| |
Map of sightings, courtesy of Larry Hatch's *U* Database at http://www.larryhatch.net/YDAY52.html
1953_01_02_History.pdf
NARA-PBB1-90-91,
January Sightings 11:00 PM+- A target appeared on the radar screen. It was located about ninety miles out and approaching from the north at an approximate speed of ninety mph. The radar in use was not equipped with any method of measuring altitude, so the height of the target could not be determined. The fact that the target was approaching from due north (0 degrees on the radar screen) was very unusual since no military or civilian airfields were located in that direction. Its slow speed of travel was equally strange. Most aircraft that approached Goose Bay from a northerly direction were flights coming in from Thule, Greenland. where the United States was building an air base and radar site. The azimuth direction of such flights, as displayed on the radar screen, was about 045 degrees. (RADCAT) 1953; Anaco, Venezuela Avensa Airlines pilot reported round gray object paced plane. [UFOE, X] Sometime in 1953: Mediterranean Sea off S. Italy A coastal vessel in the Mediterranean only a few miles off southern Italy, carrying a load of passengers, reported seeing a disc-shaped thing rising from the water in 1953. (Flying Saucers Serious Business, 129). Sometime in 1953; Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri The General Manager and Chief Engineer of a St. Louis broadcasting station, state that they were starting out to fish one morning in 1953 on the famed Lake of the Ozarks. Out some three or four hundred yards from shore, they were sitting there in the fog, listening for a passing boat which might help them, when they heard a heavy humming sound. They could see nothing until the fog parted briefly; then about a hundred feet from them, and not more than five feet above the still waters of the lake, they saw a shiny, disc-shaped thing. It was oscillating slowly, and both men noticed that directly beneath it the water was dancing in thousands of tiny sharp pointed waves. A moment later the fog closed in and my friends waited no longer for help; they began paddling back toward the dock, using their hats for paddles. (Flying Saucers-Serious Business by Frank Edwards, pp. 175-176, © 1966) Early, 1953; Salisbury Plains, Great Britain Daytime. This incident, witnessed by none other than George Townsend Withers, is very impressive. It involves an object following a stripped-down Canberra jet, then being chased by the canberra only to accelerate upward at high speed. Within this report, as told by GTW to Jenney Randles, there is evidence indicating a more serious interest by the British and also their early knowledge of the Estimate of the Situation, which most people knew nothing about at that time. Reference is also made to an FBI document, stating "some Military officials are seriously considering the possibility of interplanetary ships". (Jenny Randles) 1953; Exact date and location unknown Navy Carrier-based squadron of attack planes approached by rocket-shaped UFO. [UFOE, IV] Jan. 1, 1953; Mobile,
Alabama (BBU) Jan 4, 1953-The Aircraft Flash, Official_G.O.C._Magazine,_Vol_I,_No. 4 "Unidentified Aerial
Objects" Receive Careful Analysis by Air Force
Experts. "It is the responsibility of the United
States Air Force to be aware of anything that does
or can happen in the skies. The Ground Observer
Corps shares this responsibility, since it is "the
eyes and the ears of the Air Force." (Courtesy of
CUFON)
1/1:05 a.m. (CST). The 147th AC&W Squadron, Duncanville, Texas, was notified by the CAA ARTCC at Meecham Field, Fort Worth, Texas, that they received numerous calls of an unidentified flying object northeast of Dallas, Texas. The AC&W unit at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, reported that they had picked up a target by radar twenty miles southwest of Paris, Texas. This target was moving moving west at an estimated speed of 600 knots at 7,500 feet in altitude. An arrowhead-shaped object was seen by some witnesses. (McDonald list; FUFOR Index) 7:15-7:30 a.m. (PST). USAF ADC 82nd Fighter Interceptor Sq personnel, including Lt Col squadron commander, all on the ground, saw a green, discshaped or round object about the size of large weather balloon, flying to the SW, with a vertical bobbing motion and sideways movements, at about 8,000 ft, below scattered clouds at 9,000 ft and overcast at 12,000 ft, moving away against the wind from 240° until disappearance due to distance not entering clouds. Also observed by base personnel at Ephrata, Wash., about 10 miles WNW of Larson AFB, driving to work at the base. F-94 airborne at 7:43 a.m. searched for 30 mins but UFO had already disappeared at 7:30 a.m. No radar tracks. (Sparks; BB files; Berliner; McDonald 1968) Large-scale military plan recommended to ATIC to entrap UFOs to secure evidence at high incident areas. This just a week before the CIA-sponsored meetings of Jan 14-16. Jan. 9, 1953; Misawa, Japan (BBU) 6:50 p.m.The F-94 aircraft made radar contact with the object at a range of 24,000 yards. The radar locked on at 5000 yards and contact was broken at a range of 200 yards. The radar observer reported unusual interference on the set throughout the mission but the set appeared to be operative before and after contact. The radar contact was for approximately 2 minutes. (McDonald list, UFOE) Jan. 9, 1953; Santa Ana, California (BB) The crew of a B-29 bomber watched a V-formation of blue-white lights bank near the bomber, then climb away. (UFOE, III) Jan. 1953; Merrville, Texas Odd "roaring" interference on radio as UFO circled town. (NICAP original list). Jan. 10, 1953; 8 miles NW of Sonoma,
