Howland Island: Difference between revisions
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imported>Minturn mostly tags |
imported>Reywas92 Nope, this is NOT the "unofficial flag", it's just a random design made up by a random person unconnected to the island! |
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| image_name = howland island nasa.jpg | | image_name = howland island nasa.jpg | ||
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| image_caption = Howland Island seen from space in | | image_caption = Howland Island seen from space in December 2004 | ||
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| area_footnotes = <ref name="CIA-website">{{cite web |title=United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states-pacific-island-wildlife-refuges/ |website=World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=25 June 2019}}</ref> | | area_footnotes = <ref name="CIA-website">{{cite web |title=United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states-pacific-island-wildlife-refuges/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126065143/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states-pacific-island-wildlife-refuges/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |website=World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=25 June 2019}}</ref> | ||
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'''Howland Island''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|aʊ|l|ə|n|d}}) is a [[coral island]] and [[strict nature reserve]] located just north of the [[equator]] in the central Pacific Ocean, about {{convert|1700|nmi|km|lk=on}} southwest of [[Honolulu]]. The island lies almost halfway between [[Hawaii]] and Australia and is an [[Territories of the United States#Minor Outlying Islands|unincorporated, unorganized territory]] of the United States. Together with [[Baker Island]], it forms part of the [[Phoenix Islands]]. For statistical purposes, Howland is grouped as one of the [[United States Minor Outlying Islands]].<ref>{{cite gnis| id=1393033 |name=Howland Island|access-date= February 24, 2009}}</ref> The island has an elongated [[cucumber]]-shape on a north–south axis, {{convert|1.40 x 0.55|mi|km}}, and covers {{convert|1|mi2|acre km2|sp=us}}.<ref name="CIA-website" /> | '''Howland Island''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|aʊ|l|ə|n|d}}) is a [[coral island]] and [[strict nature reserve]] located just north of the [[equator]] in the central Pacific Ocean, about {{convert|1700|nmi|km|lk=on}} southwest of [[Honolulu]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Howland Island |url=https://dlab.epfl.ch/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/h/Howland_Island.htm |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=dlab.epfl.ch}}</ref> The island lies almost halfway between [[Hawaii]] and Australia and is an [[Territories of the United States#Minor Outlying Islands|unincorporated, unorganized territory]] of the United States. Together with [[Baker Island]], it forms part of the [[Phoenix Islands]]. For statistical purposes, Howland is grouped as one of the [[United States Minor Outlying Islands]].<ref>{{cite gnis| id=1393033 |name=Howland Island|access-date= February 24, 2009}}</ref> The island has an elongated [[cucumber]]-shape on a north–south axis, {{convert|1.40 x 0.55|mi|km}}, and covers {{convert|1|mi2|acre km2|sp=us}}.<ref name="CIA-website" /> | ||
Howland Island National Wildlife Refuge consists of the entire island and the surrounding {{convert|32074|acre|km2}} of submerged land. The island is managed by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]] as an [[insular area]] under the [[United States Department of the Interior|U.S. Department of the Interior]]. It is part of the [[Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument]]. | Howland Island National Wildlife Refuge consists of the entire island and the surrounding {{convert|32074|acre|km2}} of submerged land. The island is managed by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]] as an [[insular area]] under the [[United States Department of the Interior|U.S. Department of the Interior]]. It is part of the [[Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument]]. | ||
