Phantom reef incident off San Francisco
On November 24, 1947, the Navy sent the survey ship MAURY to investigate reports of a huge object in the water about 400 miles west of San Francisco. The ship detected an echo 1600 yards away that vanished when they approached to within 400 yards.
“THE PHAN'IOM REEF - On November 24, 1947, the Navy denied that it had found a phantom reef or other obstruction to navigation at a point about 4oO miles west of San Francisco. TM Navay Survey ship MAURY, s ent out there in r esponse to reports of ships that some hugh object had been seen in the water in that neighbo rhood , reported that when in the approximate 1 titude and long:1.tu:ie of the supposed obstruction they picked up an echo from soll8t hing in the wa+.er 16oo yards f rom the ship; but that Tfhen they had steamed to within 4oo yards of thi s, the echo vanished.”
Verbatim from DOW-UAP-D088.pdf · View original on war.gov
Case details
- Date
- 1947-11-24
- Date exactness
- Known to the day
- Location
- approximately 400 miles west of San Francisco, Pacific Ocean
- Country
- United States
- Branch
- USN
- Unit
- MAURY (survey ship)
- Sensors
- radar
- Size
- Huge object
Resolution
Radar echo detected at 1600 yards vanished when ship approached to 400 yards; no phantom reef found
Source document
Quote checked against the original file.
This sighting
approximately 400 miles west of San Francisco, Pacific Ocean / 1947
- DOW-UAP-D088.pdf — Written report of this sighting