Calif. (BBU 2326) Report of Scientific
Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects Convened
by Office of Scientific Intelligence, CIA. (Credit: Brad
Sparks obtained the full declassification of the
Robertson Panel Report and Durant Memo by the CIA with
all sanitized redactions filled in, in 1974.Copy by
CUFON)
Jan. 17, 1953; Near Guatemala City, Guatemala (BBU 2337) 3:55 p.m. Geologist/salesman J. J. Sackett saw a brilliant green-gold object, shaped like the Goodyear blimp with length/height ratio 2:1, fly 400 mph straight and level, stop, then fly straight up with one stop. (Berliner, Dan Wilson) Jan. 20, 1953; Offutt AFB, Omaha, Nebraska (BBU) At 9:35 p.m. local time, a highly experienced Rawin Crew while tracking a Rawin Target observed three unidentified targets on a SCR-584 radar. The largest object was tracked for approximately 9 minutes. The object's radar return was significantly larger than the Rawin Target. When the object were first detected the Rawin Target was at 55,000 feet and the object was at 46,300 feet. (McDonald, Dan Wilson) January 22, 1953 Jan. 22, 1953; Harmon
AFB, Newfoundland At 2400 Z four airmen at Patrick AFB, Florida, visually observed for three minutes a fiery red-orange ball traveling soundlessly from north to south at high speed. (NARA-PBB85-813) Jan 23, 1953; Bergstrom AFB, TX (BBU) 3:40 p.m. (CST). (McDonald list; FUFOR Index) Unidentified return on AN/NPM-1 GCA radar set. Size of blip was 3/16" in width and 3/4" in length. Speed was from stationary to as fast or faster then a jet aircraft. Length of observation was 19 minutes. The observer was T/Sgt Gerald Kelly, Aircraft Landing Control Technician, and he is stated to be fully qualified by his commanding officer. (Dan Wilson) Jan. 26, 1953; Continental Divide, NM At 2115 MST Air Force personnel stationed at an AC&W station in this area observed an aerial phenomenon simultaneously by electronic and visual means. To the naked eye the object appeared as a very bright reddish-white object estimated to be 10 miles west of the radar site. The object passed behind a hill and then reappeared apparently heading in a northerly direction at a slow speed. The airman making this visual observation reported it to personnel manning the radar equipment. They stated that they had an unidentified blip on the radar scope, appearing west of the station approximately 9 miles away. The scope showed the object to be on a 270 azimuth at an altitude of 10-15,000 moving away from the site at 12-15 mph. It was eventually lost on radar at the 18 mile range. The object was under visual and radar observation intermittently for 45 minutes. (NARA-PBB85-814) Jan. 26, 1952; Sampson AFB, NY At 2320 Z an airman at Sampson AFB, New York, visually observed one large luminous rectangular shaped unidentified flying object. In one minute the object traveled through an arc of 70 or 80 degrees, while emitting a humming sound. (NARA-PBB85-816) Jan. 27, 1953; Mather AFB, California (BB) At 10:40 a.m. PST, while flying in a T-29 aircraft, 1st Lt. Cukar saw a round flat object like a pie tin. It was very bright; a brilliant silver. He watched the object for a minute to a minute and a half and then four more objects appeared and then disappeared. The one object was seen to move towards the aircraft and then move away. Capt. Madley in the same T-29 originally saw four objects and one was particularly bright. The objects appeared to be tumbling within themselves; a barrell roll effect, passing inside of each others orbit. Madley saw one object move towards the T- 29 and then move away and had thought they were going to have a midair collision. He estimated that the disks were at 12,000 feet in altitude and 30 to 60 miles away. (Dan Wilson, BB files) Jan. 27, 1953; Livermore, Calif. Pilot watched shiny circular object in high-speed climb. [UFOE, V] Jan. 28, 1953; Point Mugu, Calif. (BBU 2361) 1:06 pm. R.W. Love, owner of Love Diving Co., and Mr. Ferrenti, while engaged in retrieving radio-controlled drones on a boat 1,100 yards offshore S of the Pt. Mugu Naval Air Missile Training Center, saw an 18-20-inch [18-20 ft?] white, flat disc with fuzzy or shimmering edges rapidly approach from about 305° azimuth (about NW) fly straight and level overtaking a jet aircraft flying at 150-200 knots in 3 secs, pass overhead, disappearing in haze to the E. (Don Berliner, Jan Aldrich) 2 witnesses Jan. 28, 1953; St. Georges, Delaware (BBU) 5:18 p.m. (EST). 4 witnesses driving S on St. Georges Bridge, 3 of whom were members of UFO investigation group, Mrs. Gene Thropp, Mrs. Lucille T. Nichols and Mrs. W. Forman, saw a rose-orange 7-inch [?] shiny disc-shaped object with a "white tail" at their 8 o'clock position heading S at about 10° above the horizon traveling about 100 mph, no sound no trail. Object seen through binoculars reversed course to the N then continued alternating heading N to S. (Jan Aldrich) Jan. 28, 1953. Corona, Calif. (BBU 2364) 6:05 p.m. USAF T/Sgt. George Beyer saw five 25 ft green spheres fly in V-formation, then change to trail formation at which time the end objects turned red. (Berliner) Jan. 28, 1953; Albany, Ga. Air Force F-86 pilot saw a definite circular UFO pass below his plane, confirmed by radar. [UFOE, VIII] Jan. 28, 1953; Stuttgart, Germany (BB) 7:52 p.m. local time. Lt. Col. Max O. Mitchell was flying north in a C-47 aircraft on top an overcast at 7,500 feet, sighted a very bright light passing in front of the aircraft at a slight elevation above him from left to right. Mitchell called the pilot, Major