The atoll currently has no [[Economy|economic activity]]. It is managed as a nature reserve. It is best known as the island [[Amelia Earhart]] and [[Fred Noonan]] were striving for but failed to reach when they and their airplane disappeared on {{nowrap|July 2, 1937}}, during their planned round-the-world flight. Airstrips constructed to accommodate their planned stopover were subsequently damaged in [[World War II]], not maintained, and gradually disappeared. There are no harbors or docks. The [[fringing reef]]s may pose a maritime hazard. There is a boat landing area along the middle of the sandy beach on the west coast and a crumbling [[day beacon]]. The island is visited every two years by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.<ref name="fws visiting">{{cite web |url=http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=12512 |title=Howland Island National Wildlife Refuge |access-date=2019-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602155151/https://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=12512 |archive-date=2015-06-02}}</ref> It was mined for [[guano]] in the 19th century, and in the 1930s it was colonized by the [[American Equatorial Islands Colonization Project]]. In modern times, it is a nature reserve, and there are some historical remains from the colony and a stone tower called Earhart Light.{{ | The atoll currently has no [[Economy|economic activity]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=CIA - The World Factbook -- Howland Island |url=https://user.iiasa.ac.at/~marek/fbook/03/print/hq.html |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=user.iiasa.ac.at}}</ref> It is managed as a nature reserve. It is best known as the island [[Amelia Earhart]] and [[Fred Noonan]] were striving for but failed to reach when they and their airplane disappeared on {{nowrap|July 2, 1937}}, during their planned round-the-world flight. Airstrips constructed to accommodate their planned stopover were subsequently damaged in [[World War II]], not maintained, and gradually disappeared. There are no harbors or docks. The [[fringing reef]]s may pose a maritime hazard. There is a boat landing area along the middle of the sandy beach on the west coast and a crumbling [[day beacon]]. The island is visited every two years by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.<ref name="fws visiting">{{cite web |url=http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=12512 |title=Howland Island National Wildlife Refuge |access-date=2019-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602155151/https://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=12512 |archive-date=2015-06-02}}</ref> It was mined for [[guano]] in the 19th century, and in the 1930s it was colonized by the [[American Equatorial Islands Colonization Project]]. In modern times, it is a nature reserve, and there are some historical remains from the colony and a stone tower called Earhart Light.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Black |first=Annetta |title=Earhart Light |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/earhart-light-howland-island |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref> | ||
==Flora and fauna== | ==Flora and fauna== | ||
The climate is equatorial, | The climate is equatorial, characterised by intense sunshine and low rainfall, with temperatures moderated by easterly trade winds. The terrain is low-lying and sandy, consisting of a coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing [[reef]] with a slightly raised central area. The highest point is approximately {{convert|20|ft}} above [[sea level]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Howland Island National Wildlife Refuge |publisher=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/howland-island |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Howland Island |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |url=https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=138:3:::NO:3:P3_FID,P3_TITLE:1663670,Howland%20Island |access-date=19 January 2026}}</ref> | ||
There are no natural [[freshwater|fresh water]] resources.<ref name="CIA">{{Cite web |title=United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states-pacific-island-wildlife-refuges/ |website=CIA: The World Factbook |date=October 18, 2024 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |issn=1553-8133}}</ref> The landscape features scattered grasses along with prostrate vines and low-growing [[pisonia]] trees and shrubs. A 1942 eyewitness description spoke of "a low grove of dead and decaying [[Cordia subcordata|kou trees]]" on a very shallow hill at the island's center. In 2000, a visitor accompanying a scientific expedition reported seeing "a flat bulldozed plain of coral sand, without a single tree" and some traces of buildings from colonization or World War II building efforts, all wood and stone ruins overgrown by vegetation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Payne |first=Roger |date=December 4, 2000 |title=At Howland Island |url=https://www.pbs.org/odyssey/odyssey/20001204_log_transcript.html |website=[[PBS]]}}</ref> | There are no natural [[freshwater|fresh water]] resources.