July 22nd-25th, 1952 UFO & Entity Sightings Archive
1952: July 22nd-25th
UFO|UAP & Entity Sightings Archive
These four days sit at the absolute peak of the 1952 flap. F-94 crews scrambled from Dover AFB chased blue-white lights across two hours over New Jersey. A Pottstown, Pennsylvania crew watched a pear-shaped object shepherd a much faster delta-shaped companion at over 1,000 knots. An Alaska F-94 crew locked onto a target that simply outclimbed and outran them. And a Trans-Texas Airlines station manager watched a fifty-foot silver disc gyrate over Uvalde before it vanished at a speed the Air Force itself would never explain — one of the handful of cases from this entire month still carried today as an official Project Blue Book Unknown. Historians looking back on the period agree: by late July, “the 1952 wave reached some kind of a peak, with fantastic sightings happening one after the other.”
Date: July 22, 1952 (BBU 1538)
Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico
Time: 10:50 a.m.
Summary: Control tower operator Don Weins and 2 CARCO pilots saw 8 large, round, bright aluminum objects fly straight and level, then dart around erratically. 25 minutes.
Source: Berliner
Date: July 22 (BBU 1654)
Location: Stafford, Virginia
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Summary: A USAF pilot of a C-54 transport saw a bright ovoid object hover, then move in stops and starts, first approaching the plane, then paralleling it.
Source: Berliner; Loren Gross
Date: July 22, 1952 (BBU)
Location: Brookley AFB, Mobile, Alabama
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Summary: A USAF Tech Sgt. and a civilian employee saw a barrel-shaped black object, 3.5-4 ft in diameter, emitting a black smoke trail and a black puff of smoke, flying about 5,000 ft above ground a mile away, heading east then flying “perpendicular” (possibly vertical). 2 minutes.
Source: Hynek-CUFOS-Willy Smith files
Date: July 22, 1952 (BBU 1536) [CCL Item #30]
Location: Uvalde, Texas
Time: 2:46 p.m. (1446 local)
Summary: Don Epperly, station manager and weather observer for Trans-Texas Airlines, observed a large, round, silver object at an estimated altitude of 20,000 ft, approximately 50 ft in diameter, gyrating for 45 seconds before departing at an estimated speed well over 1,000 mph. Officially carried by Project Blue Book as an “Unknown.” [Full Report]
Source: Berliner
Date: July 22, 1952
Location: New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Time: 5:45 p.m.
Summary: A private pilot, alerted by his wife, saw a hovering, metallic-appearing disc. After about 10 seconds, the disc abruptly shot away, climbing at a steep angle, and disappeared.
Source: NICAP report form
Date: July 22, 1952 (BBU)
Location: 12 miles E of Peterson Field, Colorado
Time: 6:45 p.m.
Summary: USAF ADC personnel in a Cessna 140, and the pilot, saw a round silver object disappear into clouds.
Source: Project 1947
Date: July 22, 1952 (BBU 1556)
Location: Near Braintree, between Boston and Provincetown, Massachusetts
Time: 10:20 and 10:47 p.m.
Summary: A USAF pilot and radar operator of an F-94B jet interceptor saw a large, round, spinning object throwing off a blue light. At 10:47 p.m., the same or a different F-94B chased a blue-green or green object circling at high speed, with airborne radar tracking and lock-on. Another F-94 intercepted 2 objects with flickering white light and swishing, circling blue light which passed the jet, with airborne radar tracking and ground visual observation.
Source: Berliner; cf. Weinstein
Date: July 22, 1952 (BBU)
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Time: 10:25 p.m.
Summary: F-89 crews attempted to intercept a UFO observed visually. No radar contact was made. Afterburners were used, without success.
Source: Blue Book files; FUFOR Index
Date: July 1952
Location: Borneo, Indonesia
Time: Unknown
Summary: A Borneo, Indonesia sighting. See the full report for complete case detail. [Full Report]
Source: See full report
Date: July 23, 1952
Location: Culver City, California
Time: Unknown
Summary: Several aircraft plant employees saw a bright, silvery, elliptical object move northwest, then stop and hover. Two small discs emerged and circled the area before rejoining the “mother ship.” The object then climbed straight up out of sight at tremendous speed.
Source: Unknown
Date: July 23, 1952
Location: Nahant, Massachusetts
Time: 2:15-2:18 a.m.
