1978- Ron did not go to Turkey

In 1978, Ron decided not to return to Turkey. Instead, he and the boys went to Egypt to research the Red Sea crossing site. This was also the year that Ron had his encounter in the Garden Tomb where his left hand pointed to a place that was literally being used as a trash dump, and he said, "That Jeremiah's grotto and the Ark of the Covenant is in there."

All his years of research and study of the Bible and ancient history had convinced him that most, if not all, of the locations given in Bible maps and other resources for major Bible events were most likely inaccurate. He wasn’t giving up on Noah’s Ark, but he reasoned that perhaps Dr. Shea could one day get the permission they so desperately wanted to do limited excavation on the boat-shaped object. Until then, he moved on.

EARTHQUAKE!

Then, in late December of 1978, Ron heard a news report of an earthquake in eastern Turkey. He still remembers how his heart began to pound. He couldn't excavate, but perhaps God had done what he couldn't!

1979 Return to the Boat-Shaped Object

He had to patiently bide his time until his next 2 week vacation came in August. And on Aug. 11, 1979, he arrived the second time in Istanbul and headed for the Dogubeyazit. This time, the boys didn't go. Ron wasn't going to take any more chances with his young sons' safety but he did take an Armenian preacher from California who spoke Turkish.

 

What the Earthquake Revealed!

When they arrived at the site, Ron just wasn't prepared for the spectacular sight his eyes beheld- the earthquake (which injured no one) had dropped the earth around the object and there on the mountainside Ron saw what looked like a giant shipwreck. Evenly spaced indentations could be seen around the object, which looked like decaying rib timbers.

The visible rib-like structure made perfect sense to Ron. After the flood, Noah had no wood for building or even to build fires. It was a certainty to Ron that Noah and his family removed wood from the Ark to use until trees grew enough to provide wood for building. And this would have taken many years.

The earthquake had also cracked the object from "stem to stern" and Ron was able to take samples from deep within. He also took samples of material outside of the object for comparison.

He measured the object and got a 512 foot length, although it was difficult to manage the tape over the rough surface. This meager feature was positive evidence in Ron's eyes. 300 Royal Egyptian cubits were 515 feet and this object was 512 feet with his admittedly rough measurement. Yet, with this sole piece of information, Ron was convinced.

He again visited the stones with holes in them, which he now believed were drogue stones, and the graveyard which had the strange monuments which Ron believed were representative of the Ark and its 8 passengers. It was a short trip but Ron had gotten accomplished more than he had hoped for. The next step was to have the samples analyzed.

The First Laboratory Analyses

He had to get back home and return to work immediately so it was October before he managed to get the samples to Galbraith Labs in Knoxville, Tennessee. This sort of testing was and still is expensive so he only had each sample tested for a basic mineral analysis. But that was enough for a start.

The sample outside the formation showed a 1.88% carbon content but the one from inside the crack yielded a 4.95% carbon content, an amount that was consistent with the presence of prior living matter such as decayed or petrified wood. It also showed a surprisingly high iron content.

It was another positive evidence, but again, Ron found himself at a standstill. What next? Applications to excavate were still made, but each time with negative results. Ron was in for an even longer wait this time. But in the meantime, Ron decided to make all the information available to others.

VIDEO:Ron's footage from his 1979 trip and the soil analyses:

Ron's Booklet- "Noah's Ark Found!"

Looking back, the evidence might not have seemed as convincing to others as Ron thought it surely would have been. After all, he had been there twice, he had seen the wonderful evidences which spoke of 8 survivors of the ark from that very region. He had witnessed the results of the earthquake! But when he wrote it all up in a booklet called "Noah's Ark Found", not everyone accepted the evidences as overwhelming.

Ron told the story of his 2 trips to Turkey, what he saw, filmed and photographed, and he gave the lab analyses and told about the tombstones he believed marked the sites of Noah and his wife's graves. He explained about the Royal Egyptian Cubit, which, considering the length of the boat shaped object, he felt was overwhelming evidence. He gave these booklets to anyone who was interested, hoping to gain interest and support from others who might want to help. As you can see below, he now had a name for his research efforts- he called his work "The Loud Cry."

