An extraordinary close encounter near Exmouth: Sightings at US Navcommsta Harold E Holt - Part two

Hi all,

Introduction

In a previous post, I brought you two sightings from 1973 and 1981. This post presents details of what can only be described as an extraordinary close encounter, with photographs, and official intervention, near the base, at Exmouth, Western Australia, in 1992/1993.

This account, by a former Exmouth resident, is their own, first hand, written account of the incident. I have spoken to this individual by telephone; confirmed their identity, and listened to them recount their terrifying experience.

Naturally, if any blog reader can add anything further to what is given here, especially to identify the officials mentioned in this account, I would be delighted to hear from you via email to keithbasterfield@yahoo.com.au

 The event



"It was approximately end of 1992 beginning of 1993 and I was out with an American friend at the Harold  E Holt Naval Communications Base bar and grill having a few drinks. The base is about 6 kms on isolated roads from the actual town of Exmouth.

"Time got away from me and by the time, around 1.30am I left the base, Exmouth Taxi Service had stopped running for the night. At first I couldn't figure out what I was going to do and contemplated walking. Then an APS, Australian Protective Services/Federal Police Officer I knew as Brian sang out to me and offered me a ride back to Exmouth. Brian explained that him and his co-worker needed to do a security check of the surrounding area and would drop me home.

The location of the base - Courtesy Google maps



The object appears

"Brian introduced his co-worker as Kevin. All 3 of us piled into a short wheel base Toyota Land Cruiser that had a front bench seat. I was in the middle with Brian driving and Kevin in the passenger seat. We were driving along chatting for only about 1km when Brian announces "It's back Kev...Grab the camera." The whole time he is looking out the driver's window, while still driving, and straight up.

"I question what was back, as Kevin undid his seat belt and lent into the back of the car for the camera. Brian cups the back of my head and pushes me forward telling me to look up. Needless to say I did and sighted a strange looking craft following directly above the vehicle.

"It looked really close but I'm thinking it would have been 100-200 feet above the car. The craft looked diamond in shape with what I would describe as one end chopped off, very pointy front end and flat back. I could see different coloured lighting in symmetrical patterns on the underside.

"I started crying and shaking while Brian started shooting pictures of this craft. Kevin seemed just as scared as I was and just kept saying "What the hell is it?" I still kept leaning forward to see if it was there and Brian still kept shooting pictures for a matter of 2-3 minutes.

"Then all of a sudden the craft shot to the left of us at a speed faster than your eyes could move. It was lower down and keeping pace with the car. Brian was yelling at Kev to take the camera and shoot pictures but Kev was silent and seemed in shock.

"Next the craft shot up in the air, to the right of us and started to lower down to the ground in the bush. At this stage Brian had slowed the car to nearly a stop but Kevin and I were yelling at him to go.

"Brian was saying "No way we can get a good shot of this...I can get in there." I was hysterical and demanded to be dropped off. Brian sped to the edge of town and dumped me off where I high tailed it home. They turned the car around and headed back in the direction of the craft.

Map of NW Cape - courtesy Google maps

The aftermath

"I was terrified and didn't sleep all night. The next day I'm relaying the story to anyone that would hear me but everyone just laughed and asked how drunk I was, but I was not alone in what I saw, nor had I had much to drink.

"2 days after the incident I was working at a local cafe when 2 US Military Police walked up to the counter. They asked my manager if they could speak to me and then informed me I was wanted at the base. My manager looked at me and told me I better go with them. I asked what this was all about, assuming that a week before I had been out there partying and may have done something wrong, but at no stage did they actually answer me.

"When we turned into the base I just assumed we would stop at the APS building to check me in but they just waved us through like they were expecting us, not ever done as you had to produce ID to enter that base.

"We continued onto the base and then suddenly turned left into what I knew was the top secret part of the base, heavily surrounded by fencing. The gates automatically opened and we drove to the right towards a large solid looking building.

NW Cape  satellite view- courtesy Google maps

"By now I was scared and trying to figure out why the hell they would be taking me in there, still never thinking it had  to do with what we saw. We stopped at the front of the building and one of the MP's opened my door and signalled for me to get out. He then just said "Follow me maam."

"We entered a long hallway and walked about half way along when the other MP opened a door and held it for me. As I stepped into the room the first thing I saw was 3 men in black suits and about 4-5 US military men in very official looking uniforms. I also then  spotted Brian and Kevin and knew immediately what I was there for. They were sitting on chairs in the middle of the room and there was one spare between them both.

The interrogation



"The MP then told me to sit down and they left the room. I noticed that both Brian and Kevin had their heads down and looked like they had been there for a long time. One of the men in the official uniforms stepped forward and asked me if I had been in a vehicle with Brian and Kevin 2 nights prior, to which I answered yes. He then questioned me on what exactly I thought I had seen that night. I ran through the whole story with all of them just staring at me and taking notes.

"They asked me that same question several times, each time a different person asked "Are you 100% sure of what you seen that night?" I said yes. They started getting almost irate and kept saying "Well we think you saw a weather balloon and in  your head you think it was a UFO." I was getting angry and just kept saying "I was raised here, I have released weather balloon and that was no weather balloon we saw that night." But then, they would come back at me over and over telling me I didn't know what I was talking about and what I saw was indeed a weather balloon.

"I was arguing back and refusing to say that was what I saw. Brian, head still down, was quietly whispering to me to just agree with them. By this stage I was furious and turned to Brian and said "F*ck them Brian, you, Kev and I know we saw no f*cking weather balloon." Brian shut up then and I continued to argue with these officials about what I saw.

"Eventually, after a few hours it all went quiet and they whispered amongst themselves. After what seemed like forever they turned to me and said I could leave, but kept Brian and Kevin. I was then escorted back home by the same MP's who had picked me up.



Closer view of NW Cape - courtesy Google maps

Follow up with Brian

"I was furious at what had happened and just wanted to speak to Brian or Kevin as to why they didn't back me up in there. I also called my cousin who resided in Broome and told him what had happened as he was very interested in this kind of stuff. My cousin was coming down my way and asked if we could perhaps look Brian up when there as I knew Brian well but not Kevin so much. When my cousin arrived we went round to Brian's house, after I got his address from a mutual friend, and Brian came out the front to meet us.

"Brian stated that I truly needed to leave this alone or we will all be in serious trouble. He offered to tell my cousin and I what happened that day to Kev and him but asked that we come inside. He said that Kevin and him went back to the craft that night, left the vehicle and snuck up on this thing. He said they got lots of photos of it hovering a few feet above the ground. The next morning they took the pictures and got them instantly developed and started showing people. The day after they were called to the base and asked to bring the  pictures, negatives and camera with them. They were actually excited thinking they had made a major discovery. Hence they were taken into that room and drilled for hours.

"All their equipment was removed from them and they were threatened with disciplinary action if they told another person what they had seen. Right there was when Kevin evidently mentioned that I was in the car with them and they hit panic stations. They both ended up in serious trouble for taking me with them that night and it was forever banned that a civilian rode with them on security checks. Brain stated they took his pictures, negatives and even his camera. He said they were also later made to have some blood and health checks, thankfully I wasn't. He then asked me to please drop this as people can disappear for shit like this. I said to him I wouldn't promise to do that as I knew something was covered up that night."

The base - Naval Communications Station Harold E Holt - courtesy of Google maps

Sightings at or near US Navcommsta Harold E Holt - Part one

Hi all,

Introduction

In 1963 an agreement was reached between the Australian and United States governments to build a US Naval communications station, near what is now the town of Exmouth in Western Australia. It was opened in 1967 and originally titled US Naval communications station, North West Cape.