Summary: A seaman on watch at the Nahant Coast Guard Station observed two bluish lights, approximately 5 ft in diameter, appearing as flat, disc-shaped objects with no aerodynamic features, moving without sound or exhaust trail at a speed faster than a four-engine airliner, at an altitude of 1,100-2,000 ft. At roughly 1.5 miles from the observation point, they executed an extremely sharp turn, described as similar to a ball bouncing off a wall.
Source: Blue Book files
Date: July 23, 1952 (BB)
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Time: 4:10-4:54 a.m.
Summary: Three or more circular lights were seen high in the sky, changing color from blue to red to purple. Two of the objects circled overhead, sped away at high speed, then returned to hover overhead. The associated teletype message notes a “visual with possible GCI radar sighting.”
Source: Dan Wilson, BB files
Date: July 22-23, 1952 (BBU 1572)
Location: Trenton, New Jersey
Time: 10:50 p.m., 12:45 a.m., 1:28-3:47 a.m.
Summary: Crews of several USAF F-94 jet interceptors from Dover AFB, Delaware made 13 visual sightings and one radar tracking of blue-white (or orange) lights. White, green, and blue lights were seen by both ground observers and F-94 pilots moving in arcs and blinking out suddenly. One F-94 crew got a radar lock-on at 30,000 ft distance on an object the size of an F-94; at 9,000 ft distance the object made a sharp right turn, suddenly dropped in height, and disappeared. Other sightings occurred across the wider Dover-Trenton area. 2 hours.
Source: Berliner; Loren Gross
Date: July 23, 1952 (BBU)
Location: Jamestown, Rhode Island
Time: 7:36 a.m.
Summary: USN radar tracked a high-speed target heading north at 42,000 ft, confirmed by ADC radar at Camp Hero, New York. F-94s and F-86s were scrambled but the intercept was unsuccessful.
Source: McDonald list; Loren Gross, Dan Wilson
Date: July 23, 1952 (BBU 1554)
Location: Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Time: 8:40 a.m.
Summary: Two-man crews of 3 USAF F-94 jet interceptors saw a large silver object, shaped like a long pear with 2-3 squares beneath it, flying at 150-180 knots (170-210 mph), while a smaller object, delta-shaped or swept-back, flew around it at 1,000-1,500 knots (1,150-1,700 mph).
Source: Berliner
Date: July 23, 1952
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Summary: A red object, size undetermined, was seen southwest of Alexandria, Virginia. It hovered for 10 minutes, then disappeared to the west at high speed. Witnesses were a county policeman, two airmen, and a civilian. Note: the “Alvin Moore fragment” is later said to have been found at Vienna, Virginia (WNW of Alexandria) — the object here was last seen moving west, toward that location.
Source: Blue Book documents
Date: July 23, 1952
Location: Near Washington, D.C.
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Summary: Wilbert Smith (Canadian Project Magnet) stated that a UFO fragment had been recovered near Washington after an Air Force jet fired on the object — the “Alvin Moore fragment.” Smith said he was told the disk was glowing, about 2 feet in diameter; a glowing chunk broke off and the pilot watched it glow all the way to the ground, where a ground party recovered it, still glowing, about an hour later. This is the same claim recorded earlier in this archive under the general date “July 1952” — this entry provides the more specific date and time given in this part of the source.
Source: Need to Know: UFOs, the Military, and Intelligence, Timothy Good
Date: July 23, 1952 (BBU 1567)
Location: Altoona, Pennsylvania
Time: 12:50 p.m.
Summary: Two-man crews of 2 USAF F-94 jet interceptors at 35,000-46,000 ft altitude saw 3 cylindrical objects in a vertical stack formation, flying at an altitude of 50,000-80,000 ft. 20 minutes.
Source: Berliner
Date: July 23, 1952 (BB)
Location: Long Beach, California
Time: 1:50 p.m.
Summary: A witness named Collinson, at the Naval Shipyard, observed an orange-red, oval-elliptical object overhead moving at high speed. At an estimated altitude of 4,000 ft, it made a zigzag maneuver and was visible for about 16 seconds, appearing as large as a nickel held at arm’s length.
Source: Blue Book files, Dan Wilson
Date: July 23, 1952
Location: Near Springfield, Ohio
Time: Between 8:05 and 10:15 p.m.
