Pacific Ocean - Unknown

Five UFOs sighted by a U.S. Navy destroyer in 1966 execute a 90 degree turn and speed off at what was considered light speed.

In mid January (15-20,)*, 1966, while enroute to Guam aboard the U.S.S. Wedderburn (DD-684), I was the Quartermaster of the Watch (QMOW)(Asst. Navigator) on the midwatch (0000-0400) Midnight to 4AM. I was using my 7 X 50 binoculars scanning the clear sky and enjoying the “dome effect.” We were on Independent Steaming heading for Guam as part of our WestPac assignment. I initially sighted a formation of five white lights in a vee formation at 90 degrees overhead. Our course was approximately 250 degrees. The formation was very high at satellite level approximately. I “chewed out” the lookouts above me for not reporting them. I contacted CIC (combat-information center) to see what they had on radar. These objects were moving slowly heading in the same direction towards Guam so I assumed maybe it was flight of aircraft. I immediately logged in the sighting in the ship’s log, standard procedure. At this point CIC contacted Guam Air force base to see what aircraft they had coming in, standard Navy procedure. By now, one to three minutes had passed both Officer of the Deck (OOD) and the Junior OOD were observing the objects along with the Boatswain’s Mate of the watch (BMOW) and the two lookouts. Guam radioed back that they had no aircraft returning and to check with Tachikawa Air Force base in Japan to see what they had in the area. They in turn suggested we contact British radar in Hong Kong to see who might be in the area. All the responses were negative, at least five minutes had passed. (We were in a flurry of activity). As we observed this formation it suddenly conducted a 90 degree turn, without hesitation and literally “took off’ they disappeared in a blur! I was calling out, “Dead reckoning” to establish where they might have gone. We all lowered our binoculars slowly and looked at each other. I asked the OOD, who at that time was the Operations Officer and a very serious individual, “What was that speed Sir, Mach 25, 30, light speed?” My next question was how was I to log that in officially? He looked at us and stated: “Gentlemen, I believe we would call those UFOs” then he looked at me “Quartermaster log it as we saw it.” So in the ship’s log, I stated that the five objects in a vee formation executed a 90 degree turn without hesitation heading South at an extremely high speed, Mach speed unknown. Witnesses consisted of the two officers, two lookouts the BMOW, the messenger of the watch, our sound-phone man and myself.

I stated “satellite level” due to the fact we were aware of the “Echo” satellite at that time and we knew where and when it would be over us. We often used it as ruse while training officers in using a sextant, claiming it was an “important fast moving star” vital to our position. Satellites never change course. That ship’s log disappeared. I know this because I was in charge of storing logs that were filled and I wanted to keep that particular page for myself as evidence. So when I went to the storage area on the ship to retrieve the log it was gone, someone had “removed” it.


((NUFORC Note: Witness indicates that the date of the event is approximate. PD))