44.54 N 49.30 W (Atlantic), May 1954May 1954

In May 1954, a military pilot flying over the Atlantic Ocean spotted what he thought were unidentified objects in two V-shaped formations. The sightings occurred at coordinates 44 degrees 54 minutes north, 49 degrees 30 minutes west, roughly 600 miles east of Newfoundland. The pilot reported the objects were heading south and estimated their altitude at around 2,000 feet.

The Air Force quickly moved to investigate. An intercept was attempted, but neither ground control radar made contact. The pilot radioed his observations to Harmon Airways, and the report was relayed by telephone to the 64th Air Division's air defense command center. Investigators requested a check of flight plans to see if the objects might be correlated with known aircraft.

Within hours, military personnel gathered more details. A C-54 transport plane with pilot Lt. Russell and crew confirmed the sighting. The objects appeared as seven surface vessels arranged in two formations, each with three ships in a V-shape, plus one vessel trailing separately. All were heading roughly southeast at 157 degrees. The ships looked to be the same type, possibly tankers or freighters, and were lit at the bow and stern. The aircraft passed to the rear of the formation at 2,050 feet, heading 315 degrees, in clear weather.

Naval authorities in Argentia, Newfoundland, provided the final answer. On May 10, 1954, Navy personnel located eight fishing boats in the area. The boats were positioned between 42 and 44 degrees north latitude, 53 to 54 degrees west longitude. They were traveling at a true course of 153 degrees at 5 knots, ranging from 133 to 333 feet in length and 1,383 to 7,833 tons in displacement. They were operating out of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Air Force concluded the unidentified objects were surface fishing vessels. The case file, held by the National Archives, spans 10 pages.