SS City Of Alako Hawaiian Islands Sighting
The SS City of Alako Hawaiian Islands Sighting occurred on November 7, 1959, when three witnesses aboard the SS City of Alako, traveling from Yokohama to Los Angeles just north of the Hawaiian Islands, observed a bright object streak across the water, emit three distinct flashes, and submerge beneath the ocean surface. Project Blue Book classified this case as a meteor — an explanation UAP Gerb argues is inconsistent with the object's observed trajectory and behavior. The three flashes emitted before submersion are identified in the video as a detail that recurs in independent Australian government USO reports from years later.
| Date | 1959-11-07 |
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Incident Description
Three crew members aboard the SS City of Alako were approximately four miles north of the ship when they observed the object. The sequence of events:
- A bright light or object was seen streaking across the water at low altitude, traveling on a low pursuit angle along the surface
- The object emitted three distinct flashes
- The object submerged beneath the ocean surface
- The SS City of Alako changed course to investigate the area
- Nothing was found at the location
The low pursuit angle — the object traveling nearly parallel to the ocean surface rather than descending steeply as a meteor would — is the primary basis for questioning the Blue Book explanation.
Blue Book Classification and Critique
Blue Book classified the sighting as a meteor. UAP Gerb's critique focuses on trajectory physics: a meteor following a low pursuit angle would be an exceptionally rare atmospheric grazing event, and even under that scenario, meteors do not submerge beneath the ocean surface after skimming it. The object's apparent travel along the water surface for an extended period, followed by deliberate submersion, implies controlled behavior incompatible with a ballistic trajectory.
Cross-Case Detail: Three Flashes
The detail of three distinct flashes emitted before submersion is identified by UAP Gerb as a recurring signature. An Australian government report from 1967, independently documenting a different case in which lights emerged from the sea, rose to great height, curved, and returned to the ocean, noted that three distinct flashes accompanied the return to sea. The recurrence of the three-flash detail across independent reports separated by eight years and thousands of miles is treated as a potentially meaningful pattern rather than coincidence.