David W. Pearsall's attention to the light which was moving at an extremely high rate of speed. In a few seconds the light turned to the north and then turned again in front of the C-47. The light made several violent maneuvers from just above the horizon to 15 degrees above the horizon. The light was observed for approximately 1-1/2 minutes. (Dan Wilson, BB files) Jan. 28, 1953; Between Stuttgart and Rhein Main Air Base, Germany (BB) 8:20 p.m. A C-47 aircraft (No. 3734) piloted by 1st Lt. Marlowe B. Sorge, was returning to Rhein Main AFB, Germany, from the vicinity of Stuttgart, Germany, when Sorge noticed a light ahead and slightly to the right of his aircraft. The light was bright white with green around the edge. The light appeared to be traveling the same heading (300 degrees) as the aircraft and at approximately the same speed. It appeared to be at a distance of about 3 to 5 miles and at the same altitude as the aircraft The light drifted to the right a distance estimated to be 1/2 mile and then returned to its original position. It also dived approximately 1000 feet at about a 75 degree angle and then climbed perpendicularly to its original position. This maneuver took approximately 4 to 5 seconds. Overall the light was visible for approximately 10 minutes. At approximately 8:30 p.m. local time, another light appeared ahead and slightly to the left of the aircraft. The light appeared to vary in distance from 3 to 5 miles as evidenced by the fact the light would grow brighter and then dimmer and the relative positions would change from 11 o,clock to 10 o'clock and then back to its original position. Both the first light and the second were visible at the same time, but shortly after the second light appeared, the first one disappeared. (Dan Wilson, BB files) Jan. 28, 1953; El Toro Marine Air Base, Calif.(BB) 9:00 p.m. PST. A bright object was first observed at the El Toro Marine Air Base by a tower operator who then ordered an all weather jet fighter which was coming in for a landing to make an investigation. (Dan Wilson) Jan. 28, 1953; Turner AFB, Dobbins,
Georgia (BBU 2365) Jan. 29, 1953 Conway; South Carolina Jan. 29, 1953; Presque Isle AFB
[Caswell?], Maine (BBU) Jan. 29, 1953; Malibu Beach, Calif.
(BB) Jan
29, 1953; Conway, So. Carolina (BBU) Jan. 30, 1953; Yuma, Ariz.
Briefing of the Office of
Naval Estimates Board by CIA on Unidentified Flying
Objects, included the showing of the Utah and Montana
films.
Feb. [deleted], 1953; Finland AFS, Minn. (BBU) At 6:29 a.m. CST, an unknown object appeared on a CPS-3 radar scope on a heading of 155 degrees at the 140 mile range moving outbound at an estimated altitude of 15,000 feet. The object appeared on the scope as being twice the size of an ordinary aircraft. On the RADAR OBSERVATION DATA SHEET, Lt. Kenfield, S/SGT Duffy and Operator A/2C Cline gave the opinion; unknown or a flying saucer. The length of observation was 48 seconds. (Dan Wilson) Feb. 1, 1953; Terre Haute, Indiana 2130 EST. A military aircraft on a 270 heading 10 miles west of Terre Haute sighted a close group of moving lights changing color from red to blue, to green to yellow. The T-33 pilot estimated their altitude to range between 30,000 ft. to 15,000 ft. flying in a manner similar to conventional aircraft. Searchlights from the St. Louis area seemed to be following the unidentified lights. (Dan Wilson) Feb. 3, 1953; Keflavik Airport, Iceland (BBU 2384) At 5:25 p.m., unidentified radar plots were observed on radar scopes of the 932nd AC&W Squadron. The first plot was observed at 5:25 p.m., bearing 345 degrees, range 90 nautical miles. The second plot was observed at 5:27 p.m., and faded after remaining motionless for two minutes. The third plot was observed at 5:36 p.m., bearing 341 degrees, range 112 nautical miles. The fourth was observed at 5:49 p.m., bearing 348 degrees, range 118 nautical miles. There were no aircraft operating in the area according to all military and civilian sources contacted. The apparent lack of motion indicated during two full minutes is still unexplained. (Dan Wilson) Feb. 4, 1953; Yuma, Ariz. (BBU 2388) 1:50-55 p.m. U.S. Weather Bureau observer Stanley H. Brown, using a theodolite, tracked to the E [W?] at 107° [270°?] azimuth 53° elevation a white, oblong object almost round, with a solid dull pure white color and a thin white mist completely edging it, flying straight up, leveling off. After 20 secs 1st object was joined by a 2nd similar object that twice flew away and returned to the 1st. Both lost to sight behind clouds to the SSW at 204° azimuth 29° elevation after 5 mins timed with stopwatch. (Berliner; McDonald 1968) Feb. 6, 1953; Rosalia, WA [CCL#34] (BBU) 1:34 a.m. PST. A B-36 report, very accurate sighting description, showing object circled as the aircraft approached it, and light commenced flashing at short intervals. The B-36 aircraft was in flight in the vicinity of Spokane, Washington, when one round white omnidirectional light was sighted. The light was at an altitude of approximately 7,000 feet on a southeast course circling and rising as it proceeded. It was visually observed for a period of three to five minutes. The B-36 made 180 degree descending turn toward the light which was estimated to be moving at a speed of 150 to 200 knots. The aircraft was inbound to Spokane 15 miles out and located over Rosalia, Washington. (Project 1947; McDonald list) Feb. 6, 1953; Truk Island (BB) Feb. 7, 1953; Okinawa (BBU) Feb. 10, 1953; Misawa AFB, Japan
(BBU) Feb. 11, 1953; Bet. Tunis, Tunisia
& Tripoli, Libya [CCL #37] (BBU) Feb. 13, 1953; Carswell AFB, Fort
Worth, TX (BBU) Feb.
