Project 10073 Record Card and Naval Message: Sighting by M/V CHENA, 23 October 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an associated naval message regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported on October 23, 1961. At 1430 hours, personnel aboard the M/V CHENA, located at 58.14N 143.55W in the Pacific, observed a single white flash in a northerly direction. The witnesses, identified as a pilot and an able seaman, reported that the flash had no tail and was observed while they were inside the wheelhouse. The weather conditions were described as dark and clear with good visibility and no clouds. The witnesses initially expressed concern that the flash might have been an atomic bomb detonated by the Russians. The report was processed through official naval channels, including CCGD Seventeen and various Pacific commands, and was subsequently evaluated by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC). The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency was that there was insufficient data to provide a definitive explanation for the sighting.