Scientists believed they discovered Amelia Earhart's plane in the ocean: here’s what it actually was (with photos).

In January of this year, the ocean research company Deep Sea Vision announced that they had discovered Amelia Earhart's plane. American aviator Earhart was one of the first women in aviation and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, but she mysteriously vanished 87 years ago. Deep Sea Vision hoped they had found the wreckage of her Lockheed 10-E Electra on the ocean floor, but after 11 months they received a clearer image and realized the discovery was actually a rock formation. The company published a photograph on Facebook.

Last year, from September to December, Deep Sea Vision searched for the aircraft of the missing American aviation pioneer from 1937. In January 2024, an underwater drone equipped with a geolocator encountered an object resembling the remains of a plane. The expedition members believed they had finally located the wreckage of the Lockheed 10-E Electra. However, in November they received a clearer image and were disappointed to find that the remains were underwater rocks.

"After 11 months of waiting, it has finally come to an end, and unfortunately, it was not Amelia's 'Electra 10-E' (it's just a natural rock formation)," the company reported.

Following this setback, Deep Sea Vision did not halt their search. As of today, the expedition has explored nearly 20,000 square kilometers of the ocean floor, according to the company.

"The plot thickens, but no evidence of her disappearance has been found yet... Let us know what you think — did she run out of fuel near Howland Island?" Deep Sea Vision wrote.

The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart: What Happened to the Legendary Aviator

Throughout her life, the famous American aviator Amelia Earhart set several records. She is most well-known as the first woman in the world to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1937, Amelia aimed to become the first woman to complete a circumnavigational flight. Together with navigator Fred Noonan, they set off in a Lockheed 10-E Electra and were supposed to refuel near Howland Island, where researchers were searching for the plane's wreckage. However, the aircraft mysteriously disappeared along with its crew.

This mystery has spawned numerous theories. Some believe that Earhart and Noonan were forced to land on a Pacific island and died there from starvation. Others suggest they might have encountered Japanese troops and ended up as prisoners — although there was no war between Japan and the USA until December 1941. There is also a theory that the aviators may have been eaten by natives.

It is worth noting that on October 18, the media reported another mystery related to the tragedy of the Titanic. When the ship was sinking after colliding with an iceberg, 30 passengers boarded the Collapsible A lifeboat, but they all perished in the struggle for survival. The lifeboat was found a month after the disaster with three decomposed bodies inside.