33.22N 165.44W PACIFIC, July 1962July 1962

In July 1962, sailors aboard the USS Wilhoite spotted what they described as a round, white object in the Pacific Ocean about 165 miles west of the Hawaiian Islands. The object resembled a second-magnitude star, meaning it was moderately bright in the night sky. The sighting occurred around 1857 hours (6:57 p.m.), when the object was first spotted at an altitude of 21 degrees above the horizon, bearing 220 degrees (roughly southwest). The crew continued to track it as it moved across the sky.

The officer of the deck and lookouts on the Wilhoite observed the object and reported the sighting. As the object traveled, its altitude and bearing changed. By 1027 hours the next day (early morning), the object's altitude had dropped to 14 degrees and its bearing had shifted to 76 degrees (roughly east). The object finally disappeared behind low clouds at 1105 hours. Sea conditions were calm, with waves only 2 feet high and cloud coverage at just 20 percent of the sky.

The ship's crew initially considered the object to be a satellite. The sighting was reported through multiple military channels, including the Navy command structure and the Air Force. A second message indicated the same object may have been sighted from another location at a slightly different position, 32 degrees 52 minutes north and 165 degrees 23 minutes west, and that it also disappeared behind clouds on July 12. The Air Force classified this case as unknown. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 7 pages.