07/29/2026
88 years ago today the Hawaii Clipper took off from Guam, bound for Manila.
The weather forecast was for good weather most of the way. Someone on the jetty noticed it looked a little tail-heavy as it skipped across the waves on take-off.
A few hours later, while in contact with a Panay Island radio operator, the Clipper radioed “Stand by for one minute … having trouble with rain static.”
When the operator tried again about a minute later (and continued calling), there was no further response.
The Hawaii Clipper disappeared, with 6 passengers and 9 crew.
By evening an extensive search was underway involving U.S. Navy vessels (destroyers, submarines, and others from Manila), Army aircraft and bombers, the Army transport USAT Meigs (which had been relatively near the last reported position), and other ships.
Despite calm seas ideal for spotting debris and a search covering a vast area (tens to over 160,000 square miles) that continued until about August 5, no wreckage, survivors, or confirmed traces of the Hawaii Clipper were ever found.
This sudden, complete vanishing under otherwise routine conditions, with no distress call, forms the core of the enduring mystery of The Lost Clipper, including theories of possible hijacking.
While the world has largely forgotten those 15 men who likely perished in Micronesia, the Lost Clipper team, led by Guy Noffsinger, relentlessly continues its hunt for the truth…
…and things are beginning to heat up!
May we all remember the missing Americans today, and may the world come to know the incredible story of NC-14714, Pan Am Trip # 229, the Hawaii Clipper.
Soon.
www.LostClipper.com