Summary: Two lights, described by some as white globes, were seen high in the sky. Jet aircraft were seen investigating, later confirmed as the 97th Fighter Squadron scrambling some of its planes. At 8:05 p.m., Major A. S. Griffin, Base Comptroller’s Office, reported seeing three lights high above Springfield Municipal Airport while at a scout camp near Yellow Springs, Ohio. Watching through field glasses, he saw two jets that appeared to be investigating.
Source: Unknown
Date: July 23, 1952
Location: Lockbourne AFB, Ohio
Time: Unknown
Summary: This case was investigated by the Office of Special Investigations (OSI). Numerous witnesses observed 4 objects hovering near Lockbourne AFB, Columbus, Ohio. The objects were round and fluorescent white in color. Two F-84 jets were dispatched but were unable to identify the objects. Approximately 90 percent of the base’s personnel observed the objects. Through triangulation, the objects were later determined to be at 75,000 ft altitude.
Source: Unknown
Date: July 23, 1952 (BBU)
Location: East of Misawa AFB, Japan
Time: 8:20 p.m.
Summary: A USAF pilot flying an F-94 jet fighter chased a blue-green fireball.
Source: Weinstein
Date: July 23, 1952 (BBU 1578)
Location: South Bend, Indiana
Time: 11:35 p.m.
Summary: USAF pilot Capt. H. W. Kloth saw 2 bright, blue-white objects flying together, before the rear one veered off. 9 minutes.
Source: Berliner
Date: July 23, 1952
Location: Braintree, Massachusetts
Time: Unknown
Summary: Case details did not survive beyond a brief classification note (“Cat 9. G,A,V”); no further content recoverable at this time.
Source: Unknown
Date: July 24, 1952
Location: Carson Sink, Nevada
Time: Unknown
Summary: A Carson Sink, Nevada sighting. See the full report for complete case detail. [Full Report]
Source: See full report
Date: July 24, 1952 (BBU 1588)
Location: Travis AFB, California
Time: Unknown
Summary: Case details did not survive; no further content recoverable at this time.
Source: NARA
Date: July 24, 1952 (BBU)
Location: MacDill AFB, Florida
Time: 10:45 p.m.
Summary: A USAF pilot and copilot of a bomber with the 364th Bomb Squadron saw a high-speed object over MacDill AFB, tracked by ground radar.
Source: Project 1947; McDonald list
Date: July 24, 1952
Location: Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
Time: 11:20 p.m. (0820Z, July 25)
Summary: 1st Lt. Jones (pilot) and 2nd Lt. Aubrey M. Brenner (radar observer), flying an F-94 southeast of Talkeetna, Alaska, made radar contact with a target appearing larger than an F-94 at 14,000 yards. Lock-on was achieved with the target moving 40 knots faster than the aircraft. Aircraft speed was increased to 350 knots in a 4,200 ft/minute climb; the target was still pulling away at over 100 knots. After climbing to 18,500 ft, the target appeared to level off and increase speed; the chase was broken off.
Source: Unknown
Date: July 24, 1952
Location: Clovis, New Mexico
Time: 9:30 p.m.
Summary: Personnel of the 140th Fighter-Bomber Wing document unidentified flying objects similar to types reported over “Operation Desert Rock” (October 30, 1951), observed by an officer of the wing. Contemporary source commentary notes that by this point the 1952 wave had “reached some kind of a peak, with fantastic sightings happening one after the other,” as Air Defense Command radar detected unknown objects across the United States from July 25 through early August, with jet interceptors repeatedly scrambled to pursue objects that both ground and airborne radar confirmed were exactly where reported.
Source: Unknown
Date: July 24, 1952
Location: Serchio River, Italy
Time: Unknown
Summary: A discoid UFO, roughly 60 ft in diameter, hovered for 10 minutes over the river. The UFO directed a greenish “ray” at a fisherman, who felt an electric shock as the ray struck him. A mysterious stranger with a foreign accent reportedly attempted to intimidate the witness several days later. This case may be connected to the standalone San Pietro a Vico Italy Encounter (dated one day later, July 25) — the possible link is flagged for further research, not confirmed as the same incident.
