Atlantic Ocean: USS Gyatt radar tracks delta UFO
On 19 November 1964 the USS Gyatt tracked a delta-shaped object north of Puerto Rico. An F-8 pilot pursued it without success; he estimated its speed at more than Mach 3, while the ship’s radar measured 3,800 knots over 21 minutes.
Background
Incident
At 9 p.m. on 19 November 1964 the USS Gyatt, a destroyer on manoeuvres in the Atlantic roughly 220 miles northwest of Puerto Rico, registered an object approaching the island from the northeast. Radar had shown similar irregularities from 16 to 18 November, with no known aircraft in the zone.
Pursuit
The Gyatt alerted Roosevelt Roads Naval Station at Ceiba, Puerto Rico, which called on Lt. Cmdr. K. H. Woodsbury, flying an F-8C of Utility Squadron Eight at 30,000 feet. He observed a triangular object about the size of a fighter aircraft, dark grey or black, without contrails or lights except for a glow at the tail as it accelerated. Woodsbury gave chase without success.
Manoeuvres and performance
The target made a wide right turn and climbed away at 18 to 20 degrees through 50,000 feet at supersonic speed. Squadron commander T. D. Fosdick judged that there was no plausible explanation for its speed, acceleration, altitude capability and ability to decelerate. The SPS-49 radar was briefly disrupted. A final contact occurred on 24 November.
What the CIA files record
The CIA papers declassified in 2026, CIA-UAP-D022 and CIA-UAP-D023, give firmer figures than the received account. The F-8 Crusader pilot described the object as “delta-shaped, about the size of a jet fighter” and estimated its speed at more than Mach 3. The AN/SPS-49 radar aboard the Gyatt tracked the contact for 21 minutes at more than 3,800 knots, roughly 4,373 miles per hour. The Gyatt also captured the radar scope presentation on motion picture film. The night was clear with a full moon and good visibility.
On 24 November the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range again held a high-speed, high-altitude target that pulled away rapidly from a second Crusader flying at Mach 0.99 at 45,000 feet.
On interpretation: the Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence considered a link to foreign reconnaissance conceivable, pointing to ongoing missile testing within the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range as an attractive target. Both CIA offices involved ruled out domestic experimental aircraft such as the YF-12A OXCART. The Office of Naval Intelligence had no further information, and the CIA asked to be notified of similar incidents in future.
Significance
The case combines a visual contact with a radar measurement, a film record of the radar display, and a documented weighing of possible explanations inside the agency. These details are reproduced from the sources and are not an independent From Beyond Space determination.