Pacific Wrecks Forum

It is not known why Les Kinney and other investigators at the History Channel have surrendered to the debunk arguments from a Japanese history buff that the Jaluit dock photo is from a travel brochure from 1935. The proofs that the image is post 1936 shown here (see page 7) have not been disproven. ...

Nautilus passed 35nm southeast of Nikumaroro. Then continued on to the Cook Islands for the next expedition there. Sadly, no time dedicated to searching for Amelia's lost plane in the Phoenix Islands. While it is not pertinent to this expedition, I ask a question on the ship's chat box if there is g...

Dr. Ballard's ship the Nautilus has completed some of the survey work (NA175) off the west side of Howland Island and is now sailing directly towards the Phoenix Islands. The current course, if maintained, would take the ship to Nikumaroro. The research vessel has done a lot of searching at this isl...

Dr. Ballard's ship Nautilus is in route to the Howland Island area and is just now passing the equator into the South Pacific, The stated goal of this Nautilus adventure NA175 is survey the ocean depths around Howland Island area. The ship will most likely be alert for any indications of an aircraft...

An important point of clarity is required. Those readers who follow the Japanese Capture theory of the disappearance of Amelia Earhart are sure to have visited Mike Campbell’s Truth at Last website. The online publication details the description of events by US Marines on Saipan and the chronicles o...

Before continuing with news of another expedition to Nikumaroro, a review of the motive behind the Japanese capture and imprisonment of Amelia and Fred and how it relates to the clues discovered about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, is required to quell the question of Why? Alfred Mahan was the...

Two note worthy events take place this summer. Nautilus will visit Iron Bottom (Savo) Sound during expedition NAT173, WWII naval battle area near Guadalcanal. Part of the larger naval Battle of Guadalcanal that left dozens of aircraft and ships in the deep Pacific waters. It will be interesting to s...

DR. Richard Pettigrew is planning an expedition to Nikumaroro in the summer of 2025. Perhaps 10 people will go. Objective to check out Taraia object seen in satellite images of Nikumaroro. The USN search planes SOC-1 (Curtiss Model 71) of the USS Colorado did not reach the Phoenix Islands until July...

In the summer of 1937, one of those activities occurred in the Phoenix Islands and was the scientific expedition of National Geographic and USN on Canton (Kanton) island to monitor and record the total eclipse of the sun on June 8. This scientific effort was well advertised in advance giving Tojo pl...

Tojo was the commander of Japanese forces in Northern China and effective controller of the Japanese puppet state Manchukuo (Manchuria). In invading and pushing all Chinese forces out, numerous war crimes were committed by theJapanese Kwantung army. By 1937, Tojo had realized he had no way to conque...

The Japanese attacked the US Naval Forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. Today, eighty three years later, the full story of the attack is still under examination. Mainly as to why the Japanese would start the great Pacific War without warning. The Orona-Saipan theory speculations add the o...

The recent sonar image has proven to be a seafloor rock formation. Unlike the Orona 2006 satellite image, there was no measurements provided. The Orona measurements and obvious resemblance to the Electra are not enough to convince other investigators that this is Amelia Earhart's plane at the bottom...

Nautilus has started the Howland Island area cruise. Mapping the ocean bottom is the mission of this expedition. In transit the various heading courses has the ship located just off the West side of Nikumaroro and heading North. Looks as though sonar search along the path will be looking for the mys...

The Nautilus is just Northwest of Tutuila American Samoa. This is near the location of the tragic 1938 air disaster of the Samoan Clipper S-42. Captain Musick and entire crew were lost. I think maybe Dr. Ballard is searching for the lost ship just as the Nautilus did in 2019. Nautilus has multiple v...

Contrary to my speculation, I think the bulky things under the tarps as seen on the aft camera(s) are the launch and retrieve boat for the ASV autonomous surface vessel DRiX. The ship passed 250 miles east of the Phoenix Islands on the transit from Hawaii to Samoa.