1950 · North Atlantic
MV Marcala, North Atlantic (4 August 1950)
A shiny 'half egg' object passing low over the sea beside the MV Marcala, as the master and two mates describe it (4 August 1950). · Illustration for uaptrail.com
When4 August 1950
WhereNorth Atlantic
On the night of 4 August 1950 the master and two mates of the merchant ship MV Marcala in the North Atlantic watched an elliptical object, like half an egg cut lengthwise, approach from the southwest and pass within 1,000 ft of the ship, under 100 ft above the water, with a wobbling motion. They reported it, and Project Blue Book left it Unidentified. UAP Gerb calls it perhaps his favourite USO case.
How plausible · High
Three ship's officers watched an object pass close by for a minute and agreed on its shape and motion; the Air Force could not identify it.
- ●●Access On deck, within 1,000 ft.
- ●●No gain sought Nothing to gain.
- ●●Consistent over time Three witnesses agree on shape and motion.
- ●●Character record Ship's master and mates.
- ●●Checkable details check out Blue Book file, rated Unidentified.
- ●○Cost of speaking Officers reported it officially.
Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-24.
On the record
- The Blue Book file, evaluation Unidentified.Blue Book
Claims
At 10 p.m. EDT the master, chief mate and third mate saw an elliptical "half egg" object approach from the southwest and pass within 1,000 ft of the ship, no more than 100 ft above the sea, at 25 to 500 mph.firsthandOn the recordBlue Book file (Marcala officers)
All three described a rotary, wobbling motion; the object looked shiny aluminium to metallic white and was seen for about a minute.firsthandOn the recordBlue Book file (Marcala officers)
It may be the best USO case in the Blue Book files.USO Case Book: Unidentified Submerged Objects Throughout HistoryBlue BookanalysisLeadUAP Gerb (Sam)
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