Amelia Earhart

by W. C. Jameson

  Elgen Long, a pilot and author, claimed he had “located” Earhart’s Electra in 16,800 feet of water thirty-five miles west-northwest of Howland Island. Long arrived at this conclusion, he explained, “by examining the strengths and weaknesses of radio signals from the plane before it ditched, as reflected in logs kept by radio operators on ships in the area at the time.” Contemporary radio experts insist Long’s calculations cannot be taken seriously since radio transmission and reception, as well as determining distance and location, during that time was unreliable. In truth, Long located nothing, and there appears to be no substantive basis for his claims, which have amounted to nothing.

  In 2002, a man named David Jourdan, owner of Nauticos Corporation, undertook a search for Earhart’s Electra in the waters off Howland Island. He was unsuccessful but was apparently encouraged enough to try again in 2005. The second expedition, according to Jourdan, employed more updated sonar equipment. Jourdan also claimed he was in possession of accurate information relative to where the plane might be located, though he never explained what that information was or from where or whom he obtained it. Though the Nauticos Corporation website promised progress relative to the search, nothing was ever discovered. The search cost $1.5 million. At this writing, Nauticos has announced plans for yet another attempt at locating the Electra near Howland Island, but no one is holding his breath.

  From time to time, an announcement is made relative to claims of a new “discovery” of all or part of Earhart’s Electra. The claims are made, for the most part, based on underwater sonar images. Quite often, when an anomaly appears on the floor of the ocean near Howland Island and/or some of the other proposed locations where Earhart might have come down, someone feels compelled to make the claim that it is from the Electra. To date, none of these claims has been verified.

  THE GARDNER ISLAND THEORY

  This theory promotes the idea that Earhart, on missing Howland Island, chose to continue on toward Gardner Island (now Nikumaroro Island) to the south-southeast. The theory continues that, on arriving at Gardner Island, she made a shore landing. From here, according to some reports, she was able to continue broadcasting for several days until her batteries wore down. Then, according to another explanation, the Electra was subsequently blown from the shore into the nearby ocean as a result of a storm and sank out of sight. The theory continues that Earhart and Noonan, abandoned on the island, survived off of what rations they had in their possession until perishing or being picked up by the Japanese.

  This theory was originated by members of an organization called The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR). It is difficult to understand why this theory has endured with this organization or with anyone else, for that matter. As evidence for its position, this group offers the discovery of a size 9 shoe sole found on the island, a piece of sheet metal that appeared to come from some type of aircraft, and a navigator “bookcase.”

  This same organization reported in May 2012 the discovery of “an object resembling a twenty-two-foot-long airplane wing found off the coast of Gardner Island.” Examination of the sonar image that was generated yields the only logical conclusion that the sea-bottom anomaly could be anything. To make the determination that it is an airplane wing represents a generous interpretation as well as a considerable leap of faith.

  The truth is, none of the evidence associated with Gardner Island can in any way be logically connected to Earhart or Noonan with any certainty and could have originated from a multitude of sources. Despite a number of searches, not another single piece of any kind of pertinent evidence was ever found on the island. Furthermore, navy aircraft conducted two flyovers of Gardner Island during the extended search for the Electra. The island is relatively tiny; a plane such as the Electra would have been easy to spot if it had been there.

  The evidence advanced by TIGHAR, along with the rationale that Earhart landed on Gardner Island, is at best spurious and easily rejected.

  THE NEW BRITAIN ISLAND THEORY

  A man named David Billings was with an Australian army patrol on New Britain Island in 1945. The patrol was deep in the island’s jungle and fleeing a contingent of Japanese soldiers in pursuit. One morning, the Australians came upon the wreckage of a twin-engine plane. On examining it, one of the soldiers found a metal tag on an exposed engine mount. On the tag were two identification codes: C/N 1055 and S3H1. A notation of the find, along with the two numbers, was made on a map that was carried by another of the soldiers.

