According to the interviewer at the 6:45 point in the linked Youtube video below, Bob Ballard believed the plane to be "in the sea off Howland" as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyfTi2-VQDY
I wonder if after his previous searches and expeditions in that area he picked up the same thing, or something similar they want to revisit. The way he says "stay tuned" seems like he has some information he is not willing to share.

If the plane went down west of Howland, the prevailing currents and wind would have the plane drift west, not east.  The post-loss aerial search by the Navy correctly assumed this.  Based upon the ship logs' re-navigation, I was able to determine that the narrow Equatorial CounterCurrent, which runs west to east, was narrow and above 2* N.  This current would be in opposition to the winds, largely putting her plane in somewhat of a static east-west position.

I'm guessing it'll be an FJ-4 Fury.  Any other guesses?

C-47

What if it is her plane?  100 miles outside of Howland Island. 
Could they have landed safely on the water (like guy in NY), floated around for a bit (sending messages)until plane started to fill with water and sink (one of messages said "taking on water knee deep"), and then one of them drifted or floated to Gardner island (300 miles away) and been cast away still?  Sounds far fetched I know.
Or they both sank with plane and debris floated to Gardner island causing the items to be found there?
Shoes, glass, zipper piece, possibly floating in a bag?
Although I know messages were heard by people days after plane disappeared..... just a theory no real basis, asking questions still though almost 90 years later.

I haven’t been keeping up on things here.  What’s the latest status of 2-2-V-1?  Did we ever get the Glickman report on it? 

Something has long puzzled me about the above drawing of radio bearings.  Why is the line bearing 201^o at 0638Z/5 drawn so much shorter than the rest?  If it was a weak signal, it would seem that it should be a longer line, not shorter, since a weak signal would suggest that it came from farther away.  If I were a conspiracist, I would suspect that Tighar was trying to conceal the fact that if the line were drawn longer, it would go right through Mili Atoll and lend support to supporters of the Mili Theory, but I think think this is just coincidence. So what is the reason?

I'm guessing it'll be an FJ-4 Fury.  Any other guesses?

They'll be awfully disappointed to find it's a '50's Navy fighter, but it would be cool to see nonetheless!

TIGHARNews email about this just sent out.

Like Billy the Kid, she's everywhere!  Seriously, I wish them well, but we've all seen this before.