UFO over UK naval base

[Subsonicjourno]

Was flicking through the local newspaper today and found this

http://www.westbriton.co.uk/PICTURES-UFO-spotted-Portreath/story-21013931-detail/story.html

Normally I dismiss things like that but after a conversation my fiancee had with her step dad it caught my interest. Apparently on the same night as the sighting, her step dad was working on the base. He works for a private contractor which monitors the naval base's radar. They regularly see odd things but those are often dismissed as birds. Bear in mind that due to him working on a military base this info would not be public knowledge due to secrets act etc..

This particular night however the radar shut down with no explanation. He had to contact the people who built the radar to find out what could have caused it.

The only way to shut it down is to take a heavy sealed metal panel off and flick a switch, which was down. There are at least 30 switches behind said panel so whoever switched it off knew what they were doing. It would take someone with tools to do so.

The radar is located in a field some way from the control tower and there was no evidence that someone had interfered with the site. Also last week according to the step dad there has been odd sightings of strange lights around the base.

That same week strange lights were reported at one of the bases watchtowers but on inspection it was revealed that no one had been in the area.

[aidaubmeg459]

This would be super interesting if there was some evidence to corroborate with it.very very odd

[aidaubmeg459]

Of course it would depend on the switch. As with medical equipment a lot of high grade military have thermal switches that have a bimetal strip that will physically switch it off if there is to many amps being drawn thru it or if the voltage drops sufficiently

[mister]

Most likely the military testing a new aircraft. If your story is true, someone on the inside most definitely switched that radar off. And the object described fits the description of new generation aircrafts currently being developed in military black projects worldwide.

[E. L. Wisty]

I dunno. Looking at the report, which is in one of those UK regional newspapers that are starved for news and always print this kind of thing in an uncritical and exaggerated way, it doesn't really seem that impressive. The main witness is a very strong believer in alien spacecraft. In 1995 he founded a tiny little club called CUFORG, which in the past 19 years seems to have done very little other than to hold annual conferences at which people I've never heard of give talks on the most way-out alien, New Age, and conspiracy fringe beliefs imaginable - I bet you didn't know that the US government has a secret treaty with Princess Linka from the Draconian Empire! Weren't they on Doctor Who once? I think they had a run-in with Jon Pertwee.

Anyway, the best description - a well-defined triangular object with a row of lights along the front - comes from a man who seems to have an almost fanatical belief in aliens, government cover-ups, and goodness knows what, and who, judging by the photo on his website, is quite elderly and wears glasses. The article is accompanied by a drawing portraying a complex artificial craft, but no photos, since apparently, although this chap did attempt to film the conspicuous, slow-moving UFO, it was clearly visible to his naked eye, but not to his phone. OK, maybe in all the excitement he pressed the wrong button. But another witness who wishes to remain anonymous says they also took pictures with their phone, which disappointingly showed, not the intricate flying machine they claimed to have seen - it had mysteriously "gone" and been replaced by a fuzzy blob! Judging by some of the pictures of alleged UFOs I've seen regional newspapers print in the past, the fact that they didn't include any photos with this article means the available pictures must have been laughably bad.

By the sound of it, this object was a bright dot which moved very slowly and silently, and was too tiny to show any detail on phone pictures, yet after squinting at it for a while, at least one of the witnesses could make out a distinct triangular shape with an orderly row of lights along the front! Do you think there's any possibility of people staring at a very small bright light until their eyes played tricks on them and they saw what they wanted to see? And did the 5 alleged witnesses come forward simultaneously and independently, or was it a case of the first witness, a man who is clearly obsessed with UFOs and willing to believe almost anything, making the initial report to the local press, and 4 other people reading about it and saying: "yeah, I saw it too, though for some reason my photos didn't come out either - fancy writing a news story about me?"

