Whales Vanish and May Be Swimming to Freedom

Two California gray whales moved to within 100 yards of open water and then disappeared today, leading hopeful rescuers to believe that the weary and bloodied mammals finally escaped their icy Arctic prison and are swimming to freedom.

At 8:30 a.m., the young whales were sighted in an air hole cut by a Soviet icebreaker, and then were nowhere to be seen for the next 2 1/2 hours, wildlife biologist Geoff Carroll said in a two-way radio transmission to the North Slope borough mayor’s office.

“We haven’t seen any whales,” Carroll said.

Federal officials planned to fly over the area to hunt for “whale tracks”--holes in the thin skin of ice covering the open Arctic waters--to see if the whales were finally on their way south to warmer water.

A powerful Soviet icebreaker using high-intensity lights in the icy night fog plowed as far back into a slushy Arctic channel Thursday night as it could in hopes of freeing the whales, who had made an initial swim for freedom, only to have their escape route freeze over.

The Russians drifted in open water--changing their plans to immediately head for home after a final rescue effort--to find out if they finally had brought a successful end to the international marathon rescue effort to save the giant air-breathing animals.

“They’re here until it’s finished,” Lt. Cmdr. Terry Jackson of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said of the Soviets, who surprised rescue officials by lingering in the area as dawn approached.

The early morning temperature dipped to 17 degrees below zero today, the end of the third week since the whales, late in starting their migration from the Arctic, were trapped by the ice pack 18 miles from Barrow.

They appeared doomed until rescuers went to work, beginning a drama that seemed to grow each day the whales were trapped. A third whale that was stranded with them is believed to have drowned.