As boats were frantically searching the harbor for its whereabouts, the Coast Guard at Ta-An, nine miles north, reported that they had found a whale there grounded near the shore.
港務局港務長宮湘洲立刻出動六艘船，在港區內搜索，遍尋不著之際，台中港北邊約十五公里處的頂莊海防部隊來電，說在沙灘上發現一條擱淺的鯨。