USS Louisville SOC crews lost in 1942

[RSwank]

The USS Louisville did have two other planes go "missing" in March. Plane 6 was piloted by Leland Lynwood Wilder with observer Marion Columbus Owens and plane 7 piloted by John Hagan Graves with observer Gordon Stanley Hulegaard. These planes were launched on March 12 at 14:00 and were to be picked up later at a rendezvous location. From 18:00 to 20:00 the Louisville is at the rendezvous location trying to find the planes. They don’t show up. The next day, the two crews are declared missing and lost. On March 18 the Louisville receives a message from the Commander Anzac Forces that the crews have been found in fit condition. Their story gets told in the newspapers in June. Unfortunately the article is somewhat confused it includes stories of several other aircrews from the battle of the Coral Sea (which occurred in May) that were also rescued about the same time.

https://www.newspapers.com/article/s...nal/127989515/

https://pacificwrecks.com/provinces/png_rossel.html

The newspaper story about the plane that drifted for a week may be this one:

https://www.usni.org/magazines/proce...y/saga-seagull