Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting of 18 December 1958

On December 18, 1958, at approximately 2315Z, a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon was reported by a USCG unit identified as 'TURMOIL 43'. The object was observed over the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 2.5 miles north of Marshallberg, North Carolina, at coordinates 34-46.5N 76-32.5W. The witness described the object as having a tapered shape, comparable in size to a 55-gallon oil drum when held at arm's length. It was reddish in color and left a red trail of fire estimated to be five miles long. The object was observed for 60 to 65 seconds, during which it traveled east, passed to the south of the observer, climbed at an angle of 15 to 20 degrees above the horizon, and eventually arced back toward the ocean. No sound was reported. The observation was made under clear weather conditions with unlimited ceiling and seven miles of visibility. The report was processed under Project 10073 and assigned reference number BW DOI 58-617. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the sighting was characteristic of a missile, with a specific suggestion that it might be related to NASA activity at Wallops Island. Consequently, the ATIC requested that Seymour Johnson AFB coordinate with organizations utilizing the coastal waters in that area to determine if any missile firings had occurred that could account for the sighting. The report notes that no interceptor identification action was taken, and two jet aircraft were observed bound inland 75 minutes after the sighting.