UFO Sighting Report - 2 July 1965, South of Capetown, South Africa

On 2 July 1965, at approximately 0215 SAST, the Second Officer and Master of the South African research ship 'R.S.A.' observed an unidentified object while in transit from Durban to Cape Town. The object was described as having the shape and size of a small orange, appearing blue-white in color. It was first observed bearing SSW, moving slowly in a horizontal direction from west to east at an altitude of approximately 35 degrees. After moving for about five seconds, the object became stationary for one second, turned a light orange color, and then exploded. No sound was heard, and the explosion was estimated to have occurred approximately 50 nautical miles from the vessel. The weather conditions were reported as cloudless with good visibility. The sighting was formally reported to the U.S. Defense Attache Office in Pretoria, which subsequently forwarded the information to the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) at Wright-Patterson AFB under Project 10073. The FTD attempted to evaluate the report but found the sighting to be 'unidentified.' NASA was consulted regarding potential research activities, such as 'Sodium Shots,' but they confirmed no such activity took place on that date. NASA further noted that a Soviet rocket body (1965 30C) decayed from orbit on the same day, though the timing (0342 GMT) did not align perfectly with the sighting. Ultimately, the official conclusion remained that the object was likely a meteor, though the documentation reflects the difficulty in obtaining further details due to the delay in reporting.