But the fact of the matter was that this wasn't enough. In fact, this little booklet would one day be responsible for the theft and destruction of one of the most incredible evidences. But it was a lesson Ron would have to learn the hard way. Meanwhile, he had no real idea what he could do to further his research.

1980, 1981 and 1982- No Trips to Turkey

In 1980 and 1981, Ron worked in Israel on the excavation he had begun in 1979, looking for the Ark of the Covenant. In January 1981, he found it in a chamber. But he didn't stop work there because he was looking for a way to bring the things out. He had found the chamber through a massive system of natural, water-laid tunnels within Mt. Moriah.

He also worked in Egypt on several projects concerning Joseph and the Exodus. But he never forgot about Noah's Ark. He tried to be smart about his approach. He didn't go to Turkey unless he had something new, like a new technology, to try. All applications for excavation by Dr. Shea were continually denied.

White's Electronics Metal Detectors

Ron's 1979 analyses of the soil inside of the boat-shaped object revealed a surprise- it showed much higher amounts of iron. This was Ron's first real hint that Noah and his fellow builders had used metal in the construction of the ark.

VIDEO: Soil Analyses showed a MUCH higher level of iron with the boat-shape:

Since all his investigation would have to be non-destructive, Ron decided to check into getting a metal detector to check for the possibility of metal readings on the site. He called White's Electronics in Sweet Home, Oregon and shared with them his project. They listened to his proposal and found it to be a worthy and legitimate research project and shipped him their top 2 model metal detectors, which Ron hoped to be able to use on the site.

1983- Connecting with Col. James Irwin, the Apollo 15 Astronaut

In 1983, he read an article about Col. James Irwin, the Apollo 15 astronaut, and how he was actively involved in searching for the ark on Mt. Ararat. According to Col. Irwin, his trips into space and the moon, reignited a true passion in him to return to his faith. He was raised a Christian but had drifted from it during his years in the space industry. Ron called him and shared with him the information he had on the boat shaped object. Col. Irwin was extremely gracious, and said he was interested in seeing the site.

August 1984 Return to Turkey

Ron then drove out to Colorado and met with Col. Irwin at his office. Jim, as Ron would call him, was interested in seeing what Ron told him about and offered Ron any help he could give him.

Jim was taking an expedition to climb Mt. Ararat in August of 1984 so he and Ron decided to travel together so that Ron could show him the site. They arrived in Istanbul on August 19, 1984 and proceeded to Ankara.

August was the traditional month when all the ‘ark hunters’ would gather in Dogubeyazit and lead their respective teams up Mount Ararat to search for the elusive ark. Jim was, of course, the most high profile leader of a group and was well respected and a true gentleman, according to Ron.

God is in Control and Makes Way for Progress

In Ankara, Jim met with Kasim Gulek and his wife. Dr. Gulek was the only man still alive who served as a cabinet member in Ataturk's government and he was a very influential man. Ron accompanied Jim to their home and this proved to be a very valuable meeting.

Ataturk- The Founder of Modern Turkey

It is appropriate here to explain who Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was.

Prior to modern day Turkey, the Muslim Ottoman Empire controlled the region which was called Anatolia.  This empire ruled from the 14^th to the early 20^th century. It was founded in about 1299 A.D. and conquered the Christian Byzantine Empire when they captured Constantinople (today Istanbul) in 1453. When it was at its height, the Ottoman Empire controlled a great deal of Southeast Europe, Western Asia and northern Africa.

During the time of its perhaps most famous ruler, Suleiman the Magnificent, it reigned as a world superpower. They fought against the Christian Byzantine state, seeking to spread their Moslem faith.

The Armenian Genocide

Near the time of its downfall, the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against several subjects, one being the Armenians, some of whom lived in the region where Dogubeyazit and the boat-shaped site are located. In 1915-1916, at least 600,000 Armenians, and perhaps up to 1,000,000 in the Ottoman Empire were killed. For this reason, the original people who lived in the region of the boat-shaped object were gone. New people, Muslims, were given their villages.

