# Blurry, undated photo is evidence that Amelia Earhart survived. Or not. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 5, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561 "2017-07-05T21:26:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/1 "2017-07-05T21:26:01Z")
> [@](#): > > A newly unearthed photo showing blurry figures on a dock may shed light on the 80-year-old mystery of what happened to Amelia Earhart. > > A new History channel documentary quotes experts who say the image shows the famed pilot survived her 1937 crash in the Pacific. But other experts told CNN they aren’t convinced and say the photo is just another in a long history of unproven theories about the aviator’s disappearance. > **[Does this blurry photo show Amelia Earhart survived her plane crash? | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/05/us/new-amelia-earhart-photo-trnd/index.html)** > > What happened to Amelia Earhart? A newly unearthed photo showing blurry figures on a dock may shed light on the 80-year-old mystery. I’m not very knowledgeable on Earhart, but this photo seems like weak tea to me. First off, there doesn’t seem to be much of an indication of \*\*when \*\*it was taken. Then, of course, the figures are pretty blurry, and “Earhart” has her back to the camera. Also, it’s being used to support a History Channel documentary, which doesn’t strike me as a good sign. But, as I said, what do I know? Anyone else see this? What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/2 "2017-07-05T21:59:48Z")
Unsolved Mysteries had an account by an eyewitness from that island. They said the Japanese stripped her, raped her and shot her. Its consistent with Japanese behavior in China. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/3 "2017-07-05T22:27:27Z")
Isn’t that Elvis? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/4 "2017-07-05T22:30:17Z")
The photo shows the man purported to be Earhart’s navigator Fred Noonan from the front, and comparison with known photos of him are very convincing: > [@](#): > > She sits near a standing man who looks like Noonan — down to the hairline. > > “The hairline is the most distinctive characteristic,” said Ken Gibson, a facial recognition expert who studied the image. “It’s a very sharp receding hairline. The nose is very prominent.” > > Gibson added: “It’s my feeling that this is very convincing evidence that this is probably Noonan.” [Amelia Earhart May Have Survived Crash-Landing, Newly Discovered Photo Suggests](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amelia-earhart-may-have-survived-crash-landing-never-seen-photo-n779591) Together with the unlikelihood that a Caucasian woman with short hair, wearing pants (as can be seen in the photo) would have been in the Marshall Islands in those circumstances, and with the object being towed behind the Japanese ship being the same length as Earhart’s plane was known to be–the object that the photo woman is looking towards–the whole thing is extremely persuasive. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/5 "2017-07-05T23:37:56Z")
CBS News reported that the findings were revealed on a History Channel feature. How low can journalism go? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/6 "2017-07-06T00:08:15Z")
If they’ve been captured by the Japanese military, why are they idling on a quay with local civilians? There’s no evidence of any military presence in the [whole photograph](http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170705120515-amelia-earhart-lost-evidence-exlarge-169.jpg), from what I can tell. I am unconvinced. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/7 "2017-07-06T01:25:10Z")
“Very convincing evidence that this is probably Noonan”?? Starts strong. Kind of a weak finish. Not exactly compelling, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/8 "2017-07-06T01:36:59Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > The photo shows the man purported to be Earhart’s navigator Fred Noonan from the front, and comparison with known photos of him are very convincing: > > [Amelia Earhart May Have Survived Crash-Landing, Newly Discovered Photo Suggests](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amelia-earhart-may-have-survived-crash-landing-never-seen-photo-n779591) > > Together with the unlikelihood that a Caucasian woman with short hair, wearing pants (as can be seen in the photo) would have been in the Marshall Islands in those circumstances, and with the object being towed behind the Japanese ship being the same length as Earhart’s plane was known to be–the object that the photo woman is looking towards–the whole thing is extremely persuasive. I don’t mean to be argumentative, just kicking the story around a bit… I’m not sure what basis there is for the claim that the thing being towed by the ship is 38 feet long, or even that it’s being towed by the ship at all. The picture is so indistinct (at least to me) that I can’t really tell if the thing is being towed or maybe it’s just a weird perspective problem, where it’s a much larger thing sitting well behind that ship. Also, I still get hung up on how they determined the supposed date of the photo. Maybe there’s some context not provided in the reports, but based on the little I saw, I don’t see any reason to be convinced it was taken after her last contact. Also I wonder if they have additional clues to point to the location, or if they’re going off the handwritten label only. It would be awesome to have new clues. I’m just still skeptical. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/9 "2017-07-06T01:52:28Z")
Hmmm. Looking closer now, it looks like there is some blobby thing on the rear deck of the ship as well as in the water behind it. I can almost convince myself the thing on the deck is the nose of a Lockheed Electra, and the black circle just to the right is the engine nacelle (if that’s the right word; the pod thingy on the wing) And just in front of the possible Noonan, there’s another figure in pants who looks to me to be wearing a wide brimmed hat, possibly a woman’s hat. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/10 "2017-07-06T11:42:38Z")