Courtesy Google maps

In September 1968 its name was changed to US Naval communications station Harold E Holt. From 1967 until October 1992, a US Naval Security Group Detachment was stationed at the base.

Up until 1974 it was staffed by United States personnel, but after that date became a joint operation  and officially designated NAVCOMMSTA Harold E Holt.

Courtesy Google maps

All US personnel were withdrawn in 1993. In 1999, all operations transferred to the Royal Australian Navy.

In July 2002, the Royal Australian Navy handed the base over to the Defence Material Organisation. It is currently operated under contract by Raytheon Australia.

1973

In about 1975, a UAP group based in Sydney, UFOIC, received ten pages of documentation relating to this sighting, directly from the RAAF. There were two handwritten witness statements, one sketch of the object, and two, three page completed RAAF unusual aerial sightings proformas. The sighting reports are attributed to a Bill Lynn and a Lt Commander Moyer.

Lynn

On Thursday 25 October 1973, at 1920 hours, a US Navy fire captain sighted an unusual object in the sky. \"At 1920hrs I was called by the P.O.W. to close the officers' club. I proceeded towards the club in the Fire Dept pick-up 488, when my attention was drawn to a large black object, which I at first took to be a small cloud formation, due west of Area "B"

Page of Lynn's proforma

While travelling towards the officers' club I couldn't help but be attracted by this object's appearance.

On alighting from pick-up 488, I stood for several minutes and watched this black sphere hovering. The sky was clear and pale green-blue. No clouds were about what so ever.

The object was completely stationary except for a halo round the centre which appeared to be either rotating or pulsating.

After watching it for approx. 4 mins, it suddenly took off at tremendous speed and disappeared in a northerly direction in a few seconds.

Lynn's sketch of the object

I consider the object to have been approx. 30ft in diameter, hovering at 1000ft over the hills due west of the base. It was black, maybe due to looking in the direction of the setting sun. No lights appeared on it at any time."

Lynn had been resident in Exmouth since 1968.On the proforma Lynn estimates that the object's angular elevation as 12 degrees and azimuth 270 degrees. This bearing was established by a compass after the sighting. His estimated angular size of the object was "2 inches plus halo at arm's length." There was no trail, exhaust, vapour or light noted. It was last seen north-west of Area "B," at azimuth 320 degrees. There was no associated sound at any stage.

Lt Commander Moyer

"I wish to report the sighting of a large, black airborne object at approximately quarter past seven (PM) last Thursday 25 Oct 1973.

Moyer's sketch of the object

I was travelling south on Murat Road, when I observed this object at a distance of approximately 5 miles to the west at an altitude estimated as 2000ft. After about 20-25 seconds the craft accelerated at unbelievable speed and disappeared to the north. The sky was absolutely clear at the time."

He estimated the accuracy of the time as plus or minus five minutes. He was travelling back to Exmouth at the time, a route he had taken twice a day for 21 months. The object was initially seen at an angular elevation of 20 degrees (plus or minus 5). He estimated its angular size as "Approx same as moon when high in the sky." Azimuth was 270 degrees. There was no associated sound. There was no trail, vapour, exhaust or light. It disappeared to the north at an estimated 45-50 degrees elevation and azimuth 345-350 degrees.

Research

I spoke by telephone to Sydney researcher Moira McGhee who was the person to whom the RAAF gave the copy documents about the case. I read the material written by Sydney researcher Bill Chalker in his 1996 book "Oz Files."

Melbourne researcher Paul Dean and I then conducted additional comprehensive research during 2013 which included locating the family of Bill Lynn.

Bill Lynn (on left) at the base in 1975

Lynn  turned out to be an Australian citizen employed by the US Navy as a fire fighter. Despite extensive searching during 2013/2015 no one has ever been able to locate Lt Commander Moyer. If any blog reader was based at the station in 1973; or lived in Exmouth in 1973, and can throw light on the identity of Lt Commander Moyer, please contact myself at keithbasterfield@yahoo.com.au

For details of our research findings, please take a look at the following links:

1. An initial "cold case" assessment.

2. Time check for the NW Cape incident.

3. Another anomaly with the NW Cape incident.

4. NW Cape incident - some further research notes.

5. William Gordon Lynn.

6. NW Cape - follow up questions.

The case remains an excellent example of  Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP.)

1981

 



The second sighting at US Navcommsta Harold E Holt surfaced in 2001 on Peter Davenport's National UFO Reporting Center in the USA. It was an anonymous report and has never been investigated, so caution needs to be exercised in reading it. However, for what it is worth:

"On an evening in 1981 I was driving north from the small town of Exmouth to the US Naval (navcomsta he holt) communications base to deliver a pizza to an employee of mine who was in the base hospital. We have very clear skies in Exmouth and I noticed what I took to be a very bright planet at about 11 o'clock high on the way out.

After making my delivery as I drove back into town I looked for the planet again but it wasn't there. I looked all round the sky and located it again at a very low elevation due east of me.

I pulled over and stood on the roof of my car so I could see over the surrounding scrub. What I observed was a white oval cross sectioned object with an orange coloured dome on top.

It continued to descend from about 20 degrees above the horizon down to the ground coming between myself and a range of hills about 6 kilometres from me. The area in which it came down is inaccessible under normal circumstances. It was not an airplane or helicopter and unfortunately no one else witnessed the event."

1990

 

In 2014 an anonymous contributor submitted the following, to the MUFON Case Management System, stating that it happened at Exmouth, Western Australia. 

 

"I can't tell you who I am, but I have been living with this event since 11 June 1990. I am ex-Australian military and was operating out of RAAF Base Learmonth  on the night mentioned at approx. 0208am myself and my patrol section were on a recon exercise patrol when we experienced something - a rifle section consists of 9 men. We were the only patrol out that night. The triangle craft was massive, at least tow football fields wide. I've seen a lot of aircraft in my lifetime but this scared the shoot out of me and my patrol. The object was black, with eight dull lights (white) on 2 edges of the craft with a red light in the centre. It gave off a low humming noise, like a sub woofer amp and moved slowly at first almost like a zeplin airship almost hanging still in the air. We were awe struck by this object, once it was spotted my section layed low on some dunes near the beach and watch for approx. 14 min when the object went from no purpose to rapidly moving south west for possible 5km out to sea and then vertical like a blur, we got a clear look at what we could and the area of coast is not populated and it was a clear night. I mentioned our experience to my flight Sargent when we returned to Learmonth, it was dismissed as a USAF Galaxy transport aircraft as we had  a few arriving in Learmonth to resupply y the Harold E Holt US Navy base during  the week. I can tell you it was no Galaxy. I confide to you as I struggle to this day to understand what it was we saw."

 

Notes:  

 

1.  There was a very interesting UAP report made dated 9 June 1987. I documented it in a blog post dated 18 August 2013. It is reported to have occurred at RAAF Base Learmonth. I provide the text below:

 

Sighting by SAS personnel: This is the only UAP report in Government files where the observers were members of the Special Air Services.

The case came to light in a memo dated 7 August 1987 from Major R A Hill, Intelligence Officer, The Special Air Service Regiment, Campbell Barracks, Swanbourne, Western Australia, to the Senior Operations Officer, No. 3 Telecommunications Unit, RAAF Base Pearce. It simply enclosed two Unusual Sightings reports by two SAS personnel.

These reports were then on forwarded by Squadron Leader B Biddington to Airlift Group Headquarters, RAAF Richmond. The memo read:

"1. Attached is documentation of an unusual aerial sighting made by two members of SAS during recent exercises at RAAF Learmonth. Of interest, and these are points that INTELO RIC may decide to follow-up are:

a. air-ground VHF comms on the night of the sighting (and on that night alone) were not achieved, and

b. that at least some of the crew of the 36 Sqn aircraft also observed the light but decided not to report their sighting.