12, 1953; Vichy, Missouri (BBU) Feb. 16, 1953; Willow, Alaska (BBU) Feb. 17, 1953; Port Austin, Mich.
(BBU 2419) Feb.
24,
1953; Sherman, Texas (BBU 2441) Feb. 25, 1953; Charleston, West
Virginia (BBU) At 1:50 a.m. local time, an unidentified radar track on the GCA Planned Position Indicator (PPI) scope was reported. Sgt. Lucas while tracking a MATS C-124 at a position of 5 miles NE of Thule Air Base, a prominent blip emerged from the normal clutter area on the scope. The speed of the object was estimated at 180 knots or better. The altitude of the object was estimated at 5000 to 6000 feet. The object was tracked for three minutes before it faded from the scope. (Dan Wilson) Feb. 27, 1953; Great Falls AFB, Montana(BBU) 3:16 AM. (MST). Object appeared on radar scope, type AN/ FPS-3, fading and reappearing for a period of 11 minutes. (Dan Wilson, McDonald list; FUFOR Index) Feb. 27, 1953. Shreveport, Louisiana (BBU 2543) 11:58 a.m.- 12:02 p.m. USAF airman/private pilot saw 5 yellow discs make circular turns, flutter, 3 vanished first, then the other 2 flew erratic square turns. (Berliner) NARA-PBB1-94-96,
March Sightings
March 5, 1953
March 12, 1953; east at RCAF Station
Chatham in New Brunswick March 14, 1953; N. of Hiroshima,
Japan (BBU 2496) March 20, 1953; Pork Chop Hill, [Old
Baldy?] Korea (BBU) March 23, 1953; Pasadena, Texas (BBU) March 25, 1953; Nouasseur AFB, Rabat,
French Morocco (BBU) March
27, 1953; Mount Taylor, New Mexico (BBU 2524) March 31, 1953;
16 miles west of Williams AFB, Arizona (BB March
31, 1953; Honshu, Japan (BBU)
Intelligence - a New Role for the Ground Observer Corps.
The latest addition to the air defense team - the 4602nd
Air Intelligence Service Squadron - creates another
important job for ground observers. (Courtesy of
CUFON)
April, 1953; Laredo, Texas A jet pilot instructor watched distinct "solid brown" circling cigar-shaped object leaving a contrail as it passed over his T-33, turned sharply, circled the base and sped away at an estimated 1,200 mph. [Report to NICAP; UFOE, III] April 8, 1953; Fukuoka, Japan (BBU 2535) April 12, 1953; Torbat Airport,
Newfoundland
Aug. 12,1953, TexasAt 10:31 a.m. local time, an unidentified target
appeared on the GCA radar scope on a magnetic
course of approx. 270 degrees. One of the observers
looked outside and saw what he thought was a B-29 a/c.
When the object disappeared, the observer
returned to the radar set where he observed the object
making a 180 degree turn 8 miles west of the airport.
It faded from the radar scope 30 miles away in a
northeast direction. This sighting was phased into a
vital intelligence sighting incident. (Dan Wilson)
April 12, 1953; Sweetwater, Nevada (BBU) 4:10 p.m. (MST). Ten round flat metallic colored
objects changing formation traveled at an estimated
high rate of speed on a heading of 110 at an estimated
altitude of 7,500 ft. No trail, sound, or exhaust were
noted. Objects passed under the right nacelle of the
observers C-47 type aircraft, and were observed by the
co-pilot. He took control of the C-47, and turned to
the right in a tight 300 degree turn for a better view
of the objects. Objects were then picked up unassisted
by two more members of the crew. The objects were
observed in a right turn of greater radius than that
of the C-47, and at a lower altitude. The object were
observed for approximately 120 degrees of their turn,
and disappeared on a heading of 300 degrees. Observers
were unable to estimate the speed of the objects
because of the distance and the objects'' large radius
of turn. (BBU, Sparks; McDonald list)
April 14, 19, 21,
23, 1953; Antung, Manchuria, China (BBU)
3:10 CST. Several persons observed UFOs for 25 minutes at estimated 40,000'. Appeared to be in trail of a B-36. Objects were circular, about 230' feet in diameter, and silver in color. Speed estimated at 400-600 mph. (See Air Intelligence Information Report). April 19, 1953; Pork Chop Hill, Korea (BB) Four American Army Airmen reported seeing a white, rounded, delta-shaped object flying at 60 - 80 miles per hour today over Communist Territory on the Korean Western front. An official G-2 Intelligence Report said the object was reported seen in the old Baldy-Pork Chop Hill area. A spokesman for an American Division released excerpts from the official report. The report said: "At approximately 1:00 p.m. today aerial observers in two separate planes flying routine reconnaissance missions observed a white, rounded, delta-shaped object." (AP, BB files, Dan Wilson, Mike Swords & Barry Greenwood [pdf]) April 19, 1953; Calumet, Mich. -
