Listening at two receivers and a loud-speaker, in addition to officer and enlisted members of the crew, were correspondents from the Associated Press and the United Press, and the Interior Department’s Richard Black, whom GP had asked to be his representative and the coordinator for the flight. The Itasca was standing by and ready.
12:04 A.M. The Itasca transmitted by voice on 3,105 and by key on 7,500, trying to make contact; then keyed the homing signal, · —, the dit dah of the letter A.
12:15 A.M. KHAQQ was not heard.
12:30 A.M. The ship sent out the weather, repeating twice each part of the report: wind direction east, force 11 miles, partly cloudy, visibility 20 miles, calm swell, direction east.
Checking against possible radio receiver difficulty, the Itasca asked Samoa if the cutter Ontario had heard the Electra; the ship’s answer was that it had not.
12:45 A.M. KHAQQ was not heard.
1:00 A.M. The Itasca sent the weather on 7,500 kilocycles by key and on 3,105 kilocycles by voice. The code was sent at a slowed-down ten words per minute.
1:15 A.M. The Itasca had not heard AE’s signals. The ship felt that there was no cause for alarm, for the Electra was still about 1,000 miles out.
1:25 A.M. KHAQQ from Itasca: “Have not heard your signals yet; please observe schedules with key; go ahead, am listening on 3,105 now.”
This transmission was not answered by Amelia.