Source: David Ritchie, The Definitive Guide to Unidentified Flying Objects and Related Phenomena
Date: July 25, 1952
Location: San Pietro a Vico, Italy
Time: Unknown
Summary: A San Pietro a Vico, Italy encounter. Possibly connected to the July 24 Serchio River, Italy entry above — flagged, not confirmed. See the full report for complete case detail. [Full Report]
Source: See full report
Date: July 25, 1952 (BB)
Location: Manassas, Virginia
Time: 12:00 a.m.
Summary: A bright light was observed in the sky east of Manassas by members of the 647th AC&W Squadron; the object was extremely bright and remained in view for approximately 4 hours. Two F-94 pilots from the 148th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron were scrambled to intercept; they sighted the object but estimated its altitude to be far beyond their aircraft’s capability. At least 2 airborne and 11 ground observers in total.
Source: Dan Wilson
Date: July 25, 1952 (BBU)
Location: Wilmington, Delaware
Time: Afternoon
Summary: A VA employee saw 2 discs reflecting light while climbing.
Source: Unknown
Date: July 25, 1952 (BB)
Location: Osceola, Wisconsin
Time: Morning
Summary: Numerous unidentified objects were picked up on radar by the 674th AC&W Squadron. Speeds on the radar scope varied between 14,400 and 20,000 knots. There was correlation between these electronic sightings and visual sightings made by pilots of the 109th Fighter Squadron from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Source: Blue Book files, Dan Wilson
Date: July 25, 1952 (BBU 1637)
Location: Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
Time: 12:05 a.m.
Summary: An Air Intelligence Information Report (per AFL 200-5) states Airman 1st Class J. M. Donaldson, standing near the Service Club, saw 8, 9, or 10 bright orange objects flying in a triangular formation with an open wedge. At 30° elevation, north of his position, moving west to east, the objects moved faster than any aircraft he had seen, for 3-4 seconds, with no exhaust or trail. Ceiling unlimited, visibility roughly 50 miles, winds north at 16 mph. Witness reliability considered excellent; listed as Unidentified.
Source: Berliner
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Peak of the Wave — And an Official Blue Book Unknown
These four days are genuinely the densest stretch of the entire 1952 flap, with radar-visual jet intercepts logged nearly every night across Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Alaska. The Uvalde, Texas case stands apart as one of the small number of cases from this entire archive still carried today as an official, unresolved Project Blue Book “Unknown” — a trained aviation professional, a stable, decades-consistent record, and no conventional explanation ever reached. A second Alaska F-94 intercept, at Elmendorf on July 24, closely mirrors the Beluga Lake case from earlier in the week (different crew, same pattern of a target outpacing the interceptor).
One possible connection was flagged rather than merged: the July 24 Serchio River, Italy fisherman encounter and the July 25 San Pietro a Vico, Italy standalone occur a day and (per available detail) roughly the same region apart — worth checking during the standalone-triage pass to see if these are the same event under two names. The “Alvin Moore fragment” claim, first noted generically as “July 1952” earlier in this archive, recurs here with a specific July 23 date and time — cross-referenced rather than duplicated.
“One large, round, silver object flew at more than 1,000 mph for 45 seconds, while gyrating.”
— Project Blue Book Unknown Case Files, on the July 22, 1952 Uvalde, Texas case
A multi-panel collage: top-left, July 22, 1952 a fifty-foot silver disc gyrating over a small Texas airport in daylight; top-right, July 23, 1952 (BBU1554) a pear-shaped silver object with a smaller delta-shaped companion circling it at high speed in a night sky; bottom, July 24, 1952 an F-94 cockpit radar scope over Alaskan wilderness, a target pulling steadily away. Credit stamp: “thinkaboutitdocs.com — UAP/Entity Archive by Date. July 22-25 1952”
SEO IMAGE METADATA
Image Title: UFO Archive Collage
Alt Text: Illustrated collage of the peak week of the 1952 UFO flap including the Uvalde Texas Blue Book Unknown and the Pottstown Pennsylvania case
Caption: July 22nd-25th, 1952 UFO & Entity Sightings Archive
Description: Header collage for the Think About It Docs July 22-25, 1952 weekly sightings archive page.
Meta Description: Explore the densest stretch of the 1952 UFO flap, featuring the Uvalde, Texas Blue Book Unknown, the Pottstown pear-shaped object case, and a second Alaska F-94 radar intercept.
