Project 10073 Record Card — Bermuda, 3 July 1954

On the night of July 3, 1954, a B-36 aircraft crew monitoring thunderstorm activity over the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda observed a series of unusual radar returns on their scope. The radar operator, a veteran with ten years of service and 3,500 flying hours, reported seeing a clear, well-defined formation of seven stationary objects, which at times appeared as eight. The objects were described as circular and clustered together. The crew performed equipment checks to rule out malfunctions and confirmed the returns were not due to radar interference or cloud formations. Photographs of the radar scope were taken to document the incident. The radar operator noted that this was the most peculiar return he had encountered in his career. Following the incident, an inquiry was directed to the U.S. Navy to determine if any naval activity was present in the area. The Navy confirmed that the radar returns corresponded to a U.S. Navy vessel, identified as the USS Mindora, which was traveling in company with six destroyers and one submarine. The task force was en route from the Mediterranean area to a U.S. base. The incident was formally closed with the conclusion that the objects were U.S. Navy ships. The documentation includes the original Project 10073 record card, correspondence between the Air Technical Intelligence Center and the 19th Air Division, and multiple photographs of the radar scope showing the returns.