The 1904 USS Supply Encounter: Naval Logs of Three Luminous Objects

Discovery in the Logs

On the morning of February 28, 1904, the USS Supply, a Navy transport ship, was cruising through the North Pacific at latitude 35° 49' N, longitude 129° 40' W. At approximately 6:10 AM, the watch officer and several crew members observed three distinct, egg-shaped objects approaching the ship from the northwest. The encounter was meticulously documented by Lieutenant Frank Schofield, who later became the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet. His report was not merely a personal diary entry but was officially filed and subsequently published by the Weather Bureau of the Department of Agriculture.

Description of the Anomalies

Schofield’s account, found in the 'Monthly Weather Review' (March 1904 edition), describes the objects as 'remarkable.' He noted that the largest object was roughly the size of six suns, while the two smaller objects were about half that size. The craft moved in a formation, appearing to fly below the clouds at an altitude of approximately 5,000 feet. Schofield noted: 'The largest object had an apparent area of about six suns. It was egg-shaped, the larger end forward. The color was a bright, glowing red.' The objects maintained a steady course before suddenly ascending at a steep angle and disappearing into the clouds.

Scientific Context at the Turn of the Century

In 1904, human flight was in its absolute infancy; the Wright brothers had only made their first flight months earlier in December 1903. The description of massive, glowing, egg-shaped objects moving at speeds 'far exceeding any known bird or mechanical device' placed the encounter outside the realm of contemporary technology. Naval scientists of the era attempted to explain the sighting as a 'mirage' or 'meteoric phenomena,' but Schofield’s report explicitly noted that the objects changed direction—a behavior inconsistent with falling meteors.

Naval Legacy

The USS Supply encounter is often cited by naval historians as the first 'modern' UAP report in U.S. Navy history. The fact that the lead witness was a high-ranking officer with a distinguished career lends the case significant credibility. The original logs and the published summary in the NOAA archives serve as primary evidence of an era where anomalous aerial phenomena were already being observed and recorded by the military using professional maritime standards.