2. This headquarters has no explanation for the phenomenon observed..."

The file contains report forms by the two SAS personnel.

Observer one:

"The light approached from the East towards the airstrip (as airstrip lights were turned on). It was moving in a zig-zag to the left and right of the axis. It was at about 5,000 AGL at this time, as it arrived over the airstrip (northern end). It went into a hover and remained stationary for some 6-7 minutes. The light was changing colour from white to amber. I was not able to see a shape other than a round light. The object then moved upwards into the light cloud but was still visible with binoculars. It then  moved in the direction of NE slowly at first then at a great speed."

This person's report form says that the date of the event was 9 June 1987, and the time between 1900 and 1910hrs (i.e. 10 minutes duration.) The weather conditions were given as "Wispy thin clouds at 10,000 AGL, nil ground wind, visibility good." It was first reported at 1600 metres 45 degrees east, and last seen at 45 degrees north-east at 800 metres. The UAP was said to a one, white, round light about 5 metres diameter which changed from a white colour to amber. There was no associated sound. Its speed was estimated as 200 kms plus, slowed down to 80kms.

The investigating officer's evaluation included:

""(word redacted) in the (word redacted) he is an apparently stable personality and a most reliable SNCO."

The investigating officer's evaluation of possible cause read, "Cause is unknown; the light was too far away to observe size and shape accurately and was brought to attention by the speed of its erratic zig-zag movements and its light. It would not appear to have been an aircraft. It is worth noting that it was also observed by the RAAF pilots of the aircraft in support who refused to report the incident."

Attached to the form was the following statement:

"On the night of 9 June 1987 I was tasked with setting up the DZ at Learmonth airstrip for a night freefall descent. I was the DZSO and I had a medic (redacted word) to assist me on the DZ

At 1855hrs we were situated on the western side of the runway directly opposite the civilian terminal. At this time we commenced to place the DZ lights for the descent and at 1900hrs the light was observed on its approach from the east.

The C130 aircraft involved with the activity was still on the ground and did not become airborne until 1915hrs. The object had disappeared by this time.

Once the aircraft was airborne I tried to establish communication on VHF. Communications were not established both on primary or alternative frequency. Two VHF radios were used and both had a fresh battery fitted. The C130 was at 10,000 feet and event when it flew directly over the strip communication was non-existent.

On completion of the activity I spoke to the pilot who was FLLT Watts of 36 Sqn RAAF on what had occurred. He also explained to me that the aircraft had tried to establish communication on VHF primary and alternative frequencies with no success.

This was the first time during the period 3-9 June 87 that communication from ground to air with the C130 was not obtainable."

Observer two:

The second observer was aged 26 and gave the same details as observer one. He said there was one bright, white light, round in shape, taking zig-zag movements initially. His narrative read:

" We noticed it while awaiting a RAAF plane. It came over the horizon moving a very erratic course (zig-zagging across the sky) until it arrived over the airstrip and went into a hover above us, where it stayed for several minutes. Before accelerating straight up at extreme speed. It was high in the sky and size and shape were hard to determine."

The investigating officer wrote:

"(name redacted) is a medic in the SASR RAP. He has no connection with any UFO organisation and is a stable well balanced soldier."
 .    

Continued in part two - an extremely unusual close encounter with government intervention.

Condensation trails passing in the moonlit night

Hi all,

Two of my recent blog post interests crossed over recently. Firstly, readers will be aware of my series of posts, about the work of colleague Paul Dean and I about the 25 October 1973 North West Cape incident. Secondly, I have been examining digital copies of the "Canberra Times" newspaper, held by the National Library of Australia (available up till 1992.)

Mystery aircraft:

Two civilian airline pilots reported seeing a mystery "object" leaving a condensation trail in the moonlit night sky, near Derby, Western Australia in the early hours of Monday 29 November 1982.

"The pilot of the Qantas aircraft, Captain Barry Roberts, told company officials yesterday that he had been flying at about 10,750 metres, when in the bright moonlight he noticed a newly formed condensation trail running from north-west to south-east. His aircraft was then over approximately the entrance to King Sound." ("Canberra Times" 30 Nov 1982, p.3.) This position put the aircraft at about 150 kilometres north-west of Derby.

Captain Roberts contacted Perth ATC who advised there was no other civilian aircraft in the area. The vapour trail was almost directly across the flight path of the Qantas jet which was flight QF2 from London, via Singapore to Sydney. The Qantas pilot estimated that the condensation trail was at a height of 11,400 metres.

"A few minutes later, according to a Department of Aviation spokesperson, the Singapore Airlines pilotadvised Perth that he too could see the condensation trail at about 12,300 metres but that the aircraft making it was not showing any running lights. The SIA pilot reported that the aircraft was heading north-east across air traffic route Amber 76. The Singapore Airlines aircraft was then 135 kilometres north-west of Derby." ("Canberra Times" 30 Nov 1982, p.3.)

Investigation:

The Department of Civil Aviation stated that apart from the Qantas and Singapore Airlines flights there were no known scheduled civilian aircraft in the area. "Department of Aviation officials were advised yesterday by defence authorities that none of their aircraft was in the Derby area at the time of the incident." ("Canberra Times" 30 Nov 1982, p.3.)

There was an ANZUS sponsored defence exercise in the area, called Sandgroper 82. However, all related air activity had ceased well before the Qantas and Singapore Airlines pilots reported the condensation trail.

Checks with the US Embassy in Australia revealed that a USAF "Starlifter" aircraft had passed through the airspace concerned. It had been on a flight to Alice Springs. However, it had passed through some 45 minutes before the two commercial aircraft. It was also flying the Amber 76 route.

The closest ATC or air defence radars were at Darwin and Perth, so there was no radar coverage to show what the cause of the condensation trail was.

It was reported that "A team of RAAF investigators was asked yesterday to interview the airline pilots over their reports..." ("Canberra Times" 1 Dec 1982, p.9.) It was also reported that "A senior specialist of the Bureau of Meteorology will make an urgent study of upper atmospheric winds...The study is part of an intensive investigation by the Department of Defence." ("Canberra Times" 3 Dec 1982, p.7.)

Winds at the height of the condensation trail were estimated as 110km/hr which would have quickly dissipated a fresh condensation trail.

Causes:

What was the object which had created the observed condensation trail? Speculation fell into three categories.

1. "...the possibility being actively investigated now are that it was a smuggling operation, though these tend to take place at low altitude..." ("Canberra Times" 3 Dec 1982, p.7.)

2. "...or a Soviet electronic surveillance machine returning from an Indian Ocean sortie." ("Canberra Times" 3 Dec 1982, p.7.)

"The aircraft could have been a Soviet reconnaissance aircraft- possibly a Tupolev -TU126...from its base at Da Nang..." ("Canberra Times" 30 Nov 1982, p.3.)

"The aircraft could have flown over the Australian-US Communications station at North-West Cape..." ("Canberra Times" 30 Nov 1982, p.3.)

3. " It is now suspected that the aircraft...was a privately owned jet..." ("Canberra Times 7 Dec 1982, p.10.)

However, the bottom line on identity was "RAAF investigators have not yet been able to establish the identity of an aircraft which passed close to two airliners near Derby, Western Australia on Monday morning last week." ("Canberra Times" 7 Dec 1982, p.10.)

