaMaster has been