This is a 13-page report on an on-going project involving a number of people. With the help of Rebecca Wise (Project Blue Book Archive), Dan Wilson, Jean Waskiewicz, the task became much easier. As an indication of what the Air Force was doing I have added the redacted sighting lists here. The unredacted versions are linked below, right before each month. Finally, there is the Sparks' catalog entries for 1955. All of the cases are listed within the chrono, many of which have case directories and supporting documents. Loren Gross' "UFO's: A History" is a good place to start.

1955_01_06_HistorySN.pdf
1955_07_09-15th_History.pdf
1955_07_09-15th_HistorySN.pdf
1955_09-16th_12_History.pdf
1955_09-16th_12_HistorySN.pdf

Francis Ridge

NARA-PBB1-121 - (Unredated) January Sightings

1955; Virginia, nr. Washington, D. C.
Navy pilot observed domed disc. [UFOE, IV]

Jan. 2, 1955; Nr. Punta San Juan, Venezuela
Airliner en route to Maracaibo approached by luminous UFO. [UFOE, X]

Jan, 3, 1955; AUSTRALIA, Melbourne (E-M)
7:25 a.m. Two persons in a car saw a flying object come within 70 metres of them after their vehicle was stopped (stalled) . (Source: Vallee, J. Passport to Magonia. p.248. Catalogue number 359, Rodeghier) Email from Keith Basterfield

Jan. 29, 1955; Winterset near Des Moines, Iowa (BBU)

9:07 p.m. (CST). Iowa Air National Guard pilots, Major A. Packer and Lt. D. Myers with 132nd Fighter Bomber Group flying a T-33A jet (s/n 52-9590) heading 30° at 290 knots (330 mph) saw a white light flashing at a set rate, no trail, on a direct head on collision course in level flight at 20,000 ft. At the last instant the object rose and flew over the jet, climbing rapidly to 35,000 ft. When the pilot tried to chase the object it out climbed and out turned him, seemingly using radar or similar means to track the T-33A so as to employ highly maneuverable tactics at "excess" speed and altitude. (Project 1947; NARCAP)

Jan. 31, 1955; Fuju [?], Japan (BBU)

1:33 p.m. U.S. military pilots saw a white circular object, no trail, moving against the wind. (Project 1947)

Feb. 1, 1955; 20 miles E of Cochise, Arizona [not NM as previously presented] (BBU 3414)
7:55 [6:55?] p.m. Instructor Capt. D.  F. Ritzdorf and aviation cadet F. W. Miller flying TB-25 bomber/trainer (s/n 44-86894) at 13,000 ft and ground speed 238 mph saw a very bright round object with red and white hues approach then hover off the left wing of the TB-25 for 5 mins about 5° above horizontal. Object climbed rapidly on a parallel flight track to disappearance in 3 mins. [See details at link and note the Jan. 1, 1955, incident.] (Berliner; NARCAP)

11:50 a.m. USN Cdr. J. L. Ingersoll saw a highly polished sphere, with reddish-brown coloring, fall, then instantly accelerate to 1,000-1,500 mph. [More details at link above]  (Berliner)

Feb. 2, 1955; Valera (near Merida), Venezuela
Aeropost Airlines pilot, approached by top-shaped object, with "portholes" and central ring. Radio went dead both at Valera and Barq. as pilot started to report a UFO sighting. [UFOE, X]

Feb. 3 (or 7), 1955. Knights Landing, Calif. (BBU)
4:30 p.m. (PST). Electronic technician and civilian pilot George M. Allender sighted from the ground a large 350 to 500 ft size delta-wing or flying wing type aircraft in the NW headed towards him at about 2,500 to 4,000 ft altitude and about 2,500 ft ground distance. No exhaust, no smoke, no markings, no visible means of propulsion. Object climbed vertically about 34,000 ft in 20 secs to 38,000 ft, then accelerated ahead of a flight of about 7 jets (possibly F86’s) flying SE from his NW at about 600 mph, then object dove about 37,000 ft in 12 secs to about 1,000 ft altitude. Object could almost hover motionless and reach speeds of 2,000 mph. 4-5 mins. (Sparks)

Feb. 6, 1955; New Zealand
A brightly-lit silvery cigar-shaped craft moved at a high velocity and losing altitude, shortly after which an explosion was heard over an area of several hundred square miles (FSR, 1955, May, p. 6, Franz Nentwich).
 
