195A. NAUTICAL MILES.

There have been many reasons and excuses put forward to explain the failure of later expeditions to find Lasseter's Reef and one of the more unbelievable would have to be Stapleton's supposition that as Lasseter was a seafaring man, "his mind worked in nautical miles", and gave distances accordingly, thus misleading later searchers who quite correctly calculated in statute or land miles.

Stapleton admits, "that no proof could be obtained that Lasseter was a master mariner", contrary to John Bailey's statement in the sub title that he had sighted Lasseter's captains papers. The Author of, 'Lasseter did not Lie', uses specious evidence to support his case, citing Lasseter's possession and use of a sextant and Browns Nautical Almanac for 1930, as well as the surveying and mapping certificates from the International Correspondence Schools as sufficient to equate Lasseter's ability, "with that of a second mate", and therefore able to navigate and fix position with accuracy.

There is not one iota of evidence that Lasseter had any seafaring experience, there are no discharge papers from the Royal Navy or mariners certificates of any rank to prove Lasseter's experience. Oral history and two I.C.S. certificates do not make one an expert in navigation and it draws an impossibly long bow to have such an expert calculate in nautical miles on land; Stapleton appears to have run aground!!.

LASSETERIA

© R.Ross. 1999-2006

Bailey John. The History of Lasseter's Reef 2.     Stapleton A. Lasseter did not Lie.  27,48.

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