Comment:

The fact that the RAAF were actively investigating the encounter, suggests to me that the most likely cause of the sighting of the unlit aircraft, was indeed a Soviet electronic surveillance aircraft. The fact that the four Canberra Times articles on the sighting were all written by Frank Cranston, Defence and Aviation correspondent only adds to my deductions.

Given the nature of the operations at the time at North-West Cape, it would be logical to suggest that the Soviets would wish to keep an eye/ear on the station.

I searched the Internet for any further information on this incident, but failed to find any.

References:

1. "Airline pilots report mystery aircraft over WA" "Canberra Times" 30 Nov 1982, p.3.
2. "Mystery aircraft not yet identified." "Canberra Times" 1 Dec 1982, p.9.
3. "Weather expert called in to study mystery air trails." "Canberra Times" 3 Dec 1982, p.7.
4. "Aircraft puzzle not solved." "Canberra Times" 7 Dec 1982, p.10.

Other items of interest:

1. On National Archives of Australia file series E1327, control symbol 5/3/Air Part 1, at folio 5 appears a report of sightings of unknown aircraft from the light house keeper at Cape Leveque, Western Australia. Keeper Weston, in December 1976 claimed that he had been "...asked by RAAF Darwin to keep a look out for Russian jets." The RAAF stated "...the presence of Russian aircraft is thought unlikely..."

2. The "Canberra Times" dated 6 January 1977, page 1, reported that a Russian research ship had been seen by RAAF Orion aircraft, off Scott Reef, Western Australia. It had apparently been refused permission to put into any Australian port. The newspaper article said that the Russian embassy had ordered the ship to leave Australian territorial waters.

The exclusion from Australian ports seems odd, unless perhaps the vessel was actually a Russian electronic surveillance ship.

North West Cape - follow-up questions

Hi all,

Subsequent to my last post on the 25 October 1973, North West Cape incident (click here) I posed a number of questions to Bill Lynn (Jnr.) and Kate (daughter of Bill Lynn Snr.) They have both kindly responded to  these questions. I set out the questions, and their responses, below. Please bear in  in mind, that at the time of the incident, Bill (Jnr.) was just 5 years of age, and Kate was 14 1/2 years of age. For those readers new to this topic, you might care to click here and read about what was, in 1973, a US Navy base on Australian soil.

Q1. Did your dad ever mention who he reported his sighting to?

Bill. "My reasonably firm understanding was that because he worked for the US Navy, he had to complete the official report to his superiors within the US Navy. The US Navy base was separate to the town and very much run by the US. There was very much an air of confidentiality of everything the Americans were doing in Exmouth, and dad obviously worked for them. Even as his son, there were not many times I went onto the base (during my 15 or so years living there,) and even then had to have special permission to enter onto the base. Over the years there has been a lot of speculation about what the US were doing in Exmouth. There were places that even my dad was restricted to enter (even in his position.) That is certainly one reason I was surprised to hear my dad's report had made it into the open hands of Australians/civilians."

Kate. "Dad reported this to the Security Commander on the base."

Q2. Did he ever say whether or not he was interviewed by anyone about his sighting?

Bill. "I am not sure, but cannot recall dad mentioning any interviews. In terms of any material matter he dealt with (particularly in relation to security or any other major incident) he had to complete a formal report and submit it. The US had very strict protocols about these type of things."

Kate. "No, he didn't say he was interviewed as such, but he was asked to fill in an official report, after he reported it in writing (via letter.) From memory, I think he was discouraged to report it, but he insisted."

Q3. Do you know how he came to know about the other witness?

Bill. "I don't know. The other person was obviously very senior, and from the ranks within the US. From recollection I always seem to remember dad saying he was lucky to have someone else witness the event. He always said this provided a much greater level of credibility to his sighting.  I was always of the impression dad found out after the fact (of formally reporting the incident) - but stand to be corrected. I personally cannot remember the person or name Moyer."

Kate. "Not sure how he came to know about the other witness - but the news was all over town. Everyone was talking about the 2 sightings. It was general knowledge."

Q4. Did he mention whether or not he was asked/told to keep his sighting quiet?
Bill. "I don't know, but do not believe so. I was always of the impression that he was told it would be investigated but nothing more ever came of it."

Kate. "Not sure if he was asked to keep quiet, but he was definitely discouraged from reporting it. (As I said- this is my memory of it.)"

Q5. Did he make any statements about what he thought the object was?

Bill. "To me he always stated it was a UFO (of some sort,) and certainly believed in UFOs. However, I wouldn't be surprised if he thought it may have been something the Americans were up to, based on some of the facts under point (1)."

Kate. "Not really, but he was convinced that it was a genuine UFO. Not sure if he thought it was some kind of spy craft, or an extra-terrestrial."

Q6. Did he ever see anything else unusual during the rest of his time at the base?

Bill. "I don't believe so, and certainly nothing else material was mentioned to me."

Kate. He never saw any other UFOs or similar during the time he lived at Exmouth, North West Cape, or on the base, to my knowledge."

Acknowledgment:

I would like to thank both Kate and Bill for taking the time to respond to my questions.

North West Cape incident - some further research notes

Hi all,

Introduction:

In a recent post ( click here)  I brought readers up to date with the "cold case" research that Melbourne researcher Paul Dean, and I have been conducting into the important 25 October 1973 incident at the US Navy Base at North West Cape, Western Australia.

This post provides details of some further research that we have been undertaking on the case, in conjunction with a Sydney based research associate, who prefers to remain anonymous. We wish to thank them for their contribution to the research.


G J Odgers:

After hearing from New South Wales  researcher Moira McGhee, that she had received the North West Cape documents from Henry Ross Rayner, who was the Director of Public Relations for the Department of Defence, in 1973, the year of the North West Cape incident, it occurred to me to take a look at the Public Relations organisational structure at the Department of Defence (DOD) at that time.

As well as a Director of Public Relations, DOD, there was also a head of Public Relations for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1973. We know this for a fact, as RAAF letters to Western Australian witnesses to Unusual Aerial Sightings (UAS) in October 1973, were signed by a G J Odgers, Director of Public Relations. (Source: National Archives of Australia file series A 703, control symbol 580/1/1 Part 33.)

I located the following information about George James Odgers:

"In 1965 Odgers became the head of Public Relations for the Department of Air and subsequently the RAAF. He held the position until 1975 when he became Director of Historical Studies and Information in the Department of Defence." (Source: Dennis, Peter et al. 1995. "Odgers, George James." The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History. Melbourne. Oxford University Press. p.441.)

It seems reasonable to assume that Rayner and Odgers knew each other, at least professionally. After all, Odgers took over Rayner's old job when Rayner moved to the Director of Public Relations, DOD.

It would also appear reasonable to suggest that if Rayner, in the 1974/1975 time frame that McGhee stated she received the documents, was looking for some RAAF UAS cases to pass to McGhee, that he would have sought them through Odgers - public relations officer to public relations officer. It should be recalled that it was the RAAF which was the sole Australian government agency charged to process reports of UAS.

Given the above, I thought it worth while to check if G J Odgers were still alive, in order to ask him whether or not he had any personal knowledge of these North West Cape documents. Unfortunately, my research showed that Odgers had passed away in 2008.


Date of UFOIC receipt of the documents:

We know from Moira McGhee that she was a member of the Sydney based group, UFOIC, at the time she received the documents. Looking to independently confirm this, our Sydney based research associate examined copies of the UFOIC Newsletter. No mention was found of Moira McGhee and receipt of the North West Cape documents in the Newsletter .However, issue 50 dated January-February 1977 did include that "We are pleased to announce that three new investigators joined UFOIC...Ms Moira McGhee." Therefore all we have to go on is that Moira stated that receipt of the documents was in 1974/1975. (Source: Telephone conversation between Moira and Keith Basterfield, 18 January 2013.)

