February 2, 1952 — East Coast of Korea
7:35 p.m. Radar operators aboard the aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea pick up an unidentified target off the east coast of Korea. It is first detected at a distance of 25 miles; when it closes to 20 miles, it makes a wide turn to the east directly away from the carrier, accelerating from 600 to 1,800 mph at 52,000 feet altitude.
It splits into two targets 5–12 miles apart on a slightly zigzag course to the north. They disappear about 110 miles away. Observers on the carrier see three exhaust flames. A USAF analyst estimates the speed of one track to be 767 mph and the speed of another track 1257 mph. [Eberhart]
Note: Jan Aldrich’s pages on Project 1947 seem to be the best references for this case.
Sources:
J. Allen Hynek, The Hynek UFO Report, pp. 126–127;
Brad Sparks, Blue Book Unknowns File, Case #507-508, p. 121;
NICAP, “USS Philippine Sea Tracks Approaching Target”;
Bluebook file [28pages, contains info on an entire wave of Radar sightings of the East Coast of Korea around this time]:
Wikipedia, “USS Philippine Sea”;
Jan L. Aldrich, “The USS Philippine Sea, February 2, 1952,” Project 1947;
Jan L. Aldrich, “U.S. Navy Documents Concerning the USS Philippine Sea Report from Dr. Hynek’s Files,” Project 1947;
“USS Philippine Sea Operation Officer’s Testimony,” Project 1947;
[Nothing on UFO, on Feb. 2 they were conducting Air Operations]
From: Commanding Officer, USS PHILIPINE SEA (CV-47)
To: Chief of Naval Operations
‘Action Report’ for the period 25 January 1952 to 22 February 22 1952
Martin Shough, RADCAT: Radar Catalogue: A Review of Twenty-One Ground and Airborne Radar UAP Contact Reports Generally Related to Aviation Safety for the Period October 15, 1948, to September 19, 1976, National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena, NARCAP Report TR-6, December 8, 2002, pp. 24–26;
