Naval Witnesses

UFO Witness Statement

I proceeded to the Gunnery School where the large telescope was focused on the UFO in question. The UFO was cylindrical, pewter coloured with very little, if any, light being reflected from its surface and apparently stationary for varying periods of time. There appeared to be on very close examination, satellite objects of a much smaller variety, which appeared in close proximity to the principle UFO but which were not constantly in view, either because they were mobile or possibly because after prolonged study of the phenomenon, one's eyes tended to betray one.

When the UFO would disappear, it was with a rapid horizontal movement to port, so rapid that it was not possible to track it with the telescope in use. The UFO bearing was taken (it appeared to hang on the horizon in a southerly direction the vicinity of Tacoma, Washington). From the location of our observation point (high on a mound) the UFO was over open water of the Straights of Juan de Fuca.

Upon questioning CPO Boomer, I learned that this sighting was a reoccurrence of a previous identical one. In one instance, the gunnery students were working with jet fighters from CFB Comox and a request was made that they investigate but this was out of the question as the object appeared to be of such a distance that it would have been in US air space. I later learned that pilots of Canadian Forces aircraft were forbidden by SOP orders to engage UFOs. At no time, to my knowledge, did this particular UFO appear on the radar of the naval establishment at Esquimalt but this may be because of lack of cooperation by those in charge of that facility (the operations officer refused to believe me when I requested his assistance even to the point of not entering the incident in the daily log).

Believing that this episode had reached its conclusion, I returned to my office in HM Dockyard only to be called again on the same day with the message that the UFO had "returned" and had been found by one of the students in the course of tracking a target on the telescope. In short, the UFO was around for the next couple of days and I had various members of my staff observe it along with my wife. An experiment was carried out to see if reflections were being caused from cars in a parking lot in the vicinity of our observation mound as the bright sun did hit some windshields giving off a dazzling light. There was no connection.

The Dominion Observatory in Saanich (near Victoria) was contacted and asked to set their giant telescope on the bearings we had noted. Unfortunately, their telescope could not depress at such a low angle. I might add that it was with great reluctance and skepticism that a representative was sent to see our UFO. He arrived, he saw and he left - without comment.

A further test to ensure that there was not a cracked prism or a chip in the glass was done in which the chip might look like an object but this proved negative. The lenses were unblemished.

I had been in touch with my headquarters in Ottawa over the incident and eventually, abiding by instructions contained in Canadian Forces Orders (CFOs) on the procedure to follow in the sighting of UFOs, a message was sent to the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa giving all sighting data, times, bearings, dates, descriptions, etc.

On my own initiative I spoke with the departments of some of the various police forces of the Lower mainland and the Victoria area. There was a police sergeant of the Saanich Police who had an experience to relate witnessed by him and his wife but this had nothing to do with my own. UFO sightings were reported over Washington by radio stations in that state during the same time-period. I later learned from radar personnel at CFB North Bay, the UFOs had been tracked on several occasions by CF radar at the base in the past.

I have in my possession, a copy of my message to the NRC, along with the signed statements and sketches made by gunnery students and instructors concerning the Esquimalt sightings. These are in storage in California.