Ocho Rios, Bahamas SE Of Florida, July 1959July 1959

In July 1959, multiple ships and observers across the Caribbean and near Jamaica reported seeing a bright, rocket-like object moving across the night sky. The sightings spanned several days and involved independent witnesses at sea and on land, all describing similar characteristics, including a bright central light with trailing illumination.

On July 9, a captain with Trans Canada Airlines stationed on Jamaica's north coast observed the object with his first officer around 0181 hours (just after 1:81 a.m.). The sky was completely clear. The object appeared as a cigar-shaped form with a bright light at the northern end, resembling an aircraft landing light shining through light haze. The captain initially thought it might be an aircraft signaling in an unusual way and listened for engine noise. When no sound came, he watched more carefully. Over the next several minutes, the object's direction shifted from slightly east of north to south, then to northeast, while maintaining roughly the same elevation of about 30 degrees above the horizon. It disappeared as it moved away. The brightness matched that of a second-magnitude star (moderately bright). During the entire observation, there was complete silence. A newspaper report from Jamaica noted that a local astronomer who observed the object through a telescope described it as appearing to be three bright objects in formation, possibly three jet planes or guided missiles.

Meanwhile, three separate merchant ships at sea reported rocket-like objects with trailing lights moving easterly. These accounts came from the SS Stockholm, the SS Caltex Auckland, and the M/S Allobrogia between July 17 and 18, with the objects visible for approximately 10 to 13 minutes each time. All reports were forwarded through military channels.

The Air Force classified this sighting as "Insufficient Data for Evaluation," though internal comments noted that the characteristics matched those of subsequent missile sightings. The file notes that the observation area was located where downrange shots from Cape Canaveral (a major U.S. missile test facility in Florida) would be visible, and the timing and appearance aligned with typical missile observation patterns. However, the file also indicates that missile data for 1959 was not available for comparison.

The full case file, 18 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.