What is Bill Chalker's recollection of when he saw the documents? Bill's memory is that it was around 1975. Looking for independent confirmation, our Sydney research associate found the following in issue 43 of the UFOIC Newsletter, dated April-May 1975: "The President and Committee would like to welcome a new committee member, Mr W C Chalker, BSc (Hons). Mr Chalker is now resident in Sydney." Thus 1975 fits.

So, overall, it would appear that Moira received the documents in 1974/1975 and Bill saw them in 1975.


Timing of the Defcon three alert:

In his 1996 book, "The Oz Files," (Duffy & Snellgrove. Potts Point. ISBN 1-875989-04-8) researcher Bill Chalker provides a write up of the North West Cape incident, on pages 154-159. Part of the write up refers to:

"A full nuclear alert went out to all US Forces. North-West Cape was used to communicate the alert to both conventional and nuclear forces in the region. Local time at North-West Cape was around early evening. It was then that an intruder was spotted in the airspace over the base." (p.155.)

This suggests that the alert and the UAP sighting were fairly close in time.

However, since the publication of Bill's book, US Government documents relating to the Defcon 3 alert have become available on the Internet. (click here.) Here we find that the alert was given in Washington DC at 0430hrs z on 25 October 1973. The z indicates Zulu time, or Greenwich Mean Time, not 0430 hours local Washington time. It would have been 2330hrs local time on 24 October 1973 in Washington.

What local time was it at North West Cape? It was 1230hrs on 25 October 1973, and not "around early evening" as Bill's book suggests.

Thus, based on the evidence above, the alert was almost seven hours earlier than the UAP sighting, and not the almost simultaneous timing that Bill originally suggested. I raised this issue with Bill by email and he responded that the 2330hrs 24 October Washington timing contradicts an account he found in Alistair Homes book 2009 book titled  "Kissinger's Year 1973." page 300 which refers to the small hours of the morning on 25 October.

On the basis of original documentation which we all can read, I believe the 1230hrs local time at North West Cape is the most probable timing of the alert. Thus the UAP sighting was some seven hours after the alert was issued.


Further discussions with the Pearce RAAF Base UAS officer from 1973:

In an earlier post  I reported on discussions between Melbourne based researcher Paul Dean and the occupant of the position of UAS officer in 1973 at Pearce RAAF Base in Western Australia. In an initial discussion between the two, the UAS officer, Pyers, advised he had no knowledge of the North West Cape incident. Subsequent to that initial conversation, Paul Dean sent a copy of the North West Cape incident documents to Pyers for him to examine. Paul recently spoke again to Pyers. We have Pyers' permission to report on their conversation.

Pyers confirmed that he had received and examined the documents, and stated that he had been at Pearce from 1971-1976 as a search and rescue pilot. He was the UAS officer for about two years. He definitely had never seen the North West Cape incident documents, until Paul sent them to him. Reading the documents had him stumped for an explanation for the object reported. Paul asked him if he thought it could have been a flock of birds? Pyers didn't think so. Pyers stated that while the Pearce UAS officer he never saw a UAS case which stumped him, while on this duty or at any other time while in the RAAF.


How did the RAAF learn of the incident?

Given that the witnesses to this sighting were serving in the US Navy at a US Navy base on Australian soil, and that the most likely RAAF Officer to have processed the reports (Pyers at the Pearce RAAF base) says that he never saw anything about the incident, how did the RAAF learn about the incident?

Our Sydney research associate contacted me to let me know that in Desmond Ball's 1980 book titled "A Suitable Piece of Real Estate: American Installations in Australia" Ball mentions that Area B (where one of the witnesses was) of the North West Cape base had a direct link to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in Canberra. However, this was in 1980, not 1973. Was there a RAN officer at the North West Cape base in 1973? It seems there was.

In the 9 August 1973 issue of the Canberra Times newspaper (click here) there is mention of one Australian liaison officer at the base, and in the Canberra Times newspaper of the 10 March 1973, it specifically mentions a RAN Liaison Officer (click here.)

It would appear most likely, that the witnesses reported their sightings to US Naval authorities who advised the RAN liaison officer, who transmitted their details to RAN Canberra. As RAN Canberra would be aware that the reporting procedure for UAS was to forward them to the RAAF, this is how the RAAF became aware of the incident.


The Americans investigated:

In Bill's 1996 book, in the section on the North West Cape incident, on page 150 there is a sentence "The Americans investigated the two sightings.." As our Sydney research associate pointed out to us, there was no such mention in Bill's original 1985 article, about the incident, in Omega magazine. I therefore queried Bill about this statement about an American investigation. His response was that it appears to have been inserted by his book editor. Bill further advised that he had no evidence that the Americans had investigated the sightings.


In summary:

Our research now indicates that:

1. The object sighted at North-West Cape on the 25 October 1973 was most likely seen about seven hours after the US military Defcon3 alert, and not almost at the same time, as suggested in Bill Chalker's 1996 book.

2. There is no evidence that the Americans investigated the sightings. Though our Sydney research associate suggests it should have been reported through the US military system in accordance with JANAP 146.

3. There is a difficulty in reconciling the time of the event reported by both witnesses, and the sky conditions, given the time of  sunset that night. See earlier posts for details.

4. Unfortunately, we do not have access to the RAAF's "Unit Evaluation" portion of their proformas, to see what they concluded the object was. Neither the evaluation; the first three pages, or the witnesses' written statements are to be found on the A703 files series, control symbol 580/1/1 RAAF UAS files currently held by the National Archives of Australia.

All in all, a tantalising report by US Naval personnel at a US Naval base on Australian soil, which we are unlikely to be able to further analyse, unless we can either locate further original documentation; or living individuals with personal knowledge of the event.

RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia - UAP officer from 1973 interviewed

Hi all,

Recent blog readers will be aware that Melbourne based researcher Paul Dean and I, have been conducting a "cold case" investigation of the intriguing event which is reported to have happened on 25 October 1973 at the US Base at North West Cape, Western Australia.

If you have just commenced reading this blog, it would be useful to read three earlier posts on this incident. These may be found here, here and here.  This will bring you up to date on our research. Now for some new information.

Report form used in the NW Cape incident:

In an earlier post, we noted that the format (page 2) of the RAAF UAP report form used in the North West Cape incident, did not conform to the format (page 2) of forms used by RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia, in October 1973. This suggested to us that the incident was not reported through Pearce, the nearest RAAF base with an intelligence officer, part of whose duties was to process incoming UAP reports.

The question then arose in our minds as to whether the North West Cape form came from another RAAF Base? We therefore browsed through a large number of 1973 RAAF UAP report forms, which were generated by RAAF bases in Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and New South Wales (as well as more from Western Australia.) None had the same format (page 2) as the forms used for reporting the North West Cape incident. The mystery of exactly where the North West Cape report form came from, remains unanswered.

Paul Dean interview:

We had previously found the name of the RAAF Base Pearce, UAP officer in 1973, on a file in the National Archives of Australia. Paul Dean recently located this individual and spoke to him by telephone. Mr (at the time Flight Officer) Pyers, confirmed that he was indeed the RAAF Base Pearce UAP officer in 1973.

Paul then asked him if he recalled a UAP sighting from North West Cape in 1973? Pyers responded  that he did not recall such an incident. Even after Paul described the event to him, Pyers did not recall coming across it. This would appear to confirm our deduction that the North West Cape report form did not originate from RAAF Base Pearce, but from elsewhere.

