Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Portland, Maine, September 16, 1952

On September 16, 1952, at approximately 1822 EDT, a US Navy P2V aircraft from VP Squadron 26, while in the vicinity of Portland, Maine, sighted two unidentified objects. The crew, including pilots LT J.M. Boak and LT C.G. Prentiss, reported that the objects were flying in a southerly direction. The formation consisted of a large, dark upper object with no visible lights and a lower object featuring four or five lights arranged in a circle. The visual sighting was verified by the aircraft's APS-31 radar, which displayed the targets as a single line rather than two distinct pips. The crew observed the objects for approximately 20 minutes. When the P2V attempted to close in for a better view, the objects reportedly took evasive action, accelerating to 300 knots before decelerating rapidly. The contact was eventually broken off near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at approximately 2010 EDT. The incident was reported to the VP Squadron intelligence officer, LT Britt, the following morning. Subsequent investigations by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and the 32nd Air Division sought to determine if the sighting was a misidentified Strategic Air Command (SAC) refueling operation. Correspondence between ATIC and the 301st Air Division revealed that two KC-97 tankers (5-1243 and 5-1262) were in the general area at the time. However, significant discrepancies in the reported times and flight paths of the tankers compared to the P2V's observations led to continued uncertainty. The P2V crew maintained that the objects did not behave like a standard refueling operation. The investigation included detailed question-and-answer sheets, radar sketches, and visual descriptions provided by the crew, who were noted for their extensive flying experience and reliability. Despite the thorough documentation, the nature of the objects remained unresolved, with the final evaluation suggesting that while a refueling operation was a possibility, the evidence was inconclusive.