Susan Butler

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Amelia Earhart : A Legend in her day, and a mystery, since

The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart and the theories about what happened to her - have captured imaginations for decades.

In 1937, American Aviator Earhart disappeared while attempting to fly around the globe without leaving a trace.

Now, a new expedition set out for Nikumaroro, a tiny atoll in The Pacific , looking for your aircraft and possibly your remains.

And it is under the leadership of another Legend - The Man , of The Wreck of the Titanic, Robert Ballard .

he Can succeed where so many failed?

While Mr. Ballard radiates optimism, many Earhart experts are doubtful that he will be able to reveal what happened to her.

The Mystery

Amelia Earhart was not only a star of the aviation world, she was a celebrity. A pioneering pilot, 1932, she was The First woman to fly alone non-stop across The Atlantic . Five years later, she went on the, what's your biggest piece of art - a circumnavigation of the globe would have been.

your flight was a sensation. It was followed by The Press in any country, You went through and made headlines around The World .

"Earhart was one of The Most admired women of The 1930S ," says Dorothy Cochrane , curator in the Aeronautics Department of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in the USA.

"they had created a Record -breaking pilot and a woman, their own career in aviation, as a woman in a strictly man's world. "

The Journey from the West Coast of the USA to Brazil over The Atlantic ocean, Africa, the Middle East , India, Indonesia, Australia, and finally to Papua New Guinea . From there, only The Pacific ocean on the left.

One More refueling stop, and they would be in Hawaii , and from there it would be again on the US mainland. But after it took off from the city of Lae in Papua-they have it never that in the next stop on the Small Island of Howland in The Pacific .

What had happened to her, was never found.

"You disappear without a trace is Still One of the Greatest Mysteries of all time," Ms Cochrane said.

The Man , of the the Titanic

go as far As oceanographer, Robert Ballard brings so much Star Power as possible. Search for The Wreck of the Titanic was not his only feat. The 77-year-old also found the legendary Nazi battleship Bismarck in the depths of The Atlantic , and many other wrecks around the globe.

"I have always been fascinated by the story of Amelia Earhart , because You do, The World shocked, what everyone thought was impossible, much as this, what to do, I've tried my whole career as a deep-sea explorer," Mr. Ballard says, on the website of his expedition ship, the Nautilus.

The expedition, the sailing of the 7. August is sponsored by National Geographic and will be in a TV documentary. The channel is clearly the hope of finding the longed for will come about and be celebrated in a TV showpiece.

Robert Ballard said he has always been fascinated by Amelia Earhart 's disappearance

"I'm a hunter and You The Prey that You are hunting for," Mr. Ballard, the station said. "I'm in this cockpit, and I always began Amelia. "

The Island (s) in The Pacific

So, where Earhart and her plane? The Mission is headed for the Small Island of Nikumaroro, in The Middle of The Pacific .

When Earhart was scheduled to reach Howland Island on 2. July 1937 for the refuelling, a US Coast Guard vessel, she was waiting to help properly and appear for the Lockheed Electra plane on the horizon.

Earhart flew with a special navigator, Fred Noonan , and the two say sent a message, they were very Close , But just on gas.

your last radio message said they were flying on a navigation Line along, The Island is Howland -. Then it was silent.

But on the same Line in the direction of the southwest, is Nikumaroro, Some 648km (402 kilometers) of Howland. And this is what gave rise to the speculation that You have missed Howland, and, at Low Tide , landed on The Reef on Nikumaroro.

Nikumaroro Island was uninhabited in the time of Earhart ended up there

would have been If this had happened, it would have only bought You a couple of days. There is no fresh water on The Tiny atoll, and You would have died as a castaway.

The theories and speculations

Earhart's disappearance sparked an immediate search operation with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard . No clue was found and the official Line shared by the majority of the Earhart experts is that the plane crashed in The Ocean , somewhere near Howland Island .

But what?

There is no shortage of alternative theories, Some of which are rather far-fetched - But You are discrediting routine by Earhart researchers.

such A requirement is that Earhart to the North and landed on the Marshall Islands , where she captured by the Japanese and possibly the work in anti-forced-US-propaganda during the second World War .

In the year 2017, a photo that allegedly show Earhart and Noonan on a pier in the Marshall Islands in the headlines, But . There are no Japanese records to support this claim.

A photo that supposedly shows (from left), Noonan , Earhart and her plane in the Marshall Islands

another story claims that Earhart is back in the USA - possibly after a stint in Japanese prison - and lived a quiet life under an assumed name somewhere in New Jersey . Once Again , there is no credible evidence.

The Nikumaroro theory has more serious backers, however. Over The Years , was reinforced by a blurred photo of what could be a part of the surface on The Reef , a deserted campsite, and even human bones, which could be Some believe to have been Earhart.

The bones, found in the 1940s, were first interpreted as male, then lost, and later - only on the basis of photos identified by a forensics may be of a female of the build greater-than-average European.

The Nikumaroro theory is supported prominently by Ric Gillespie, head of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR).

He was on the atoll several times, and told the BBC his group had found "the artifacts that speak of an American Woman in The 1930S ".

He also says several Distress Signals were received in the area after Earhart's disappearance, he believes, of the flier and Noonan .

Ric Gillespie is confident landed Earhart on Nikumaroro, he has visited several times

in The Past few decades, several major searches of The Ocean around Howland Island , not the plane.

"brought them back, high-profile attempts to solve The Mystery , of course, the attention of the media," Mr Gillespie explained.

"Every time, if the search is not successful, a physical 'Smoking Gun ' The Mystery grows in stature and attracts others would-The Man , the Amelia. It is an interesting self-reproduction phenomenon. "

The chances of solving The Mystery

Mr. Ballard is a big search action brings to The Task .

A party to comb The Island for any clues, possible campsites, bones, or other objects. The second team, led by the oceanographer of self, the search for the plane in the water.

If Earhart and Noonan crash-landing on The Reef , their plane would soon by the incoming tide have been washed into The Sea .

The Mission of The use of state-of-the-art technology, ads on the bottom of The Sea . Among other things, Mr. Ballard, the unmanned submarines that can go as deep as 3,962 metres (13,000 ft).

Many of the established Earhart experts fear that Mr Ballard is convicted of a great mission to fail from the start, But .

"I don't believe that the plane was said somewhere in the vicinity of Nikumaroro," Susan Butler , Earhart expert and author of a biography of the "The Aviator ", the BBC.

"was catapulted to The Island is traversed by a plane from the USS Colorado, a few days after she went missing. The Pilot saw no recent activity. "

Noonan and Earhart with her Lockheed plane

almost Mr Gillespie's Nikumaroro dismisses the theory as nonsense. "He is an expert in the implementation of the publicity and National Geographic for him at any time. So, the Newspapers make. "

Other experts agree that it is almost impossible that Earhart could have made it to The Tiny atoll.

"As they approached Howland Island , which has become called your radio stronger," says Ms Cochrane of the Smithsonian.

"she was probably within 50 miles, and Noonan , they felt almost equal to the US Coast Guard ship.

"You have simply run out of fuel supply in the vicinity of Howland Island ," she concludes.

she says, Mr. Gillespie and TIGHAR found only "references to people and things on and around Nikumaroro - and, in fact, the people on The Island lived at different times, and ships were destroyed in the vicinity.

"But You never found a definitive evidence of Earhart, Noonan , or their plane. I don't see why any of your 'finds' or photos, the official Record would prevail. "

air travel, aviation accidents and incidents, pacific ocean

Source of news: bbc.com