The Rendlesham Forest UFO Incident
RENDLESHAM FOREST INCIDENT
The Rendlesham Forest Incident (RFI) refers to a series of alleged sightings and events, including the UFO sighting by three United States Air Force personnel in Rendlesham Forest near RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk, England. Considered by many as Britain’s most famous UFO case, it remains one of the most well-documented accounts of a reported military encounter with an unidentified flying object on record.
BACKGROUND
Rendlesham Forest is a royal forest in Suffolk, England which covers about 3,000 acres (12 km2) of land. Today, the “Rendlesham Forest” is most connected with the UFO incident, a succession of reported sightings of unexplained lights and the alleged landing of a craft or multiple craft of mysterious origin.
The area has been an important site for centuries: it was used by people from prehistory through to the modern day; Romans settled here; it was part of King John’s hunting grounds in 1215; it was where Henry VIII hunted deer in 1552 and 1601 and is today open to the public as a recreation area.
THE INITIAL INCIDENT
The first sighting of an unidentified object occurred over this forest on December 26th 1980. At around 3:30am UK time, two USAF security officers (Jim Penniston and John Burroughs) were patrolling the base when they saw an object in the sky radiating light beams down to the ground. They stopped their vehicle and got out to investigate further. As they did so they noticed that it wasn’t actually moving but instead hovering above them at about 100ft altitude before suddenly disappearing into thin air leaving behind a strange odour described as smelling like burning metal or rubber and giving off radiation which caused Burroughs’ Geiger counter to go off scale for about 10 minutes afterwards
MYSTERY OF ‘BRITAIN’S ROSWELL
The Rendlesham Forest Incident is one of the most famous UFO sightings in history. The events occurred over three nights in 1980 at two sites in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England: RAF Woodbridge and the nearby USAF military base RAF Bentwaters.
The first night of the incident was December 26th 1979 and usually referred to as the ‘Bentwaters’ sighting. However, both nights centred around reports of lights in trees and the landing or hovering of an unknown craft over the base. These were witnessed by multiple observers including military personnel who claimed they saw an unidentified craft at close range.
On the third night there were further reports of UFOs at the nearby RAF Woodbridge base, but this time they were tracked on radar by USAF personnel who allegedly also photographed them on infrared camera equipment. Witnesses claimed these objects moved fast through sky above the treetops before disappearing into forest below only moments later after being sighted by air traffic controllers at Stansted airport near London who confirmed that no aircraft were airborne in area at time of sighting
STATEMENTS FROM EYEWITNESSES
Three days after the incident, Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt submitted a memo to his commanding officer stating that he had observed lights through binoculars at close range and that they were red, blue and amber in colour.
The UFO he saw was depicted as being “as big as an aircraft” but made no sound until it accelerated away from the base at high speed. He also said that there were other objects in the sky above him which he could not identify because of their distance, but seemingly appeared to be under intelligent control.
Halt’s memo was forwarded to the Ministry of Defence by Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Walker, who headed up Britain’s Joint Air Staff during the early 1980s. In 1991 Walker wrote an article for a British military journal called “Military Review”, in which he mentioned this encounter while discussing UFOs.
INTERVIEWS WITH WITNESSES
As with any investigation, the testimony that you get from witnesses will be crucial. In this case, there were two witnesses: Jim Penniston and John Burroughs. They were interviewed separately by different people, both under the Official Secrets Act and by the Ministry of Defence.
ANALYSIS OF WITNESSES’ TESTIMONY
Experts agreed that the testimony of the witnesses was consistent, credible, experienced, and reliable. In short, they were not lying.
At the time, the MOD later released a statement saying that they had no knowledge of any UFO incidents in Rendlesham Forest but did admit to finding a damaged missile during an exercise at RAF Woodbridge on December 27th, 1980. In 2010, the Anglian Times newspaper reported that several servicemen had come forward with claims that during this time a number of nuclear weapons stored at the base had been tampered with by an unknown force or intruder.
Correspondence sent by one of the men who saw the lights in Rendlesham forest claimed that “nothing has been proved” as far as UFOs are concerned; however this does not mean he believes what he saw was actually real or fake. This could be because he was told not to talk about it by his superiors after reporting it; thus allowing us to conclude that there are still many unanswered questions regarding this incident.
SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATIONS
After the incident, investigations were conducted by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and USAF authorities. The MoD investigation was headed by Squadron Leader Donald Moreland USAF, who had been assigned to RAF Bentwaters since 1977 as a liaison officer. His report concluded that the sightings were caused by an unusual light phenomenon called “temperature inversion”.
The report was not published in its entirety because it contained sensitive information about nuclear weapons being stored at Bentwaters/Woodbridge bases. However, some parts of his report were later released under freedom of information legislation. In these released sections he stated that he had come to his conclusions based on an analysis of witness testimony and photographic evidence but did not consider radar data or scientific reports about possible causes for visual phenomena such as ball lightning.
SUFFOLK POLICE LOG
On December 26th, 1980, Suffolk police received reports from two separate witnesses of a strange light in the sky. One witness, who was an Air Force security policeman stationed at RAF Woodbridge, claimed to have seen a bright object circling near the base and moving over nearby woods.
The second witness was a police constable who was called to the scene by another member of the public. He reported seeing a “red glow” in Rendlesham Forest, which he described as “unusual.”
The incident is one of the most famous UFO sightings ever recorded, but it wasn’t until recently that it became known that there were actually multiple reports made on that night—a fact that had been kept secret for 30 years by both the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Suffolk Police.
The log states that three uniformed police officers were sent to the forest to investigate a UFO sighting reported by two USAF security personnel. At 2:15am one of the police officers reported watching lights moving through the trees and claimed he could hear a high-pitched noise which sounded like an electric motor. He also reported that he felt very cold while investigating the event phenomenon.
At 6:20am two men from RAF Bentwaters arrived at the site and were accompanied by two civilian photographers who had been sent by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). They took photographs of the area where there were large impressions in the ground which appeared to have been made by heavy machinery or something similar.
The Suffolk police log was not made public until it was released under the Freedom of Information Act following extensive work by UK UFO expert Dr David Clarke and his colleagues to obtain declassified documents relating to UFOs from various agencies in Britain.
SCIENTISTS’ ANALYSIS AND COMMENTS
Analysis of the event by investigators concluded that it was an unidentified flying object (UFO), now referred to as a UAP (Unknown Aerial Phenomenon) and that there was no evidence to suggest it was a meteor, helicopter, comet, fireball, aircraft, or weather balloon. There was some speculation that it might have been the beams from the Orford Ness lighthouse, but this has been debunked on many occasions.
The incident was also analysed by civilian scientists from nearby Woodbridge Hospital who concluded that “[the UFO] definitely could not have been a helicopter based on its lights.”
According to Dr. David Clarke in his book The UFO Files: The Inside Story of Real-Life Sightings (1999): “The hospital’s conclusions were very similar to those of USAF Scientific Advisor Dr. J Allen Hynek [who] believes Rendlesham is one of only six genuine ‘close encounters’ on British soil.”
AFTERMATH AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
In the decades since the incident, the Rendlesham Forest Incident has been the subject of several investigations, most of which have concluded that the sighting was likely a misidentification of known aircraft or natural phenomena. Investigators often conclude that witnesses are unreliable and suggest that they are hoaxers.
Although some sceptics dismiss most UFO sightings as mistaken identification of mundane phenomena, some UFO researchers consider this case to be an exception to this trend due to its high-strangeness factor and sheer number of witnesses. This view is supported by former UK Ministry for Defence (MoD) investigator Nick Pope who interviewed many personnel who served at RAF Bentwaters and Woodbridge from 1980–1984. In his book Open Skies Closed Minds (1997), he wrote: “There were enough eyewitnesses within or associated with Bentwaters/Woodbridge…to make [the] Rendlesham Forest incident one of the best-corroborated UFO cases on record.”
RENDLESHAM FOREST UFO TRAIL
The Rendlesham Forest UFO Trail is a series of monuments and markers, erected by local people and the Forestry Commission, which tell the story of the December 1980 UFO sightings. The trail starts at the old USAF base at Bentwaters on Warren Hill.
At this point on your tour you can follow the path into Rendlesham Forest itself, where there are two more memorials dedicated to what happened there during December 1980. One is called “The Triangular Zone”, which marks where most witnesses reported seeing triangular craft hovering over trees during their encounters with something unknown.
