Sighting Report — Seal Beach Naval Depot, California, 31 December 1953

This document is a military sighting report detailing an incident that occurred on December 31, 1953, at 1930Z at the Seal Beach Naval Depot in California. A civilian witness reported observing a silver, bright object reflecting light, which was traveling north at high speed at an estimated altitude of 30,000 feet. The report notes that the object appeared to divide into two sets of two before disappearing into the haze. The weather conditions at the time were described as clear with a visibility of approximately 20 miles. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency, March Flight Service, suggests that the object was likely a rocket or missile. This conclusion was based on a probable correlation with another report filed 45 minutes earlier, though the investigators noted that the two observations were treated as separate events due to differences in time and direction of flight. The document includes administrative notes indicating that the sighting was processed by March Air Force Base operations. No physical evidence or photographs were associated with the report.