The S.S. Pulaski Foo Fighter of 1941

In September 1941, two sailors aboard the Polish merchant vessel S.S. Pulaski witnessed one of the earliest well-documented Foo Fighter-type sightings of the World War II era. While transporting British troops through the Indian Ocean, they observed a “strange globe glowing with greenish light, about half the size of the full moon.” After alerting a British officer, all three watched the object’s unusual movements for over an hour - three years before the term “Foo Fighter” would be coined.

The Vessel

S.S. Pulaski

The ship:

• Polish merchant vessel
• Operating under Allied command
• Transporting British troops
• Wartime convoy duty
• Indian Ocean route

The Witnesses

Who saw it:

• Two Polish sailors
• One British officer
• All watched together
• Over an hour of observation
• Multiple corroborating witnesses

The Sighting

Initial Observation

What the sailors first noticed:

• Strange globe in the sky
• Glowing with greenish light
• Approximately half the size of full moon
• Not an aircraft
• Not a star or planet

Alerting the Officer

Their response:

• Recognized something unusual
• Brought it to officer’s attention
• British officer joined observation
• All three watched together
• Confirmed unusual nature

The Object

Physical Description

What they observed:

• Globe-shaped
• Greenish glow
• Half the size of full moon
• Self-luminous
• Distinct edges

Behavior

The object’s movements:

• Not stationary
• Displayed unusual movements
• Watched for over an hour
• Did not approach ship
• Eventually departed

Duration

A significant detail:

• Over one hour observation
• Extended viewing opportunity
• Multiple witnesses throughout
• Not a brief glimpse
• Time to study carefully

Significance

Pre-Foo Fighter Era

Why this matters:

• September 1941
• Three years before “Foo Fighter” term
• Before mass aerial combat sightings
• Early documentation
• Pattern established early

Matching Characteristics

The sighting fits later Foo Fighter reports:

• Glowing object
• Unusual color (green)
• Non-hostile behavior
• Extended observation possible
• Multiple witnesses

Historical Context

1941 War Situation

The setting:

• World War II expanding
• Atlantic and Pacific theaters active
• Merchant shipping vulnerable
• Convoys under threat
• Every unusual object noted

Indian Ocean Operations

The location:

• Strategic shipping route
• British troop transport
• Axis submarine threats
• Japanese expansion beginning
• Alert crews watching skies

Analysis

Not Enemy Aircraft

Why it wasn’t conventional:

• No aircraft matched description
• Wrong shape for planes
• Self-luminous quality
• Extended hovering capability
• No attack or approach

Natural Phenomena

Considered explanations:

• Ball lightning (wrong duration)
• Astronomical object (showed movement)
• Atmospheric phenomenon (too consistent)
• St. Elmo’s fire (wrong appearance)
• Nothing quite fit

Connection to Later Sightings

The Coming Wave

This sighting foreshadowed:

• RAF reports over Germany (1942)
• Pacific Theater sightings
• 415th Night Fighter Squadron cases
• Global pattern emerging
• Phenomenon building

Consistent Pattern

What remained consistent:

• Glowing objects
• Non-hostile behavior
• Extended observations
• Multiple witnesses
• No explanation found

The Question

In September 1941, three men stood on the deck of a ship in the Indian Ocean.

They were at war. Enemies lurked beneath the waves. The skies could bring death at any moment.

But what they saw wasn’t an enemy.

A globe. Glowing green. Half the size of the moon. Moving in ways nothing should move.

Two Polish sailors spotted it first. They brought a British officer. All three watched. For over an hour.

Not a plane. Not a star. Not anything they knew.

This was 1941. Three years before other airmen would see similar things and call them “Foo Fighters.” Three years before the phenomenon had a name.

But the phenomenon was already there.

Watching.

Glowing.

Following ships across the Indian Ocean.

The S.S. Pulaski sighting.

One of the earliest Foo Fighter reports of World War II.

Three men. One hour. One glowing globe.

And no explanation.

Not then.

Not now.

Not ever.

The war continued. The soldiers reached their destination. The strange green globe was eventually forgotten - just another mystery in an ocean of mysteries.

But it was there.

In 1941.

Before anyone knew what to call it.

Before anyone knew it was happening everywhere.

The beginning of something.

Still unexplained.