Feb. 7, 1955; Harrisburg, Penna. (BBU)

10:18 a.m. Flying Tiger pilot saw a brilliant object flash off to the S. (Project 1947)

Feb. 10, 1955; Bethesda, Maryland (BBU 3427)

10:03 p.m. E. J. Stein, model maker at U.S. Navy ship design facility, saw an object, shaped like a small portion of the bottom of the Moon, with a radiant yellow color, hover for 30 seconds. The bottom changed to a funnel shape. (Berliner)

Feb. 11, 1955; Ryukyu Islands, S Japan (BBU)
7:15 p.m. local. USAF MATS crew flying C-124 transport saw a yellow or amber object shaped like a Jack o lantern flying at 25,000' and 1,000 mph. (Project 1947) All we have is the Project Record Card and "case missing". "Considering reliability of crew and good weather conditions, evaluations considered unknown, Duration and other factors missing and case carried as insufficient data." (Project 1947)

Feb. 11, 1955; Miama to New York
Pan American Airways flight saw two reddish-green objects speed past under wing. [UFOE, V]

Feb. 14, 1955; Green City, Missouri (BB)
5:15 p.m. CST. A civilian witness reported that a disc-shaped object, 100' in diameter and 12' thick, hovered at 500'. This object, complete with "windows", would be classified as a flying saucer, and in 1955 was suuposed to be investigated by Project Blue Book. It was reported to the Air Force as the UFOB Index Card shows. "The observer was driving a vehicle at the time of sighting and estimated that he was one mile from the object at this time. Due to the brevity of sighting (20-25 secs), the delay in the receipt of the preliminary report at this Headquarters, and, therefore the improbability of investigation turning up more valuable information, no subsequent investigation was directed." (BB files, Dan wilson)

Feb. 17, 1955; Blackstone, Virginia (BBU)

USAF pilot in flight saw an extremely large light-blue object at 35,000 ft. (Project 1947)

NARA-PBB1-123 - (Unredacted) March Sightings
NARA-PBB1-124 - (Unredacted) more March Sightings

March, 1955 Branch Hill, Ohio
04:00 a.m. Robert Hunnicutt, a businessman, saw three men kneeling on the side of the road. They were about 1 m tall, had gray skin, and wore tight-fitting gray clothes. They had a froglike face, long slender arms, normal eyes, but no eyebrows. One of them held a dark object (emitting blue flashes) between his raised arms. Hunnicutt tried to go near but "must have lost consciousness," because he found himself driving to the police station without remembering what took place in the meantime. (Stringfield; FS May., 61; Sanderson 147)

March, 1955; Nr. Los Angeles, California
Bt. 10:00 PM & Midnight. Duty officer in the radar van of an M-33 Radar/90 MM Antiaircraft Artillery battery site in Baldwin Hills reservoir area just southwest of Los Angeles and north of Inglewood. "During an alert for an unidentified aircraft in the SE area, a strong return was spotted at maximum range due west over the ocean, moving due east. Return moved within track radar acquisition range, and was locked on. Estimated speed of approach 2,000 mph, prior to lock-on. At estimated 10-15,000 yards, target made abrupt turn to port, breaking track lock-on, and moved rapidly north out of range. Intensity of the blip in­dicated a vehicle equal to a larger than the largest commercial aircraft. No known air­craft could perform the turn that the blip described on the PPI scope. The turn was made within a few seconds of track radar lock-on--- ­no time to verify speed. Speed estimated by travel between returns based on search radar sweep time. Calculations verified by radar operator on duty---­he also saw return on scope. Sighting not reported te Area Control until after off-screen. Thought might be system failure. Heard nothing more from A.C."  (Source: Schuessler, John F. "Unusual Radar Tracking Reported." Skylook. #39. Feburary 1971)

March, 1955; SPAIN, between Montorn-es del Valles and La Roca (E-M)
Two adult males were driving when their car's motor failed. They got out, lifted the hood, then saw a grey metallic UFO about 250 meters away. It had a dome surrounded by a ring that reminded them of the planet Saturn. There were two humanoids in the dome. The UFO rose rapidly at a 45° angle and disappeared almost instantaneously. Their car could then be restarted. Scorched grass was later found. (Rodeghier, Catalog of 200 Type-1 UFO Events in  Spain and  Portugal, Ballester-Olmos)
 
March 2, 1955; Huntley, Illinois (BBU)
5:00 p.m. Car was followed by 3 elongated "balloons," each showing 8 red lights and about 20 ft long. (Vallée Magonia 362)

9:24 a.m. USAF SAC pilot flying B-47 saw a silver circular object on a steady course S fading in the distance. (Project 1947)

