Dark triangle shape with v-shaped lights over the St Johns River.
I'm a Captain of a tugboat and was returning to my dock after finishing a job. I was heading outbound on the St Johns River entering Trout River Cut on a NE course.
The weather was poor all day with rain and wind and the weather at the time of this sighting not exactly perfect with rain squalls and wind.
As I turned into the cut I could make out one white light up ahead about a mile and a half off of my bow slightly to starboard. I figured it was probably a small vessel that I would keep an eye on. As I got a little closer I notice two lights, one on top of the other, like the mast lights of a tug with a tow so I gave a security call on my VHF with no response. I checked my radar but it was obscured with the rain and was, " all greened out".
The lights seemed to be stationary about a mile or so ahead of me and seemed to be at or just above water level.
About a minute later I was becoming concerned about having to meet a tow in this narrow channel in this kind of weather, so I decided to shine my spotlight at the lights. I did this to make the other vessel aware that I was heading in its direction and to also try and see if I could tell what kind of "boat" I was about to meet.
As soon as I hit the lights with my spotlight it made a Bee-line right for me at a pretty good pace. I immediately turned off my spotlight and thought " Oh great, I just blinded a Navy Helicopter pilot from Mayport".
But as the light came closer more white lights appeared kinda in a line with the center light brighter and the lights out to the side of it dimmer. I got this weird chill up my spine and thought "Holly Crap its a $@#!@^% UFO!"
It passed my tug down the starboard side at about a 40 degree upward angle. It was probably about 200 feet off of the water heading rapidly SW. As it passed I could make out a dark triangle silhouette with 6 to 8 white lights in a V shape on the underside. It was fairly large , about the size of a bus.
I watched as it passed and the silhouette against the low clouds looked almost saucer like from the back. In few seconds it was gone heading towards downtown Jacksonville. I never heard a sound.
I have ran tugs for a while and have never seen anything like this. I have never believed in little green men or any of that other stuff but this shook me up. I had 3 other crewmen on the tug with me but 2 of them where off watch and sleeping and my engineer was making his rounds.
It spooked me so much I had my engineer sit with me in the wheelhouse the rest of the trip. I did not tell him why, just that the weather was bad. He could tell I was shook up and I brushed it off for fear of him thinking I was seeing things.
I've heard other mariners say they have seen things but I always didn't really give it much mind until now.
As soon as I got home I went online to look for information and am amazed at all of the similar sightings. I now have a new prospective and I'm a little uneasy about what I might run across while I'm at sea.
((NUFORC Note: Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. We would very much like to communicate with this party. PD))
I'm a Captain of a tugboat and was returning to my dock after finishing a job. I was heading outbound on the St Johns River entering Trout River Cut on a NE course.
The weather was poor all day with rain and wind and the weather at the time of this sighting not exactly perfect with rain squalls and wind.
As I turned into the cut I could make out one white light up ahead about a mile and a half off of my bow slightly to starboard. I figured it was probably a small vessel that I would keep an eye on. As I got a little closer I notice two lights, one on top of the other, like the mast lights of a tug with a tow so I gave a security call on my VHF with no response. I checked my radar but it was obscured with the rain and was, " all greened out".
The lights seemed to be stationary about a mile or so ahead of me and seemed to be at or just above water level.
About a minute later I was becoming concerned about having to meet a tow in this narrow channel in this kind of weather, so I decided to shine my spotlight at the lights. I did this to make the other vessel aware that I was heading in its direction and to also try and see if I could tell what kind of "boat" I was about to meet.
As soon as I hit the lights with my spotlight it made a Bee-line right for me at a pretty good pace. I immediately turned off my spotlight and thought " Oh great, I just blinded a Navy Helicopter pilot from Mayport".
But as the light came closer more white lights appeared kinda in a line with the center light brighter and the lights out to the side of it dimmer. I got this weird chill up my spine and thought "Holly Crap its a $@#!@^% UFO!"
It passed my tug down the starboard side at about a 40 degree upward angle. It was probably about 200 feet off of the water heading rapidly SW. As it passed I could make out a dark triangle silhouette with 6 to 8 white lights in a V shape on the underside. It was fairly large , about the size of a bus.
I watched as it passed and the silhouette against the low clouds looked almost saucer like from the back. In few seconds it was gone heading towards downtown Jacksonville. I never heard a sound.
I have ran tugs for a while and have never seen anything like this. I have never believed in little green men or any of that other stuff but this shook me up. I had 3 other crewmen on the tug with me but 2 of them where off watch and sleeping and my engineer was making his rounds.
It spooked me so much I had my engineer sit with me in the wheelhouse the rest of the trip. I did not tell him why, just that the weather was bad. He could tell I was shook up and I brushed it off for fear of him thinking I was seeing things.
I've heard other mariners say they have seen things but I always didn't really give it much mind until now.
As soon as I got home I went online to look for information and am amazed at all of the similar sightings. I now have a new prospective and I'm a little uneasy about what I might run across while I'm at sea.
((NUFORC Note: Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. We would very much like to communicate with this party. PD))
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Off
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
Jacksonville
USA
3 min
3 min
30.30
-81.64
triangle
FL
Occurred : 12/17/2005 21:30 (Entered as : 12/17/05 21:30) Reported: 12/18/2005 10:13:06 PM 22:13 Posted: 2/14/2006 Location: Jacksonville, FL Shape: Triangle Duration: 3 min Characteristics: There were lights on the object
Dark triangle shape with v-shaped lights over the St Johns River.