A team of researchers is en route to Nikumaroro Island in the Pacific Ocean to investigate what they believe could be the wreckage of famed aviator Amelia Earhart's plane. The group, consisting of members from the US-based Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) and Purdue University, departed from the capital of Kiribati on Wednesday and is expected to arrive at the suspected wreck site by Monday.
Background
Amelia Earhart vanished in 1937 while attempting to circumnavigate the globe, leading to decades of speculation regarding her fate. The team aims to locate the Taraia Object, first identified in satellite imagery in 2020. According to Purdue University, this object has been confirmed to have been visible in aerial photographs dating back to 1938.
Journey to Nikumaroro
Currently, the researchers are approximately halfway through their 830-mile journey aboard the Marin Mainiku, a vessel from the Kiribati National Shipping Line. Upon arrival, they will need to navigate through a narrow gap in the atoll's reef, which was created by the British in 1963 during the last period of habitation on the island.
“"Finding Amelia Earhart's Electra aircraft would be the discovery of a lifetime," said Richard Pettigrew, head of the ALI and the expedition lead.
Earhart's Disappearance
Earhart had successfully flown from California across South America, Africa, and Asia before reaching Lae, Papua New Guinea on July 2, 1937. She and her navigator, Fred Noonan, planned to travel to Hawaii and then back to California. However, her plane disappeared while attempting to reach Howland Island, a remote coral island near Nikumaroro, for refueling.
