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back to article Sandy 'Mary Celeste' Island undiscovered - again

It’s the story of a tiny little Coral Sea island that’s gone all around the world: a group of scientists on expedition visit the spot where the island is marked on the maritime charts, only to find it doesn’t exist. And with the island – called Sandy Island and formerly thought to exist in the ocean between Australia and New …

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  1. Mage Silver badge
    Coat

    Unfortunately

    No-one took any notice of the Radio Amateurs. It's Tony Hancock's fault.

    3 0
    1. Will Godfrey Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Happy

      Re: Unfortunately

      Heh! Your just outed yourself as being a very old person.

      Oh! Wait...

      9 1
      1. Geoff Campbell Silver badge
        Reply Icon
        Thumb Up

        Re: Unfortunately

        Nah. Repeated regularly on Radio 4 Extra.

        GJC

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Apple maps

    I did look for it on apple maps earlier. It's not there, but *something* is.

    Find the "right" place and put the map in 3d. There's a chain of mountains right where the island is supposed to be - incredibly tall spiky mountains. Probably a glitch in somebody's sea floor elevation data?

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    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Apple maps

      Chutlhu?

      Is it ruguous or squamous?

      0 0
  3. veti Silver badge
    Devil

    R'lyeh?

    Google Maps' satellite image shows it as a, basically, black spot. So I guess there's *something* there.

    What I wonder is: who named it "Sandy Island"?

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  4. Esskay
    Joke

    Possible explanation

    Sandy Island is where Google's headquarters are located for tax purposes....

    15 0
    1. Tom 35
      Reply Icon

      Re: Possible explanation

      Has China claimed to own it yet?

      1 0
    2. Gav
      Reply Icon
      Go

      Re: Possible explanation

      Right next to Amazon and Starbucks HQ.

      Nothing to see here. Nothing taxable. Move along now.

      0 0
  5. Richard Pennington 1
    Mushroom

    Google Earth

    Google Earth shows a blacked-out area - with obviously pixellated edges - at the position of "Sandy Island". Given that Google Earth uses satellite images, something is obviously amiss.

    There is also a strange pinked-out area just NW of New Caledonia (which appears on at least one side to be bounded by barrier islands or atolls).

    Icon because that's what happened to some of the atolls in this part of the world.

    2 0
  6. Giggitygoebbels
    Trollface

    Look at these pics

    They are in ios6 maps,only submerged-ish

    http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b597/Giggitygoebbels/image-1.jpg

    http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b597/Giggitygoebbels/image-2.jpg

    The maps on iOS 6.0.1

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  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bing maps

    Bing maps also have,only it disappear when zoomed in to a certain extent.

    0 1
  8. Steve Williams

    Map publishing companies famously include minor deliberate mistakes.

    So that they can prove theft of copyrighted material.

    7 0
    1. Goldmember
      Reply Icon

      Re: Map publishing companies famously include minor deliberate mistakes.

      Yes, but that's usually for street level maps (fake road names etc). Shirley fabricating an entire island is a bit of an extreme measure?

      1 1
      1. Terry Cloth
        Reply Icon
        Coat

        Shirley's fabrications

        Depends on her mood that day.

        0 0
  9. TeeCee Gold badge

    This is news?

    Done to death at the start of "Biggles' Second Case" (hunting a rogue Nazi sub in the South Atlantic / Southern Ocean post WWII).

    According to that, a few of the little islands listed in that part of the world on Admiralty charts of the period had the letters "E.D." after the name. "Existance Doubtful", as in someone's seen it and reported it's position, but nobody's been able to find it since.

    3 1
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: This is news?

      Ah yes, I remember. That book came out before the ever popular Biggles Flies Undone, if I'm not mistaken.

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    2. SkippyBing
      Reply Icon

      Re: This is news?

      The navigator on my first ship in the RN recalled his time in Hong Kong in the early '90s, on planning a patrol he was asked by the Hydrographic Office if he could just check the details on some of the charts as they weren't too sure about the coastlines on a few of the islands, or their exact position. As he said, didn't fill you with confidence.

      2 0
  10. Giggitygoebbels

    Actually It is in iOS maps

    There is,only it look submerged in water.

    0 1
  11. Robert Ramsay
    Happy

    "Marie Celeste"?

    Brigadoon, surely?

    Either that or the Tracy family have submerged the entire island to prevent discovery.

    2 0
    1. Will Godfrey Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Up

      Re: "Marie Celeste"?

      I just knew there had to be a rational explanation!

      0 0
  12. terlan
    Alien

    ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

    In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming

    2 0
  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    4 8 15 16 23 42

    Perhaps somebody turned the frozen donkey wheel?

    1 0
    1. Combustable Lemon
      Reply Icon
      Meh

      Re: 4 8 15 16 23 42

      I hope you googled those numbers and didn't just recall them...

      0 0
  14. DaveH77

    Is this it?

    https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll=-19.361195,158.950882&spn=0.157095,0.264187&t=h&z=13

    About 40 miles west of where the "map" has it. A pretty similar size and it doesn't appear on the map view.

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  15. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Streetview is go. FAB.

    Sadly streetview on the Tracy - I mean, Sandy Island base is not available.

    Would have liked to have seen where all those old fashioned washing up liquid bottles went. Any offspring I help produce wont have those memories, the shape of modern washing up bottles are useless at making these things.

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  16. PaulWizard
    Joke

    Maybe...

    It has just been "lost", much like the script writing ability in the show of the same name.

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  17. ukgnome

    Sandy Island? Maybe it's Tracey island in disguise.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Down

      Thats what I said

      0 0
  18. Anonymous Coward 15
    Alien

    Cthulhu

    fhtagn.

    0 0
  19. Alan Dougherty
    Pint

    If they can get a passenger jet to drop to 5000ft and spot a yaught on the way to the land of cork brimmed hats, can we not get the next one to have a quick gander when it's in the area?

    0 0
    1. cortland
      Reply Icon

      Nearest drinking spot is the brewery at Buggeroff but the tour stops at Didjabringabeeralong.

      (Thanks to Terry Pratchett!)

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  20. andy gibson

    Is it perhaps Leshp?

    0 0
  21. ScissorHands
    Facepalm

    Where are the Register's commentards, and what have you done with them?

    No one posited that the island might be Leshp and all this was a bit of gas?

    0 0
  22. Sticky149

    Amateur Night

    If you look on a professionally produced chart - say by the UK Hydrographic Office for instance - then you will find that the island is not there and never has been. Use a Mickey-Mouse chart and get Mickey-Mouse results I say.

    I'd have liked it to have been Leshp, but as ever things seem to be a bit more mundane than we'd like.

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