<ref name="CIA">{{Cite web |title=United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states-pacific-island-wildlife-refuges/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126065143/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states-pacific-island-wildlife-refuges/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |website=CIA: The World Factbook |date=October 18, 2024 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |issn=1553-8133}}</ref> The landscape features scattered grasses along with prostrate vines and low-growing [[pisonia]] trees and shrubs. A 1942 eyewitness description spoke of "a low grove of dead and decaying [[Cordia subcordata|kou trees]]" on a very shallow hill at the island's center. In 2000, a visitor accompanying a scientific expedition reported seeing "a flat bulldozed plain of coral sand, without a single tree" and some traces of buildings from colonization or World War II building efforts, all wood and stone ruins overgrown by vegetation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Payne |first=Roger |date=December 4, 2000 |title=At Howland Island |url=https://www.pbs.org/odyssey/odyssey/20001204_log_transcript.html |website=[[PBS]]}}</ref> | ||
Howland is primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife. The island, with its surrounding marine waters, has been recognized as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] because it supports [[seabird]] [[bird colony|colonies]] of [[lesser frigatebird]]s, [[masked booby|masked boobies]], [[red-tailed tropicbird]]s and [[sooty tern]]s, as well as serving as a migratory stopover for [[bristle-thighed curlew]]s.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/howland-island-iba-united-states-minor-outlying-islands-(to-usa)|title= Howland Island|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 23 January 2021}}</ref> | Howland is primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife. The island, with its surrounding marine waters, has been recognized as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] because it supports [[seabird]] [[bird colony|colonies]] of [[lesser frigatebird]]s, [[masked booby|masked boobies]], [[red-tailed tropicbird]]s and [[sooty tern]]s, as well as serving as a migratory stopover for [[bristle-thighed curlew]]s.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/howland-island-iba-united-states-minor-outlying-islands-(to-usa)|title= Howland Island|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 23 January 2021}}</ref> | ||
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[[File:Map of Kiribati CIA WFB.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Map of the central Pacific Ocean showing Howland Island and nearby [[Baker Island]] just north of the [[Equator]] and east of [[Tarawa]]]] | [[File:Map of Kiribati CIA WFB.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Map of the central Pacific Ocean showing Howland Island and nearby [[Baker Island]] just north of the [[Equator]] and east of [[Tarawa]]]] | ||
The U.S. claims an [[Exclusive Economic Zone]] of {{convert|200|nmi|km}} and a [[Territorial waters|territorial sea]] of {{convert|12|nmi|km}} around the island. | The U.S. claims an [[Exclusive Economic Zone]] of {{convert|200|nmi|km}} and a [[Territorial waters|territorial sea]] of {{convert|12|nmi|km}} around the island.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Song |first=Yann-huei |date=2016-03-24 |title=Will Others Respect Precedent Set in the Philippines’ Case? |url=https://amti.csis.org/will-others-respect-precedent-set-philippines-case/ |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Baker and Howland Info |url=https://www.qsl.net/dl7cx/DXCCINFO/INFO/Baker%20Howland/baker%20howland.html |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=www.qsl.net}}</ref> | ||
== Time zone == | == Time zone == | ||
Since Howland Island is uninhabited, no time zone is specified. It lies within a [[Time zone#Nautical time zones|nautical time zone]], which is 12 hours behind [[UTC]], named International Date Line West ([[UTC−12:00|IDLW]]). Howland Island and [[Baker Island]] are the only places on Earth observing this time zone. This time zone is also called AoE, [[Anywhere on Earth]], a calendar designation indicating that a period expires when the date passes everywhere on Earth.{{ | Since Howland Island is uninhabited, no time zone is specified. It lies within a [[Time zone#Nautical time zones|nautical time zone]], which is 12 hours behind [[UTC]], named International Date Line West ([[UTC−12:00|IDLW]]). Howland Island and [[Baker Island]] are the only places on Earth observing this time zone. This time zone is also called AoE, [[Anywhere on Earth]], a calendar designation indicating that a period expires when the date passes everywhere on Earth.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boyd |first=Milo |date=2024-01-03 |title=Desolate island sits 'outside time' near where Amelia Earhart disappeared |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/usa-canada/desolate-island-sits-outside-time-31790358 |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=Daily Mirror |language=en}}</ref> | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