But at least one witness does seem to be telling the truth as he sees it, and maybe they all are. So what do we actually know? Well, apparently there was a very small bright light in the sky for some time, though we're not told how long, that moved silently and very slowly. We're not told how slowly, but far too slowly to be an ordinary aircraft, which, seen from a long way off, wouldn't exactly be barreling across the sky, so presumably very slowly indeed. That's how a balloon would drift - one of those Chinese lanterns, maybe? And if it was visible for a really long time and moved so slowly it was hardly moving at all - the report is too sketchy for us to be able to guess whether or not this is what happened - the planet Saturn is exceptionally bright just now, and visible low in the sky at that time of night.

If this is a case of one person who really, really wanted to see a UFO getting over-excited about something quite ordinary, reporting it to the press, and other exaggerated or entirely made-up reports following as soon as people catch on that there are supposed to be flying saucers on the prowl, my money's on Saturn, with a Chinese lantern a close second. It'll be interesting to see if there's any follow-up, because if it was indeed Saturn, it'll be visible in the same place at the same time on any clear night for quite a while, so there should be further reports of the spacecraft's regular return visits, quite possibly from the same guy. We shall see...

[zoser]

Was flicking through the local newspaper today and found this

http://www.westbrito...tail/story.html

Wonder if there is a youtube clip for this? Thanks for posting anyway!

[DemonicCupcake]

I don't think so Zoser, it said that the video was "mysteriously wiped from the phone".

[ExoPaul]

Could be this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAE_Systems_Taranis

[zoser]

I dunno. Looking at the report, which is in one of those UK regional newspapers that are starved for news and always print this kind of thing in an uncritical and exaggerated way, it doesn't really seem that impressive. The main witness is a very strong believer in alien spacecraft. In 1995 he founded a tiny little club called CUFORG, which in the past 19 years seems to have done very little other than to hold annual conferences at which people I've never heard of give talks on the most way-out alien, New Age, and conspiracy fringe beliefs imaginable - I bet you didn't know that the US government has a secret treaty with Princess Linka from the Draconian Empire! Weren't they on Doctor Who once? I think they had a run-in with Jon Pertwee.

Anyway, the best description - a well-defined triangular object with a row of lights along the front - comes from a man who seems to have an almost fanatical belief in aliens, government cover-ups, and goodness knows what, and who, judging by the photo on his website, is quite elderly and wears glasses. The article is accompanied by a drawing portraying a complex artificial craft, but no photos, since apparently, although this chap did attempt to film the conspicuous, slow-moving UFO, it was clearly visible to his naked eye, but not to his phone. OK, maybe in all the excitement he pressed the wrong button. But another witness who wishes to remain anonymous says they also took pictures with their phone, which disappointingly showed, not the intricate flying machine they claimed to have seen - it had mysteriously "gone" and been replaced by a fuzzy blob! Judging by some of the pictures of alleged UFOs I've seen regional newspapers print in the past, the fact that they didn't include any photos with this article means the available pictures must have been laughably bad.

By the sound of it, this object was a bright dot which moved very slowly and silently, and was too tiny to show any detail on phone pictures, yet after squinting at it for a while, at least one of the witnesses could make out a distinct triangular shape with an orderly row of lights along the front! Do you think there's any possibility of people staring at a very small bright light until their eyes played tricks on them and they saw what they wanted to see? And did the 5 alleged witnesses come forward simultaneously and independently, or was it a case of the first witness, a man who is clearly obsessed with UFOs and willing to believe almost anything, making the initial report to the local press, and 4 other people reading about it and saying: "yeah, I saw it too, though for some reason my photos didn't come out either - fancy writing a news story about me?"

But at least one witness does seem to be telling the truth as he sees it, and maybe they all are. So what do we actually know? Well, apparently there was a very small bright light in the sky for some time, though we're not told how long, that moved silently and very slowly. We're not told how slowly, but far too slowly to be an ordinary aircraft, which, seen from a long way off, wouldn't exactly be barreling across the sky, so presumably very slowly indeed. That's how a balloon would drift - one of those Chinese lanterns, maybe? And if it was visible for a really long time and moved so slowly it was hardly moving at all - the report is too sketchy for us to be able to guess whether or not this is what happened - the planet Saturn is exceptionally bright just now, and visible low in the sky at that time of night.

