Case file · Close encounter
Shag Harbour
An object was seen entering the sea; the RCMP and Navy searched.
1967 CE · 43.42, -65.71 · status: unexplained
The researched reading
A well-documented, multi-witness event of something entering the sea. Flares are the strongest ordinary answer, but they were not tested at the time and a real unexplained share remains.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something known, misidentified | 40% | Brian Dunning argues that marine or aircraft flares, the first explanation raised on the scene, fit a string of lights descending and burning on the water; the claim that flares were officially ruled out is not documented. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 28% | Many independent witnesses, the RCMP and fishermen reached a glowing object on the water and found yellow foam; the Navy dive found nothing, and no aircraft was missing. |
| Secret human technology | 14% | A secret military object, a test vehicle or a submarine-related device, fits the naval interest, but nothing has emerged. |
| A poorly understood natural phenomenon | 6% | A bright meteor or luminous phenomenon ending at sea could explain the descent but not the floating light. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 6% | Witnesses at night over water misjudge distance; the excitement spread quickly in a small community. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 4% | Phosphorescent sea foam or algae could explain the yellow foam. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 2% | Many independent witnesses and police make a hoax implausible. |
Official position: Canadian government files logged it as a "UFO report" after no aircraft was found missing; no conclusion was reached.
Connections in the atlas
- Clarenville, Newfoundland
- Harbour Mille 'missile'
- The Delarof object, Aleutians
- Carl Feindt's catalogue of water UFOs