CONCLUSION
The Rendlesham Forest Incident has never been explained. The British government denies any ET involvement, and the U.S. government has classified all documents related to the incident as “above top secret” since 1988. These two facts are enough to keep any UFO conspiracy theorist busy for a lifetime, but they don’t necessarily mean that aliens were involved in this incident. Perhaps it was some kind of military experiment that went awry? Perhaps there was some kind of natural occurrence or atmospheric disturbance? Perhaps—and this is a long shot—the whole thing was an elaborate hoax perpetrated by someone who wanted attention or money? Whatever happened in 1976, it doesn’t seem like we’ll ever know for sure what caused those lights and imprints in the woods outside RAF Bentwaters. And … that’s how the authorities seem to want to keep it.
Wright Patterson Grey Alien Artwork
Authentic, hand-aged, creative reproduction of the allegedly missing documents from Project Grudge about the Grey Alien Sighting at Wright Paterson Air force Base in the USA with original sketches. The incident is said to have taken place several months after the infamous UFO crash outside of Roswell New Mexico.
This creative work is based on the reports at the time following the alleged transfer of aliens from the Roswell UFO Crash to Hanger 18 at WP-AFB. Trimmed A4 Size – 28.8cm (W) x 20.0cm (H).
- Only Available Here
- Hand Redesigned and Finished
- Dispatches from United Kingdom
- Size: Pretrimmed A4 / A3
- Height: 20 Centimetres
- Width: 28.8 Centimetres
- Dated Art Print Quality Paper
- Materials: Art Paper, Inks, Graphite, Colour Dyes & Natural Organics.
- Frame Not Included
The artwork depicts part of a post operations AMC report into an incident that allegedly took place at the AFB. The sketches depict grey Aliens, a image that was largely unfamiliar at the time.
According to a former employee who worked at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio USA, aliens are being kept at the military center and have been for almost 40 years. An ex-engineer from the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WP-AFB), Raymond Szymanksi, claims that that aliens from the notorious Roswell incident in 1947 were moved from the purported crash site in New Mexico to the Dayton, Ohio, military complex. He claimed that debris from UFOs and other extra-terrestrial material is kept in a network of vaults under the section of the base known as Restricted Area ‘A’.
Many researchers now believe that WP-AFB is actually the real Area 51, and that Groom Lake / Nellis AFB in Nevada is actually just a decoy. Various reports over the years have claimed that the Greys from the air base occasionally tried to escape. Known as ‘Gink Runners” they have been the cause of extensive search and recovery missions known as ‘Bug Nets’.
Reinvestigating the The Dyatlov Pass Incident
During the night of the 1st of February 1959 a team of nine experienced cross country skiers abandoned their tent in the Russian Ural Mountains and fled to a nearby forest. They were in such a hurry that they were only partially clothed and cut though the sides of their tent to save time. The temperature outside was minus 15 degrees. Within hours they were all dead. Rescuers recovered their bodies at two separate times and discovered that while some had frozen to death others had sustained injuries. Reports have made claims of high levels of radiation, strange lights in the sky, missing body parts, strange orange skin tones and even the possibility of UFO involvement. Now we seek to understand the truth about what really happened. These pages are being regularly updated as new findings and information becomes available.
OVERVIEW OF A DISASTER
In brief, the rescuers and later investigators discovered that during the night, and for an unknown reason, the ski-team had apparently ripped or cut open their tent from the inside and fled from it into the snow in temperatures of approximately -15 to -18 degrees Celsius where there was a cross wind of approximately 10 – 15 kilometres per hour (20 – 30 knots). While not as cold as the -30 degrees often reported these were still very harsh conditions and survival would be limited to between three to eight hours depending on whether those involved could keep moving. At least five of the team had fewer cloths on than would have been expected and some may even have been barefooted. Within six to eight hours every member of the ski-team was dead.
The corpses were discovered at various distances from the camp site and showed little immediate outward sign of injury but on investigation it was discovered that two victims had a fractured skull (one severe), two had broken ribs, and one was missing her tongue. In addition, two of the victims’ clothes were discovered to contain trace levels of radiation. Russian investigators finally closed the case stating only that “a compelling unknown force” had caused the deaths. Again, this is a mistranslation that has added to the misunderstanding. In actual fact the correct term is “Force Majeure” and is an expression that is simply used to describe something significant that cannot be easily explained. It is also often reported that after the event the area, now loosely known as Dyatlov Pass, was immediately sealed off by the authorities and access forbidden for at least three years. Again, this implies much more than actually happened. The area was restricted but only to amateur ski-sports enthusiasts and only for reasons of safety.
There is only really one incredible mystery and it is this. Why did nine people flee from their tent in conditions that were almost certain to result in their deaths?
PURPOSE OF THE TRIP
According to Dr Vladimir B. group ski activities of this type were fairly common although each had their own somewhat different purpose. In his experience of Russia at the time the usual reasons were Sporting, Sightseeing (Aesthetic Appreciation) Social and Exploratory. The various teams would be made of people with varying degrees of appreciation for these interests. In the case of the Dyatlov Team their focus was on the Sporting Challenge of trip and in particular they aspired to undertake an excursion of the highest level of difficulty.
It is often stated that the purpose of this particular trip was to reach the mountain “Gora Otorten” but, in fact, the proposed route was much further. After Otorten the team planned to travel 100 kilometres southwards along the main ridge of the Ural Mountains up to Ojkachahl Peak. From this point they intended to follow the (Northern) Toshemka river thus passing 100 miles to east of the town of Vishay (Vizhaj). Today, with the availability of advanced equipment such a route would only be considered “average” in difficulty but in 1959 is was one of the hardest that could be undertaken.
As more becomes clear it seems that Igor Dyatlov had intended this trip as “training” for a future expedition possibly to the the sub polar or even polar / Artic regions. According to B. E. Slobtsova formal training did not exist at this time for such ventures and depended on experience gained during trips such as the Dyatlov team were undertaking.
THE SKI TEAM
The Dyatlov ski team was made up of eight men and two women who, except for Alexander Zolotarev, were mostly students or graduates from the Ural Polytechnic Institute located in Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, and now renamed the Yeltsin Ural State Technical University. Georgyi Krivonischenko, Rustem Slobodin, and Nicolas Thibeaux-Brignollel were engineers. Igor Dyatlov and Zinaida Kolmogorova were students of the Radio Faculty, Lyudmila Dubinina and Yuri Yudin were studying Economics, Yuri Doroshenko was studying Power Economics and Alexander Kolevatov was a student of the Geo-Technical Faculty.
Alexander Zolotarev was a ski / tour instructor (a professional travel guide) and wanted to go together with Dyatlov’s team to add performance points to his degree and so achieve promotion to the rank of “Master” or Expert instructor. This was and still is the practice in Russia.
Zolotarev did not know the other team members but was recommended by friends of the team from the sports club. He was accepted into the team and according to the diaries he co-operated and worked well with all of them. It is worth noting that Sports Associations were common at this time as was the willingness for people, who shared an interest such as skiing, to cooperate with each other where possible.
