TIGHAR
Amelia Earhart Search Forum => General discussion => Topic started by: Ben Howe on January 24, 2019, 02:46:57 PM
-
An attention grabbing headline.
https://www.foxnews.com/science/amelia-earhart-discovery-researchers-eye-papua-new-guinea-wreck-site
The Buka Island I found is 2000 miles from post lost radio signal triangulation.
5°16'26.6"S 154°38'46.0"E
Is there another of the same name that makes sense to have "turned back" to?
-
Is there another of the same name that makes sense to have "turned back" to?
No.
I'm frankly amazed that this story gets any press at all. Has anybody seen a photo that shows they have any kind of airplane wreck? This nonsense first showed up in 2010 and I wrote a research bulletin (https://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Research/Bulletins/60_TooTrue/60_TooTrue.htm) about it in 2011.
-
“The Buka Island wreck site was directly on Amelia and Fred’s flight path, and it is an area never searched following their disappearance,” said William Snavely, Project Blue Angel director, in a statement. “What we’ve found so far is consistent with the plane she flew.”
and
" initial reports indicate that a piece of glass raised from the wreckage shares some consistencies with a landing light on the Lockheed Electra 10,” the project's statement explained."
Other than an apparent piece of glass, they don't say exactly what "wreckage" they've found. At best they might be able to say is not inconsistent with the L-10, but claiming things are consistent with the L-10 is a bit of a stretch from what I see.
And the photo they show of something completely encrusted with coral is not what I'd expect to see of a crashed aircraft at 100 ft.
Isn't this the site that supposedly had gold bullion protected by a giant sea snake?
These guys, and the Mili Atoll guys, are where TIGHAR was in 1992. A few scraps and some interesting stories. We've at least been able to advance our hypotheses through archival and forensic work on top of the archaeology work.
I'm not holding my breath...
amck
-
I read a feature article in the NYT (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/02/world/asia/indonesia-battle-of-biak.html?searchResultPosition=1) this morning about an Indonesian Islander who digs up war relics on the island of Biak, scene of heavy fighting in WWII, because, he says, “for researchers, writers, collectors of art and history lovers, this has meaning.” I guess he's referring to us (amongst others). The article also mentions a WWII plane crash that was found in the jungle in 1980 with the pilot's skeleton still in the cockpit. The article isn’t related in any way to Snavely’s search (or Earhart for that matter), but it reminded me of his project so I posted it on this thread. I’ve excerpted below the part about the plane wreck, but it’s an interesting article that might be worth a full read for those interested.
“Mr. Rumaropen, 59, started a museum there [Biak] in 1985. His exhibits include a derelict Japanese airplane, three jeeps, machine guns, mortar shells and more than 1,000 other items, many displayed outdoors. One of his first finds was a U.S. pilot’s ring, which brought him local fame…
“Learning of a plane that had crashed in a remote jungle, he found the wreck in 1980. The pilot’s skeleton was still in the cockpit, and Mr. Rumaropen removed a ring from its finger. The pilot’s name, W.E. Frankfort, was engraved inside. The ring was too valuable to exhibit at the museum so he displayed photos of it instead. It took nearly a decade, but word of the ring eventually reached the Indonesian Army. An officer confiscated it and turned it over to American officials, who enlisted Mr. Rumaropen’s help in locating the plane and recovering the pilot’s remains in 1994. For his effort, he received an official letter expressing the U.S. Army’s ‘deep and sincere appreciation.’ It hangs in the museum next to photos of the ring.”
Btw, here’s a link to Snavely's website (https://www.projectblueangel.com/about), looks like he’s got nothing new to report.