If this is a case of one person who really, really wanted to see a UFO getting over-excited about something quite ordinary, reporting it to the press, and other exaggerated or entirely made-up reports following as soon as people catch on that there are supposed to be flying saucers on the prowl, my money's on Saturn, with a Chinese lantern a close second. It'll be interesting to see if there's any follow-up, because if it was indeed Saturn, it'll be visible in the same place at the same time on any clear night for quite a while, so there should be further reports of the spacecraft's regular return visits, quite possibly from the same guy. We shall see...

Nice analysis.

So what's the bottom line? Do you believe it was an ET object?

[Hawken]

In 1999 Popular Science had an artist conception of a stealth blimp.

[smokeycat]

In 1999 Popular Science had an artist conception of a stealth blimp.

"It's good to have some skepticism so you won't be gullible & naïve. But too much of it can make you arrogant & egotistical."

Sorry.

Edited May 4, 2014 by smokeycat

[zoser]

"It's good to have some skepticism so you won't be gullible & naïve. But too much of it can make you arrogant & egotistical."

Sorry.

I didn't think Mr H generally was skeptical?

[Hawken]

I didn't think Mr H generally was skeptical?

He was poking fun at my spelling in my signature. I spelled too with one o. Obviously that was more amusing to him then the stealth blimp.

Yes Z I'm a little skepty. It helps separate the chaff from the wheat. But not so extreme that I take some wheat with the chaff.

Surely you can appreciate that.

[zoser]

He was poking fun at my spelling in my signature. I spelled too with one o. Obviously that was more amusing to him then the stealth blimp.

Yes Z I'm a little skepty. It helps separate the chaff from the wheat. But not so extreme that I take some wheat with the chaff.

Surely you can appreciate that.

Go for it Mr H

UM needs a rich and diverse mixture of folk!

You are a welcome member of the UM family.

[Hawken]

You are a welcome member of the UM family.

I'm sure there are those that beg to differ with you. You know how these debates can go.

[smokeycat]

He was poking fun at my spelling in my signature. I spelled too with one o. Obviously that was more amusing to him then the stealth blimp.

Yes Z I'm a little skepty. It helps separate the chaff from the wheat. But not so extreme that I take some wheat with the chaff.

Surely you can appreciate that.

No, stealth blimps are hilarious.

Only joking...

Sorry if I upset you. I love what it says in your signature but the misspelling took the shine off it that's all.

Shall we shake hands and move on?

[Mr.United_Nations]

How about a Sea King helicopter, theres one i have seen with dome on the side, could be used in search and rescue or radar.

[DONTEATUS]

Come on now ! Thats gotta be a "Z' pencil drawing ! We know he`s trying to win that artist job in the back of the popular mechimaniaics mag right?

[Hawken]

After 24 years after Bentwaters, they're back looking for Penniston and Halt.

Didn't Penniston say they were time travelers from our distant future?

[smokeycat]

After 24 years after Bentwaters, they're back looking for Penniston and Halt.

Didn't Penniston say they were time travelers from our distant future?

34 years wasn't it?

Edited May 4, 2014 by smokeycat

[Hawken]

34 years wasn't it?

My bad. You're correct. I must say Bentwaters was a compelling case with the type of eyewitness testimony.

They weren't no rednecks from the backwoods making that claim.

[smokeycat]

My bad. You're correct. I must say Bentwaters was a compelling case with the type of eyewitness testimony.

They weren't no rednecks from the backwoods making that claim.

Yes, you are right, very compelling. Definitely more to it than a misidentification of a nearby lighthouse, which I think is very patronising to the serving personnel that served there.