Igor Dyatlov (23)(Игорь Дятлов) Group’s Leader
Found 2nd – 26 Feb 1959
Where: Between Forest and camp site
Wearing: Not known
Injuries: None recorded as unusual
Cause of Death: Hypothermia
Georgyi Krivonischenko (24)(Георгий Кривонищенко)
Found 1st – 26 Feb 1959
Where: Forest edge Under pine tree
Wearing: Bare foot (socks) & wearing only underclothes
Injuries: None recorded as unusual
Cause of Death: Hypothermia
Yuri Doroshenko (21)(Юрий Дорошенко)
Found 1st – 26 Feb 1959
Where: Forest edge Under pine tree
Wearing: Bare foot (socks) & wearing only underclothes
Injuries: None recorded as unusual
Cause of Death: Hypothermia
Zinaida Kolmogorova (22)(Зинаида Колмогорова)
Found 2nd – 26 Feb 1959
Where: Between Forest and camp site
Wearing: Not known
Injuries: None recorded as unusual
Cause of Death: Hypothermia
Rustem Slobodin (23)(Рустем Слободин)
Found 2nd – 26 Feb 1959
Where: Between Forest and camp site
Wearing: Not known
Injuries: Minor skull fracture
Cause of Death: Hypothermia
Nicolas Thibeaux-Brignollel (24)(Николай Тибо-Бриньоль)
Found 3rd – 4 May 1959
Where: Forest Ravine 75m from main pine tree
Wearing: Better dressed
Injuries: Severely crushed skull
Cause of Death: Fatal Injuries & Hypothermia
Lyudmila Dubinina (21)(Людмила Дубинина)
Found 3rd – 4 May 1959
Where: Forest Ravine 75m from main pine tree
Wearing: Better dressed – also wearing Krivonischenko’s pants as shoes
Injuries: Missing Tongue and oral cavity, Many broken ribs
Cause of Death: Fatal Injuries & Hypothermia
(Trace Radiation)
Semyon (Alekseevich) Zolotarev (37)(Александр Золотарев)
Found 3rd – 4 May 1959
Where: Forest Ravine 75m from main pine tree
Wearing: Better dressed – also wearing Dubinina’s coat and hat
Injuries: Many broken ribs
Cause of Death: Fatal Injuries & Hypothermia
(Trace Radiation)
Alexander Kolevatov (25)(Александр Колеватов)
Found 3rd – 4 May 1959
Where: Forest Ravine 75m from main pine Tree
Wearing: Not known
Injuries: None recorded as unusual
Cause of Death: Hypothermia
Yuri Yudin(Юрий Юдин)
Fell ill and returned home before the event
Survived
THE EVENT TIMELINE
This timeline has been put together based on available evidence, life expectancies after injury, passing-on of clothes, travel times, estimates of survival in extreme conditions and best probabilities. Since preparing our original, we have also gained access to the official timeline published in 2006. When reconstructed in this way most of the components do start to fit together. For example it seems to have troubled investigators that only two members had traces of radiation. However, the timeline clearly shows that the source of contamination was originally Dubinina’s cloths which were later worn by Alexander Zolotarev. These were the only two members to have trace radiation. Having said all of this – it is still an estimate based on supposition and calculation.
| 25-Jan-59 | Unknown | First traveling by train, the group arrives at Ivdel (Ивдель), a central city of the northern province of Sverdlovsk, Oblast where they stay the night. |
| 26-Jan-59 | Morning | The group catch a lift with a truck that takes them to Vizhay where they stay the night. |
| 27-Jan-59 | Unknown | The group starts their march towards “Gora Otorten” (map reference: ) from Vizhay. |
| 28-Jan-59 | Unknown | Yury Yudin becomes ill and turns back to Vizhay. The others continue their trek towards Gora Otorten by following the valley and river. |
| 31-Jan-59 | Unknown | The group reaches the edge of the highland zone where they will break away from the River. They spend the day preparing for the climb. According to the “March Plan” they intended to leave a stock of supplies in a corn chandler’s shop. However another account suggests that they actually constructed a shelter in a nearby wooded area for the same reason. |
| 01-Feb-59 | Morning | The group set off for what will be their last campsite. The distance they will travel is not great and is only about 2.5 miles – although a steep incline through the forest as well as weather and snow conditions may have made the journey very slow going. |
| 01-Feb-59 | 4.00pm | Towards the evening of the 2nd of February they find themselves on the slopes of Kholat-Syakhl (a Mansi name, meaning Mountain of the Dead). They set up camp on the exposed slope of this mountain some 10 miles from their destination – Gora Otorten. Evidence from the photographs suggests that they were in a positive frame of mind. They had cleared the trees and skiing should become easier from this point to the mountain |
| 01-Feb-59 | 6.00pm – 7.00pm | The group eat a meal. |
| 01-Feb-59 | 7.00pm – 10.00pm | Tired, at least some of the Group settle down for the night. This is apparently evidenced by the fact that at least some of them were not fully clothed when they abandoned the tents. The temperature outside is bitterly cold – some say as low as -18 degrees Celsius. (To be honest, it is strange that they took off any clothes at all in these hostile temperatures. When members of the team camped near Berlin, Germany, in early December 2004 the temperature dropped to minus 17 degrees Celsius and we slept with all our cloths on including our boots.) Whatever the conditions, some of the Group felt relaxed enough to undress. This is perhaps the strongest evidence that they were not experiencing anything significantly out of the ordinary. |
| 01-Feb-59 | Estimated: 9.30pm – 11.30pm | The Dyatlov Pass Incident (Accident) Begins! The timing of this is calculated based on the undigested food in the stomachs of the deceased. The group, in various states of undress, cut or rips through the sides of the tent(s) and flees downhill to the nearest forest. There is no doubt that they are scared and in a hurry. They know they will not survive long in the outside temperature so must be fleeing for their very lives. Why they should need to cut through the tent is bizarre in itself? Had they tied the fastenings shut and didn’t have time to untie them? These and other still unanswered questions will be raised later to this section.Tracks found in the snow suggest that the group was scattered at first but came back together some distance (+/-300m) down the slope. |
| 01-Feb-59 | Estimated: 10.00pm – 11.00pm | Desperately cold but clearly in mortal fear of returning to their tents, they light a fire. For possibly two hours they remain where they are. The fire helps but Igor Dyatlov knows that it is not enough to keep them alive. The “great” pine tree is lower than the campsite and broken branches suggest that at least one of the team tries to climb it to see if they can view what is happening. Desperate and disoriented three members of the team decide to try and return to the tents. Igor Dyatlov, Zinaida (Zina) Kolmogorova and Rustem Slobodin make this superhuman effort. Already near dead from hypothermia, or something else, they fail to make it and collapse at various intervals. Their deaths are inevitable. They are found separately at 300, 480 and 630 meters from the pine tree. |
| 02-Feb-59 | Estimated: 12.00pm – 1.00am | When the leader of the team fails to re-emerge, the remaining members of the group wait for some sign of hope. Two further members, Georgyi Krivonischenko and Yuri Doroshenko die from cold while waiting. (It may be that these two died before Dyatlov decides to try for the tents and their deaths may have been the catalyst for the decision) The remaining members of the Group are desperately afraid. |
| 02-Feb-59 | Estimated: 12.30pm – 1.30am | The members of the group that are still alive take the clothes from the dead bodies of their comrades. In particular, Dubinina wraps her feet in the trouser no longer needed by Krivonischenko. Straining their eyes they look in the direction of the tents. Finally they make the decision to move further away along and into the woods. It is likely that it was at this time that the injuries sustained by this group occur. The survivors make it a further 75 – 700 metres into and along the woods before descending into a ravine. They huddle together but it is clear that Nicolas is dead. They wait and as they do Dubinina dies from chest injuries and hypothermia. Alexander Zolotarev takes (or is given) her coat and hat to try and keep himself warm. |
| 02-Feb-59 | Estimated: 12.45pm – 1.45am | Alexander Zolotarev dies from a combination of chest injuries and hypothermia. |
| 02-Feb-59 | Estimated: 9.30pm – 11.30pm | Alexander Kolevatov, frozen, afraid, alone and exhausted drifts off to sleep – he will never awake. |
| Post event – date and time unknown | Unknown | Between the time of her death and the discovery of her body three months later something examines the bodies lying in the ravine. Dubanina’s head is thrown back with her mouth open just as it was while she took her last dying breath. Her tongue may already be frozen as something rips it, and possibly the lining of her oral cavity, from her body. |
| 12-Feb-59 | N/A | This is the date that the Dyatlov Ski Team were meant to arrive in the town of Vishay and send a telegram announcing the completion of their route. They do not arrive and obviously no telegram is sent. This is the first real indication that something has gone wrong. However, a later converstation with B. E. Slobtsovym sugests that the team had planned an extention to their trip and would hav only arrived in Vishay on the 14th. |
| 20-Feb-59 | Unknown | Relatives of the missing skiers pressure the management of the Institute into dispatching a search and rescue party. |
| 21-25 February 1959 | Unknown | An initial failure to find the skiers results in the military and civilian authorities becoming involved in the search. Soldiers and officers take part and both planes and helicopters are dispatched to the area. The first sighting is made by the pilot of a plane. |
| 26-Feb-59 | Unknown | The searchers find the abandoned camp on the eastern slope of mountain 1079 – Kholat Syakhl. The tent was badly damaged. A chain of footsteps could be followed, leading down towards the edge of nearby woods (on the opposite side of the pass, 1.5km north-east), but after 500 meters they were covered with snow. At the forest edge, under a large old pine, the searchers find the remains of a fire, along with the first two dead bodies, those of Krivonischenko and Doroshenko, shoeless and dressed only in their underwear. They are buried under snow.The branches of cedar, under which they were lying, were broken at a height of about 5 meters. On the trunk of a tree forensic doctors found traces of skin and other tissues. With this evidence it is believed that they climbed the tree and broke off branches until their hands were literally raw. |
| 26-Feb-59 | Unknown | Three hundred meters from the fire and in the direction of the tent searchers find the body of Igor Dyatlova. He is laying on his back with his head towards the tents, one hand is holding a small birch tree branch and the other is shielding his head. |
| 26-Feb-59 | Unknown | 180 m from the body of Igor Dyatlow and in a direction towards the tent the searchers find the body of Rustem Slobodin. He is lying face forward in the snow. Slobodin was also found to have a skull fracture of about 17 cm in length. however, experts have determined that his death was most probably from hypothermia. |
| 26-Feb-59 | Unknown | A further 150m from the body of rustem Slobodin and even closer to the tent, the searchers discover the body of Zinaida Kolmogorov. Traces of blood are found nearby. (We don’t know the source of the blood yet.) It is worthy to note that it was Zinaida, a woman, that made it the furthest. |
| 04-May-59 | Unknown | Second group is found buried in a ravine under 4 metres of snow. Ludmila Dubinina is found to have a symmetrical fracture of several ribs one of which may have pieced her heart causing extensive extensive cardiovascular for 15-20 minutes after the injury. Alexander Zolotareva is found to have broken ribs on the right side. |
The original mystery was reported in Russian. By looking at these and comparing them to English versions we have identified quite a number of components that seem to have been lost in translation. These “facts” may-or-may not be true but are as follows:
The Taos Hum - Can Drive People Crazy
Congress Investigates?