Interestingly, Pyers said he was surprised that such an incident would have made it onto the RAAF system/proforma at all. He thought it would have been handled by Canberra or someone higher up.

RAAF UAP files:

The North West Cape sighting, is not on the current RAAF files series A703 control symbol 580/1/1 parts 1-35 held by the National Archives of Australia, even though they extend to the end of 1973. The papers we received courtesy of Bill Chalker, were not on these files when Bill reviewed these same files in 1982.

Harry Turner:

In 1973, Harry Turner was a physicist working in the Department of Defence's Joint Intelligence Bureau/Joint Intelligence Organisation. Turner had a long interest in the subject of UAP, in fact since 1954 when the RAAF asked him to review their UAP files. Turner was the unofficial liaison between JI/JIO and the RAAF's Directorate of Air Force Intelligence (DAFI.) For a detailed interview with Turner click here.

We wondered whether or not Turner had been aware of the North West Cape incident? Our understanding, via Bill Chalker, is that Turner was not aware of the incident. This, like Pyers' comment ,suggests that the report may have been processed outside of the normal UAP reporting system. However, there remains the fact, that the sighting is recorded on what appear to be two RAAF UAP report forms!

Moira McGhee:

McGhee was a member of the civilian, Sydney based UFOIC in the 1970's. Our understanding is that she was the individual who first received the North West Cape documents. I therefore went back to my notes of a telephone conversation I had with her on 18 January 2013. I asked Moira for her recollections of how the documents came to be in  her possession? She informed me that she had received them from a Ron Rayner, a Public Relations Officer with the RAAF.

Henry Ross Rayner:

An Internet search (click here) reveals that Henry Ross Rayner (1914-1989) was appointed to the position of director of Public Relations, Department of Air, in Canberra in 1959. In 1965 he was then appointed Director of Public Relations, Department of Defence. He retired in 1979.

So, in 1973, the date of the North West Cape sighting; and also in 1975, the year UFOIC received the documents, Rayner was indeed Director of Public Relations, Department of Defence.

Where do we go from here?

Paul Dean has been unsuccessful, in tracking down Bill Lynn, and Lt Commander Moyer, the US Navy personnel who reported the incident. Paul is still trying to locate the US Navy Base commander, whose name we located in a 1973 newspaper article. Given their ranks and ages at the time, it may be that one or indeed all three of these individuals may have already passed way.

We are continuing with a few other leads we have on this intriguing report. Any assistance from blog readers would be very much appreciated.

Another anomaly with the North West Cape incident

Hi all,

Introduction:

Melbourne researcher Paul Dean and I are continuing our examination of the 25 October 1973 incident, reported to have happened at the US Base at North West Cape, Western Australia. The details we have on the incident are recorded both in the form of written statements by both US Navy personnel observers, and on standard RAAF UFO report forms.

As the North West Cape incident occurred in Western Australia, then it would be logical that it was reported through the RAAF Base Pearce, in Perth, Western Australia. I would therefore expect that the format of the NW Cape report form would be identical to those used by RAAF Base Pearce in October 1973. Have we any examples of the report form used by Pearce in October 1973? It turns out we do.

National Archives:

I went to the National Archives of Australia website and on file 580/1/1 part 33, the RAAF's central files on UFO sightings, I found two reports which were processed through Pearce in October 1973.

22 October 1973 Dianella, WA (0045-0100hrs) 31 deg 53 s; 115 deg 55 e.

Mr C Lacey reported a 3-4 second observation of an object which came from the north-west, travelling rapidly to the south-east. It was a reddish colour, and there was no sound. The RAAF Unit Evaluation section of the report form states that the cause of the sighting was "A re-entering vehicle of some kind." The official Head Quarters explanation was "space debris."

26 October 1973 Geraldton, WA 1820hrs 20 secs 27deg 50 s; 114deg 06 e.

Mrs M King, sighted in clear sky to the west, at 45 deg elevation, a white object, the angular size of the moon. At its closest approach it was at 45 deg elevation, to the south. There was no sound. It was last seen at 45 deg elevation in the south-east. Lost behind trees. The report form was completed by the RAAF Pearce base UFO officer over the phone. The RAAF Unit Evaluation stated that there were no civilian or military aircraft in the vicinity. A meteorological balloon had been launched from Geraldton at 1900hrs.The RAAF Pearce investigating officer wrote on the form, the object may have been "An aircraft, although none were under the control of Geraldton FS at that time. Mrs king was interviewed over the phone and appeared quite sensible." The investigating officer was R R J Pyers, flight officer, HQ Pearce. On 10 December 1973, C J Odgers, Director of Public Relations wrote to Mrs King "...it has been determined that the most probable cause was space debris re-entering the Earth's atmosphere."

Report form comparison:

I looked at the report forms used by RAAF Pearce for Mr Lacey and Mrs King to see if they were identical to those used for the North West Cape incident. They were not. The difference lay in the number of questions on the first three pages.

In both the Lacey and King forms, page one listed questions 1 to 10; page two listed questions 11 to 23, and page three listed questions 24 to 31. Below I reproduce, courtesy of the National Archives of Australia website, page two of Mrs King's report form, which shows questions 11 to 23.

In both of the North West Cape incident report forms, page one listed questions to number 10; page two listed questions 11 to 25; and page three questions 26 to 31. Below I reproduce, courtesy of Sydney based researcher Bill Chalker, page two of one of the North West Cape witness' report form showing it lists questions 11 to 25. The second witness' form is identical in format.

It appears to me, that the form which was used to record the North West Cape incident details, did not come from RAAF Base Pearce.

The question in my mind, is why the form used for the North West Cape incident did not come from RAAF Pearce? I welcome your thoughts on this matter.

Time check for the North West Cape incident

Hi all,

In a previous post (click here) I presented the original data on the unusual UAP incident, which took place on the U.S. Navy base at North West Cape, near Exmouth, Western Australia, on 25 October 1973.

One part of the data was the time of the two observations by the U.S. Navy personnel. They gave the time of the incident as commencing at approximately 1920hrs and 1915hrs, respectively. One of the witnesses stated that he was "looking in the direction of the setting Sun" at the time of his observation. By the term "setting Sun" I take this to mean that the Sun was close to, but above, the horizon. If the witness meant to indicate that the Sun had already set, I would have expected his wording to be "in the direction where the Sun had (already) set."

In my post I noted that there was a problem with this timing, as an electronic Internet based star chart program showed that the Sun had set before (1915-1920)hrs. I subsequently wondered if the star chart program was in error.

However, some research I conducted today, reveals that the times given by at least one of the witnesses, possibly both the witnesses, do indeed appear incorrect!

The West Australian:

I visited the South Australian State Library and looked at copies of "The West Australian" newspaper for Thursday 25 October 1973. The paper records the time of sunset that night - as 1836hrs. Therefore there is a discrepancy in at least one of the elements presented by at least one of the two U.S. Navy personnel.

If the Sun set at 1836hrs that night, as both the newspaper and the Internet star chart suggests, then the one U.S. Navy individual could not have been looking at the "setting Sun" at 1920hrs.

This anomaly raises a number of issues, which cannot be resolved with the data to hand. It also raises a number of other questions in my mind, including whether any of the other points of data might be incorrect?

North West Cape and ASIO:

While at the State Library I checked issues of The West Australian dated between 24 October and 1 November 1973, to see if there were any UAP reported for that time frame. I failed to locate any, but I did find the following article, which reveals the then name of the Base commander for North West Cape. It may be possible to locate this individual and ask for any of their recollections of the incident.

The article was found on page 7 of the 27 October 1973 issue.

