[ILLEGIBLE], October [ILLEGIBLE]Date unknown

In October 1958, a captain commanding a refrigerator ship observed an unusual object floating in the Gulf of Campeche, Mexico. The object was approximately 4 feet in diameter with about 4 feet extending above the water. It featured a silver-colored rod roughly 2 feet long protruding from the top, and a transparent window in its nose through which wiring and electrical couplings were visible. The object was painted red and appeared to have suffered corrosion or surface damage from prolonged water exposure.

The U.S. Air Force launched an investigation after learning of the sighting. Two officers traveled to Brownsville, Texas, to interview the ship captain but found him at sea. They contacted the U.S. Coast Guard and the Eighth Naval District in New Orleans for information. The Coast Guard cutter "Kimball" conducted an 87-hour search of the area between October 15-19 with radar equipment but found nothing. However, investigators learned that the Coast Guard had recently anchored three new-type weather buoys in the Gulf along the 25th parallel of latitude at different longitudes. Officials believed one of these buoys had broken free from its moorings due to severe storm activity and strong currents in the area and had drifted to where the ship captain observed it.

The captain's father, interviewed by phone, provided additional details. He said his son had seen what resembled an automobile tire or inner tube attached to the top of the object. The son thought the object "had something to do with weather" but was frightened by it and would not bring it into port for fear it might explode. Investigators attempted radio contact with the ship but were unsuccessful due to the limited range of their radio equipment.

The Air Force concluded the object was probably a new-type weather reporting buoy that had broken free from its anchor and drifted into the area. The appearance of the buoy correlated closely with the captain's description, and the Coast Guard was investigating whether one of the three buoys had actually broken loose as suspected. The full case file spans 36 pages as held by the National Archives.