In brief, the “hum” appears to be a low frequency sound with a rhythmic pulse to it. Many of the people that have claimed to hear or suffer from this humming have apparently claimed that it sounds like a “far away diesel engine”. It’s named after the town of Taos in New Mexico where it is claimed that it is quite common to hear it.
In fact, it was so common that the good citizens and sufferers banded together in 1993 and petitioned the American Congress to investigate the source of this annoyance. 1n 1997 Congress did direct a dozen or more scientists and researchers from some of the most recognized institutions in the country to investigate. One reason for this was the allegation that the Taos Hum was possibly the result of military activity – covert or otherwise. A side effect of this allegation was that the inquiry was conducted openly and involved a large number of people.
Two key organizations were also involved namely the Phillips Air Force Laboratory and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (those fine people that brought you the Atom Bomb). Apparently a Mr. Joe Mullins of the University of New Mexico and Mr. Horace Poteet of Sandia National Laboratories wrote the team’s final report.
“According to the August 23, 1993 “Taos Hum Investigation: Informal Report”, most hearers initially experienced the hum with an “abrupt beginning, as if some device were switched on.” Many of the hearers believed there was a connection between the hum, the military installations in and around New Mexico, and the Department of Defense or that the hum was somehow caused by the U. S. Navy’s ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) stations in Northern Michigan. These suspicions made a civilian presence on the investigation team necessary.” (Source: Thomas Begich / Staff Writer Earthpulse.com)
Are You Hearing Things?
The research team first made contact with ten professed “hearers” and made efforts to understand the experiential nature of the Taos Hum. Their consistent initial findings were as follows:
- It often had an abrupt beginning.
- It was always a low barely audible sound
- There was always a fluctuation in the pulse
One of the initial findings of the team was that the Taos Hum was not only an annoyance, its hearers also claimed it produced very unwanted side effects such as dizziness, insomnia or sleep disturbance, disorientation, pressure on the ears, headaches, loss of sex-drive and nosebleeds. Most importantly, its very existence seemed to disturb their psychological equilibrium. Many felt “singled out” by a phenomenon that was clearly “unnatural”.
The stated purpose of the team was to …
Once the team had come together (now including James Kelly a hearing research scientist with the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Center) it is understood that a fairly significant (quantitive) sample of the Taos population was interviewed – 1,440 is the figure recorded. Using the technique of extrapolation, they concluded that statistically 2% of the population of Taos were persistent sufferers or had heard the Taos Hum at some time.
Given this large number of hearers, initial exploration of a source for the hum focused on external possibilities for generation of the low frequency hum. While there were isolated instances of hearing within the low frequency range identified by hearers, these tests revealed no consistent background noise which could account for the hum. As Mullins and Kelly concluded, there were “no known acoustic signals that might account for the neither hum nor are there any seismic events that might explain it.”
The effect of being able to hear this hum can vary from being a mild irritation to a life disabling condition. Its effect is therefore very much like tinnitus – a persistent ringing in the ears that is a recognized medical complaint. “Hearers” of the “Hum” have been known to move halfway around the world to get away from it – something that travel can’t do to help tinnitus.
These are the basic “facts” about the “Taos Hum” …
What’s peculiar about the notes in the Taos Hum is that they have no obvious source. Not earthquakes, not nuclear explosions, nothing. The vibrations triggered by cataclysmic events fade away to nothing, but the Hum continues, regardless. It may well be the echo of undetected seismic activity.
A Denver audiologist said that she had recorded a steady vibration of 17 cycles per second with a harmonic rising to 70 cycles per second near Taos. The low range of human hearing is 20 to 30 cycles per second.
Massey University professors Tom Moir and Fakhrul Alam from New Zealand have begun their research on “Unidentified Acoustic Phenomena”.
There may be no “Taos Hum” at all and the phenomenon is explained by an as yet unidentified but reasonably widespread medical complaint.
We admit that this is not the most exiting of mysteries. Still, if there really is a sub-audible worldwide humming then humankind should figure out what is causing it. Who knows -It might be dangerous.
Driving Miss Daisy – Crazy
Regardless of whether it really does or does not exist there are a significant number of people that firmly believe that the Taos Hum it is driving them crazy. One way or another – they deserve help. According to Daisy Fielding, She had hoped to set up a pottery business in Taos but the sound of the humming was so annoying that she gave up trying to live there and returned to San Francisco.
There is a substantial amount of information on the internet about the Taos Hum. If you are interested then Wikipedia is a good place to start. We wish we could have become more “into” this mystery but the Taos Hum just doesn’t work for us. Let’s face it – there’s just not much to work with. Let’s see … some people hear a strange humming. It’s driving them crazy. No one knows where it’s coming from. No one is even sure it’s real. Welcome to the Taos hum!
Operation Tamarisk - A Very Dirty Business
OPERATION TAMARISK
Operation Tamarisk – as it would become known – was executed mainly by the military intelligence services of the United States, United Kingdom and France. Operating originally in East Germany, the spy teams were at first tasked with gathering documents from garbage bins associated with key buildings.
The results were rewarding and the programme extended to include the trash left behind after military manoeuvres. In particular, western agents had discovered that Soviet and East German soldiers were desperately short of toilet paper and had resorted to using official documents and ‘orders’ as an alternative. These would be left behind after the forces had moved out of the area and the enterprising agents only had to stroll thought the now accessible area to discover many gems of information including code books, technical drawings, weapons specifications and movement orders.
In fact, due to sanctions and rationing, toilet paper was becoming scarce even in embassies, government buildings and more permanent military installations. The unintentional practice of using office documents as wipes became widespread. These documents weren’t supposed to be used and would clog up the pipes so they found their way into the trash instead. It’s very possible that the Soviets simply didn’t realise how many of their personnel had resorted to these measures and therefore the scale of the information flowing ‘outside’ was never fully appreciated for the security risk that it had become.
These discarded documents were incredibly important to the Western Missions, as they could provide invaluable information on “everything from ciphers to intelligence on morale levels and also on Army-Party-MGB relations in the field,” Richard J. Aldrich – The Hidden Hand: Britain, America and Cold War Secret Intelligence.
Some of the documents found revealed extraordinary secrets. Some of these included:
- A booklet of cyphers and codes current for the time.
- Human limbs with shrapnel wounds that allowed the west to calculate predicted injuries.
- The specifications for Soviet vehicle armour.
- The strengths and the weaknesses of the then current Russian tank.
- Military training guides including combat tactics.
Over time the practice of going through an enemy’s garbage has become known as ‘Tamarisking’ and, according to active agents, is still going on today although the use of official documents for toilet paper is apparently far less common in Russia.
Even More Long Island Mysteries You Wont Believe
The Nuclear age and Cold War Jitters
World War II ended in 1945 when America dropped its most secret weapon, the nuclear bomb, on Japan. This horrified the Russians who immediately dropped any thoughts of pushing on through Europe and expanding their communist ideals. So, by 1946 there was peace and the start of the cold war arms race.