After the Ottoman Empire fell, Ataturk, who had fought in the Ottoman army, led a reform movement to establish a new government in the Anatolian region. He established the capital of the new “Turkey” in Ankara and defeated allied forces who came against the new country. This new country of Turkey was non-secular. It was no longer ruled by Islamic law.

This genocide explains why the people now living in the region know nothing about the past history of the region. This will soon be an important factor in understanding the evidences.

And it must be noted that the present-day Turkey is in no way implicated in these genocides. It was the old Ottoman Empire and it was during World War I.

Ron Met People Who Became His Liaisons with the Turkish Government

Here, Ron met several people who would soon become very important to his work- Orhan Baser and Mine Unler, both who would become governmental liaisons between Ron and the Turkish government. Ron was essentially no one of importance and would have had a difficult time, if not an impossible time, meeting these people on his own. But through Jim's kind help, Ron's efforts were about to really make an impact.

The First Metal Detector Scans on the Boat-Shaped Object

They spent the night at the Guleks and the next day, they went to Dogubeyazit. Ron took Jim and several members of his group to the boat shaped object. At that time, he employed the metal detectors on the site as Orhan Baser had secured permission for him to do so. Jim was present when Ron and other members of the group used the 2 metal detectors along the sides and atop the entire length of the boat shaped object.

The results were a pattern of linear readings which showed an organized grid of metal within the object. Along the sides, they got readings every 9 feet. It was completely outside of the realm of possibility for this pattern to be natural. In a video-taped interview with Ron, Jim stated:

"Yeah, we got some real positive readings, didn't we, as we went up and down the long direction of the formation....The spacing made it appear like, very much like it was, you know, a man-made object."

Jim wasn't convinced it was the ark, but he knew it had to be something. He was dedicated to searching on Mt. Ararat and he and Ron agreed that this was an absolutely necessary part of the whole picture. If the boat shaped object WAS the Ark, there were many who wouldn't accept it until the possibility of it being on Mt. Ararat had been ruled out.

There was no competition between Ron and Jim, although there are those who would like you to believe there was. Jim was one person that Ron felt he could trust- a gentleman and a man of his word. And he helped Ron immensely.

Another Group Expresses Interest

August was the month that the ark hunters would gather in Dogubeyazit for their yearly treks up Mount Ararat. After Ron and Jim visited the boat-shaped site and did the first metal detector scans, the word spread among the other ark-hunters who had gathered in the hotel lobby.

When they returned to the hotel, another group expressed the desire to visit it, too. This was a group headed by Marv Steffins, a New Orleans attorney, and included Bulant Atalay and their helicopter pilot, "Whatcha" McCullum. Ron went with them after lunch and they were thrilled to death when they saw the results of the metal detector scans. It seemed as if Ron had found some allies, but it didn't quite turn out that way.

The Battle Begins with the Ararat Ark Hunters

 It was also at this time that another well-known ark hunter with very impressive letters after his name, heard about all the interest in the boat shaped object while in the hotel lobby. Ron told all the other ark hunters about the equipment White's Electronics had provided him and offered its use to anyone present. This was perhaps a naive thing to do, but nonetheless, it’s what he did.

At that point, this well-known ark hunter stood up and in a VERY loud voice told Ron, "YOU CAN'T USE METAL DETECTORS IN TURKEY!", a ploy obviously designed to have the metal detectors confiscated by local authorities.

And while this isn't something I'm happy to write about, it happened. Ron then took this man by the collar and told him in no uncertain terms that if he did not keep his mouth shut, he would knock his teeth out. The man only replied to Ron, "YOU'RE CRAZY!" to which Ron then replied, "I'M NOT CRAZY ENOUGH TO LET YOU DO WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO." Ron, as well as the ark hunter, both knew that even with permission from Ankara, the locals could still confiscate the equipment, and by the time Ron was able to get back in touch with Ankara, it would be too late to use it.

It was an unpleasant and unfortunate thing to happen, but it did. And the man, whose name I will not mention, never said another word about it. In fact, he even asked to go to the site, which Ron thought was strange since this man had already stated that he had "investigated" the site thoroughly on 2 occasions.

There was no more trouble from him that trip, but this man let it be known that he would do anything from that time on to discredit the site- and that is exactly what he tried to do.

 Continue to Chapter 4