Huge UFO Sighted - 1959
USAF SAC Base, Goose Bay, Labrador

History: Goose Bay, affectionately known as "The Goose", is located in Canada's far north. Labrador is the largest geographical portion of the province of Newfoundland, covering 294,330 square kilometers with a population of just over 30,000. At one time, it was home to SAC's 95th Strategic Wing.

Air Force Combat Wing Histories (official USAF history) states that the 95th Bomb Wing Medium was established June 4, 1952 and activated on June 16. It was redesignated 95th Bomb Wing Heavy on Nov. 8, 1952. Apparently it was originally slated for B-47s, but was instead assigned B-36s, which it flew from 1953 to 1959. It flew B-52s from 1959 to 1966. It was discontinued and inactive on June 25, 1966. All of this took place at Biggs AFB, Texas.

It was reactivated as the 95th Strategic Wing on August. 8, 1966 at Goose Bay. At that time, the wing was flying KC-135 tankers. It was inactivated on September 30, 1976.


Hello Mr. Vike.

This is the report of the 1959 UFO sighting which I told you about. I will give you my name and sighting location first. My name is (witnesses name and mailing address removed). The event happened at the USAF SAC Base (long since abandoned by the Yanks, but still in operation by NATO) at Goose Bay, Labrador. I have reported it to MUFON a couple years ago, but other than that I have not mentioned it to anyone. I have of course thought of it thousands of times over the years (more than 47 years in fact - a long time). I have been trying to find a UFO report describing the same type of craft for a long time, however I have been unsuccessful in that regard. Nothing comes close. Here is the description of the event. Distance is stated in feet and miles. Remember how it use to be?

August 1959 USAF SAC Base, Goose Bay, Labrador. At the time I was 22 years old and a Newfoundlander working in the Motor Pool on the Base. The event happened at approximately 0300 hours. I had been called out to drive two (2) visiting USAF pilots to a lake near the Pine Tree Radar Base (approximately 25 - 30 miles from the Air Base) to do some fishing before they returned to their home base. I was driving a jeep and we had just reached the outskirts of the Air Base. From there to the Pine Tree Mountain there was nothing but pure wilderness. Not a light to be seen except the headlights from the jeep and there were tall trees on both sides of the road.

We were driving along when the passenger in the right hand seat said "what the hell is that". I looked out my window and saw something coming over the trees and I immediately stopped the jeep in the middle of the road and all three of us got out. What we saw was unbelievable. I will not say that it was a certain size, all I can say is that it was "big". I know it blocked out the sky above us. At that latitude the sky is beginning to lighten up a bit in August, however not really light enough to tell what shape the object was. The trees along the road I would guess to be about 100 feet (a 1959 measurement) and the craft was flying just above the tree tops. It was fling parallel to the ground and going very slow. It make a slight humming sound, but it did not make any other noise. There were no flashing lights what so ever. What it did have was three large round lit areas running in a straight line.

I would guess that each one was about 25 - 30 feet in diameter. The space between each was the same distance. Actually the size of the lights (I suppose that is what they were) and the distance between was probably greater than I have stated. I am guessing the distance because of the width of the road which was 45 feet. There were no light rays or spot lights. The lit areas reminded me of looking at a window with a shade pulled down from a distance. The color was a yellow/white, but leaning more to the white. I can state all this with great clarity because there was only about 150 feet between the craft and the ground.

It moved very slowly and took a good 45 - 60 seconds to cross the width of the road. After it reached the opposite side of the road it disappeared from sight, because of the tall trees. I immediately turned the jeep around and went back to where the tree line ended which was about a half mile from the nearest runway. The object was still very close to where we were on the road. We watched it proceed at the same altitude for about one half to three quarters of a mile. This distance took the object in over the outskirts on the Air Base where it took a slight turn upwards over the Base. When it was about at the center of the Base the object took a sharp turn upward at the same lazy speed. Actually it did not go straight upward, but took a spiraling route of about one mile circumference (probably larger). It seems to be getting a good look at the Base and if there was intelligence on board, it seemed to be daring someone to go and have a look. Actually I never thought of those two items' until much later.

We were too busy wondering what it was. The Control Tower was notified by my two way radio. The people in the tower saw the object, however no one did anything about it, or did not seem to care anything about it. Goose Bay was not a fighter base, but was more of a long range bomber and aircraft refueling operation. There were lots of A/C, but as far as I know there were no aircraft on alert. Finally the object disappeared from sight. The whole experience lasted about 20 minutes. Project Blue Book was in operation at the time, however I did not know that until years later. Every Base was suppose to have an officer on strength who was suppose to investigate such matters. I never heard from anybody.

There is an entry in Blue Book about the Goose Bay sighting for August 10, 1959. It was made by an RCAF jet pilot (the RCAF occupied about one third of the base and was separate from the US side) however it was not the same day or the same object. I have been calling the sighting an "object" for a reason which would be 1959 vintage. If somebody has said to me, did you see a UFO? I would have answered, what is a UFO? I knew that we were seeing something unusual, however not once did it enter my mind that it was something called a "UFO". You probably wondering why this is fresh in my memory after all this time. After a few years (I had joined the RCAF in 1960) had passed and I realized what had transpired, I took down some details in a notebook. Also, I shall never forget even the smallest detail of what I saw that night. I can still see what I saw that very large craft coming in just above the tree tops. I do not know what I saw that night, but I would guess that it was not man made. It was not an aircraft, (fixed wing or helicopter), it was not a balloon (weather or any other kind). No balloon was ever that big anyway.

If it had been a fixed winged aircraft it would have made alot of noise and would have long ago crashed into the ground. As far as the helicopter is concerned, it could travel slow, however the noise would show it for what it was. Anyway back in 1959 that type of craft was not near as popular as it is today. As for the balloon, who in their right mind would fly a balloon over a military base at 0300 hours even in 1959 (when security was much, much slacker than it is now). Whatever it was, it certainly did not belong to the Goose Bay Air Base. I had been over almost every foot of road and in all the hangers and had seen nothing ever close to being as large as the craft in question.

I cannot see this being some kind of hoax. Back in 1959 who would have bothered because not much was publicized about UFOs. Who would bother to go to such an isolated area just to have it seen by three people. As it happened, it was just by a very slim chance that it was even seen by me and the other two. The tower was alerted by me and the only other people awake at that time would be the MPs (maybe) on the main gate and maybe a few other people all of whom would probably be inside working. Even if some people were working on the flight line, etc., would they be looking up got a UFO. Not likely. I believe that you can dive into Goose Bay via a new road at present, however in 1959 that part of Newfoundland was completely isolated except for air travel and the seaport which is open only during the Spring and Summer months) due to Fall and Winter freeze up).
End.

Brian Vike's Note: I didn't type up the last little bit the witness wrote, but you can view this in the 4 pages of the letter I received.

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If you have seen anything like this in the same area please be kind enough to contact Brian Vike at: sighting@telus.net with the details of your sighting. All personal information is kept confidential.

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