Between 1946 and 1952 the USSR under the charismatic, tyrannical, and sometimes erratic leadership of Joseph Stalin and his associates made significant technological advances that seriously concerned Western leaders. The historical record shows that the USA became deeply worried about the global spread of military enforced communism and invested heavily in all forms of defensive sciences.
A Secret Military Playground
According to researchers, the Philadelphia Experiment scientist resubmitted their proposal directly to the US Department of Defence and promised the development of a new and powerful weapon that could create severe mental disorders at the flick-of-a-switch using a combination of radar and magnetic energy.
Given that in 1954 the moratorium against nuclear testing had not been enacted and to the Americans it appeared as if the USSR was overtaking them in the nuclear arms race, it is not surprising that the Department of Defence may have approved the scheme.
Project “Phoenix” (meaning: Reborn from the Ashes) was given the go-ahead. The problem was how to fund it without Congress knowing. Some claim that as part of Operation Paperclip, US military intelligence had not only smuggled Germany’s rocket scientists into America but had also brought with them some looted treasure in the form of gold bars that could be used to fund black ops.
Nevertheless, the money came from somewhere and the group was allegedly set up at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1954. The same centre that would specialise in nuclear sciences.
It is during this period that many secret military installations were revitalised or created – some of these on, or near, Long Island. These included Mitchel Air Force Base, Fort Terry – Plum Island (Biowarfare), Camp Hero – Montauk (Radar and magnetics), Brookhaven National Laboratories (Nuclear), and the selection of Brookhaven for the future Nike battery NY-25R, Brookhaven, Rocky Point which would eventually be used as a missile launch centre for Nike Ajax / 30 and Nike Hercules / 18 surface-to air-units (Rockets).
The use of Long Island as a Strategic Defence Area (US-SDA-A1-MS-LI-NY) did not end in 1952. In 1957 a new and very secret missile base was established in Westhampton and equipped with 56 nuclear-tipped surface-to-air BOMARC missiles. It seems the US military really liked Long Island!
Mad Scientists MKII
Now, back to the Philadelphia Experiment and the scientists allegedly located at Brookhaven. It appears that their preliminary work was seriously hampered by financing issues, peer scepticism and a lack of results that suggested that the project might not be worth the effort.
It seems that serious support for the project only started in December 1957 as a result of US concerns relating to the successful launch of the USSR Sputnik space probe in October 1957. Understandably, information and records from this period start to become vague. However, the story claims that while the scientists were less than successful in their attempts to recreate the Philadelphia Experiment Phenomenon. It seems that they could recreate a short range “bloom effect” but any attempts to direct the EMR (Electro Magnetic Radiation) failed. Size did matter after all and now it was apparent that success depended on the dimensions of the radar unit (array) that was used.
Suddenly in 1958, a “new” Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) radar system was installed at Camp Hero. (MAFB) The equipment included a huge AN/FPS-35 radar antenna. The reflector was 126 feet (38 m) long and 38 feet (12 m) tall and weighed about 40 tons. It was supposedly only the second ever built. It also used “frequency diversity” technology making it resistant to electronic countermeasures. (This unit is still visible today)
What happened to the team still located at Brookhaven over the following years is unknown but apparently a series of “breakthroughs” happened in 1965/6. As a result, the entire project was relocated 54 miles further down the Island to the still remote area of Montauk and specifically to Camp Hero where the project could enter its fully operational phase.
Whether or not the “Montauk Project” ever really did take place is clearly debatable, but it does appear as if Camp Hero / Montauk Air force Base was state-of-the-art for the time. Many new systems were developed or tested there including magnetic memory for storage, light pens, keyboards, WANs (Wide Area Networks) and modular circuit packaging. It was also a major part of the NORAD defence system, so naturally security would have been strictly enforced.
This is where the mystery expands and becomes increasingly unpleasant. According to various people that claim to have been involved, many of the scientists and staff began to display the symptoms of advanced paranoia and obsessive introspection.
The Amityville Horror
Just 30 miles down the Montauk highway from Brookhaven is the seaside town of Amityville on the south side of Long Island. It was here on 13th November 1974, that Mr Ronald DeFeo Jr. apparently killed all six members of his family at their home located at 112 Ocean Avenue. DeFeo’s defence was that he had started hearing voices and had become clinically paranoid.
The Jury ignored this plea and convicted DeFeo who was imprisoned for life. He died in jail on 12 March 2021 aged 69. Many aspects of the murders were mired in controversy and all six people murdered showed no signs of struggle or external violence before their deaths. Defeo changed his story several times over the years but he always claimed that paranormal pressures had driven him to commit the murders.
The house was put up for sale and bought by George and Kathleen Lutz for the reduced price of $80,000. The were aware of what had happened but felt that this would not be a problem. They moved in on 19 December 1975. Allegedly, they immediately started to experience terrifying paranormal incidents and, after just 28 days, they abandoned the house.
Several books and two horror films have been made about the events that happened. One of the films has become a cult classic. At the heart of the stories is the premise that the house had become the portal to a new and terrifying dimension – probably Hell.
After many controversies and legal cases, the Lutz’s took a polygraph test in 1979 that indicated they were unlikely to be lying. In 1977 the house was bought by the Cromarty family who lived there happily for 10 years and claim they did not experience anything out of the ordinary.
Stranger Things
Widescale public awareness of the Montauk secrets were brought to public attention when Preston B. Nichols detailed what allegedly happened at Camp Hero in a series of books. In ‘The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time (1982)’, Nichols recalled repressed memories about participation as an experimental subject for the project. Pretty soon many other people came forward to support his claims.
It’s also around this time that rumours spread that there were children being kept at the base and being used for mind control experiments. This may sound just too bizarre, but we do know from declassified documents that the CIA was investigating the use of paranormal abilities and telepathy at this time as part of the MK Ultra experiments. (Watch the film – The Men Who Stare at Goats)
What apparently went on at Camp Hero seems to have leaked out into public perception. According to researchers, between 1958 and 1976 the clever scientists found ways to distort space and time. This allowed them access to forms of time travel and even gain access to parallel dimensions – many of them extremely unpleasant. In fact, the incredibly successful Netflix series ‘Stanger Things’ was originally based on Camp Hero and the Duffer Brother’s TV project was called ‘Montauk’ before being changed to Stranger Things’.
The Montauk Project was supposedly fully shut down in 1982 after an experiment went catastrophically wrong and opened a gateway to a reality so dangerous that it could never be allowed to happen again. However, many military watchers and investigators believe the project was never closed and is ongoing to this day – just hidden better.
Flight TWA 800
On 17th July 1996, TWA Flight 800 lifted off from JFK Airport New York en route for Paris. Tragically, the plane suddenly exploded just 12 minutes after take-off over the eastern shores of Long Island. Eyewitnesses state that they saw something heading toward the airplane just before it blew up. All 230 people onboard died almost instantly.
As a result, the aviation authorities were quick to launch what would become the largest investigation of an aircraft crash. After four years, 755 interviews and over three million dollars spent on the case the NTSB authorities concluded that a spark in the fuel tank was the cause of the disaster. This has left many people significantly dissatisfied as the NTSB openly admitted they could not conclusively say where the spark came from.
There have been many theories surrounding the crash including the possibility that the aircraft was accidentally shot down by a rogue US missile from the Long Island Air Defence Network. Much more interesting is the consideration by Professor E. Scarry of Harvard University that the plane was brought down by “High Intensity Radiated Fields” (HIRF), otherwise known as Massive Electromagnetic Interference, directed at the plane from another plane or ship in the area. This was published in 1988 under the title: The Fall of TWA 800: The Possibility of Electromagnetic Interference”. Just a coincidence?
Long Island Serial Killer
The most recent bizarre mystery is the case of the Long Island Serial Killer. Between 2010 and 2011 the police discovered the bodies of ten people, all women, who they believe had been killed over a 20-year period. Their remains were hidden on the remote beaches of Giglo and Oak just 4.4 miles from Amityville. Although the authorities have a number of suspects no arrests have been made specifically for this case. As with ‘Stranger Things’, Netflix released a movie in 2020 about these murders entitled ‘Lost Girls”.
So, what’s going on around Montauk?
