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Earhart searchers set sail, hoping to solve mystery - Kiribati atoll of Nikumaroro

July 04 July , 2012|By Oskar Garcia, Associated Press
Image 1 of 4
  • Amelia Earhart left Los Angeles on March 10, 1937. She and navigator Fred Noonan went missing July 2, 1937. (AP, File )
  • Amelia Earhart left Los Angeles on March 10, 1937. She and navigator Fred Noonan went missing July 2, 1937. (AP, File )
  • Crew members lift an autonomous underwater vehicle in Honolulu. Searchers left Tuesday for a remote island in the Pacific. (OSKAR CARCIA / AP )
  • FILE-- In a 1937 file photo aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, pose in front of their twin-engine Lockheed Electra in Los Angeles prior to their historic flight in which Earhart was attempting to become first female pilot to circle the globe. A $2.2 million expedition is hoping to finally solve one of America's most enduring mysteries. What happened to famed aviator Amelia Earhart when she went missing over the South Pacific 75 years ago? (AP Photo, File) (AP )
  • University of Hawaii ship Kaimikai-O-Kanaloa is anchored at harbor in Honolulu on Sunday, July 1, 2012. The ship will be used for of a month-long voyage that begins Tuesday, July 3, 2012 to attempt to find plane wreckage from Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra, which disappeared over the South Pacific 75 years ago. (AP Photo/Oskar Garcia) (AP )

HONOLULU - A $2.2 million expedition is hoping to solve one of America's most enduring mysteries: What exactly happened to famed aviator Amelia Earhart when she went missing over the South Pacific 75 years ago?

A group of scientists, historians, and salvagers think they have a good idea. They left Honolulu on Tuesday for a remote island in the Pacific nation of Kiribati in hopes of finding wreckage of Earhart's Lockheed Electra plane.

Their working theory is that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, landed on a reef near the Kiribati atoll of Nikumaroro, then survived a short time.

"Everything has pointed to the airplane having gone over the edge of that reef in a particular spot, and the wreckage ought to be right down there," said Ric Gillespie, founder and executive director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, the group leading the search.

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Comment by Tina Samson on July 26, 2012 at 9:38am

i'd like to know if you could help me trace my family to complete my family tree. the family name is Kureta. grandfather's name is Burenimaneaba Betero. His mother is Meruta and her mother is Tairi. do you know where i can go to find photos and information?

Comment by Stacey King on July 22, 2012 at 8:11am

Mauri Ruteta

Ko raba for telling us about this link. I know with my own research on Banaban history that all the stories and information I received from my own family and old BPC people who lived on Banaba in the old mining days would only come to life when I spoke to the Banaban te unimane and te ainne who would link everything together. So I think this is a very important lead. Is there any online link to this NEWSTAR story. I suppose it is written in Gilbertese but this is the information this expedition team really need.

Our luv and regards to all our families up there an hopefully it won't be to long before Ken sees you all again.

Comment by Ruteta Betarim Rimon on July 21, 2012 at 10:26pm

As I've heard recently that it must not be Nikumaroro that Amelia and Noonan landed on but Manra an island close to Nikumaroro cause their is a man here who gave his story saying that he was born on Manra and when they kids they used to play where there was a plane wreckage.
He is so willing to tell or most of all help if he is needed but Stacey to let u know he is Tiamrate's brother-in-law(Nei Kaatia's brother) who leaves on Arorae now.

He's full story was published just few weeks ago in the Newstar news paper which is owned by Sir Ieremia Tabai.

I hope that this will help.

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