During the Korean War, as near as I can remember early October 1950, USS Diodon (SS 349) was heading west a day or two out of Guam when the episode began.  We had stopped off in Pearl Harbor to top off fuel and supplies and were conducting a night surface transit and battery charge when we received a message "two aircraft were down" in our vicinity. 

Because we were steaming under war time conditions, no running lights, we were ordered to put on a "Bow Running Light" and search the area.  We used a light mounted on the inport jack staff - basically a six-foot pole - to illuminate the area. 

Aircraft were sent out to cover us and look for wreckage.  A few hours into the search we heard whistles - like a policeman's or a football referee's - and that brought us to two life rafts and three aviators.  Three others were still missing.  The next day we had more air cover.  When something was spotted by air they would drop a smoke signal and we would investigate the area.  We found one additional airman who had drowned.  The other two, to my knowledge, were never found. 

One of the survivors, AT3 Vernon Goffin, sent a letter of gratitude to the crew of Diodon.  Below is a copy of the envelope his letter came in.  I took the original envelope ashore when we reached Yokosuka and had a Japanese artist make a copy, on silk, which I have framed and proudly display these many years.

Bob Cronin
Trenton, New Jersey
March 4, 1997