Could all of this be completely true? Certainly, quite a lot is now just historical record and facts that are fully verifiable. Plum Island Animal Disease Centre still exists (for now), Fort Terry, now part of PIADC, was once a bio-weapons facility and is fully listed. The US did seem to have an obsession with military bases on Long Island. Over 20 can be found in the records. Camp Hero / Montauk Air Force Base was – for a time – a state-of-the-art top-secret facility and part of the NORAD defence network. There were nuclear tipped missiles based in Westhampton that people did not know about and Brookhaven National Laboratories was once involved in all forms of nuclear and other innovative research. Electromagnetism was being used in warships during WWII. TWA flight 800 did mysteriously crash in 1996 and a strange creature did wash up at Ditch Plains Beach near Montauk in 2008. And, now there’s a mysterious serial killer.
It certainly seems that plenty of secret activities have taken place in the region and probably still do. True or false it should certainly make a person think long and hard.
What the Heck is Happening Around Montauk, Long Island?
What the Heck is Happening Around Montauk, Long Island?
Over the past decade people are noticing stranger and stranger things have been happening on Long Island, New Jersey, and particularly around the town of Montauk. Its time to put these together and ask: “What the heck is going on?”
Mainstream public awareness of Montauk and its mysteries seems to have really begun in 1992 when Preston Nichols and Peter Moon wrote a book called “The Montauk Project – “Experiments in Time”. Since then, many researchers, fanatics, serious scientists, journalists, Long Island residents and paranormal investigators have been piecing together the story.
You need to know that while Long Island has always been New York’s party-playground, it has also been the location of many very “strange” and important military bases and scientific research facilities. Some are still there and remain operational. Some are still there but closed, or so we’re told.
If ever there was a mystery that has everything from escaped mutant animals to USA Government Mind Control experiments, then this is it. If the book about the Montauk Project made waves in the 1990’s, it was a picture of a weird animal that blew up a storm in 2008.
The Montauk Monster
The earliest source of the story was an article and photograph that appeared in a local newspaper “The Independent” on the 23rd of July 2008, under the title of “The Hound of the Bonacville” and was written by the news editor Kitty Merrill. (The Independent is published by The East Hampton Independent News Company Inc.)
Everyone seems a little vague about what actually happened, but it seems that a group of teenagers walking along Ditch Plains Beach first spotted it and were joined by a group of other people. One of the teenagers (Jenna Hewitt) apparently used a friend’s camera to take the now famous pictures.
The photo seems to have spread from person to person quite quickly and reached the possession of Los-Angeles based Alanna Navitski who then sent it on to Anna Holmes who runs a women’s magazine website. Not exactly their sort of material, it was forwarded to another part of their group, the New York gossip website, “Gawker” who published it on the 29th of July 2008 under the heading “Dead Monster Washes Ashore in Montauk (Good Luck with your Hell Demons)”.
Suddenly the Montauk Monster story was everywhere, and everyone had an opinion on what the creature really was. For some it was proof that something strange was going on around Montauk. For the psychologists it was “hysteria” just before the Sub Prime Credit Crisis. Scientists claimed it was just a racoon with its upper jaw missing. Fox News even covered the story. But … we may never know what the creature was because – surprise, surprise – it disappeared.
There are several variations of the story but the one told by Alanna Navitski is: “They say an old guy came and carted it away. He said, ‘I’m going to mount it on my wall.” Others claim they still have the skeleton and yet others say they saw a couple of FBI agents put in the trunk of their car. Whatever happened – it’s still missing over a decade later.
What’s interesting about the photo above is in the two red circles. One shows a fly, giving us a way to size the creature, the second shows a rope tied around its leg.
Plum Island Animal Disease Centre
Located just 14 miles to the northwest of Montauk is a very mysterious place with the innocent name – Plum Island. This triangle of land was once home to Fort Terry, a gun battery emplacement that was eventually converted into a military controlled animal and biological warfare research centre in 1952. Just two years later it was renamed as the Plum Island Animal Disease Centre. Still, it continued to be used as a bioweapon’s military facility until at least 1969. Many researchers believe this activity never really stopped.
Officially, the scientists on the island work(ed) to protect the USA from dangerous animal diseases thus making it the CDC for livestock. According to those working there, all research is published, and everything is above board. Naturally, you still can’t visit the island without some exceptional official clearance.
Since the arrival of the Montauk Monster, interest in the island has been intense and in 2020 the US Government announced that it was closing the centre and potentially selling off the island to help fund an even more secret and secure facility, The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, being built in Manhattan, Kansas.
Naturally, the suggestion that the mysterious Montauk Monster could have come from the animal centre on Plum Island was immediately denied. People pointed out that the monster was found on the wrong side of Long Island. However, ten minutes work studying ocean currents and the effect of the long Island Sound Race (current), shows that water can flow past Plum Island and then swing around past Gardiners Island and Montauk Point where it is picked up by the Atlantic tide and brought back across to Ditch Plains Beach.
The Montauk Project – Fact or Fiction
While these events are quite recent, the area also has a dark history of military experiments and potential government coverups. The most concerning of these is the Montauk Project.
The area of Montauk is located at the tip of the south fork of Long Island which, in turn, forms part of the Eastern Seaboard of the USA and is the dominant offshore landmass that stretches from New York towards the Cape Cod Peninsular.
If there was ever a place perfectly suited for secret activity, then this is it. Heavily wooded in places, surrounded by water on three sides, pock-marked by marshes, isolated and easily secured, Long Island and the Montauk District in particular is just the sort of place secret government agencies and the military love. Over the years Long Island and other smaller islands near it have been, and still are, home to specialist research organisations.
Nasty Nazis Causing Trouble
Back in the 1930’s, the American Government had been aware of the growing threat that Nazi Germany posed to Europe. However, the Senate was still unconvinced that this potential conflict posed a risk to the USA. America still believed in a policy of isolationism.
In 1939 Germany invaded Poland and then other parts of Europe, thus triggering the start of the Second World War (WWII). The US Government discovered that it was ill prepared for a major international conflict and initially opted for neutrality – although it was prepared to support Britain with resources and equipment. (The Lend-Lease Plan).
Psychologically the American populace were not yet motivated to take part even though Germany had just signed the Tripartite pact with Russia and Japan. The American war machine was substantial in size, but its leaders had quickly realised, with something of a shock, that it had fallen well behind in military technology. Rumours and reports of advanced German secret weapons combined with Adolph Hitler’s alliance with Bolshevik Russia and Imperialist Jap caused real concern in American circles-of-power. Steps were immediately taken to “improve” America’s technological fighting ability. Existing weapons development programmes were enhanced, and many new ones were initiated. Every possible aggressive and defensive military technology was investigated – especially the science of camouflage.
Things Get Worse for America
On the 7th of December 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbour – the US naval base on the island of O’ahu, Hawaii. There had been rumours and concerns, but these had been ignored. Yet again, and to their dismay, the US war leaders had discovered the power of the “new weapons” being used against them by their enemies. They now had no choice but to join the war.
The attack destroyed two main battleships, (The USS Arizona – BB-39, and The USS Oklahoma – BB-37) and so severely damaged another two that they were not returned to service until late in the war (The USS West Virginia BB-48 and The USS California – BB-44). Two Destroyers (The USS Cassin – DD-372 and The USS Downes – DD-375) were ruined beyond repair and a third (The USS Shaw – DD-373) was effectively put out of action for over a year. Many other ships were damaged or destroyed as were 188 aircraft.
It is estimated that a total of 2,402 people were killed – many of them military personnel of one kind or another. Fortunately for the Americans, the aircraft carriers USS Enterprise, USS Lexington, and the USS Saratoga were out at sea and escaped the attack.
The destruction of so much military equipment, soldiers and fighting capability in a single battle sent shockwaves through the American military and Government. Something had to be done to protect the various naval fleets from the devastating impact of enemy torpedo bombers. What they needed was a way to hide their fleet. What they needed was a whole new generation of camouflage.
The Philadelphia Experiment – Project Rainbow
Research apparently began immediately into various forms of camouflage including light refraction and electronic cloaking.
A little over a year after the Pearl Harbour raid a particular team of scientists were ready to test their invention. It is alleged that during October 1943 the US Government undertook a series of experiments to try and make a destroyer escort warship, the USS Eldridge, invisible using various forms of electromagnetic fields and equipment. This was the Philadelphia Experiment or “Project Rainbow”.
