Project 10073 Record Card — Bear Island, Maine, 13 May 1955

On May 13, 1955, at 1635Z, a civilian ground observer named Glendon Rae reported an unidentified aerial phenomenon near Bear Island, Maine. The witness described the object as having no particular shape, appearing silver and metallic, and leaving a short vapor trail before an explosion occurred. The witness reported no sound and noted the object was at a very high altitude. Following the report, the 765th AC&W Squadron at Charleston, Maine, scrambled two interceptors from the 49th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at 1735Z. The interceptors were airborne by 1743Z but failed to sight anything in the area. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center was that the sighting correlated with a training exercise involving Strategic Air Command aircraft using flares. Despite this official correlation, internal notes from Joseph H. Byrne expressed a sentiment that the object was not a military or commercial aircraft. The smoke from the event was reported to have remained visible for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.