"US Navy: No inquiry on Latter.

The Commanding Officer of the US Navy Base at Exmouth yesterday denied a claim that the Navy had asked the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation for information about a WA trade union official.

Captain R Cunningham said there was no truth in the statement made on Thursday by Mr W S Latter, a vice-president of the WA Trades and Labour Council.

Mr Latter said he had learnt during a visit to Exmouth earlier this month that the US Navy had asked ASIO about his background.

He is a former member of the Communist Party.

(Security and the right of entry to the Exmouth Base are covered by the Australian Defence Special Undertakings Act. Australians must have a permit issued by Federal Authorities must have a permit issued by Federal Authorities before they can enter the base. Permits are issued in consultation with the Defence Department in Canberra.)

In conclusion:

I am surprised that no one since 1975 (when documents on the case emerged) has noted the timing anomaly mentioned in this blog post.

Assistance would be appreciated from blog readers in attempting to resolve this anomaly.

North West Cape 25 October 1973 - an initial "Cold case" assessment

Hi all,

Background:

In about 1975, the UFO group UFOIC of Sydney, received ten pages of documentation relating to this sighting directly from the RAAF (1).  There were two handwritten witness statements; one sketch of the object; and two three page proformas. (2)  The sightings are attributed to a Bill Lynn, and Lt Commander Moyer. No civilian researcher has ever located copies of these documents on an official Australian government UAS file. Recently, Bill Chalker supplied a copy of this documentation to Melbourne researcher Paul Dean, who shared it with me. Paul and I decided to conduct a "cold case" assessment of the event. This blog post is solely my own initial assessment of the case, and does not reflect either Paul or Bill's views.

Bill Lynn

Statement:
On Thursday 25 October 1973 (3) at 1920hrs (4), a US Navy Fire Captain sighted an unusual object in the sky. His handwritten statement reads:

“Dear Sir, I hereby wish to report a most unusual sighting, whilst on duty on Thursday 25 October 1973 at approximately 1920hrs.

At 1920hrs, I was called by the P.O.W. to close the Officers Club. I proceeded towards the club in the Fire Dept pick-up 488, when my attention was drawn to a large black object, which at first I took to be a small cloud formation, due west of Area “B.” (5)

Whilst traveling towards the Officers Club I couldn’t help but be attracted by this object’s appearance.

On alighting from pick-up 488, I stood for several minutes & watched this black sphere hovering. The sky was clear, & pale green-blue. No clouds were about whatsoever.

The object was completely stationary except for a halo around the centre which appeared to be either revolving or pulsating.

After watching it for approx. 4 mins, it suddenly took off at tremendous speed and disappeared in a northerly direction in a few seconds.

I consider the object to have been approx. 30 ft in diameter, hovering at 1000ft (6) over the hills due west of the base. It was black, maybe due to looking in the direction of the setting Sun (7). No lights appeared on it at any time.”

Proforma:

A US Navy Fire Captain at 1920hrs Thursday 25 October 1973, date and time certain, sighted an object in the sky, originally from a vehicle and then whilst standing outside an Officers Club. The witness had been resident at the location for 6.5years.

In a clear and cloudless sky, using his naked eyes, he saw an object initially due west of Area “B” of US NAVCOMMSTA H E Holt. (8)  It was at approx. 12 degrees elevation (guess) (9) at a bearing of 270 degrees from the Officers Club. The bearing was established later by use of a compass.

His attention was first drawn to the object which was an “Unusual black formation in a clear sky.” There was one object, black in colour. To the question of angular size he wrote “Relative to the full moon.”(10)  And also “2 inches plus halo at arm’s length.”

The object was initially stationary at 12 degrees elevation and 270 degrees azimuth (i.e. west.)

To the question of ‘any method of propulsion” he write “Halo pulsating or revolving.” No sound. Height “Approx 1000ft high.”

To the question about maximum and minimum angular velocity, the response was “similar to insect crossing vision at 5 to 10 ft in scrub.” (11.)

It remained stationary for approx. 4 mins. It was “Stationary except for disappearance.” There was no trail, exhaust, vapour or light noted.

It was last observed “NW Are “B””, angle of elevation was “Diminishing 12 degrees”  at 320 az. It disappeared due to “Extreme speed.” (12)

The witness, to a question about skills responded “Ant-Aircraft (TOCI) Aircraft recognition (AIF).

To the question about any other witnesses to this sighting he wrote “None.” To the question of witnesses to similar sightings he wrote “Lt Commander Moyer (USN) has since indicated as above.” To question 29 of if any conventional explanations would explain the sighting he wrote “Unknown.” To the question of why exclude this conventional explanation he wrote “The unreality of such an observation.”

“Distance approx. 2 miles (guess.)

Lt Commander Moyer:

Statement:

In a hand written document dated (unreadable) Oct 1973 he wrote:

“Whom it may concern.

I wish to report the sighting of a large, black airborne object at approximately quarter past seven (pm) Thursday 25 Oct 1973.

I was traveling south on Murat Road (13) , when I observed this object at a distance of approximately 5 miles to the west at an altitude estimated as 2000ft. After about 20-25 seconds the craft accelerated at unbelievable speed and disappeared to the north. The sky was absolutely clear at the time.”

Proforma:

At approximately 1915hrs 25 Oct 1973, date positive, time within 5 minutes, for approximately 20-25 seconds (within 5 seconds) Lt Commander Moyer reported seeing an unusual object in the sky.

He was “traveling from USNAVCOMMSTA south on Murat Road toward Exmouth. He said he had travelled the same road twice daily for 21 months.  The sky was ‘absolutely clear, no clouds.” He used his naked eyes.

The object was initially seen “Directly to my right (west)” (14) at approximately 20 degrees elevation (accurate to within 5 degrees.)

His attention was drawn to “A large black object in the clear sky.” There was one object, very black in colour.

Its angular size was estimated as “Approx same as Moon when high in the sky.” Also 1-2 inches at arm’s length. (15)

At nearest approach it was at 20 degrees elevation in the west. There was no associated sound. He estimated it to be 2000ft altitude. “Hovering at first, then accelerating beyond belief.” Stationary for 20-25 seconds. No trail, exhaust, vapour or light. It was last seen “Disappeared to the north” 45-50 degrees elevation, azimuth 165-170 relative to his direction of travel (south) , i.e 345-350 degrees.) “Accelerated at unbelievable speed and just disappeared.”

To the question on training/skills he responded “Associated with naval aviation for 11 years as aerial gunner and radar operator.” There were no other witnesses to the sighting, however to the question about witnesses to similar sightings he wrote “Only one-Fire Captain Bill Lynn (after the fact.)

To the question of what conventional explanation could it be he wrote “Not a thing.” Then “Have never experienced anything like it.”

By a sketch of the object which appears as an oval shape, he wrote “Details, if any were blurred as I did not have my glasses on (vision 20/40-20/100) but I saw something beyond all doubt in my mind.”

Notes:

(1) Source was Bill Chalker. For a detailed account of this event, see for example http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case629.htm

(2) Bill Chalker provided these 10 documents to Melbourne researcher Paul Dean in December 2013.

(3) 25 October 1973 was indeed a Thursday.