If this really took place, then this would mark the start of the American Stealth Technology Programme. (It is worth noting that the records do reveal that at this time the use of magnetic field generation in ships was being tested as a protection against German magnetic sea mines. This is known as “Degaussing”)
According to researchers into this mystery, the experiment eventually worked but with disastrous results for the human beings involved. The internet has many reports, often repeating each other and often based on dubious sources, claiming that the ship was rendered “invisible” but was a physical and psychological disaster for those people onboard the vessel. Some sources even claim that the experiment may have temporarily created an inter-dimensional porthole that fused human flesh with the metal structure of the ship. Books and films have been produced about this event
It would appear that after this debacle the programme was cancelled. According to many debunkers – it never happened in the first place and was just a misunderstanding about the work of Cmdr. Charles F. Goodeve, RCNVR who was using “Degaussing” to render vessels “magnetically invisible” to German mines.
Continued in part two: Read More!
Black Hornets, Nano Bugs and Spy Flies
Black Hornets, Nano Bugs and Spy Flies
Eye spy with my little fly!
For now, the only way to be invisible is to be exceedingly small or very camouflaged. The dream of every espionage agent has always been the ability to send an invisible spy into just about any environment and then just watch, listen, and learn. In the 1970’s the CIA tried to develop a tiny spy drone called the ‘Insectothopter’. Trials were initially highly successful but the technology for controlling the flight system just was available yet. Fast forward 50 years and it now turns out that this technology already exists, and it adds a whole new meaning to the expression ‘bugging the opposition’!
Small is Beautiful
Flying drones started off big because the surveillance tech and power sources they had to carry were big too. As this technology became evermore miniaturised so could the drones. Now it appears that a Harvard professor has developed possibly the smallest drone we know about: “Weighing only 60 milligrams, with a wingspan of 3cm, this micro-bot’s movements are based on those of an actual fly according to MIT Technology Review Magazine.
According to MIT the U.S. Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency is providing the funds for Professor Wood’s research in the belief that it can evolve into advanced microbots that can be used for stealth surveillance either on the battlefield or in urban environments.
But … that was in 2007 and a lot of time has already passed since then …
In April 2020 the BBC reported that companies such as Animal Dynamics were working on a top-secret development programme known as ‘Project Skeeter’. The goal – to create drones base entirely on the motion-science of birds and insects.
The Black Hornet – A Microdrone With a Potentially Lethal Sting
Originally developed by Prox Dynamics AS of Norway and now available from FLIR, the black hornet is an Airborne Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS / UAV) specifically made for infantry soldiers. The objective of the device is to provide immediate covert situational awareness. According to FLIR, the pocket-sized Black Hornet is exceptionally lightweight, incredibly quiet, and has an operational flight duration of up to 25 minutes. It can transmit live video and high-definition images back to the operator. It can also be landed in places of concealment where it can transmit video for longer than its specified flight time. Only qualified organisations are permitted to purchase this technology.
The Black Hornet has been used in combat by both the United States and United Kingdom armed forces. As of 2015, the Black Hornet had been upgraded to include night vision and a ‘hardened’ data transmission range of over one mile. More than 3,000 units have been manufactured and deployed. The average cost of a Black Hornet is between $80,000 and $160,000.
BAE Nano – The Bug
“In collaboration with UAVTEK, BAE has developed a nano “Bug” drone and delivered the first 30 units to the British Army, which has put it through its paces as part of a trial.
The Bug is a nano-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) weighing 196g – similar to the weight of a smartphone – with 40-minute battery life and a 2km range. It boasts a stealthy low visual profile and the ability to fly even in strong winds of more than 50mph. It was the only nano-UAV able to cope with the uncompromising weather during a recent Army Warfighting Experiment (AWE) event hosted by the Ministry of Defence’s Future Capability Group.” (BAE Press Release 2021)
Cyborg Dragonflies
According to Defence IQ, the Massachusetts-based company, the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory is developing a novel approach to reconnaissance nano-bots by integrating cutting edge technology with actual living insects. The DragonflEye concept involves the development of a ‘backpack’ unit that can be fitted to a dragonfly and managed through integrated guidance, energy, and navigation techniques. The micro ‘backpack’ is attached to the dragonfly and uses optogenetics to stimulate the 16 specific neurons that effectively control the flight response in dragonflies. The technology is powered by a miniature solar panel, but the Dragonfly hunts its own food eliminating the short-term need to recharge and full mechanical device and thus significantly extending the range and performance of the device.
Although the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory have not suggested this, a natural progression of this technology would be to integrate the manmade technology directly into an insect to create a true cyborg.
Spy Fly
There was another article in MIT Technology Review published in 2015 and this one has clues to suggest that the Spy Fly had advance quite a lot over the years. To quote from the article:
“A tiny artificial eye inspired by the vision systems of insects could help small flying drones navigate their surroundings well enough to avoid collisions while buzzing around in confined, cluttered spaces—a key step in making these small autonomous flying vehicles practical.”
It would be fair to say that if the engineers and scientists are now concentrating on visual and navigation systems in 2015 then surely, they must have already perfected the flight and primary surveillance systems.
According to the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory website (2016):
“Our research focuses on mechanics, materials, design, and manufacturing for novel robots. This includes robotics at unique size scales – Microrobotics – and robots that depart from conventional rigid morphologies – soft robotics. Examples include robotic insects … “
“… highly dynamic robots, and mechanical intelligence (I.e., the ability to alleviate controller complexity by embedding feedback mechanisms in mechanical systems).”
Now the big question is this: Did they succeed in the Fly Spy Project or not?
Of extreme interest is the fact that in 2012 the crowd funding website INDIEGOGO launched an appeal for the funding of a Robot Dragonfly – Micro Aerial Vehicle – described as a palm-sized robot that can fly like a bird and hover like an insect. According to the website some $1,140,975 USD was raised by 3,203 backers.
Over the past years there have been regular reports on the internet from people claiming to have seen bizarre metallic insects hovering near to protest demonstrations or other public gatherings.
Given how much research is taking place, and the time that has passed since these projects were first started, it is probably fair to say that Spy Fly almost certainly exists. Given how much money has been invested by DARPA and other organisations a one would reasonably expect results by now.
A type of Spy Fly is actually mentioned by Dan Brown (author of the Da Vinci Code) in one of his early novels entitled Deception Point and published in 2001 so the idea is anything but new.
It really does seem if the time has come to start looking very closely at flies that might be sitting quietly in the corner of the room – particularly if you’re going to be sharing secrets. A word of warning though – be very careful if you suspect a Spy Fly and decide you’re going to try and catch one. They will almost certainly have the ability to self-destruct into nothing more than a whiff of metallic vapour and a tiny glass lens possibly taking your fingers with them.
Strange Structures in The Egyptian Desert Explained
During March and April 2016 a series of videos appeared on YouTube reporting on the discovery of a strange alien-like structure that had been located on Google Earth by UFO enthusiasts who claimed that it was a base for covert alien-human activities. Some of the more sensational and excitable YouTube reporters suggested that it had only just become visible after a storm had swept away the sand that once covered it. Some reports even went as far as claiming it was in a remote part of the desert.
The story was picked up by mainstream media who took pleasure in using words like ‘Shocking’ and ‘Star Wars’ in their headlines.
Unfortunately most of what was reported and implied was wrong … The base does exist and can be easily seen on Google Earth. It does look fascinating and even alien by the standards of recent Hollywood movies.
The truth is:
The base featured on YouTube is not in a remote part of the desert and is located only 30km from the city centre of Cairo. In fact, it’s just 500m from a fairly busy highway known as the Cairo-Suez road. It wasn’t recently revealed by a sandstorm and has been clearly visible on Google Earth satellite images dating back to at least 2005 and before. Variants of the design go back to 1986. It’s not the only one! There are actually several in the immediate area. Here are the various co-ordinates. Just cut and paste them into Google Earth.
So what are these strange structures in the desert?
They are actually part of the Integrated Cairo Air Defence system and are Surface to Air (SAM) launch sites designed to protect the city, its airport and other military installations. They are part of the Egyptian Air Defence Forces network or EADF (Arabic: قوات الدفاع الجوي, Quwwat El-Difa’ El-Gawwi)
To be exact they are SA-2 missile launch sites designed to fire an upgraded derivative of the Volga 75 (V75) rocket. Originally of Soviet design, Egyptian scientists reverse engineered the weapon which is now known locally as the Tayir as Sabah (Early Bird) and dates back to around 2006.
The format of the structure is based on a typical soviet design that dates back to the late 1950’s. The mysterious circles are where mobile air defence units are stationed when a particular base is active. The mobility of the missiles means they can be moved easily to ensure that an enemy is never 100% certain where they are stationed at any given time. The base shown in the YouTube video is not active. The photograph below shows a similar base, also near Cairo, with its missiles in place.
