Project 10073 Record Card and Naval Message regarding UFO sighting, 2 Nov 61

On November 2, 1961, at 030458Z, personnel aboard the USS DURANT observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon while performing navigation duties. The witnesses, identified as highly reliable officers including the Executive Officer, an OOD, and a Lieutenant Commander, observed a single, round, white object that appeared to be the size of a pinhead. The object was tracked visually for approximately ten minutes using the naked eye and a navigator's sextant. The sighting occurred at coordinates 21.15N 170.15W under partly cloudy weather conditions with unlimited ceiling and ten-mile visibility. The object was described as appearing to orbit. Following the report, the sighting was evaluated under Project 10073. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency was that the object was the Echo I satellite. Calculations indicated that Echo I crossed the equator heading northeast at 193.44W at 0450Z, making it visible to the witnesses at the reported location and time of 0458Z. No photographs were obtained during the event, and no radar contact was reported.