  This evidence could be significant in that the C/N, or construction number, of Earhart’s Electra was 1055. Additionally, the number S3H1 was the model of the Wasp engines that were allegedly installed in the Electra. Because the Japanese pursuit was closing in rapidly, the Australians had no time to inspect the plane further. A subsequent expedition was undertaken years later by one of the Australian soldiers in an attempt to relocate the plane, but it failed to do so.

  The map on which the location of the plane was marked, along with the identification numbers, has been in the possession of the widow of one of the soldiers and has been displayed on the website of the man named David Billings. It is odd that, in the years that the map has been available, no one has ever relocated the alleged missing aircraft on New Britain Island, if in fact it was ever there in the first place.

  A thorough analysis of the radio transmissions made by Earhart after departing Lae, New Guinea, provides no support whatsoever for this theory. The signal strength of her final transmission is enough evidence to prove she was nowhere near New Britain Island.

  While the New Britain Island theory is provocative as a result of the numbers found on the exposed engine mount, it also carries with it a level of absurdity. The western tip of New Britain Island is only one hundred miles from Lae, New Guinea. Given that most researchers are convinced that, on the basis of abundant evidence, Earhart and Noonan were in the air for more than eighteen hours, then what could they have possibly been doing, and why and how would they have wound up so close to where they started out unless they turned around and tried to return to the Lae airport? Nothing relative to the New Britain Island theory holds up under logical scrutiny. Furthermore, despite the availability of a map that supporters contend shows the location of the downed aircraft on New Britain Island, it is baffling that no one has relocated it to date. Unless, of course, it was never there in the first place.

  THE HULL ISLAND THEORY

  Hull Island is located to the southeast of Howland Island. Advanced by British writer James Donahue, the theory that Earhart came down on or near this isle is based on his notion that postdisappearance radio signals attributed to Amelia Earhart were triangulated by Pan American Airways and determined to have come from Hull Island. Donahue, though passionate in his Hull Island hypothesis, provides no evidence whatsoever to verify the triangulation rationale. Furthermore, not a scintilla of evidence of a downed aircraft was ever found anywhere on or near Hull Island.

  THE SYDNEY ISLAND THEORY

  The most notable proponent of the Sydney Island Theory was Robert Myers, who as a boy hung around the Oakland airport during the time Earhart was preparing for her around-the-world flight and got to know her as well as Fred Noonan and others involved in the operation. Myers claimed to have listened to transmissions from Earhart on a ham radio set for several days that provided specifics relative to her plane coming down near Sydney Island, part of the Phoenix Island group, and being captured by the Japanese. Phoenix Island is approximately seven hundred miles southeast of Howland Island.

  No credible evidence exists that Earhart came down on or near Sydney Island. Further, it is ludicrous to assume that, had Earhart been captured by the Japanese, they would have allowed her to continue to broadcast messages.

  THE SAIPAN ISLAND THEORY

  A handful of Earhart researchers suggest that the Electra came down on the island of Saipan, a Japanese possession in the Mariana Islands located about five hundred miles north-northeast of Guam. This th
eory is based on reports that the Electra, along with Earhart and Noonan, were seen on that island. The evidence for the presence of the aviatrix and her navigator, as well as the aircraft, on Saipan has been well documented and will be treated in a subsequent chapter. Though eventually arriving at Saipan, the Electra and its occupants did not come down on that island. Instead, they were transported there after being located and recovered at Mili Atoll.

  THE MILI ATOLL THEORY

  While the above theories carry with them little to no credible evidence and, in most cases, strain logic, the Mili Atoll theory differs from them in that numerous eyewitnesses reported the forced landing of an aircraft resembling the Electra at this cluster of coral and sand located at the southeasternmost atoll in the Marshall Islands group. So compelling are the eyewitness and other accounts that the Mili Atoll theory deserves close attention.

