Golden Goddess

The mysterious disappearance of Americas Sweetheart of the Air in her attempt to circumvent the globe in 1937 has never been resolved. That incident and the sinking of a Navy ship in this same area in 1945, with only three survivors who are washed up on the beach of a tiny island in the Pacific leads to this story. First Class Petty Officer Ron Baker, used to giving orders, assumes command of this group. Ron and the bosun have suffered only minor injuries and the seaman is okay. The three survivors are approached by a group of natives who live on the island. Ron has some doubts about the intentions of these natives but has little choice but to go along with their insistent demand to provide help. When they are escorted to the natives village they are surprised to find it is within the crater of an extinct volcano. The village is only accessible through an old lava tube tunnel that leads from the beach to the village. The big shock is when they are taken to the princess of the native colony, a young Caucasian girl claiming to be the daughter of Amelia Earhart. Seaman Dorn quickly forms an attachment to this pretty princess and becomes her mentor.. Muku, the old native witch doctor and ruler of the colony, is full of unexpected actions and leaves these stranded sailors wondering if they are captives or guest. Ron, who is anxious to return to fighting the war, begins to feel they are continually restricted from attempting to signal any ship that may pass by. The old witch doctor has his own ideas on how to prevent them from returning to the U. S. with the princess. The stress is accelerated when they discover these natives have secluded themselves from all the other natives onnearby islands. When they are taken to a cave to hide, as Japanese soldiers visit the island, they are even more concerned for their safety. The Japanese had forced the natives to leave their homes on their original island as they required it as a supply base. . Two of the natives become attached to the three stranded sailors and make an effort to become their friends. For over two years the sailors provide many ways to improve the living conditions in the village and are treated well by the princess and natives. They continue to find it impossible to convince their friendly natives of their desire to be rescued. The old witch doctor weaves a tale of the landing of an airplane on their previous island. The escape of the princess's mother and her navigator in a sailboat sounds questionable to Ron and his mates. As they continue to probe into all the stories about the secrecy of this small group of natives, they find themselves being watched more closely than they like. All this comes to a head when the old witch doctor finally makes secret plans to evict them from the island on a boat made by the natives. . After some serious encounters with the old witch doctor, Ron and the bosun finally make it off the island and are assisted by an Australian coast watcher on a nearby islands. They are rescued by a submarine and returned to Pearl Harbor where they are subjected to much cross examination by Navy Intelligence. The Navy mounts a search and rescue operation in an attempt to reach the island where the seaman is waiting with the princess. They can not locate the island and surmise Ron and the bosun's story is a fake. Ron and the bosun are sworn to secrecy and returned to the States. Ron is to regret leaving the seaman on the island to watch over the princess who claimed to be Amelia Earhart's daughter. Shortly after returning to the States, the bosun is killed in an auto accident . This leaves Ron as the only survivor of the sunken ship and the tale of the Golden Goddess who landed with her navigator on a tiny isle in 1937.