Egyptian SA-2 System in 1985
It might look like something out of Star Wars but it is certainly not from outer space. Of course, there is always the possibility that these ordinary military structures are hiding a deep underground city staffed by human-alien hybrids (as some have suggested) but it’s just not very likely.
Futuristic Planes that Look like UFOs
REAL PLANES THAT LOOK LIKE UFOS
We live in an age where awareness of UFO’s is commonplace, but can we tell the difference between UFO’s and Planes that look like UFO’s but are manmade?
Vought V-173 “Flying Pancake”
In development from 1939 / Operational 1942 – 1947
The Vought V-173 or ‘The Flying Pancake’ was an experimental WWII test aircraft built by the USA as part of the Navy fighter aircraft program. It had a daring, almost circular, “all-wing” design. The project was initiated in 1939 and flight tested by Chief Test Pilot Boone Guyton on the 23 November 1942. Evaluation of the V-173 carried on throughout 1942 and 1943. A total of 190 flights were undertaken prompting numerous UFO reports from worried Connecticut residents. The final test flight took place in 1947. Overall, the project contributed greatly to the understanding of aerodynamics and the possibility of near vertical take offs.
McDonnell XF-85 Goblin
In development from 1942 / First Flight: 1948 / Cancelled: 1949
From the start of America’s involvement in World War II there was concern that US bombers would need long range fighter support. The problem was tackled in two ways. Firstly, the USA developed the Flying Fortress which was meant to be able to defend its formation on its own. Secondly, the USAF wanted to develop a fighter that could be carried by the bombers in their bomb bays. The program to develop a small (parasite) fighter started in 1942. The program was accelerated after the Flying Fortresses suffered catastrophic damage during the infamous Schweinfurt raids of late 1943 but slowed down again with the development of the P51 Mustang long-range fighter. As time went on the specification for the new aeroplane was changed from propeller to jet engine. Project authorisation was slow and the war in Europe was over before prototype development began in earnest. The aircraft showed promise but instability issues, particularly with regard to reconnecting with the mother bomber proved overwhelming. After a series of accidents the project was cancelled during 1949.
Horten Ho-229 Flying Wing
In development from 1943 / Testing: 1945 / Project Transferred to USA: 1945
During 1943 during the height of World War II, Herman Göring, the Head of the German Luftwaffe demanded that Deutsche industry should design and build a fighter bomber capable of carrying 1,000 kilograms of explosives to targets 1000km from their bases at a speed of 1000 kilometres per hour. The Ho 229, designed by by Reimar and Walter Horten was the only plane that came close to the specifications set by the German military. Without unnecessary external control surfaces, powered by two Jumo 004C engines, and with a flying wing configuration it was effectively the first stealth aircraft to be invented. The plane never made it into full combat before the Allies forced Germany to surrender after the fall of Berlin. The designs and components of the HO 229 were smuggled back to America as part of Operation Paperclip. Tests later revealed that while it had a significantly reduced radar signal but would still have been visible to medium range detection systems.
Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar
In development from 1951 / Testing: 1959 – 1961 / Project Cancelled: 1961
The Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar was a top secret and experimental “proof-of-concept” VTOL vehicle designed and built in Canada and intended for use by the US Military. Powered by a single “turborotor” the aircraft was strikingly similar to the Flying Saucers that were being featured both in serious news reports and children’s comics. Although fascinating to look at and intellectually captivating, the UFO plane never performed sufficiently well to warrant further development. The project was cancelled in in September 1961. It has been suggested that the project was actually never more than a disinformation programme designed to confuse overseas observers and US citizens. Some UFO researchers have even claimed it was part of the Blue Book cover up to be used as an explanation for the large number of ‘unexplained’ UFO sightings that were occurring during the 1950’s
Convair XFY-1 Pogo VTOL
In development from 1951 / Testing: 1954 / Project Cancelled: 1955
The Convair XFY Pogo tail-sitter was an attempt to create a VTOL fighter that could fly from any small warship. These concept aircraft was designed to prove that forward, contra-rotating, propellers would act like the blade of a helicopter and provide sufficient lift to raise the fighter into the air. Although the aircraft did fly its stability was never considered fully acceptable and landing the craft was near impossible. However, the main problem was the plane’s inability to slow down once it had reached combat speeds. To make matters worse, the plane was no match for other fighters being developed at the time and the project was cancelled during May 1955.
SNECMA Coléoptère
In development from 1956 / First Flight: 1958 / Project Cancelled: 1959
The SNECMA Coléoptère has to be one of the weirdest looking aircraft ever to be designed and looked like a UFO from the start. It was developed by the French during the 1950’s as a single-pilot VTOL plane with an annular wing configuration. In many ways it has a striking resemblance to ‘Thunderbird One’ of the popular puppet TV series by the same name which has led to speculation that it may have been the inspiration for the aircraft/spaceship piloted by Scott Tracey. On its ninth test flight it suffered a devastating crash caused by basic instability. The project was subsequently cancelled in 1959.
Moller 200 X
In development from 1976
The M200G Volantor was built as proof of concept for a saucer-shaped craft that would eventually operate as both a plane and a hovercraft. Looking very much like the UFO’s of 1950’s comics, it has eight computer-controlled fans which will allow it hover up to 10ft in the air. The project may have started as early as 1976 but, as of 2015, has yet to deliver a commercially available product. The Volantor was the brainchild of Paul Moller – aeronautics engineer from British Columbia, Canada.
Boeing: Bird of Prey
(Technology Demonstrator – Area 51) In development from +/- 1992 / First Flight: 1996 / Project Transferred to X-45 1999
This ‘black-project’ was actually named after an alien spacecraft – namely the Klingon ‘Bird-of-prey’ from the popular Star Trek film and television series. It’s one of the few aircraft that was actually meant to look like a UFO. It should come as no surprise that it was developed at Boeing’s ‘Phantom Works’ located at Area 51 in the Nevada desert. It was never intended as a finished aircraft but rather as a testbed for stealth related technologies, much of which would later be used on the X-45 Combat UAV. It represented a significant advance in aircraft camouflage technology and was eventually transferred to National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Boeing X45a
In development from +/- 1996 / First Flight: 2002 / Project Suspended 2008
The Boeing X-45 was an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defence Systems. It was created as a concept demonstrator for the next generation of wholly autonomous military aircraft. As with the Boeing ‘Bird of Prey’ – on which it was based – it was developed at the Phantom Works within Area 51, Nevada. The X-45A made its first flight on May 22, 2002. Testing and research continued until 2006 when the project was suspended in favour of the developing the aircraft for the US Navy. In 2008 Boeing lost the completion and the Navy continued the project with the Northrop Grumman N X-47. A Variation of the X-45 project remains partially active as a ‘non-commissioned’ development known as ‘Phantom Ray’.
Northrop Grumman Navy X-47B
In development from 2000 / First Flight: 2011 / Project Active
This plane, that looks distinctly like a UFO, is an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) designed for use on the US Navy’s aircraft carriers. It is a jet-powered aircraft capable of semi-autonomous ops and aerial refuelling. The body is based on a blended-wing design and is completely without a vertical control (tail). It will be developed into a battle-ready aircraft for the (UCLASS) ‘Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike’ system. It is expected to be fully combat operational by 2022. In 2015 the US Navy has made the unusual decision to retain the two prototypes in flight condition rather than allowing them to become museum exhibits. The aircraft has very advanced electronic warfare systems and on-board counter measures. It has already received two major design awards. As a full-sized aircraft it is almost certainly going to spark a frenzy of UFO sightings once it starts to appear in the skies around the world.
And this one has been included because readers kept writing in to say that it had been left out of the original ten …
Mysterious USAF Saucer Plane
On the Internet since +/- 2007
This is the ‘Plane with no Name’. Given how it looks this would definitely be the winner of the ‘Plane that looks like a UFO’ category except for the fact that this is almost certainly a hoax. What makes it so believable to so many people is there are at least six different images of the aircraft in different locations. However, it seems as if the plane is a carefully made model that has been isolated and then very carefully superimposed over the various backgrounds. Researchers have actually uncovered the original images that were used – without the saucer craft in them. So … the photos are fake but who created them. Some say they were produced by the US Government as part of a disinformation campaign, but the truth is, they were probably just put together by a model maker who was also extremely good with Photoshop. It’s a pity, but that’s what it seems to be.