Unidentified Flying Object; Report of sighting of DANFJORD

This document details an unidentified flying object sighting reported by the Second Mate of the Danish vessel DANFJORD on January 21, 1956. The vessel was located approximately 215 miles southeast of Bermuda at the time of the incident. The witness, a 35-year-old mariner with 15 years of sea experience, observed a round, star-like object that initially appeared to be a 'falling star.' The object hovered for one or two seconds before executing an abrupt right-angle turn to the north, moving at a high rate of speed without visible acceleration. During this maneuver, a long, flame-red tail, approximately five times the length of the object's body, became visible. The witness noted that while he had seen V-2 rockets during World War II, he had never observed a celestial or man-made object capable of such performance or the ability to transition from a star-like appearance to a rocket-like appearance. The weather was reported as clear with high visibility. The report was processed by the District Intelligence Officer of the Sixth Naval District and forwarded to the Office of Naval Intelligence, which subsequently transmitted the information to the U.S. Air Force. A Project 10073 record card associated with the report concludes that the sighting was likely a meteor, suggesting that the observed maneuvers and appearance were the result of atmospheric distortion, such as an inversion, and the burning phases of the object. The file includes a memo routing slip directing the report to be shown to J. Allen Hynek.