Landed on the sandbank we know as the Taraia spit. Yes it was a sandbank, not a reef. I got this information from your own Earnhardt Project. As I see that no one discounted it before, why now ? (Attachment’s below)
Randy Jacobson based his comment on this passage from
COLORADO Captain Wilhelm Friedell's report:
"Shortly after the flares were known to be false a report was received that further investigation of the report received on 3 July that on 3105 Kcs a woman’s voice had made four distress signal calls followed by KHAQQ, followed by “225 garble, Off Howland, battery very weak, can’t last long, garble indicated sandbank,” had been made and considerable credulance was given to the possibility of the report having been actually received."
This is apparently a reference to a message from Coast Guard San Francisco Division at 1455Z on July 3, listed as Message 45 in the
Post-Loss Radio Catalog:
"COMFRANDIV reported receiving a telephone report from a “Charles McGill,” amateur call sign W6CHI, in Oakland, who said he heard SOS calls from Earhart “on about 86 meters,” saying she was at a point 225 miles north northwest of Howland Island, and asking Putnam to fly a kite. The 1935 Radio Amateur Call Book shows call sign W6CHI was assigned to Charles Miguel of Oakland. Apparently, the person who took the call at COMFRANDIV misunderstood “Miguel” as “McGill.”
As you can see, Friedell was mistaken. There was no reference to a sandbank. Besides, the message is not credible.