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[Bruce Thomas]

Fifteen months after the Earhart disappearance and before anybody has set foot on the island, we have original large-format negatives on fine-grain, high-quality film of aerial photos for every part of the atoll. Unbelievable.

Well, almost before anybody: let's not forget Harry Maude, Eric Bevington, and their crew who made the colonization survey visit in mid-October 1937.

As you and Jeff Glickman prepare to head off to the archives in New Zealand, I hope you'll encourage your friend down there to look for any additional photos taken during the July 9, 1937, flyover by Lambrecht's planes as well.

The photographer is unknown, but this print of the photo, obtained from an archive in New Zealand, is inscribed “U.S. Navy (pilot) July 9, 1937” on the reverse.

It's always been a puzzle to me how a picture taken on a U.S. Navy flight got all the way down to an archive in New Zealand. If there's one, could there be more?

I'm also intrigued by there being an arrow inscribed on the Lambrecht photo and then arrows on some of the photos taken by the NZ Supermarine Walrus flight. Someone was more than just collecting pretty pictures! Did these aerial photos once share a common storage space?

[Ric Gillespie]

Well, almost before anybody: let's not forget Harry Maude, Eric Bevington, and their crew who made the colonization survey visit in mid-October 1937.

True. The notice they put up and the holes they dug to find water will be there.

As you and Jeff Glickman prepare to head off to the archives in New Zealand, I hope you'll encourage your friend down there to look for any additional photos taken during the July 9, 1937, flyover by Lambrecht's planes as well.

The photographer is unknown, but this print of the photo, obtained from an archive in New Zealand, is inscribed “U.S. Navy (pilot) July 9, 1937” on the reverse.

It's always been a puzzle to me how a picture taken on a U.S. Navy flight got all the way down to an archive in New Zealand. If there's one, could there be more?

The Lambrecht photo and a number of other U.S. Navy and Army Air Forces aerial photos of the island from later years came from the New Zealand National Archive in Auckland and seem to have been part of something called "Joint Intelligence Bureau - Prime Minister's Department - Wellington."  We've seen everything they have.  The archive at the USAF Historical Center at Maxwell AFB, AL also has some aerial photos of Gardner taken during the war.  We have those.

I'm also intrigued by there being an arrow inscribed on the Lambrecht photo

The north arrow points due west.  Whoever drew it was clueless.

and then arrows on some of the photos taken by the NZ Supermarine Walrus flight. Someone was more than just collecting pretty pictures! Did these aerial photos once share a common storage space?

The arrows on the 1938 photo looking west are obviously pointing out features of interest.  They are not on the contact print in Christchurch so the photo in Auckland was probably part of some report.

[Monty Fowler]

To Ted Campbell - thumb's up, mate! 

And THIS is why TIGHAR is credible: We find something, we tell everyone about it. And then try to find out more.

LTM, who tries to pick the winners,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 CER

[Tim Collins]

We should only need one day there.

Careful not to sell yourself so short. It'd be a shame to make the effort only to go all the way to the other side of the world and have too little time on the ground. Especially at a resource that is proving to be important. Where there's one, there may be more. 

[Chris Austin]

Having now captured all of the individual frames from the lo-res contact sheets, there are 45 frames total.  Some are near duplicates but every part of the island was photographed from several angles.

Just a thought; if there are shots from the same altitude/angle/track taken reasonably consecutively, it may be worth having a go with stereoscope similar to that used by the photographic interpreters during WWII. It would give a 3D depth perspective.




OOPS! Almost forgot - Good man, Ted!

[Dan Swift]

Ric,
Could the arrow not pointing true north be, somewhat, due to magnetic declination or variance in addition to sloppy piloting?  I am not sure what the variance is there. 

[Ric Gillespie]

Ric,
Could the arrow not pointing true north be, somewhat, due to magnetic declination or variance in addition to sloppy piloting?  I am not sure what the variance is there.

The variation is 9 or 10 degrees.  The arrow is off by like 90 degrees. 

[Dan Swift]

Hoping that arrow wasn't put on there by the pilot.  Although AE and FN had a little trouble with navigation in the Pacific as well it seems.  So I suppose it could have been. 

[Wayne O'Neill]

Long time lurker, first time poster… I can’t resist a good mystery.
 
Great discovery! I don’t know a lot about aircraft but I do know quite a bit about photography. If the original negatives are sharp there’ll be a lot of information on that fine grained emulsion. A scan at around 2400 dpi would be equivalent to about a 90 mega pixel image from that size negative! Even a flatbed film scanner such as the Epson V700 is capable of that sort of resolution. If you really want to go to town, high resolution scanning options such as a drum scan are available, although that process might not be suitable for negatives of that age/historical value.

It’s such a shame that the original Bevington negatives were lost as who knows what sort of detail would have been possible from them compared to the contact prints.

[richie conroy]

Can't wait to see new images, Hope there is some good stuff to bring new and old faces on forum to debate an discuss

Ted G Campbell Respect to you fella 

[Jeff Victor Hayden]

HMS Leander 1938 with possibly, the Supermarine Walrus on deck which took the photos...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/4369572207/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/7221511550/

[Ric Gillespie]

HMS Leander 1938 with possibly, the Supermarine Walrus on deck which took the photos...

Too cool!

The Walrus was known to aircrews as the Shagbat.  Doesn't sound like a terribly complimentary name for such a sleek and undoubtedly blisteringly fast amphib.

[Jeff Victor Hayden]

Ric, how close to Gardner Island did HMS Leander get? If they were snapping photos of their plane/ship and were in close proximity to the island who knows what might be lurking in the background?

[Ric Gillespie]

Ric, how close to Gardner Island did HMS Leander get? If they were snapping photos of their plane/ship and were in close proximity to the island who knows what might be lurking in the background?

Leander doesn't appear in any of the aerial photos taken by her airplane so she may have stood well off.  I know the captain of USS Colorado didn't want to get anywhere near those coral atolls.  He didn't trust the charts.  Leander was a cruiser, not a battle wagon, but she was still a lot of boat.

[richie conroy]

The new image of reef with Norwich city all mangled like it is, Makes me wonder what map chart the Norwich city captain was using and if AE/FN were using the same one,

When you think were the Norwich City lays, More or less dead center ov reef,  how much were they off there assumed course to make such an error an did Gardner appear closer to Howland than it actually is on AE/FN map