Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Message — USS Skywatcher Sighting, 16 November 1959

This document comprises a Project 10073 record card and an associated incoming Air Force staff message regarding an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sighting reported on November 16, 1959. The incident occurred at 0440Z, involving a single object observed by personnel aboard the USS Skywatcher, a picket ship located 320 miles east of Manteo, North Carolina. The object was described as tear-drop shaped, greenish in color, and approximately the size of a pea, leaving a smoky trail. It was observed at an altitude of 2,500 feet, moving in a southward direction with a downward flight path. The observation lasted between one and one and a half hours. The witnesses, identified as P. N. Frederick (Standby Lookout) and A. P. Narvesan (Security Watch), provided conflicting initial interpretations, with one suggesting it was a shooting star and the other a flare. The report, prepared by SSGT Donald E. Woods of the New York Air Defense Sector (ADS) Intelligence Division, notes that there was no correlation between the sighting and any known or suspected objects. Furthermore, no surface or air contacts were made that could have produced a flare, and a telephonic inquiry with the CINCLANT duty officer confirmed no activity at the Wallops Island test area. Despite the lack of correlation, the official conclusion recorded on the project card states that the description and duration were typical of a meteor. The document includes detailed meteorological data for the area at the time of the sighting, provided by Detachment 4 of the 12th Weather Squadron.