Unidentified Aerial Object Sighting — Congaree AFB & Shaw AFB, South Carolina, 5 March 1953

On 5 March 1953, at approximately 1545 EST, an unidentified aerial object was observed visually by the Assistant Director of Security at the Savannah River Project in South Carolina. The object was described as a silver, crescent-shaped craft, hovering over a river. It produced no sound, trail, or exhaust. The sighting lasted for approximately one hour. Following the initial report, the 727th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Congaree AFB was notified. Radar operators picked up an unidentified plot at 1707 EST, approximately 65 miles southwest of Congaree. The object was tracked at an estimated altitude of 20,000 feet and a speed of 200-220 mph. An F-51 aircraft was scrambled for interception but failed to make contact. Later, a second detachment at Camden, South Carolina, tracked the object using an AN/TPS-13 radar. The object was observed to reverse direction, head northwest, then east, and finally fade at 115 miles from the Camden station. An F-80 aircraft was also scrambled for interception but was unsuccessful. The radar operators, S/Sgt Buford J. Kelley, S/Sgt Neil Braden, and S/Sgt John C. Hayes, were considered reliable and experienced. Weather conditions were reported as VFR with thin broken clouds at 25,000 feet. Despite the extensive tracking and interception attempts, no physical evidence was recovered. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) reviewed the reports and concluded that the object was possibly an aircraft. The documentation includes detailed statements from the radar operators, radar plots, and correspondence between the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing and ATIC regarding the incident.