Project Blue Book Case File
Bremerton, WashingtonFebruary 1953
Summary
On February 18, 1953, a white object the size of a large aircraft appeared just above the horizon near Seattle and Bremerton, Washington. The object bore a bearing of 270 degrees from a position at approximately 47 degrees 33 minutes north latitude and 122 degrees 63 minutes west longitude. A civilian named C.S. Copeland reported the sighting from Bremerton, and Lieutenant Commander Gareis, the staff duty officer for the 13th Naval District in Seattle, also observed it.
The object remained perfectly still throughout the observation. It did not move, change course, or maneuver. No sound or exhaust trail was reported. The time of the sighting was approximately 1600Z (4 p.m., in military Zulu time, which measures time in Greenwich Mean Time). No photographs or physical evidence was collected.
The U.S. Air Force's Technical Intelligence Center received the report through military channels. No fragments were recovered, no interception was attempted, and no other aircraft were reported in the area at the time. The Air Force designated the case as unidentified, meaning its investigators could not determine what the object was.
The complete case file, consisting of 7 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.
Reported location
Bremerton, Washington
Date of incident
February 1953
State / country
WA / US
Page count
7 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 17