[[File:Howland sign.jpg|thumb|left|Howland Island sign, and in the background, the repaired Day Beacon tower]] | [[File:Howland sign.jpg|thumb|left|Howland Island sign, and in the background, the repaired Day Beacon tower]] | ||
Howland Island was claimed by the United States in 1856 and was mined for [[guano]] later that century. In the 1930s, economic activity on the island began with a few people, several buildings, a day beacon, and a cleared landing strip. This was the island Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan were going to land on when they were not heard from again on their long flight. The day after Pearl Harbor, the island was bombed and attacked several more times, which damaged the day beacon and killed two people, finally leading to the island's evacuation. After the war, the day beacon was repaired, and the island became a nature reserve. It has been the subject of visits to honor or look for the lost aviator, Earhart.{{ | Howland Island was claimed by the United States in 1857 under the [[Guano Islands Act|1856 Guano Islands Act]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Howland Island National Wildlife Refuge {{!}} About Us {{!}} U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/howland-island |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=www.fws.gov |language=en}}</ref> and was mined for [[guano]] later that century. In the 1930s, economic activity on the island began with a few people, several buildings, a day beacon, and a cleared landing strip. This was the island Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan were going to land on when they were not heard from again on their long flight. The day after Pearl Harbor, the island was bombed and attacked several more times, which damaged the day beacon and killed two people, finally leading to the island's evacuation. After the war, the day beacon was repaired, and the island became a nature reserve. It has been the subject of visits to honor or look for the lost aviator, Earhart.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chasing Amelia Earhart Tour |url=https://worldwidenavigators.com/trips/chasing-amelia-earhart-tour-following-the-trail-of-a-trailblazer/ |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=Worldwide Navigators |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
===Prehistoric settlement=== | ===Prehistoric settlement=== | ||
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===U.S. possession and guano mining=== | ===U.S. possession and guano mining=== | ||
Howland Island was uninhabited when the United States took possession of it under the [[Guano Islands Act]] of 1856. The island was a known navigation hazard for decades, and several ships were wrecked there. Its [[guano]] deposits were mined by American companies from about 1857 until October{{spaces}}1878, although there was a dispute between mining companies. | Howland Island was uninhabited when the United States took possession of it under the [[Guano Islands Act]] of 1856. The island was a known navigation hazard for decades, and several ships were wrecked there. Its [[guano]] deposits were mined by American companies from about 1857 until October{{spaces}}1878, although there was a dispute between mining companies. | ||
Captain Geo. E. Netcher of the ''Isabella'' informed Captain Taylor of its discovery. As Taylor had discovered another guano island in the Indian Ocean, they agreed to share the benefits of the guano on the two islands. Taylor put Netcher in communication with Alfred G. Benson, president of the American Guano Company, which was incorporated in 1857.<ref name="New York Times">{{Cite web |date=May 3, 1865 |title=The Guano Companies in Litigation – A Case of Interest to Stockholders |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1865/05/03/archives/the-guano-companies-in-litigationa-case-of-interest-to-stockholders.html |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Other entrepreneurs were approached as George and Matthew Howland, who later became United States Guano Company members, engaged Mr. Stetson to visit the island on the ship ''Rousseau'' under Captain Pope. Mr. Stetson arrived on the island in 1854 and described it as being occupied by birds and a plague of rats.<ref name="LH">{{Cite journal |last=Howland |first=Llewellyn |date=April 1955 |title=Howland Island, Its Birds and Rats, as Observed by a Certain Mr. Stetson in 1854 |url=https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/0f382672-d122-4564-8ebe-a6892b01d2f0/content |journal=[[Pacific Science]] |volume=IX |pages=95–106}}</ref> | Captain Geo. E. Netcher of the ''Isabella'' informed Captain Taylor of its discovery. As Taylor had discovered another guano island in the Indian Ocean, they agreed to share the benefits of the guano on the two islands. Taylor put Netcher in communication with Alfred G. Benson, president of the American Guano Company, which was incorporated in 1857.