Salt Lake Telegram | 1937-07-13 | Page 1 | Plane Fleet Takes to Air in Last Hunt for Amelia

Plane Fleet Takes to Air In Last Hunt for Amelia Aircraft Carrier Lexington Launches Big Aerial Search of Isle Area ABOARD AIRCRAFT CARRIER LEXINGTON. OFT HOW-LAND HOW-LAND ISLAND, July 13 (AP) Sixty planes roared from the deck of the Lexington today in a last, mighty effort to locate Amelia Ear-hart Ear-hart and her navigator, Frederick J. Noonan, lost 11 days ago. Ths planes were In the air at 1:48 p. m. (eastern standard time) on the greatest search in navy history. They were under orders to scan an area of 36.000 square miles of ths Pacific ocean centering on tiny Howland island, which Miss Ear-hart Ear-hart and Noonan failed to reach on their hop from Lae, New Guinea, on July 3. An srea 60 miles wide and 600 miles long extending north and south from Howland was mapped for the first day's survey in the hitherto fruitless search, which has seen hopes of rescue practically vanish. While the Lexington neared Howland How-land after a journey from San Diego via Honolulu, ths coast guard cut ter Itasca, pioneer In the vast hunt, headed toward the Gilbert islands, 600 miles west of Howland. Ths cutter wss ordered to Aroral island, ths southeastern point of ths Gilbert group, and approximately 160 miles south of a direct air course between Lae. New Guinea, Miss Ear-hart's Ear-hart's last takeoff point, ood Howland. How-land. Ths Itasca was expected to reach the tiny Aroral island, which is populated, late tomorrow or Wednesday Wed-nesday to begin a search of that area. Naval officers said subsequent plans for ths Lexington had not been made, but the possibility existed ex-isted of the warship continuing a westward sweep toward ths Gilbert.