The USS Supply UFO Sighting

On February 28, 1904, three officers aboard the USS Supply witnessed one of the earliest documented military UFO sightings. Lieutenant Frank H. Schofield - who would later rise to become Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet - observed three bright red, egg-shaped objects approach the ship in formation before ascending into the clouds. The sighting was officially documented in the Monthly Weather Review, making it one of the first UAP encounters to appear in a government publication.

The Sighting

Time and Location

The encounter occurred:

• Date: February 28, 1904
• Time: 6:10 AM
• Location: Pacific Ocean, off San Francisco
• Weather: Below clouds
• Visibility: Clear at sea level

The Witnesses

Three naval officers observed the objects:

• Lieutenant Frank H. Schofield (primary witness)
• Two other crew members
• All experienced naval officers
• Trained observers

Lieutenant Schofield

A distinguished career:

• Graduate of US Naval Academy
• Experienced naval officer
• Would later become Admiral
• Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet (1927-1929)
• Credible, trained observer
• No history of unusual claims

The Objects

Physical Description

What they observed:

• Three distinct objects
• Bright red coloration
• Egg-shaped appearance
• Flying in echelon formation
• Below the clouds initially
• The largest appeared “about six suns” in size

Flight Characteristics

The objects’ behavior:

• Appeared below cloud cover
• Flying in tight formation
• Approached the ship
• Then ascended rapidly
• Climbed into clouds
• Visible for over two minutes
• Departed at great speed

Formation Flying

The echelon pattern:

• Military-style formation
• Coordinated movement
• Maintained spacing
• Suggested intelligent control
• Not random or chaotic

Official Documentation

Monthly Weather Review

The sighting was published:

• March 1904 edition
• Official government publication
• US Weather Bureau journal
• Scientific credibility
• Permanent record created

The Report

Schofield’s account stated:

• Clear observation conditions
• Multiple witnesses
• Detailed description
• Professional tone
• No speculation about origin

Significance

This documentation matters because:

• First military UFO report in official publication
• Credible witnesses with nothing to gain
• No Cold War context or political motivation
• Pure observational report
• Predates aviation era explanations

Historical Context

1904 Aviation

The state of flight in 1904:

• Wright Brothers flew December 1903
• No powered aircraft at sea
• No balloons in area
• No dirigibles off California
• No conventional explanation

Naval Technology

What the Navy knew:

• Familiar with all known vessels
• Trained to identify objects at sea
• Experienced with weather phenomena
• Could recognize balloons, birds, debris
• These objects matched nothing known

Analysis

What They Weren’t

The objects could not have been:

• Aircraft (none existed over ocean)
• Balloons (wrong shape, formation flying)
• Birds (wrong color, too large, climbing behavior)
• Meteors (formation flying, approach then ascent)
• Weather phenomena (distinct objects, coordinated movement)

What They Might Have Been

Possibilities include:

• Unknown natural phenomenon
• Misidentified astronomical objects
• Early UAP/UFO encounter
• Something beyond explanation

The Formation Question

Echelon formation suggests:

• Intelligent control
• Coordination between objects
• Purposeful flight path
• Not random phenomena
• Military or technological origin

Lieutenant Schofield’s Career

Before the Sighting

His background:

• Professional naval officer
• Academy trained
• Rising through ranks
• Respected by peers
• No prior unusual claims

After the Sighting

His career continued:

• Continued naval service
• Promoted repeatedly
• Became Rear Admiral
• Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet (1927)
• Sighting never affected career

Credibility

Why his testimony matters:

• Achieved highest ranks
• Trusted with Pacific Fleet command
• No reason to fabricate
• Career survived report
• Multiple witnesses confirmed

The Legacy

Early UAP Evidence

This case represents:

• Pre-aviation era sighting
• Military documentation
• Official publication
• Multiple trained observers
• No debunking explanation

Pattern Establishment

The sighting shows early evidence of:

• Formation flying UAP
• Objects approaching military vessels
• Rapid ascent capability
• Objects defying known technology
• Military witness credibility

The Question

On February 28, 1904, three naval officers watched something impossible.

Three red objects. Egg-shaped. Flying in formation.

They approached the USS Supply, then climbed into the clouds and disappeared.

This wasn’t a pilot seeing something through a cockpit window at 500 miles per hour.

This was three men on the deck of a ship, watching for over two minutes, in clear conditions.

Lieutenant Schofield would go on to command the entire Pacific Fleet. He wasn’t a crackpot. He wasn’t seeking attention. He was a naval officer who reported what he saw.

And what he saw doesn’t fit any explanation.

Not in 1904.

Not now.

Three objects. Red. Egg-shaped. Formation flying. Ascending into clouds.

The first documented military UFO sighting in American history.

Recorded in a government publication.

Never explained.

Never debunked.

Just… observed.

And filed away.

For over a century now, we’ve known that something was in the sky that morning off San Francisco.

Something that three trained naval officers couldn’t identify.

Something that behaved like no known object.

Something that remains, to this day, unidentified.

The USS Supply sighting.

Where the modern military UFO mystery began.