Meagre Details of Rescue of Com. Rodgers and Crew of Four Lost for 11 Days in Pacific
Crippled Plane PN9-One Found Floating in Late Afternoon by Sub R-4—All Safe and Well—Hopped Off Aug 31 in Non-Stop Flight to Honolulu—Last Message Told of Exhausted Gas Supply—Ends Search of Great Array of Craft Over Wide Area of Pacific
Honolulu, Sept. 10—(By the Associated Press) Com. John Rodgers, commander of the missing naval seaplane PN-9 Number One, and his crew of four men, were found alive tonight 15 miles east of Kauai, by the submarine R-4.
Rodgers and his crew left San Francisco in an attempted non-stop flight to Honolulu on August 31. The following afternoon, 32 hours after his seaplane, the PN-9 Number One, hopped off, the plane and crew disappeared about 300 miles from its destination. Last messages from the PN-9 Number One stated that its gasoline supply was about exhausted and a forced landing was expected.
The naval vessels stationed along the course of the flight immediately took up the search for the plane but nothing of the missing men was seen until tonight.
The Island of Kauai is 64 miles west by northwest of the Island of Oahu. Oahu, of which Honolulu is the principal city, was the destination of the big seaplane in its flight across the Pacific.
The plane was sighted floating shortly after 4 o’clock this afternoon when the submarine R-4 started to meet the destroyers coming in from the fleet.
The submarine was commanded by Lieutenant Osbome who upon taking off Rodgers and his crew immediately notified naval authorities, saying the plane was in tow and would arrive in Pearl Harbor tonight.
Lieutenant Osborne’s message, other than saying the men were safe and well, did not give their condition, simply saying he had taken the plane in tow.
Near Where Flares Were Seen
It was off the coast of Kauai that the mine sweeper Whippoorwill reported seeing flares a day or two after the search for the missing plane had started. A white flare and two red flares or rockets were believed to have been seen. Immediately after a check of calculations, searching operations were transferred to this region, which was considerably out side of the zone previously searched.
When the news of the finding of Rodgers and his men was confirmed by the navy here, Honolulu papers issued extras and the people of the city went wild with joy, enacting scenes reminiscent of the armistice. White clad sailors from the fleet, some of whom had been shipmates of the men of the PN-9 number one, mingled with civilians in an eager rush to obtain papers conveying the news.
Rodgers and his crew were in good health. This was indicated in a message intercepted by on amateur operator from Nawiliwili, which said: “Request tug be sent to Nawiliwili for Rodgers and crew, who in good health.”
Daily Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME, September 11, 1925