The truth will be revealed in August! [By Image Comics](https://imagecomics.com/content/view/all-new-fantasy-adventure-series-elsewhere-arrives-this-august). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/11 "2017-07-06T12:46:40Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Together with the unlikelihood that a Caucasian woman with short hair, I see no indication that the figure in the background is either Caucasian or a woman. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/12 "2017-07-06T12:59:12Z")
From locals on Mili and around the Marshall Islands, this was a convincing story that was considered fact and part of notable history: _The Electra came down on Mili, where Noonan and Amelia were captured by the Japanese. They contend the aircraft was subsequently placed aboard a barge and towed by a freighter Koshu, on a barge, to the island of Jaluit and on to Saipan, one of the largest islands in the Western Pacific._ Then in the last two years, a photo in the archives under “Marshall Islands” surfaces. Location? Jaluit. Ship? Koshu. Barge? Yes. Plane: Well, experts say so. People: Well, to be debated, but interesting. The pic fits the story and local history. Locals would be saying, “We told you so!” if they could. It’s the story no one believed for decades… but the pic makes you go “hmmmm…”. Link to pic: [Amelia Earhart May Have Survived Crash-Landing, Newly Discovered Photo Suggests](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amelia-earhart-may-have-survived-crash-landing-never-seen-photo-n779591) Locals in Saipan and soldiers involved there continued producing consistent stories at war’s end. And after. . ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/13 "2017-07-06T13:06:16Z")
I have absolutely no doubt that there are at least two people in that picture that can’t be identified. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/14 "2017-07-06T13:40:06Z")
If, as supposed, this is a photograph taken by a spy, then why did the spy not also report that Earhart and Noonan, or at least two Caucasians, were pictured? Surely the photographer would have noticed them, and this would have been intelligence of some notability. Plus, I’m not a mariner, but if that’s a plane on a barge, then it looks awfully low in the water for an ocean-going vessel. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/15 "2017-07-06T13:41:54Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > If they’ve been captured by the Japanese military, why are they idling on a quay with local civilians? There’s no evidence of any military presence in the [whole photograph](http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170705120515-amelia-earhart-lost-evidence-exlarge-169.jpg), from what I can tell. I am unconvinced. It was taken shortly after crashing but before physical capture? I remain unconvinced as well but this does fit with one of the more plausible theories. Other than the “crashed, died, never found and never will be” one of course. ---
**Author:** ![4d3fect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/4d3fect/32/9728_2.png) [@4d3fect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4d3fect)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/16 "2017-07-06T13:50:43Z")
CBS “news” interviews the History Channel “producer” who just happens to have a new episode coming up, what are the odds? Not denying anything, but sure looks more like an ad than a news spot. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/17 "2017-07-06T14:25:24Z")
[I thought this was solved already](https://www.seeker.com/earharts-final-resting-place-believed-found-1766067187.html). She crashed and died. End of story. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/18 "2017-07-06T14:29:23Z")
Media is business. Nothin’ wrong with that. The problem with any Earhart investigation is that too much feels like conspiracy-theory stuff, and some credible investigations, with people following evidence and being diligent, gets tangled up in the mess. The general press/media and journalists in general aren’t diving into anything. They write the standard “New Earhart stuff, blah blah blah” canned story and suck on TIGHAR’s teet for some reason (they get the millions; they have expeditions; they get attention). TIGHAR: > **[The Earhart Project](https://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/AEdescr.html)** > > This page contains all of the links and basic information about the Earhart Project. (TIGHAR pursues research based off a theory that AE landed on another island and died a castaway) . ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/19 "2017-07-06T14:43:26Z")
Link to Marshall Islands commemorative stamps, issued in 1980’s, as the AE landing was always viewed as a significant local event, along with the Koshu recovering the plane. Issued during 50th anniversary of the crash landing. [http://www.stamps-plus.com/Scans/MRS-C20a.jpg](http://www.stamps-plus.com/Scans/MRS-C20a.jpg) . ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561/20 "2017-07-06T15:07:04Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Link to Marshall Islands commemorative stamps, issued in 1980’s, as the AE landing was always viewed as a significant local event, along with the Koshu recovering the plane. Issued during 50th anniversary of the crash landing. > > [http://www.stamps-plus.com/Scans/MRS-C20a.jpg](http://www.stamps-plus.com/Scans/MRS-C20a.jpg) > > . One interesting thing is that the Japanese survey ship _Koshu_, illustrated on one of the stamps and perhaps derived from [this photo](https://earharttruth.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/koshu-circa-1918.jpg) purportedly of the _Koshu_ (found on an Earhart website), does indeed look very much like the ship in the photograph allegedly towing the plane. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurry-undated-photo-is-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-survived-or-not/790561.md?page=2)