<ref name="New York Times">{{Cite web |date=May 3, 1865 |title=The Guano Companies in Litigation – A Case of Interest to Stockholders |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1865/05/03/archives/the-guano-companies-in-litigationa-case-of-interest-to-stockholders.html |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Other entrepreneurs were approached as George and Matthew Howland, who later became United States Guano Company members, engaged Mr. Stetson to visit the island on the ship ''Rousseau'' under Captain Pope. Mr. Stetson arrived on the island in 1854 and described it as being occupied by birds and a plague of rats.<ref name="LH">{{Cite journal |last=Howland |first=Llewellyn |date=April 1955 |title=Howland Island, Its Birds and Rats, as Observed by a Certain Mr. Stetson in 1854 |url=https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/0f382672-d122-4564-8ebe-a6892b01d2f0/content |journal=[[Pacific Science]] |volume=IX |pages=95–106}}</ref> | ||
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The facility was named ''Kamakaiwi Field'' after James Kamakaiwi, a young Hawaiian who arrived with the first group of four colonists. He was selected as the group's leader and spent more than three years on Howland, far longer than the average recruit. It has also been referred to as ''WPA Howland Airport'' (the WPA contributed about 20 percent of the $12,000 cost). {{citation needed|date = July 2025}} | The facility was named ''Kamakaiwi Field'' after James Kamakaiwi, a young Hawaiian who arrived with the first group of four colonists. He was selected as the group's leader and spent more than three years on Howland, far longer than the average recruit. It has also been referred to as ''WPA Howland Airport'' (the WPA contributed about 20 percent of the $12,000 cost). {{citation needed|date = July 2025}} | ||
Earhart and Noonan took off from [[Lae]], [[New Guinea]], and their radio transmissions were picked up near the island when their aircraft reached the vicinity, but they failed to arrive. It is known that they must have gotten within the radio range of Howland due to the strength of the final radio communications that morning, despite some problems with radio communication and radio direction finding. In some of the last messages recorded from them on 2 July 1937, 7:42 am, Earhart reported, "We must be on you, but cannot see you – but gas is running low. Have been unable to reach you by radio. We are flying at 1,000 feet."<ref name="sunline">{{cite journal |title=We are on the line 157 337 ... |journal=TIGHAR Tracks |volume=18 |issue=2 |date=March 2002 |url=https://tighar.org/Publications/TTracks/2002Vol_18/line.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170821002848/http://tighar.org/Publications/TTracks/2002Vol_18/line.pdf |archive-date = August 21, 2017 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>{{refn|At an altitude of 1,000 feet, the plane would be able to see about 38 miles in clear weather.<ref>[http://www.ringbell.co.uk/info/hdist.htm Distance to Horizon Calculator]</ref>|group=Note}} At 8:43 am, Earhart reported, "We are on the line 157 337. We will repeat this message. We will repeat this on 6210 kilocycles. Wait."<ref name="sunline" /> Between Earhart's low-on-fuel message at 7:42 am and her last confirmed message at 8:43, her signal strength remained consistent, indicating that she never left the immediate Howland area as she ran low on fuel. The U.S. Coast Guard determined this by tracking her signal strength as she approached the island, noting signal levels from her reports of 200 and 100 miles out. These reports were roughly 30 minutes apart, providing vital ground-speed clues.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/305240 |title=U. S. Navy Report of the Search for Amelia Earhart, July 2–18, 1937. |last=Department of the Navy. Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Intelligence Division. Office of Naval Records and Library. (1922 – 10/10/1945) |date=1937-07-31 |series=Series: World War II Action and Operational Reports, 1875 – 2006 |access-date=December 13, 2019 |archive-date=December 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208214050/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/305240 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | Earhart and Noonan took off from [[Lae]], [[Territory of New Guinea|New Guinea]], and their radio transmissions were picked up near the island when their aircraft reached the vicinity, but they failed to arrive. It is known that they must have gotten within the radio range of Howland due to the strength of the final radio communications that morning, despite some problems with radio communication and radio direction finding. In some of the last messages recorded from them on 2 July 1937, 7:42 am, Earhart reported, "We must be on you, but cannot see you – but gas is running low. Have been unable to reach you by radio. We are flying at 1,000 feet."