Suzanne Flament-Smith, 46, of Tampa, Florida was cleaning up debris left in the wake of Hurricane Debby when she made a curious discovery. Amid the flotsam, jetsam, and detritus was a message in a bottle. See it in the video below.
"There was sand in it, but you could clearly see the writing," she told People. "You could see the beautiful penmanship, The letter was almost rolled outside, so you could see the writing. It stood out."
The bottle was like a miniature time capsule, also containing a coffee stick, bullet casing, and a tiny cannonball. Dated March 4, 1945, the note was penned on letterhead United States Navy, Amphibious Training Base in Little Creek, Virginia.
From UPI:
"Dear Lee, Received your letter yesterday, was glad to hear from you," the letter opens.
Flament-Smith said much of the letter is too faded to read, but the writer, who may have been named Chris or Jim, details starting at "radio school" and promises to write again the next day[…]
April Phillips, a Navy public affairs officer, said officials at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, more than 800 miles from Safety Harbor, are investigating to see if they can identify the sender or recipient of the letter.
Previously:
• Stranded family saved by message in a bottle
• World's oldest message in a bottle (probably) discovered
