In case Bernice Niblett's reference
in the preceding article to a ‘red flasher'
flying from a tugboat sounds too unbelievable
all by itself, we refer readers to a letter by
associate editor Brian Cannon in vol. 1, no.
3. Here Cannon lists several unexplained
marine incidents which, reported in the public
press, happened in those same coastal waters
in roughly the same period.
But 10 years earlier in the nearby Strait of
Juan de Fuca there occurred a marine disaster
even more mystifying. Here there was startling
closeness between a strange flying object,
seen by a ship’s entire crew, and the stricken
vessel. Just as strange was the fact that the
doomed boat was never identified. Was it part
of the UFO domain about which Miss Niblett
speculates?
The incident was recently reviewed in the
Victoria (B.C.) Daily Colonist by marine
historian T. W. Paterson, who wrote:
“The strange case of the “KC-13” goes back to
November, 1957, when the Japanese freighter
Meitetsu Maru steamed slowly through the
darkness in calm seas, 30 miles off the west
coast of Vancouver Island. For hours the Maru
proceeded without sign of another ship when,
suddenly, a wavering tower of light attracted
her lookout's attention. Immediately ordering
increased speed, Capt. Ohuchi headed for the
scene, some four miles off, and, as his ship
neared, he could see the blazing remains of a
fishing boat. But it was not the fiery
wreckage which held his eyes captive. It was
the glowing, circular white light that hovered
over the wreck at which they stared,
hypnotized. As their freighter inched closer,
the eerie light retreated swiftly in a great,
upward arc, vanishing into the dark skies.
“After unsuccessfully searching for survivors,
the Japanese radioed the alarm. Because the
dying vessel was ablaze from bow to stern,
Capt. Ohuchi made no attempt to have his men
board and continued on to Vancouver as the
United States Coast Guard and aircraft of the
RCAF began an intensive search of the area.
Aided by unseasonably fine weather, both
forces covered more than 6,000 square miles of
ocean.
“However, although numerous fishing vessels
were in the area, none had picked up any
survivors. Only one, in fact, had reported an
incident which could have had any connection
with the burned vessel. That report mentioned
the strange white light which the Japanese
merchantmen had seen, arching upward from the
sea.
"All that the vast two-day search uncovered of
the vessel described as . . . of about 50 tons
gross, and about 70 feet long, was a medium
sized gasoline tank to which were attached
some pieces of charred wood.
“In the way of further identification, all
Capt. Ohuchi had been able to offer
authorities were the figures “KC-13-ac” on the
side of the burning hull.
“Fifteen years after, the mystery of KC-13
remains just that. For no Canadian or American
fishing vessels had been reported as missing
or overdue at the time of the loss, and the
figures given by Capt. Ohuchi did not
correspond with numbers of fishboats of either
nation. The only tangible clue, the gas tank,
was forwarded to the RCMP in Vancouver and
eventually identified as having come from the
Nanaimo fishing craft Jo-Joe which went
missing off Vancouver Island's west coast on
Oct 30, 1957.
"At first thought to be a company listing,
KC-13-ac has never been identified. RCMP
officials, when contacted in 1963, said they
had no record of the white light. Up to that
date, the Jo-Joe's owner had not turned up,
and it had been assumed that he was lost with
his boat, there was no mention of others
having been aboard.
"Today, in 1972, the original questions are
still to be answered: What was the cause of
the fire that destroyed a 70-foot craft in
minutes? And, even more intriguing, what was
the mysterious white light that hovered over
the scene, only to zoom away at the Meitetsu
Maru's chance arrival?”
HOMEPAGE