Lake Superior are (BBU) April 29,
1953. Pacific Lt.
April or May, 1953; waters of N. Pacific off Tinian
(Actual doc
starts on page 2. CAA Technical Development
Report 180. A Preliminary Study of Unidentified
Targets Observed on Air Traffic Control. This flawed
report states the July 1952 objects were weather
targets. (Courtesy of CUFON)
May
??, 1953; Loch Raven Reservoir, Towson, MarylandHandbook for Intelligence Officers. The manual's theme is the importance of having high grade air technical intelligence in order to avoid "technological surprise" from a foreign power. Although UFOs are not specifically mentioned, the illustration of "flying saucers" above an Air Force bomber appears on page 9-3 of the manual, and this chronology shows the timing/context of its publication. (Richard Hall) Bt. 7:30 and 8:00 o’clock on a night in May of 1953, two men, on their way to meet two college women for a date, had their plans interrupted by a craft of unknown origin. As they approached one of the bridges that span a portion of the Loch Raven Reservoir, their car suddenly came to a stop without their control. This was followed by the headlights and car radio ceasing to function. Then they both saw an orange glowing object with an ultraviolet band which divided what appeared to be two saucers lip to lip. At this point they were approximately between 50 to 100 feet from the bridge and about 300 feet from the object. This stretch of road looks straight out onto the water, and then the road turns very sharply to the right and onto the bridge. Terrified, the two men left the car as rapidly as possible, the driver to the left, up an embankment into a wooded area, and the passenger over the back seat and the rear of the car, over a guardrail and into a ditch next to a shear drop-off into the lake. (Click on link to view more details) May 1, 1953; 10 miles S of Goose Bay AFB, Labrador, Canada (BBU 2555) 11:35 [11:20?] p.m. (AST). USAF 59th FIS pilot Capt. R. L. Emberry and radar operator 1st Lt. J. R. Morin of F-94 jet interceptor flying at 24,000 ft, and control tower operator, saw a white light or unidentified aircraft with afterburner but unlike any known aircraft, about 10,000 ft below the jet, evaded interception by F-94. Both object and F-94 climbed to 40,000 ft but object outpaced the jet and continued climb until out of sight. (Berliner; Joel Carpenter) May 4, 1953; Goose Bay AFB? Harmon AFB? Labrador, Canada (BBU) Canadian civilian woman saw a football-shaped light metal colored object reflected in a rotating beacon traveling S at high speed, low altitude, disappearing in stratus cloud over the base. Sound like tins striking together. (Joel Carpenter) May 5, 1953; Yuma, Arizona 9:45 - 10:00 a.m. Scientist observed silvery disc; concentric rings visible through Polaroid glasses. [UFOE, VI] 34th Air Defense Division Regulation No. 200-1, Reporting of Information on Unidentified Flying Objects. Including: 34ADD Form 127: Unidentified Flying Object Report (FLYOBRPT) supercedes May 9, 1952 directive. May 12 [13?], 1953; [39 miles NW of ?]
Goose Bay AFB, Labrador, Canada (BBU)
[Unidentified radar tracking by pilot Lt. D. C. Rogers and radar operator Lt. J. A. Lane who attempted interception but unable to make visual contact.] (McDonald list; Joel Carpenter) May 12, 1953; Pacific Northwest,
Washington & Oregon States May. 20, 1953 Brush Creek, California May 20, 1953; Kingman, Arizona May 21, 1953; Prescott, Arizona 8:43 a.m. CST. Five or more radar targets were observed from a radar site at San Antonio, Texas. The radar targets appeared to be orbiting over Monclova, Mexico. When first detected the targets were at approximately 35,000 feet at approximately 240 knots flying in a northerly direction for 40 to 50 miles and then began to orbit. The formation faded off the radar screen in the same locale. The observation lasted for one hour and five minutes. The radar in use was the AN/FPS-3. (Dan Wilson, BB files) May 23, 1953; Union of S. Africa South African headquarters announced in November that on May 23, radar had tracked an unidentified object near the Cape at over 1000 mph. [Prescott Evening Courier, May 22; UFOE, VIII] May 27, 1953; San Antonio, Texas
(BBU 2577) Summer of 1953;
Near Cincinnati, Ohio Summer
1953; Muskogee, Oklahoma (BB) June,
1953; Otis AFB, Cape Cod (12 miles E. of Buzzard's
bay), New Jersey June 10-11, 1953; Goose AFB,
Labrador (BBU) June 17-18: 1953; 15 miles from Iwo Jima, Japan June 18, 1953; Iwo Jima Islands
(BBU) Jun. 18, 1953 Houston, Texas Jun. 20, 1953 Brush Creek, California June 22, 1953; Goose Bay AFB, Labrador,
Canada (BBU 2601)