(4) 1920hrs local time. Western Australia is 8 hours ahead of Universal Time (UT) (formerly Greenwich Mean Time). Thus the UT of the event was Bill Lynn (1120hrs) and Lt Commander Moyer (1115hrs plus or minus 5 minutes.) To the question of whether or not Western Australia was using daylight saving time, i.e. some other than 8 hours ahead of UT in October 1973, the answer appears to have been no. See http://alldownunder.com/oz-k/date/australian-daylight-savings.htm and http://www.bcl.com.au/australia/times-daylight-saving.htm

(5) What was the location of Bill Lynn at the time of his observation? It appears to have been the North West Cape’s base area “B.” If this is correct then he was at 21 deg 54mins South latitude, 114 deg 8mins E longitude. This places him just north of Exmouth, Western Australia which is at 21 deg 56mins S latitude and 114 deg 8mins E longitude.  The latitude and longitude of Area “B” is drawn from http://nautilus.org/publications/books/australian-forces-abroad/defence-facilities/naval-communication-station-harold-e-holt-north-west-cape/#axzz2mweTfjrq

(6) These values are simply guesses.

(7) Looking at the Fourmilab sky chart    http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/Yoursky

for UT 1120hrs 25 October 1973, this shows that the Sun was 11.5 degrees below the horizon at this time.

(8) What was the name of the base on 25 October 1973? According to http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/exmouth.htm  it was “US Navcommsta Harold E Holt.”

(9) A sketch on the proforma shows how he estimated it was at 11.25 degrees elevation.

(10) An estimate of angular size is usually much better than an estimate of height/distance. Here there are two estimates. The first “Relative to the full moon” suggest an estimate of half a degree. The second ““2 inches plus halo at arm’s length” suggests an estimate of 2 degrees. Thus we have suggestions of half a degree to two degrees. For comparison purposes the full moon subtends an angular size of half a degree. Thus Bill Lynn’s estimate of the object’s angular size is from one to four times the diameter of the full moon in the sky.

(11) The object was initially stationary, therefore this angular velocity estimate must relate to the apparent angular velocity as it moved away.

(12) I am unsure what” Diminishing 12 degrees” actually means. Does it mean that the object remained at 12 degrees all the time and merely diminished in size? Does disappearing at “Extreme speed” mean it merely shrank in size?

(13) Murat Road seen on a Google map today, runs between Area “A” of the base at 21 deg 49mins s latitude, 114 deg 10mins E longitude and Exmouth at 21degs 56mins s latitude and 114deg 8mins E longitude (see http://www.street-directory.com.au/wa/north-west-cape/murat-road) According to maps, it runs roughly, but not exactly due south for most of its length, but from about Area “B” it runs due south.

(14) Unlike the compass direction of 270 degrees ascribed by Lynn, Moyer’s direction is roughly west.

(15) Moyer’s estimate of angular size varies from 0.5 degree to between 1-2 degrees, i.e. from the same angular size as the full moon to between twice to four times the angular size of the full moon.

Comparison of observations:

	Bill Lynn	Lt Cmd. Moyer
Date	25 October 1973	25 October 1973
Time	Approx. 1920hrs local (accurate)	Approx 1915hrs local plus or minus 5 minutes, i.e. 1910-1920hrs
Location	NW Cape, area “B”	NW Cape, on Murat Road north of Exmouth
Sky conditions	Clear, pale green-blue	Clear
	Bill Lynn	Lt Cmd. Moyer
Object shape	Sphere, with halo	Oval
Object size	Between one to four times the angular size of the full Moon	Between one to four times the angular size of the full Moon
Object colour	Black	Very black
Initial position	12 degrees elevation. 270 degrees azimuth.	20 degrees elevation plus/minus 5 degrees. West of witness
Last observed position	Diminishing 12 degrees el. 320 deg. Azimuth	45-50 deg. Elevation. 345-350 deg. Azimuth.
Any associated sound	No	No
Any trail, vapour, exhaust or light	No	No

 

Discussion:

It is hard not to instantly conclude that both witnesses saw the one object at the same time. However, based on their believed positions, I cannot reconcile the differences in both angular elevations and azimuth bearings, as due simply to the two witnesses seeing the one object at the one time from two different positions.

If Moyer was closer to the object then it could well have had a greater angular elevation in the sky, initially 20 degrees (plus or minus 5) for Moyer as opposed to 12 degrees for Lynn. However the greater discrepancy for the final elevation of 45-50 degrees for Moyer as opposed to 12 degrees diminishing for Lynn, is hard to explain.

Likewise the final azimuth figures are 320 for Lynn and 345-350 for Moyer (assuming he was indeed heading due south as he said.) He actually says he first saw it 90 degrees to the right of his direction of travel and last saw it at 160-170 degrees to his right relative to his direction of travel. If he was on the portion of Murat Road which travels slightly west of south then his estimates place the object he saw in an even more different position to Lynn. I am unable to reconcile the two sets of data.

Despite the fact that Fourmilab sky chart tells us that at 1120hrs UT on 25 October 1973, the Sun was 11.5 degrees below the horizon, Lynn’s written testimony is that he was looking in the direction of the setting Sun. How far away in degrees, from the Sun was the object? Neither witness tells us. Lynn  says the object was at 270 degrees azimuth, Moyer says it was to his west (ie roughly 270 degrees azimuth.) Where did the Sun set that night? According to Fourmilab, it set that night at 12 degrees south of west, ie 258 degrees azimuth.

Therefore, if Lynn’s estimate of the azimuth of the object was accurate at 27O degrees, and the Sun set at 258 degrees, then the object was only 12 degrees to the right of the setting Sun.  A difficult position to carry out any visual observation.

One other possibility is that the observations were not simultaneous. Could Moyer’s observation have followed Lynn’s? The differences in angular elevations and azimuths noted above might be resolved by proposing that Lynn saw the object stationary, then move and disappear; then it became visible to Moyer in a roughly similar position, then moved off to the elevation and azimuth Moyer records.

Nevertheless, let us agree that a black object of apparent large angular size was indeed seen in the western sky from North West Cape at about 1915hrs on Thursday 25 October 1973, very close to the setting sun.  Can we allocate any conventional explanation to such a sighting?

Conventional explanations:

Having had access to all the raw data contained in the two statements and two proformas, and despite the fact that we do not have any detailed investigation notes by someone other than the two witnesses,  I believe that there is one conventional explanation which could just fit the data. Could the “object” reported by the two witnesses have simply been a formation of birds?

The idea at first glance may appear to be highly unlikely. However, consider the data points:

1.  The “object” was initially reported by Lynn as “an unusual black formation.”

2. Lynn described it as a “black sphere.”

3. Lynn said it had a “halo” around the centre which appeared to be either revolving or pulsating.

4. Its angular size was between half a degree and two degrees.

5. The “object” was reported over land, near sunset.

In Allan Hendry’s classic 1979 research volume “The UFO Handbook”, Hendry cites the following, which after detailed investigation he concluded was due to birds. “In other examples, fifteen to twenty golden point sources holding a roughly spherical formation the width of the full moon were observed to exhibit considerable graceful ‘internal motion.’ This spherical formation proceeded over railroad tracks for five minutes.” (page 53.)

On a later page Hendry wrote “Only one case in 1,158 IFOs, was ascribable to birds seen under daylight conditions. They were reported to fly in a randomly shifting “sphere” at sundown…” (page 66.)

I am able to add a relevant personal observation in support of this hypothesis. Some years ago I observed a black, stationary, spherical “object” in the late afternoon sky, with an angular diameter I estimated as one half of a degree. After a period of time it moved, and approached me. Only at this point was I able to distinguish that the object was a formation of black coloured birds.  Then the formation wheeled in the sky, and turned; and at this point the flock became invisible to me, seemingly just vanishing in the sky.

In summary:

After  examining the raw data concerning the 25 October 1973 North West Cape incident, I would like to see the flock of bird hypothesis further explored, before I can support the concept that the object was indeed a “UFO.”

Over to blog readers to discuss and debate.