UNIDENTIFIED AIRBORNE OBJECT

• Document Type: FOIA
• Keywords: UFO SPECIAL COLLECTION
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005516578
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: June 24, 2015
• Document Release Date: January 31, 2011
• Case Number: F-2010-00651
• Publication Date: August 18, 1950

C00121485' ,
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INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY . At Bea - North Atlantic
PLACE
ACQUIRED - - -
DATE
ACQUIRED BY SOURCE
DATE OF-INFORMATION
CD NO.
DATE DISTR. /f, Aug 1450
NO OF PACES 2
NO. OF ENCLS.
,Untto mown
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
North, 720 244' Nest.
Baste
1. On 4 Aug 50 at 10 am my ship, while on a heading of 2t5? true, with a smooth sea and
clear weather, visibility 14 miles, barometer reading 30.03, was unicrvay from Walton,
flows Scotia, to an East Coast US port. I was in the chart room just an the bridge
when Third Mate, who was at mid-bridge checking the eccpass, shouted that there was a
flying object off the starboard bow. I immediately ascended the onning tower and by
this time the object was on our starboard beam. It was traveling on a reciprocal
course to ours about 50 or 100 feet above the water at an--estinated speed.of__over-----~'------- - - --
25 mph. From the conning tower I observed it with my binoculars for a period oY
approximately a minute and a half when it disappeared into the horizon in a north-
easterly direction. I would estimate that the closest it approached my ship was one
thousand feet and it was an ovular, cylindrical shaped object the like of which I have
never seen before. The object was quite small and I would judge that its diameter
was approximately 10 feet. It had depth but?to what extent I was unable to observe.
The object made no noisq,and as it passed abeam ..ur ship, it appeared to pick up
considerable speed. It was not flying smoothly but impressed we as having a churning
or a rotary motion. Z had a shiny aluminum color and sparkled in the sunlight.
Chief YAt
2. I was on the main deck, port aide, bust forward of the bride- when the Third Mate
shouted there was an object on our starboard bow. I looked off to the starboard and
sav an object of elliptic shape looking like half an egg cut lenCthviee traveling at
a great rate of speed on a course reciprocal to our own. I inoediatcly ran to the
stern, port side, and with my glasses was able to observe the object disappearing into
the horizon. From the time I was first alerted to Its presence until it disappeared
from sight, 15 seconds elapsed. I believe that it was traveling at a tremendous rate
of speed, possibly faster than 500 mph. During the time I saw it?it was approximately
70 feet off the water and I Judge it was approxinatrly 10 n!1'a avny. I clearly saw
its shadow on the water. I last oteerved it of, the start'oerl gt:nr to and it scud
to be inereasin; its speed and aaccr.dinr. It hal on cllipt!^ she,- a:] I could clear-
ly see that it had thre? dimensions. It nobbled In the air, r."e no noise, and was
a metallic white in color. The length was approximately six tin's the breadth and its
belly had a depth of possibly 5'.
Approved f r Release
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Third Mate,
3. At 10:00 am on 4 Aug 50 as I was checkinC the cnnpass at aid-bride through a bridge
port bola I observed a flyin0 object off the starboard bow. I Immediately shouted
to the Wpzair;, who was in the char: roaq and the Chief )htq who was below on the
port deck, of my observation and vent out on the flyinG bridge spself. The object
was approximately 70' above the horizon at a distance of 12 miles. It came toward
us, then ran on a course reciprocal to ours and turned off into the horizon in the
northeast. I clearly say its shadow on the eater. Hy impression of the object was
that it was ellipticals ' set unlike a Japanese diamond box kite in shape. I
have no idea of its size but the length was about six time the breadth and it had
a depth of from two to five feet. It made no noise and was traveling at a tremendous
rate of speed. Aa it traveled through the airy it made a spinning or wobbly motion.
After it disappeared in the horizon, I env it reappear several ecconds later, as-
cending at an even faster speed then when I first observed it. I have no idea what
this object was, k never saw onythinC comparable to it before, and it was one of the
most frightening experiences I have ever had. I roughly estimate that the object
traveled 28 miles during the 15 seconds I had it under observation.
2olleeter+0 !ate, Tile- Cliief and Third ?Sates were interviewed on 8 August by two
telliawWarOfflosra. The Captain who was absent at that time, was interviewed
on 9 August by only one of the two Intelligence Officers. In describing the
ooaarrence, the Chief and Third Mates reenacted their behaviour at the time of
sighting, and the period from the time the Chief Hate saw the object abeam until he
reached the after deck and saw it disappear off the starboard quarter was timed at
15 seconds. In laying the'angles of observation out an a chart and assuming the
object was ten miles distant and taking the-ttns into account, it is evident it was
certainly traveling at a very high rate of speed, which approximated 400 to 500 miles
per hour. It'wd2l be noted that there is a tremendous discrepancy between the
Captain's estimatw of the speed and the estimate of the two officers which could-aot---
be explained as they were very careful in making their statements and asserted that
their observations had been correct. All three men were quite evidently very much
upset by the sighting. Aside from the discrepancies,-it was -quite evident to the
Intelligence Officers who interviewed these men that they bad certainly seen some
very unusual object which they could not Identify but was net as certainly not any