Noonan surely had a sun shot of the rising sun approaching Howland. Regarding navigation Noonan was as good as it got.
If the US of A believed she could possibly be in ENB they would be there with their technology, like a shot. Winds over the north Atlantic are subject to frontal weather and are considerably different than equatorial where the lack of Coriolis means winds tend to flow across the isobars and there are no cold fronts. Tropical winds at altitude rarely exceed 20 kts and are prevailing. POM(PNG) is a good example in the s easter the Laurababa can be blowing 30-40 kts at sea level but a whisper above.
I said before that if the report was accurate as reported, then it deserves investigation. Who, no one knows yet. But Earhart and the Lockheed most likely are in very deep, i understand ,water around Howland.
Paul Allen is using a submersible to dive the war ship around Gizo (Solomon islands)that lost the 5 American brothers. He photographed recently, was it the Lexington ?,a casualty of the Battle of the Coral sea .