There have been several stories of vivid photographs of the ark, but strangely, none survive. Here are two such stories.
The Stars and Stripes
During World War II, the U.S. military made hundreds of flights from Tunisia in North Africa to a Russian air base in Yerevan, Armenia, flying directly over Mt. Ararat. In 1943, two American pilots saw what they thought looked like a huge ship and later took an Air Force photographer on a supply run. His pictures and an accompanying story were said to have been published in the Mediterranean edition of Stars and Stripes, one of the dozens of editions of the U.S. Armed Forces newspaper.
Many veterans remember seeing the article, but it has never been found. One said the Stars and Stripes article caused such a sensation on his base that the French chaplain preached a sermon about Noah.
George Greene
George Greene, an oil and pipeline engineer, was working in Turkey in the summer of 1953. Since he had a helicopter at his disposal, he went looking for the ark and spotted it in an almost inaccessible region of Mount Ararat between 13,000 and 14,000 feet. While the pilot hovered above the ark, George photographed it and carefully noted the location on his geologic maps. George said the ark was sitting on a shelf on the side of a vertical rock cliff. Only 1/3 was visible, the rest was covered by snow and rock debris. He could see the planking and photographed it.
When George got back to the United States, he wanted to raise money to return to Turkey to find the ark again, and showed his pictures to dozens of people. He never raised the money, partially because his work kept him on the road. A friend in Texas kept the pictures for him until 1961 when George picked them up. A bit later he went to British Guiana to help out at a gold mine. We don’t know whether he took the pictures with him.
What we do know is that on December 27, 1962, George Greene was found face down in the swimming pool at his hotel in Georgetown, British Guinea. Some think he had been thrown from the balcony of his room. Perhaps his killers – if there were killers -- thought he had gold in his room. Nothing was taken . . . except the contents of his briefcase, which was empty. Did he have the pictures with him?
At least 30 people say they saw the photos and one even sketched out what the picture of the ark looked like in the photos. But no one knows where they are now. As far as anyone knows, George Greene’s pictures of the ark on Ararat have not been seen in more than 50 years.
For more stories of the search for the ark, check out Noah: The Real Story.
The Stars and Stripes
During World War II, the U.S. military made hundreds of flights from Tunisia in North Africa to a Russian air base in Yerevan, Armenia, flying directly over Mt. Ararat. In 1943, two American pilots saw what they thought looked like a huge ship and later took an Air Force photographer on a supply run. His pictures and an accompanying story were said to have been published in the Mediterranean edition of Stars and Stripes, one of the dozens of editions of the U.S. Armed Forces newspaper.
Many veterans remember seeing the article, but it has never been found. One said the Stars and Stripes article caused such a sensation on his base that the French chaplain preached a sermon about Noah.
George Greene
George Greene, an oil and pipeline engineer, was working in Turkey in the summer of 1953. Since he had a helicopter at his disposal, he went looking for the ark and spotted it in an almost inaccessible region of Mount Ararat between 13,000 and 14,000 feet. While the pilot hovered above the ark, George photographed it and carefully noted the location on his geologic maps. George said the ark was sitting on a shelf on the side of a vertical rock cliff. Only 1/3 was visible, the rest was covered by snow and rock debris. He could see the planking and photographed it.
When George got back to the United States, he wanted to raise money to return to Turkey to find the ark again, and showed his pictures to dozens of people. He never raised the money, partially because his work kept him on the road. A friend in Texas kept the pictures for him until 1961 when George picked them up. A bit later he went to British Guiana to help out at a gold mine. We don’t know whether he took the pictures with him.
What we do know is that on December 27, 1962, George Greene was found face down in the swimming pool at his hotel in Georgetown, British Guinea. Some think he had been thrown from the balcony of his room. Perhaps his killers – if there were killers -- thought he had gold in his room. Nothing was taken . . . except the contents of his briefcase, which was empty. Did he have the pictures with him?
At least 30 people say they saw the photos and one even sketched out what the picture of the ark looked like in the photos. But no one knows where they are now. As far as anyone knows, George Greene’s pictures of the ark on Ararat have not been seen in more than 50 years.
For more stories of the search for the ark, check out Noah: The Real Story.
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