In the hours that followed, the Belgian ship "Charlesville", the USA freighter "Rio Grande", the British passenger ship "Stratheden" and the Panamanian freighter "Mehdi" all arrived to join the rescue. Each rescue ship launched boats to pluck survivors from the water. The United States Air Force sent four C-54 aircraft from the Lajes Field in the Azores. The planes dropped flares, lifejackets, life rafts and survival kits to people in the water. An RAF Avro Shackleton from Gibraltar criss-crossed the area, pinpointing boats and survivors and guiding rescuers to them.