Wilhelm L. Friedell

Captain of the USS Colorado in July of 1937.

From Ric Gillespie, Forum, 16 March 1998:

This was to be Friedell's last cruise as CO of the Colorado. He had already had his farewell party at Hilo, Hawaii, just before the ship was scrambled for the Earhart search. The failure of the ship's aviators to find Winslow Reef created a great lack of confidence in the available charts when they went to search McKean and Gardner. Friedell was not about to put BB-45 on a reef on his last cruise, and so was loathe to come anywhere near the islands with his boat.

All the factors mentioned above, documented in original USN reports, added up to no search parties going ashore anywhere.

Links

• The March of Time
• "Friedell's Report on the Colorado Search."