<ref name="sunline">{{cite journal |title=We are on the line 157 337 ... |journal=TIGHAR Tracks |volume=18 |issue=2 |date=March 2002 |url=https://tighar.org/Publications/TTracks/2002Vol_18/line.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170821002848/http://tighar.org/Publications/TTracks/2002Vol_18/line.pdf |archive-date = August 21, 2017 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>{{refn|At an altitude of 1,000 feet, the plane would be able to see about 38 miles in clear weather.<ref>[http://www.ringbell.co.uk/info/hdist.htm Distance to Horizon Calculator]</ref>|group=Note}} At 8:43 am, Earhart reported, "We are on the line 157 337. We will repeat this message. We will repeat this on 6210 kilocycles. Wait."<ref name="sunline" /> Between Earhart's low-on-fuel message at 7:42 am and her last confirmed message at 8:43, her signal strength remained consistent, indicating that she never left the immediate Howland area as she ran low on fuel. The U.S. Coast Guard determined this by tracking her signal strength as she approached the island, noting signal levels from her reports of 200 and 100 miles out. These reports were roughly 30 minutes apart, providing vital ground-speed clues.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/305240 |title=U. S. Navy Report of the Search for Amelia Earhart, July 2–18, 1937. |last=Department of the Navy. Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Intelligence Division. Office of Naval Records and Library. (1922 – 10/10/1945) |date=1937-07-31 |series=Series: World War II Action and Operational Reports, 1875 – 2006 |access-date=December 13, 2019 |archive-date=December 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208214050/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/305240 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
After the largest search and rescue attempt in history up to that time, the U.S. Navy concluded that the Electra had run out of fuel, and Earhart and Noonan ditched at sea and perished. Based on the strength of the transmission signals from Earhart, the Coast Guard concluded that the plane ran out of fuel north of Howland.<ref name=":3" /> Many later studies came to the same conclusion; however, an alternative hypothesis that Earhart and Noonan may have landed the plane on Gardner Island (now called [[Nikumaroro]]) and died as castaways has been considered.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-29 |title=What Happened to Amelia Earhart? – Disappearance, Found & New Evidence |url=https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/what-happened-to-amelia-earhart |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}</ref> | After the largest search and rescue attempt in history up to that time, the U.S. Navy concluded that the Electra had run out of fuel, and Earhart and Noonan ditched at sea and perished. Based on the strength of the transmission signals from Earhart, the Coast Guard concluded that the plane ran out of fuel north of Howland.<ref name=":3" /> Many later studies came to the same conclusion; however, an alternative hypothesis that Earhart and Noonan may have landed the plane on Gardner Island (now called [[Nikumaroro]]) and died as castaways has been considered.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-29 |title=What Happened to Amelia Earhart? – Disappearance, Found & New Evidence |url=https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/what-happened-to-amelia-earhart |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}</ref> | ||
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*[https://www.pbs.org/odyssey/odyssey/20001204_log_transcript.html 'Voyage of the Odyssey' – pictures and travelogue] | *[https://www.pbs.org/odyssey/odyssey/20001204_log_transcript.html 'Voyage of the Odyssey' – pictures and travelogue] | ||
*[http://www.infoplease.com/spot/desertisland9.html Howland Island at Infoplease] | *[http://www.infoplease.com/spot/desertisland9.html Howland Island at Infoplease] | ||
*[ | *[https://world-history-blog.blogspot.com/2006/12/howland-island-small-island-big-history.html Howland Island – Small Island, Big History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070402124900/http://world-history-blog.blogspot.com/2006/12/howland-island-small-island-big-history.html |date=April 2, 2007 }} | ||
{{United States political divisions}} | {{United States political divisions}} | ||