The nearest aviation repair shop to Gardner island circa 1930's I can find so far is this one.
"May 1939: Pan American World Airways arrives on Kanton Island to build a service station for a flying boat service to New Zealand. The service starts in July 1940."
Didn't mean to but believe shot past this note when delving into the Airacobra possibilities -
Does artefact 2-2-V-1 have to be from a missing or crashed aircraft if it isn't from the Electra?
I believe probably "yes" as 2-2-V-1 has the distinction of representing a twice-failed structure:
- First, it is distinctly NOT original construction but a repair (and/or alteration) piece of material, and
- Second, it was removed forcibly in some manner of failure having to do with that previously repaired (and/or altered) structure to which formerly attached.
The exception could be that a shop didn't like the repair and replaced it, discarding what we now hold as 2-2-V-1; but that is highly unlikely (to the inth...) as no shop seeking to 'improve' the structure would have used a can opener to remove it in the fashion we can see - as strongly suggested (figuratively...) by the failures we see on the part.
But for argument's sake, did any of those Pan Am boats pile in in the area? I don't recall that.