Project 10073 Record: Sighting Report - Annapolis, Maryland, 13 April 1954

This document is a formal report under Project 10073 concerning a UFO sighting that occurred on 13 April 1954 near Annapolis, Maryland. Three civilian witnesses, including two women in an automobile on US Route 2 and a military officer flying over the Chesapeake Bay, reported observing three objects at tree-top level. The witnesses described the objects as having a mushroom or circular shape, resembling a steering wheel, with a 'musty dull yellowish color.' The objects were observed in a diagonal formation, one above the other, for a duration of 10 to 15 minutes. The witnesses reported that the objects appeared to tilt, becoming flat, and eventually produced a blinding flash before appearing to explode. The report includes detailed weather data and wind conditions at various altitudes. Following an investigation by base operations at the Annapolis Naval Air Facility, it was determined that a radio transmission tower was under construction in the immediate vicinity of the sighting. Welding operations were being conducted at three different heights on the tower at the time of the observation. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating authorities was that the reported phenomenon was caused by these welding flashes, which created an optical effect at surface level that the observers interpreted as the described objects.