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Sandy/Sable Island "undiscovered" by research scientists

Sun, 2012/11/25 - 11:44 — fotoguzzi

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy on one side of the world is the gradual disappearance from maps of Sandy Island (Sable Isle in French, apparently) on the other side of the world. Richard Chirgwin notes that amateur radio "DXers" had concluded a decade ago that there was no good evidence for the island's existence. 

Seeing that navigation charts claimed depths of 1400 m at the location of the supposed island, Dr. Maria Seton of the University of Sydney directed the research ship she was on to travel right over the coordinates of the island, and the popular press has taken this as proof that there never was or will be a Sandy Island.

A tumblr.com site excerpts maps which cover the area in question. While popular accounts state that even modern navigational charts include this island, no examples seem to be readily apparent.

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Tue, 2012/11/27 - 06:21 — Anonymous

Re: Sandy/Sable Island "undiscovered" by research scientists

 

Sandy Island unknown on the Marine GeoGarage, nautical charts web & mobile platform

No 'Sandy island' in the 'Google Maps for the seafarer' :
http://goo.gl/9RUAv   (Marine GeoGarage screenshot)

see blog : http://blog.geogarage.com/2012/11/south-pacific-sandy-island-proven-not.html

--Peio Elissalde

Tue, 2012/11/27 - 09:38 — Anonymous

Re: Sandy/Sable Island "undiscovered" by research scientists

Summarizing Peio's comment: Peio in one of the comments to the linked blog site mentions that Shaun Higgins of the Auckland Museum in New Zealand has found a 1908 version of a chart that had been published since 1875. The chart shows Sandy Island and credits the island discovery to the Velocity in 1876. The Museum has put up some map excerpts on Flickr.

Another comment by Peio quotes a member of the research ship stating that their ship was performing swath bathymetry and confirming that they traveled right over the location of the island. This information could be inferred from the team leader's statements, but the crewman's account is less ambiguous. 

Tue, 2012/11/27 - 09:52 — fotoguzzi

Re: Sandy/Sable Island "undiscovered" by research scientists

[Logged in this time.] Information on the Velocity.

Tue, 2012/11/27 - 13:46 — Anonymous

Re: Sandy/Sable Island "undiscovered" by research scientists

It shows up in Google Earth.

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