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Volume
12 Number 1
March 31, 1996 |
During
the closing months of 1995, in the process of preparing for TIGHAR’s third
major research trip to Nikumaroro in September of 1996, new information
came to light which made apparent the need for a short preliminary expedition
to the island.
Metallic Objects
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Shortly after the 1991 trip (Niku II)
we became interested in an anomalous vegetation-free area which appeared
along the atoll’s remote northeastern beachfront in early aerial
photography of the island. In December 1995, digital analysis of copy
negatives obtained from archives in New Zealand was carried out by
Jeff Glickman at Photek in Champaign, Illinois. Glickman’s application
of state-of-the-art forensic imaging techniques disclosed the presence
of one or more large metallic objects in a photo of the cleared area
taken by the U.S. Navy on June 20, 1941. Possible corroboration in
an overhead mapping photo taken by the USN on April 30, 1939 led to
the identification of two specific features-designated “Candidate
#1” and “Candidate #2” – which might be aircraft
or aircraft debris. Far from the known inhabited sections of the
atoll, the area matched the general location where former U.S. Coastguardsmen
reported seeing a “water collection device” and other
objects in 1944.
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Signs Of Recent Habitation
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Enhancement
of an aerial view taken in December 1938 (at a time of severe drought
and prior to the arrival of the first official inhabitants) disclosed
the presence of what appear to be trails criss-crossing the area.
The features appear very much like footpaths visible in later aerial
photography of the village and suggest purposeful routes which have
been used over a period of weeks, if not months. With no wildlife
on the atoll large enough to create trails, the paths are difficult
to explain. A visit by turtle or bird hunters from another island
group is a possibility, but in 1938 inter-island canoe travel by
indigenous peoples had been vigorously discouraged by the British
Colonial Service for many years. The location of the area on the
atoll’s dangerous windward shore also argues against a landing there
by anyone arriving by sea. In an aerial photo taken six months later,
after normal rainfall had returned to the island, the trails are
no longer apparent. Because
the site is discernible in a July 9, 1937 aerial photo of the island
taken during the U.S. Navy’s search for Earhart, the possibility
had to be considered that the “...signs of recent habitation”
which were “clearly visible” to flight leader Lt. John
Lambrecht were seen in this location. Also, the only credible post-
disappearance radio message from the lost aircraft which includes
position information (received by the USN radio station at Wailupe,
Hawaii on July 4, 1937) contains the cryptic phrase “...281
north.” From this site on Nikumaroro the equator is exactly
281 nautical miles north.
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The Responsible Course Of Action
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The
possibility that this was the place where Earhart’s aircraft had
landed, and where its crew had made an unsuccessful bid for survival,
presented a quandary. If the aircraft was really there---and more
or less intact---it would be imperative that the September expedition
go equipped with both the clearances and the assets required to
effect a recovery. The only way to know for sure was to go and look.
However, public disclosure of the aircraft’s existence and location
would present an unacceptable security risk. The responsible course
of action was clearly to restrict advance knowledge of the evaluative
expedition to individuals who had a need to know. Sponsorship was
solicited and obtained for the trip and a seven-person team was
assembled from qualified TIGHAR members. These were:
Richard Gillespie – Executive
Director of TIGHAR and leader of the expedition
Patricia Thrasher – President of TIGHAR and expedition photographer
H. Donald Widdoes – TIGHAR #1033CBE
Joseph Hudson – TIGHAR #1689CE
John Clauss – TIGHAR # 0142CE
Veryl Fenlason – TIGHAR #0053CE
Russell Matthews – TIGHAR #0509CE
Diplomatic
clearance was granted by the Republic of Kiribati and customs official
Manikaa Teuatabo (the same representative who accompanied the 1991
expedition) became the eighth member of the team.
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Summary Of Results |
The
expedition succeeded in locating and identifying the features seen
in the enhanced aerial photographs. It was found that the objects
in this particular location are not associated with the Earhart
disappearance. Some searching also was done in the remains of the
abandoned settlement at the atoll’s west end. As on the two preceding
expeditions, a number of interesting artifacts were found in this
area and, with the permission of the Kiribati government representative,
several objects were recovered for analysis. The expedition also
gathered important logistical information about changes in the island
environment since our last visit five years ago. Of particular note
was the impact of storms on surviving cultural features in the village.
Because the expedition did not make discoveries so dramatic as to
present a security risk if their location is disclosed, the confidentiality
which preceded the trip is no longer necessary.
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