Plane and Destroyer Rescue Ship’s Survivors

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 303, 23 December 1939, Page 7

Plane and Destroyer Rescue Ship’s Survivors

(British. Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Ooc. 21. Six survivors of tlie Swedish steamer Listor were rescued yesterday by the co-operation of British aircraft and a destroyer. A Royal Air Force Coastal Command machine on tho way to deal with an urgent military objective many miles away sighted what appeared to be wooden planks scattered from aship’s cargo. Closer investigation showed a rough raft on which six men stood waving their hands. Unable to divert from its objective, the aircraft sent a reassuring lamp signal to tho men on the raft, and by radio sent a code signal to its base, giving the position of the find. At once action was taken. Another aircraft was sent to the position to keep watch, and a destroyer was ordered out to pick up the men. A fierce gale had arisen meanwhile, which drove the raft far from the position given by the first aircraft. Tho second machine, not finding the raft near the indicated position, carried out a close search, taking the reported position as the centre and sweeping the sea for 100 miles around. Eventually the raft was sighted with the six men still on it. The destroyer was still many miles away, however, and was steaming toward the first reported position. The aircraft set off to meet the ship, and by lamp signal indicated the new position, to which it guided the warship, firing flares to give the exact location. The destroyer, thus aided, saw the raft, from which all the men were rescued by the destroyer’s boat. It is also reported that about 200 miles away another coastal plane sighted a solitary seaman on another rafe. The pilot deviated 60 miles to And a merchantman, which rescued the seaman.