June 24, 1953; Simiutak, Greenland (BBU 2606) 2345 hours. An unidentified flying object was observed for, a period of twenty minutes in the northern sky moving to the southeast by at least 10 personnel of the 912th AC&W Squadron. The first person to observe this object was an airman who came out of the maintenance room to inspect the power unit which caused a minor breakdown of the search radar set. He called two other airmen to witness the object. One of the two thought the object was the moon. The airman who originally observed the object got hysterical and called the Charge of Quarters at the Domestic Area three miles to the southwest. At least seven witnesses at the Domestic Area saw the object and two of them reported that the moon was visible at the time and that the object was distinct and separate from the moon. The object was described as orange-colored and oval shaped. It was described as moving from the north to southeast and then fading back to the north. No great speed was attributed to the object by any of the witnesses who said they saw movement. It was reported that the object had no visible means of propulsion and that there was no similarity to any known flying object. NARA-PBB1-100-101 (July Sightings) Summer 1953; Yaak, Montana Jul. 02, 1953 Villares des Saz, Spaine 6:45 pm. EST. For four minutes, in bright twilight, four witnesses (main witness Wilbur H Focht– male, aged 55), reported seeing a solid, brilliant silver, soundless object in the sky, emitting irregular ‘rays.’ It was initially seen in the south, at 75 degrees’ elevation, azimuth 200 degrees (true), and appeared stationary. It was last seen to the south, at 0 degrees’ elevation, azimuth 210 degrees (true – although a sketch indicates the elevation was about 70 degrees), after the witness thought it ascended at speed. The weather was scattered clouds, with a slight breeze, on a warm/hot evening. PBB concluded it was a balloon. (Basterfield, Fold3; McDonald list; Sparks; Saunders/FUFOR index.) July 9, 1953; Columbus, Ohio July 13, 1953; Shaw AFB, South
Carolina (BB) July
19, 1953; Oak Ridge, Tenn. July 20, 1953; Offutt AFB, Omaha, Nebraska (BBU)
July 24, 1953; Mt. Vernon, Ohio Jan 25, 1953; Key West, Florida July 25, 1953 - Restricted AF Document - How to Make FLYOBRPTS (68 pages) It was in the evening, around 8 or 9 p.m. The traumatic event occurred aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain. General quarters was sounded, so the ensign or Lt.J.G. at the time went below decks where the Special Weapons group he was in was stationed. Nobody could tell them what was going on, except that the ship's radar had picked up bogies all over the sky. By about 10 or 10:30 p.m., the all-clear was sounded. There never was any explanation for the event given and never heard anything more about it. The carrier had nuclear weapons onboard. (According to Russian docs TF 77 detected a large number of targets on the last day of the war, July 27. - Jan Aldrich) July 31, 1953; Port Clinton, Ohio Unidentified white light viewed through field glasses. [UFOE, VII] Jul. 31, 1953 Wolin, Poland 7:00 pm. A metallic object 30 m in diameter was observed by five Polish and two German workers as it landed in a field close to a railway. It was shaped like a sphere with a flat disk around it, showing numerous openings at the periphery. (Intelligence Digest Nov., 53)
Aug. 1, 1953; Toledo, Ohio Aug. 2, 1953;
Saraland, Alabama (BBU) Aug. 9, 1953; Moscow, Idaho (BBU) Reportedly a UFO was seen by two jet pilots and ground observers, and simultaneously tracked by ground and airborne radar. There was no explanation for it at the time. Later the Air Force confirmed that gun camera photographs of the UFO were obtained, but denied that they could be analysed. The date and location are incorrect. See Aug. 5, 1953; Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, South Dakota. Aug.14, 1953; Columbus, Ohio
Lighted object came straight down out of sky, stopped, then sped out of view. [UFOE, VII] Aug.15, 1953; Crestline, OH Aug. 16, 1953 Tours, France Aug. 18, 1953, Ciudad Valleys, Mexico Aug. 20, 1953;
Near Castle AFB, Calif. (BBU 2686) Aug.
21, 1953; Maumee, Ohio Aug.
23, 1953; Columbus, Ohio
Sept. 1953; London, UK Radar case (G) Sept. 1953, Santoña (Santander), Spain On a clear night one witness,saw an object rise from the sea 3500 m. away at a 75-degree angle. The object appeared solid and was bright blue in color. It rose sharply towards the NE for 1 minute and was lost to sight. Firsthand, Félix Ares, BOF. (Catalogue of 200 Type-1 UFO Events in Spain and Portugal by Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos, #013, p. 3.) Sept. 2, 1953; Sidi Slimane AFB, French Morocco (BBU) 9:14 p.m. Lt. Col. William Moore and 1st Lt. J. H. McInnis. (Berliner). An unidentified flying object (light) was sighted by the crew of a USAF C-47 on a routine training flight at 2114 hours. The light was first observed at an estimated altitude of 4,000 feet above the C-47. The object's rate of closure was very fast and followed a near collision course in relation to the C-47. The approaching object, when level with the C-47, executed a 180 degree descending turn at high speed. The object then made a second 180 degree turn to an altitude of approximately 700 feet. The object then made a 90 degree turn toward the main highway that parallels the Sidi Slimane AFB at which point it appeared stationary. The light then disappeared. The observers flew the C-47 in a 360 degree circle in order to continue the observation of the object. The light was seen for approximately three minutes. There were no reported aircraft in the area. Sep. 04, 1953; Tonnerre, France 9:30 pm. A woman saw two objects on the ground and three 1.5-m-tall men running toward the craft. They had oversized heads and wore helmets and boots. One entered the elongated object, 5 m long, 1.5 m wide, which spread "wings" that made it look like a butterfly. It then took a vertical position, resting on a tripod, and took off with the spherical object into which the other two creatures had gone. Traces were found at the spot. (GEPA 68, 1) Sept.
