Bay Area UFO Sighting (San Francisco Bay Area) – Captain and Oakland Reverend (1949)

📍 Location

📝 Description

Archival records indicate a July 1949 Bay Area UFO event near Vallejo, California, in which 12–14 objects were observed in a strait entering San Pablo Bay. The sighting was reported from the USS President Jackson by an on-watch observer (Charles B. Harnett), with radar and visual confirmation of multiple objects. The witnesses described the objects as having shapes not clearly outlined, appearing in an '8'-like formation and moving at speeds faster than contemporary fighter aircraft. No physical debris or artifacts were reported. There is no substantiated public evidence of a parallel commercial flight or an Oakland reverend as a passenger witness in credible sources. The case is documented in Project Blue Book (as an unexplained/unknown) and is listed in NICAP’s 1949 chronology and the Project 1947 NavCat catalog. As of December 13, 2025, there have been no credible new updates or corroborating evidence published in major outlets or official archives.

🔍 Circumstances

Date/time: July 1949, approximately 6:15 a.m.; Location: near Vallejo, in the strait entering San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay Area, California; Observers: crew of the USS President Jackson (notably Charles B. Harnett) on watch with radar and signal-bridge observations; Description: 12–14 objects, moving in a pattern described as an '8'-like formation; Movement: at speeds faster than fighter aircraft; Documentation: radar contact and visual observations; Status in records: listed as an unknown/unexplained case in Project Blue Book; Primary source catalogs: NICAP chronology (1949) and Project 1947 NavCat.

👤 Physical Description

Objects described as disk-like shapes with no clearly defined outlines; 12–14 objects observed above/east of the signal bridge; formation described as resembling an '8' (modulated/ambiguous) pattern; no physical trace or debris reported; color not specified; relative speed noted as greater than fighter aircraft of the era.

ℹ️ Additional Details

The claim of a 'commercial passenger flight' involving a captain and an Oakland reverend in September 1949 is not substantiated in the primary archival sources referenced here. The best-documented public record for this Bay Area sighting pertains to the Vallejo/San Pablo Bay observation aboard the USS President Jackson in July 1949. No verified modern updates have surfaced as of the date provided (December 13, 2025). The case remains within historical unexplained categories in Blue Book records and NICAP/NavCat compilations.

🔗 Sources (5)

👥 Community Contributions

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