  • 23 •Downed at Mili Atoll

  The argument rages on among Earhart researchers to this day relative to what became of her: Did she crash and sink near Howland Island as the U.S. government proclaimed, or did she wind up coming down on or near an island or atoll where she was found and picked up by the Japanese? A related argument is devoted to the topic of whether or not Earhart was on a spy mission for the United States. Though the U.S. government denies such a thing, as one would expect it to, evidence points to the probability that the Electra had been fitted with sophisticated camera gear to be used for photographing Japanese military installations in the Pacific.

  Regardless of one’s position on such matters, there exist some truths that must be considered. Mili Atoll is the southeasternmost atoll in the Marshall Islands group and located some one thousand miles northwest of Howland Island. Atolls are composed mainly of coral that grew in the shallow waters around ancient volcanoes that have long since subsided below the surface of the ocean. As a result of sea level changes, portions of the semicircular coral reefs yield low-lying islands somewhat linear in nature.

  When the Japanese occupied the Marshall Islands group, they constructed an airfield on Mili Island in the southwestern section of the group. On arriving, they installed a type of rule similar to what they inflicted on their other Pacific Island possessions. They replaced local governments with military law and established rice, sugar, and rubber plantations wherein the natives were forced to work for small pay. Docks, ports, and landing fields were constructed using the labor of the natives. If any workers complained, they were punished severely and sometimes even killed.

  Jororo Alibar was a Marshall Islander who lived on one of the islands of Mili Atoll. Jororo, a fisherman, had rowed to Barre Island in the company of several friends. Barre Island is located along the northwestern edge of the atoll. Even though they were instructed by the Japanese officers to stay away from Barre Island, the fishermen, all in their teens, had gone ashore and were occupied with some task at the upper end of the beach near the forest when they heard the sound of an airplane. The Marshall Islanders had seen airplanes before when Japanese aircraft were flown over the atoll. This one, however, sounded as if it was losing altitude. The young fishermen began to make their way down to the beach to get a better view.

  At least three theories have been advanced in efforts to explain why the Electra came down. One is that it was shot down, a theory bolstered by claims of Japanese pilots. Another is that it simply ran out of gas. This second theory is plausible, given the distance the Electra traveled from New Guinea. The third, one advanced by experienced pilot and dogged Earhart researcher Elgen Long, brings up the notion of the failure rate of components of the Electra. Long points out that after departing on her around-the-world flight, Earhart never flew the Electra for as long as ten hours without experiencing mechanical failures of one kind or another involving the propellers, the electrical system, the fuel system, or the exhaust analyzer. In addition to these, according to Long, there were five more “mechanical failures of a non-routine nature.” Long thus provides the possibility of mechanical failure having a role in the downing of the Electra.

  After a few steps the fishermen paused and watched as the silver airplane made a hard landing on an offshore reef. As they stared at the craft, two people exited from the middle and produced what Jororo referred to as “a yellow boat which grew.” Clearly, this was an inflatable life raft. When the raft was filled with air, the two strangers climbed into it and paddled for the shore. Jororo and his companions, fearing that the newcomers were Japanese and would catch them on the island, retreated into the dense undergrowth found beyond the upper edge of the beach.

  As they watched, the two newcomers arrived at the shore. One of them, carrying a metal case, walked to a nearby kanal tree and buried the case. At this point, the fishermen observed that the two strangers were not the Japanese they were accustomed to; their skin was white. These were the first Americans the native islanders had ever seen. It is worth pointing out here that while in Lae, Noonan had purchased a metal briefcase and was seen carrying it aboard the Electra prior to taking off for Howland Island.

  At the sound of the descending airplane, the Japanese military stationed on Mili Island, located south-southwest of Barre Island, procured one of the local fishing boats, crossed the lagoon, and steered toward the downed aircraft. On seeing the two figures on the beach, they anchored the craft, waded ashore, and approached them. Jororo and his friends slunk deeper into the undergrowth, for they did not wish to be seen by the Japanese soldiers, who made life miserable for the islanders. If they were found on the island, it was possible they would be apprehended and punished, even killed.

