What a year!  2014 lived up to and even exceeded the expectations for how I, and many others, thought the year would play out.

The good news of 2014 for me was that we finally solved the existence and location of the “concrete hospital slab.” The bad news is IF the passengers and crew of the Hawaii Clipper were in that slab, then we missed them by only a few feet. I think both Charlie Hill and Joe Gervais, God rest their souls, would be proud that the team finally re-discovered the long, lost mysterious burial site identified by Joe in 1964. That was a very gratifying moment however it soon turned into disappointment upon learning the original foundation had been demolished and used as filler for a larger, yet shallower foundation for a home. Not willing to simply give up, Bill, Tony, Myron, Larry, Jeff and myself continued our resolve to remove any doubt of what lies beneath 6 feet of debris and I think we were rewarded for the effort.

Hidden beneath mounds of broken concrete, stones and soil were layers of time that told the story of which we sought to know, and yielded proof that indeed, we had found the exact location of where a hospital once stood (something a lot of locals did not know or thought was incorrect). In an educated opinion, the remains are still there and we missed them by only a few feet however with the lack of funding and time, we ran out of both and had to leave Micronesia after our ten-day expedition.

What’s in store for 2015? Plenty. At the present moment there are no plans to return to Micronesia unless by a sheer miracle $60,000 is donated by a benevolent reader.   The sum is computed from the needs to remove the house from the foundation, then remove the current foundation with heavy equipment and then dig outward 40 feet in all directions to search for the remains. After such destruction a new home would need to be built to replace what was destroyed. Without this amount of financial support, the mystery may never be solved. In the meantime, three more interviews will take place in January and then long process of post producing the documentary will begin. The desire is to have a relatively complete version for audience screening and then future submissions to national film festivals will begin.

For all of you who have spent long hours communicating with me about your relatives, sharing your photos and offering your support, I say thank you.   With any luck and some extra help, we will create a new chapter in the history books of how World War II may really have started, a few extra clues on what may have happened to Amelia Earhart and then finally solve the mystery of the lost clipper.

Be well and fond regards,

The Lost Clipper Team