Off North Coast Labrador, September 1960September 1960

On September 23, 1960, two ships off the north coast of Labrador reported seeing a large cylinder-shaped object descend toward the ocean. The witnesses were crew members aboard the Canadian vessels Algareff and Gannet. The object was said to be bigger than an airplane, with five porthole-like lights running along its side.

According to the reports, the object moved in an east-west direction and dropped toward the water at an angle. It then disappeared beneath the surface. The crew of the Gannet reported seeing the object at a 45-degree angle, and the Algareff observed it at approximately 213 degrees. Both sightings placed the object roughly 19 miles away from the ships. After the object entered the water, the crew noticed a disturbance in the ocean directly below where it had gone down.

The Department of Transport sent the ship Nanaod to search the area near the reported sighting. The Nanaod arrived at 2217Z (10:17 p.m. in local time) but found nothing and returned to its anchorage. Weather conditions at the time were clear, with visibility of 20 miles or more, and ceilings were unlimited. No aircraft were reported in the area. Captain Clyde H. Wells, the senior controller at Goose Air Defense Sector, concluded in his official opinion that something real had been in the area, since the object was seen from two different positions.

The Air Force's analysis noted that the object had meteor-like characteristics. The case file states that "there is no data available which gives reason to believe it was anything other than a meteor." However, the file does not provide additional explanation for how a meteor observation led to this conclusion. The full case file, consisting of 7 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.