The Gulf of Guinea USO Encounter

In the early morning hours of October 28, 1902, three crew members aboard the British ship Fort Salisbury witnessed an extraordinary sight in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of West Africa. A huge, dark object appeared in the sky, projecting lights down toward the ocean surface. Then, in an act that would be repeated in USO (Unidentified Submerged Object) reports for over a century, the object descended and disappeared beneath the waves.

The Sighting

Time and Location

The encounter occurred:

• Date: October 28, 1902
• Time: Approximately 3:00 AM
• Location: Gulf of Guinea, off West Africa
• Conditions: Night, at sea
• Visibility: Clear enough to observe object

The Witnesses

Three crew members observed:

• Experienced sailors
• On night watch
• Multiple independent observers
• Confirmed each other’s account
• No prior history of unusual claims

The Object

Initial Appearance

What they first saw:

• Huge dark object
• Appeared in the sky
• Clearly structured
• Not a natural phenomenon
• Approached their position

The Lights

Unusual illumination:

• Object projected lights downward
• Beams directed at water
• Appeared to be searching
• Deliberate behavior
• Not random flickering

The Descent

The remarkable conclusion:

• Object descended toward ocean
• Approached water surface
• Disappeared beneath waves
• No splash or disturbance noted
• Submerged completely

Significance

Early USO Report

This case represents:

• One of earliest documented USO encounters
• Transmedium behavior (air to water)
• Multiple credible witnesses
• Pre-aviation era sighting
• Pattern that would repeat

Transmedium Capability

The object demonstrated:

• Aerial flight capability
• Controlled descent
• Entry into water
• Submersion capability
• Technology unknown in 1902

Historical Context

Maritime Era

The setting:

• Age of sail transitioning to steam
• No submarines in area
• No aircraft existed
• Naval technology primitive
• No conventional explanation

British Merchant Marine

The witnesses’ context:

• Professional sailors
• Experienced at sea
• Trained observers
• Knew normal phenomena
• Recognized this as abnormal

Analysis

What It Wasn’t

The object could not have been:

• Aircraft (none existed)
• Balloon (couldn’t submerge)
• Meteor (controlled descent)
• Weather phenomenon (too structured)
• Submarine (couldn’t fly)

What It Might Have Been

Possible explanations:

• Unknown natural phenomenon
• Misidentification (of what?)
• Early UAP/USO encounter
• Something beyond explanation
• Genuinely anomalous

The USO Pattern

Recurring Elements

This case established patterns seen later:

• Objects operating both in air and water
• Lights directed at ocean
• Controlled submersion
• No debris or disturbance
• Inexplicable by known technology

Similar Cases Through History

Later reports would include:

• Objects entering/exiting water
• “Transmedium” capability
• Lights beneath waves
• Submarine UAP
• Consistent behavior patterns

The Question

At 3 AM on October 28, 1902, three sailors in the Gulf of Guinea saw something impossible.

A huge dark object in the sky. Shining lights down at the water. Then diving beneath the waves and vanishing.

Not a bird. Not a balloon. Not a meteor.

Something that could fly.

And something that could swim.

In 1902, nothing human-made could do both. Submarines couldn’t fly. Aircraft didn’t exist. The technology to build a transmedium craft wouldn’t exist for… well, we still don’t have it.

So what did those sailors see?

The Gulf of Guinea USO remains one of the earliest documented encounters with an object that defied the boundary between air and sea.

It established a pattern that would repeat for over a century:

• Unusual craft in the sky
• Interest in the ocean
• Controlled submersion
• Complete disappearance

Today we call these USOs - Unidentified Submerged Objects. The Pentagon acknowledges “transmedium” capabilities in some UAP.

But in 1902, three sailors on a British merchant ship just saw something they couldn’t explain.

Something that flew.

Something that dove.

Something that vanished into the depths of the Gulf of Guinea.

And was never seen again.

The ocean keeps its secrets.

This was one of them.