Shaw AFB, S. C., July 1953July 1953

On the night of July 2, 1953, two military observers stationed near Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina watched three circular objects move across the sky. The largest object glowed with a bright white light and emitted a streak of light similar to an airplane's vapor trail. Two smaller objects, which appeared colorless, traveled near this light streak. The witnesses watched the display for roughly two hours, starting around 2:00 a.m.

The larger object initially hung low in the sky near tree-top level, then climbed steeply upward to about 45 degrees above the horizon in less than 30 seconds. The smaller objects moved off toward the north-northwest at a lower angle. The light streak covered about 70 degrees of the sky. Except for the large object, which bobbed and hovered slightly, the objects remained relatively still during the observation.

The observers were military personnel stationed at Shaw Air Force Base. They described the large object as roughly the size of a 50-cent coin held at arm's length, with the proportion of what they called a "disc" 60 inches in diameter compared to a 10-cent coin. Both witnesses agreed on what they saw, and they ruled out the possibility that the objects were stars or planets. The weather was clear and calm, with no meteorological conditions that might explain the sighting.

Air Force officials questioned whether the objects could have been astronomical phenomena. The observers stated they were not. No aircraft were operating in the area at the time, and no physical evidence or photographs were collected. The case file does not indicate a final conclusion about what the objects were. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 8 pages.