Aleutian Islands aviation UFO report — 1945

Summer of 1945; Aleutian Islands Sunset. A large UFO was seen by crew members of the U.S. Army Transport Delarof which had been hauling munitions and supplies to Alaska. Robert S. Crawford was serving as one of the Army radiomen aboard. The attack transport ship, heading back to Seattle, was in the open sea past Adak. Crawford was on the port side near the radio room when he heard shouts from some of the crew. He turned and saw a large, round object which had just emerged from the sea. (Several crewmen saw the UFO actually appear from underwater, an estimated mile or so from the Delarof.) The unknown craft, showing darkly against the setting sun, climbed almost straight up for a few moments, then arced into level flight, and began to circle the ship. All the observers were convinced it was a large object. Comparing it with the width of a finger held out at arm's length, Crawford estimated the UFO to be 150 to 250 feet in diameter. As it circled the Delarof, the flying object was in easy range of the ship's guns. But the gun crews held their fire, though on the alert for any sign of hostility. The UFO circled the vessel two or three times, moving smoothly and with no audible sound. All the witnesses felt it was self-propelled; otherwise, the strong winds would have visibly affected its movements. After several minutes, the flying object disappeared to the south or south-southwest. Suddenly the crew saw three flashes of light from the area where it had vanished. The Delarof captain posted an extra watch as the ship moved through that sector later, but nothing was seen.