Thanks, Zach. I am a dud at Google Earth. I tried to work with it yesterday, but I got nowhere. I can carry on my running commentary with Ric, accepting the evidence but disputing the interpretation, but it proves nothing, gets us nowhere. If necessary I can go to Nonouti, I am retired and can afford it. But it would seem that I must prepare, and that will take time.
One thing about your supplying a pertinent old post yesterday. She said FN was dead, Amelia recovered, but then died. I thought if Amelia did recover, surely the word would have gotten out somehow. I see it this way, since I am engaging in pure speculation. Amelia and Fred are on the island (Noumatong) 3 days or so with no water except what little they had in the plane. Fred gives his share to Amelia. He is basically a good guy. They do know where they are, Nonouti has a distinctive shape, they probably had a chart or two. They are discovered by some fishermen but Fred is already gone. Amelia is barely alive but they give her water and she seems to get better. But the damage has been done, she lives maybe a week, then succumbs to kidney failure, caused by the dehydration. Since the fishermen have no way of communicating, they can't call up their cousin in Tarawa, and it all happens so fast they bury the two of them and go back to work, they are getting hungry again. Or maybe they do tell somebody, but nobody has heard the news of the flight so nobody knows what they are talking about. Who knows?