7,1953; Cleveland, Ohio Two Navy fighter pilots saw a brilliant white object speed below their planes, then climb rapidly out of sight. [UFOE, IV] Sept. 7, 1953; Tangmere Airport, Sussex,England
A large saucer hovered briefly over the field. Seen by scores of Royal Air Force pilots and ground men, the machine suddenly accelerated, vanishing over the English Channel. (Jan Aldrich; Keyhoe Flying Saucer Conspiracy, page 49). Sep. 12, 1953; Brovst, Denmark Brovst was the scene of an attempted abduction of a girl by two humanoids emitting a golden light. Their hands were rugged and cold like a fish. (Guieu) Sept. 11-13, 1953; Chiloquin, Ore Police Chief, others, watched top-like UFOs three consecutive nights. [UFOE, VII] Sept. 24, 1953; Bexley (Columbus), Ohio Ground Observer Corps report: silvery disk followed plane. [UFOE, VII] Sept. 28, 1953; Palmdale, Calif.
(BBU) 4:30 p.m. Secret report. Three unidentified objects flying east to west flew over the Harwich area and were tracked on radar (track X.481). The objects then returned to the Continent (Europe). The objects were first seen near the Dutch Islands. The track was initially plotted as 3 at 36,000 feet, was reduced to 2 at 36,000 feet on closer range and again shown 3 at 32 - 34,000 feet on the outward flight. Ground speeds on the approach were 375 knots and increasing to 420 knots on the short leg over the U.K. and 490 knots on the return. (Documents from AIR 20/7390 M.O.D; Dan Wilson) Oct. 12, 1953; Offutt AFB, Omaha, Nebraska (BBU) 9:05 p.m. (CST). S/Sgt Harold A. Washington and Airman 2nd Harold M. [o W?] Napier, 1st Weather Group, Base Weather Station, Offutt AFB. Target appeared in SCR584 radar “A” scope in NE, 54° elevation, height 22,500 ft [~4 miles ground range] on a 250° heading for 10 minutes. Gradually changed heading to 70°, height increasing to 37,000 ft [~7 miles], disappearing at 10,000 yards slant [ground?] range [~6 miles] at azimuth 70°. Possible weather balloon IFO (radar size similar) drifting at about 10-17 [?] mph and rising at about 400 ft/min (very slow for normal 100 ft/min standard ascent rate). Initial heading opposite of wind direction from 190° to 240° at 20,000 to 30,000 ft (5-19 knots). (Sparks; McDonald list; Saunders/FUFOR Index) 36 min. Oct. 13, 1953; Dobbins AFB, Georgia At 10:35 p.m. local time, a mysterious round object emitting flashes of colored light was sighted north of the base. The object appeared to be stationary at an altitude of approximately 500 feet. The object appeared on the weather radar. The object was in sight for over 2 hours and 30 minutes. Aircraft were scrambled to investigate the object. (Dan Wilson) Oct.15, 1953; Minneapolis, Minn. (BBU) 10:10 a.m. During tracking of Project GRAB BAG balloon launch, a 40 ft object leaving brief vapor trail was seen by 3 General Mills Aeronautical Lab research engineers traveling S in horizontal flight 10° in 9 secs at about 40,000 ft altitude and 25° elevation, 1,100 mph, went into vertical dive for about 10-15 secs, object glowed or flashed in the sun 2-3 times for 1 sec each, seen as a gray mass in the theodolite leveling off, vapor trail stopped. (Hynek UFO Rpt pp. 113-4; Hynek UFO Exp ch. 6, case DD-9) Oct. 16, 1953; Presque Isle, Maine (BBU) 9:30 PM to 11:45 PM. Approximately twenty-five unidentified objects were observed on GCA radar. The objects were observed at irregular intervals in groups from three (3) to eight (8) at speeds from 80 to 100 mph. One F-89 aircraft was scrambled at 10:08 pm, to attempt interception. (McDonald list) Oct.18,
1953; English Channel Oct. 25, 1953; Santa Fe, New Mexico October 29, 1953 Lt. Col. F. K. Everest in F-100 Super-Sabre set speed record, 755.149 mph. Oct. 30, 1953; Norton AFB,
California (BB) Oct.
