John, I totally agree that a "fast mover" wouldn't do well in any sort of landing on a marginal surface or in a ditching. Best option: ride the rocket! You are also accurate in saying that parachutes were a pretty iffy deal in 1937. The problem I have with the "on the reef" concept is that I have yet to see a coral reef that I would consider suitable for any sort landing. I've been at Diego, Guam, Wake, Midway, Okinawa, and several places in Florida and haven't seen any area smooth or uniform enough (not to mention "dull"; coral is SHARP) to consider using it for landing. It would also seem to me that FN (at least) would have similar knowledge/experience since he was experienced in flying the Pacific. That would leave us to assume (if we accept an "on the reef" landing) AE and FN, in the "heat of battle" and suffering from fatigue (and, perhaps, a bit of panic) identified an atypical stretch of reef and decided it was superior to any other option. Perhaps that is what happened but it seems more than a bit of a stretch to me. Even Alaskan "tundra tires", though they nmight handle the rough surface, wouldn't do much good when they were cut to shreds by the coral.
William
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