Imperial Beach, California, November 1952
THINK ABOUTIT UFO|UAP SIGHTINGS REPORT
1952: Imperial Beach, California, the Yellow Bell-Shaped Light
At about 6:38 p.m. on November 16, 1952, a Navy duty officer at the Naval Communications Station in Imperial Beach, California saw a large yellow, light-orange, bell-shaped light hold stationary for three to four minutes, then leave at high speed westward over the sea.
It reappeared afterward. A second report adds a bluish reflection around its edge, and the Blue Book evaluation is hard to read on the scan, possibly a meteor.
Date: November 16, 1952 (date partly handwritten and uncertain on the card)
Sighting Time: About 6:38 p.m. PST
Day/Night: Night
Location: Naval Communications Station, Imperial Beach, California
Urban or Rural: Coastal
No. of Entity(‘s): None reported
Entity Type: Not applicable
Entity Description: Not applicable
Hynek Classification: NL (Nocturnal Light)
Duration: 3 to 4 minutes stationary, then a high-speed departure
No. of Object(s): 1
Shape of Object(s): Bell-shaped
Size of Object(s): Described as large
Color of Object(s): Yellow to light orange, with a bluish reflection around the edge in a second report
Distance to Object(s): Not recorded
Height & Speed: Stationary, then high speed to the west over the sea
Number of Witnesses: At least 2 (a Navy duty officer and a second reporter)
Special Features/Characteristics: Stationary for several minutes, left at high speed, then reappeared
Case Status: Unclear in the scan; possibly evaluated as a meteor
Source: Blue Book file (two reports and record card)
Summary/Description: A Navy duty officer at Imperial Beach saw a large yellow bell-shaped light hover for three to four minutes before leaving at high speed over the sea on the evening of about November 16, 1952.
Related Cases: Other November 16 reports on the November 16th–30th page
DETAILED REPORT
A Navy duty officer at the Naval Communications Station saw a large yellow, light-orange, bell-like light. It stayed stationary for three to four minutes and then left at high speed to the west, out over the sea. It later reappeared.
A second report in the file describes the same object with a bluish reflection around its perimeter. The date on the card is partly handwritten and uncertain, and the evaluation box is unclear in the scan, so a meteor is a possibility rather than a conclusion.
A stationary light for several minutes is hard to reconcile with a meteor, which is why the file is kept rather than closed.
RESEARCHER’S NOTES
Imperial Beach 1952: A Navy Watch Officer’s Light
- Witness: A Navy duty officer at a communications station is a trained watchstander, and the second report supports the description.
- Evaluation: The card’s evaluation is unclear in the scan, possibly Astro. The duration does not fit a meteor.
- Date uncertainty: The date is partly handwritten; November 16 is the best reading.
- Return: The light reappearing after leaving westward is noted but not detailed.
Imperial Beach is a short file with a clean description and a murky evaluation. It stays open until a clearer card turns up.
“a large yellow bell like light orange colors. It stood still for about 3 or 4 mins and then disappeared at great rate of speed to westward to sea.”
— Naval Communications Station log entry, Imperial Beach, California, November 1952 (Blue Book file; OCR of the typed log)