30, 1953; Mt. Vernon, Ohio Nov., 1953; Gjasjoen Bridge, Norway Nov. 3, 1953; London, England November12, 1953 -
Project MAGNET
Canadian
Government
announcement of flying saucer observatory near
Ottawa. UFO flashing various colors observed climbing. [UFOE, VII] Nov. 20, 1953; 36.55N 76.00W (Atlantic) (BBU) At 4:30 p.m. EST, a Navy unit made an air visual observation of a small silver egg-shaped object moving on a northerly course at an estimated 55,000 feet at an estimated speed of 1000( mph? knots?) The length of observation was 15 minutes.(Dan Wilson) Nov. 23, 1953; Kinross AFB, Michigan Air Force F-89 vanished while pursuing UFO over Lake Superior. [UFOE, VIII, IX] November 22, 1953 News article
Nov. 27, 1953; Keflavik AFB, Iceland (BB) 6:30 p.m. local. Major Charles C. Mack flying in a C-47 aircraft observed an oval-shaped bluish light at an estimated altitude of 1,500 feet and moving at an estimated speed of 500-600 mph heading east. The light was climbing at an angle of approximately 45 degrees until it reached an altitude of approximately 5000 feet when it seemed to brighten and then disappear.The light was observed for approximately 7 seconds. The sighting was confirmed by the co-pilot. (Blue Book files, dan wilson) Nov. 28, 1953; Guapore River nr. Pedras Negras, Brazil One witness reported an unusual aircraft passing over his head. It passed on and landed on the surface of the water about 150 feet from his location. It made no sound. Another witness was within 12 feet of the object when it stopped and his view was excellent. The bottom was in the shape of a basin and made of blue metal. The vertical structure, about 1 meter (40 inches) high, was made of glass or similar material. The covering was rounded, supported on the glass, and held by metallic bars existing on the inside with no rivets on the outside. On the rear there was also a kind of rudder, a system like a dolphin tail about 1 meter (40 inches) in length and about 50 centimeters in width (20 inches). The whole craft was dark blue in color. (Click on link to see more details. (Encounter with UFO occupants by C. J. Lorenzen) Nov. 28, 1953; Oslo, Norway Night. Couple in car encounter "saucer" with dome and wings over road. Driver stopped car and they watched the object for a while. Beamlike EM struck witnesses and they had some physiological effects afterwards. Saucer disappeared suddenly by going straight up. Watch was stopped and had to have extensive repair do to strong magnetism. Car changed color for a day. (NICAP, Bob Swiatek) December 1, 1953
Air Force announced in Washington it had set up flying
saucer" cameras around the country equipped with
diffraction gratings to analyze nature of UFO light
sources.Dec. 3, 1953; North Truro, Mass. (BBU) 11:07 p.m. An Air Force fighter, call-sign "Mailbag Red," was diverted from combat air patrol to investigate a UFO over North Truro, Massachusetts. Only a file card on the case exists in BLUE BOOK records. (Loren Gross) (This object was tracked by ground radar at 700 mph and observed by a B-25 crew, then an attempted write-off as an "aircraft". - Fran Ridge) Dec. 3, 1953; Holloman AFB, New Mexico (BBU) 1:00 p.m. Four objects were detected on ground radar PPI scope with three objects in a line equally spaced with a fourth in line but twice the space of the others. The objects were at 330 degrees at approximately 50 miles away. The objects stood still then moved to the west maintaining formation. The objects on radar screen were very large and bright for aircraft. The length of observation was 30 minutes. (Dan Wilson, Brad Sparks, McDonald list) Dec. 3, 1953; Newark, New Jersey (BBU) 12:15-12:45 a.m. Amateur astronomer watching for meteors saw a tiny reddish-brown oval luminous object flying steady from N to S at high altitude without sound or trail, also observed through binoculars. Half the brightness of Jupiter [mag. –1 ?]. (Hynek-CUFOS reeval; Jan Aldrich) Dec. 3, 1953; Ellington AFB, Houston, Texas (BBU) 5:12 p.m. (CST). Civilian ground observers saw a silver grey bright light with "skipping" motion, like a stone skipping on the water, with red trail, same or similar objects seen 3x. (Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich) Dec. 5, 1953; Houston, Texas (BBU) 8:15 p.m. Children saw yellow-orange ellipse with 40x telescope. (Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich) Dec. 13, 1953; Central Ohio
Dec. 15, 1953 - AFR 205-1, Part 1 (Courtesy, CUFON) Dec. 16, 1953; Mediterranean (BBU) At 1745Z a ground radar station of the 737th AC&W Squadron started picking up radar returns of 1 to 12 objects. These objects were in formations varying in shape of "V", "M", and "W". Range was 20-40 miles from the station. These were in sight for several minutes. Targets appeared to be stationary. (Dan Wilson, McDonald list, Sparks BBU catalog) Dec. 16, 1953; Ground site 3 miles WNW of Agoura, & a/c SW of Long Beach, Calif. (BBU) 4:58 5:05 p.m. (PST). Lockheed Skunk Works chief Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson and wife near Agoura and top Lockheed crew aboard WV-2 aircraft near Long Beach, independently of each other, saw black flying-wing or ellipse or crescent-shaped object about 170-230 ft wide at about 15,000 ±2,000 ft altitude to the W hovering about 30-60 miles away (255° ±1° true to Johnson; 285°-290° true to WV-2 crew). At 5:04 p.m. after 4 mins (to the Johnson's) 6 mins (to WV-2 crew) object suddenly took off in a shallow climb accelerating (at about 130 g's) to approximately earth escape velocity (25,000 mph) to the W over the Pacific, disappearing in 10-13 secs (to WV-2 crew) in 90 secs (to Johnson using 8x binoculars) after reaching 90+ miles altitude. (Sparks) Dec. 16, 1953; Toledo, Ohio Dec. 17, 1953;
Hassleholm, Sweden (BBU 2838) Dec. 26, 1953; CS 4859 (Mil Grid)
North Korea (BB)
Dec. 28, 1953;
Marysville, Calif. (BBU 2844) Dec. 31, 1953; Quantico Marine Base, Virginia |
Back to NICAP Chronology Home Page