  As the small contingent of soldiers approached, the two figures on the beach stood and awaited their arrival. From the brush, Jororo could hear the soldiers loudly and animatedly hurling questions at the newcomers. The two from the airplane responded in a language the fishermen had never before heard. At one point, one of the soldiers slapped the shorter of the two Americans, who screamed in response. At that point, Jororo realized it was a woman.

  Following a few minutes of futile attempt at dialog, the Japanese pushed the Americans down the beach and toward the location where the fishing boat was anchored. After forcing them into the boat, they departed toward the south-southwest for Mili Island. Jororo and his friends remained in hiding for a long time after the Japanese left.

  Word of the capture of the two American flyers spread rapidly throughout Mili Atoll. Bosket Diklan, the native wife of a Japanese officer, learned that the presence of the Americans represented a problem for the occupying army. Bosket’s husband was immediately called to Jaluit Island, due west of Mili Atoll. Before leaving, he impressed on her the importance of secrecy relative to the two American flyers.

  Fuji Firmosa was a Japanese pilot stationed on the aircraft carrier Kaga in the Marshall Islands in 1937. Firmosa was one of several pilots who were alerted to the presence of Earhart’s plane in Japanese airspace. After taking off from the Kaga, Firmosa encountered the Electra in the air and made two passes at it. During the second pass, he claimed he fired several rounds of bullets at the plane. Once struck, the plane began descending when Firmosa lost sight of it.

  Based on eyewitness testimony, the Electra, in addition to being seen by the young fishermen on Barre Island, was spotted by a Japanese fishing boat. Following some radio transmissions to the military leaders from this boat, another Japanese ship was summoned and arrived nine or ten days after the landing of the Electra. The coal tender Kosyu possessed the facilities with which to salvage the Electra and transport it elsewhere.

  Tomaki Mayazo worked on the Kosyu, which at the time lay empty in the harbor at Jaluit, one of the Marshall Islands, while waiting to take on cargo. Mayazo recalled to an interviewer years later that as he was preparing to load coal into the Kosyu one evening on July 9, 1937, a military officer pressured him to finish his job quickly as the ship had been dispatched to Mili Atoll to pick up an airplane and its two American pilots.

  On July 10, the Kosyu arrived at Mili Island in
the atoll. Earhart and Noonan were placed aboard the ship. The vessel then traveled to Barre Island where, with the assistance of heavy canvas slings and a crane, the Electra was loaded aboard and placed on the fantail of the ship. This done, the Kosyu steered back toward Jaluit, where it arrived seven to ten days after the Electra had come down on Barre Island.

  On July 13, Japanese foreign minister Koki Hirota sent a message from Tokyo to Ambassador Yoshida in London. The message read: “The Advertiser here reports that they received a London International News dispatch at 2:00 a.m. today to the effect that a Japanese fishing vessel had rescued the Earhart plane. Please verify this and confirm by return.”

  The Kosyu arrived back at the island of Jaluit. John Heine, a grandson of German missionary Carl Heine, lived on Jaluit as a youth. He told Earhart investigator Bill Prymak that one day the schoolmaster took the students on a short trip to the harbor. When they arrived, stated Heine, “A ship had just pulled in and appeared to be towing a barge with an airplane on it.” The plane, he said, was unlike any Japanese aircraft he had ever seen. He was later told it was an American plane and that a woman had been flying it when it crashed at Mili Atoll.

  On the ship’s arrival at Jaluit, the director of health services was summoned, as was a sixteen-year-old medical corpsman trainee named Bilimon Amran (sometimes spelled Amaran). The two were escorted aboard the Kosyu, and Amran was ordered to treat the wounds of the male flyer. On being admitted to the room in which the two prisoners were held under guard, Amran realized the two captives were Americans. The woman, he noted, wore trousers similar to what a man would wear, and her hair was cut short. The man, according to Amran, had blue eyes, something Amran had never seen before. Noonan’s military records state his eyes were blue-gray.