On June 1, 1937, Amelia took off from Miami, Florida, in a Lockheed Electra to accomplish her dream of flying around the world. She was accompanied by Fred Noonan, her navigator. They reached Lae, New Guinea, on June 29. They traveled twenty-two miles in one month. So far they had made thirty stops in nineteen different countries, but they still had the hardest part of their journey ahead of them; they would have to cross the Pacific. After they left Lae, New Guinea, they lost all contact with the U.S. Coast Guard, who was following them. The Coast Guard started to search for them but no trace of them could be found. Many people thought they were lost at sea, but others thought they had been captured by the Japanese.