March 20, 1955; Johnson AFB, Tokyo, Japan (BBU)
4:21 p.m. CPS-1 air traffic control radar of the USAF 1954th AACS Sq, Johnson AFB, Tokyo RATCC, detected 4 unidentified targets due N at about 32 miles, then after adjusting manual scan found 16 unidentified targets in 6 separate formations N of base at ranges of about 20 to 28 miles, which slowly moved [about 50 mph] from radar scope azimuth 0° to 20° while heading about 145° over 10 mins until 4:31 p.m. F-86D was scrambled from Yokota AFB.......... (See full report)

March, on or about the 24th, 1955; Ryukyu Islands, Japan
2:30 p.m. The pilot of a private one-engine Beechcraft airplane experienced the following, according to Lorenzen and Lorenzen (1969, p. 65): at an altitude about 1,500 feet the pilot’s passenger (a student friend) alerted the pilot to a hat-shaped circular craft with “three window-like apertures in the ‘crown’ section;” the craft changed colour from white to orange and back to white again; the circular craft seemed larger than the Beechcraft; over the next few minutes, the craft flew over, in front of, and under the airplane; when the pilot decided to put the plane into a dive, the craft stayed with the plane; the plane’s instruments stopped working; the pilot did a steep right turn but the craft still accompanied the plane; when the plane’s engine began to stall the pilot called Naha Tower [Okinawa, Japan]; Naha Tower informed Kadena Air Force Base [near Okinawa], which sent up two jets, but by that time they arrived the craft was long gone; after the pilot landed at Okinawa, a report was made and the pilot and passenger were asked not to mention the incident again. (NARCAP, Project 1947, Franz Nentwich)

7:35/7:38 p.m. (PST) McGrath (GOC observer) and Brown. (McDonald list) A round silvery white object with red and green flashing lights was seen to rise vertically at a 45 degree angle . The 666th AC&W Squadron reported 8:15 p.m. (30/0415Z)  that they had a slow moving blip in that area, but for only a few sweeps of their radar. The area was searched thoroughly by two F-51 aircraft but without results. (Dan Wilson)

Mar. 30, 1955; near Tucson, Arizona (E-M)
3:15 a.m. Andy Florio sighted a "disc machine" at least 100 feet in diameter. It made the sound of "electrical humming" and had bluish-green lights on its top, and amber lights from openings on the rim. Florio stopped his car when the radio failed, the lights dimmed, and the car slowed involuntarily to 12-15 mph. The UFO swayed back and forth while hovering and shot a beam of white light at the witness, burning his elbow and bubbling paint on the car. Florio also felt heat and a tingling sensation. Eventually the UFO departed, and when the car was checked, it was found to have a defective battery, dead radio, and only three spark plugs still firing. (Rodeghier, CUFOS)



April, 1955; northern Rhodesia
A flying saucer followed a car driven by Army veteran D. Clarke (Flying Saucer Review, 1955, May, p. 2, Franz Nentwich).

April 8, 1955; Rockford, Illinois
GOC members, on watch, witnessed a UFO near their post and sent in a report to the Filter Center in Chicago. Within minutes, jets were up on an intercept mission, and, according to them, fired on the mysterious object, causing it to explode. Before the explosion, however, GOC reported that a smaller round object shot out of the side of the parent device, then, in horizontal flight, passed up the jets, after which it was seen to turn on edge and disappear straight up into the sky.


Apr. 22, 1955; Tintinara, South Australia
07:45 hrs (CST). Driving with two companions, a man looked to his right and at 5 deg. elevation saw an object in the sky. Stopping the car, he got out, as the object approached and crossed the road 100 yards behind the car. The object at its closest, was a silver, aluminum like, sphere, 10 feet in diameter, surrounded by a flat flange making the overall diameter 30 feet. This flange was bright red in color. The object moved smoothly and silently at 15 m.p.h., with the flange horizontal. There were no markings, and no portholes. It then travelled east, parallel to the road. Once it got to 500 yards distance, he got back in the car and followed it. It accelerated. He got up to 70 m.p.h. in the car and followed it for 15-20 miles and couldn’t catch up with it. Twenty minutes after first seeing it, he stopped the car and last saw the object at 45 deg. elevation, climbing rapidly. (Keith Basterfied; reported to the Australian Flying Saucer Research Society [AFSRS] by the driver. AFSRS “Australian Saucer Record.” Second Quarter, 1955. Vol. 1, No. 2, p.8.)






May 23 [23-24?], 1955; Cheyenne, Wyoming (BBU 3565)