Most people have heard about the Roswell incident, but that's not the only place to have experienced a UFO or mysterious visitor. Let's take a closer look at three close encounters, specifically...
The encounter began when a group of six herring fishermen observed flocks of seagulls that seemed to transform into flying warships, then engage each other in battle. Ghostly figures appeared on the decks of these phantom ships while thunderous booms rang across the water, until finally a plate-like floating disk appeared over the St. Nicholas Church at dusk. Just to add to the weirdness factor, all the fishermen experienced trembling and pain the next day.
Unsurprisingly, this seemed like a supernatural event to the fishermen and the local populace - a situation exacerbated when the media of the day got their hands on the story and began to embellish it. The events took an even more bizarre turn when lightning struck the St. Nicholas Church five years later.
One possible explanation for the sighting is that a real sea battle was going on over the horizon. Certain mirages (such as a "Fata Morgana") can distort images or even show a viewer something that should be below the horizon. These phenomena can also make it look as though a ship is floating above the water (which would explain the "flying ships") while the sound of the real battle could have been carrying across the open sea. It's a bit harder to explain the disk above St. Nicholas Church, however.
As for the trembling and pain experienced by the fishermen... it may have been acute stress. Remember, these people were experiencing what seemed to be a full-on war of the supernatural right in front of their eyes, filtered through the lens of a low-level 1665 education. Another explanation might have been ergot poisoning, which has been known to cause convulsions, pain and hallucinations - contaminated supplies could have affected the full crew!
The photographer Jim Templeton had only seen his wife Annie, daughter Elizabeth and a pair of pensioners during their trip to Burgh Marsh near the Solway Firth in Cumbria... so it was a surprise when the chemist developing the snaps pointed out a mysterious figure behind his daughter.
The photo seems to be genuine - the film company Kodak offered a reward to anyone who could prove the photo was faked, but no-one claimed the prize. To make matters even stranger, a pair of black suited men claiming to be from the government (and referring to themselves only by numbers) turned up and requested Templeton take them to the site of the photo... though it seems more likely that these were pranksters rather than "Men in Black."
Meanwhile on the other side of the world, a Blue-Streak missile system was being tested as a possible satellite launch system in Woomera, Australia... only to be interrupted by a sighting of two "spacesuit" clad figures. These interlopers allegedly looked a lot like the Cumbrian photo-bomber, though this story only appeared after the original photo was printed in newspapers all over the world. There's no actual evidence of the Woomera encounter to back up these claims.
Though experts generally agree that the photo wasn't a "hoax" there are other explanations than a vacationing extraterrestrial. Other photos from the trip show Annie wearing a pale blue dress, which (if overexposed) could look like the bright white of a spacesuit. It's possible that the limited view from the camera meant that Jim missed Annie walking into shot behind Elizabeth, giving the impression of an alien photo-bomber!
Taylor's recollection of events after that became blurred except for the scent of something burning. When he came back to his senses the clearing was empty except for a strange set of marks on the ground. He attempted to drive home, only to crash into a ditch and have to make the rest of the trip on foot.
Police actually investigated the site (working on the assumption that someone or something had assaulted Taylor) and found around forty small holes in the ground, along with something resembling tracked-vehicle marks. It also seemed that an object weighing several tons had been in the clearing, without leaving any trail in or out of the area.
Explanations for the encounter vary from a full-on UFO abduction to Taylor suffering a mini-stroke or epileptic seizure (possibly linked to a past case of meningitis) - given his character, it's unlikely that he would intentionally fabricate the tale.
Personally, I can't help but wonder if it was a combination of things. Picture a group of military researchers carrying out covert testing in the quiet Scottish forests, possibly having flown in by helicopter. Unexpectedly coming across such a group could be quite traumatic for a war-veteran, possibly triggering a seizure and scrambling his memory of events.
Curiously, police investigators found a pattern of damage on the trousers worn by Taylor indicating that they had been pulled upwards. At the very least, this supports the idea that something did attempt to grab and lift the forester - though it doesn't tell us what!
Thanks for reading - for more mysterious encounters, check out...
- The 1665 UFO battle of Stralsund
- The Solway spaceman
- The Scottish saucer that left evidence
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| Stralsund allegedly played host to a UFO battle in 1665, complete with a huge, plate-like object floating above the St. Nicholas Church... (KRiemer) |
The 1665 UFO Battle of Stralsund
UFO sightings date back a long time (even the Romans reported them) but one particular set of sightings from Stralsund in 1665 stand out for their similarities to modern accounts of flying saucers.The encounter began when a group of six herring fishermen observed flocks of seagulls that seemed to transform into flying warships, then engage each other in battle. Ghostly figures appeared on the decks of these phantom ships while thunderous booms rang across the water, until finally a plate-like floating disk appeared over the St. Nicholas Church at dusk. Just to add to the weirdness factor, all the fishermen experienced trembling and pain the next day.
Unsurprisingly, this seemed like a supernatural event to the fishermen and the local populace - a situation exacerbated when the media of the day got their hands on the story and began to embellish it. The events took an even more bizarre turn when lightning struck the St. Nicholas Church five years later.
One possible explanation for the sighting is that a real sea battle was going on over the horizon. Certain mirages (such as a "Fata Morgana") can distort images or even show a viewer something that should be below the horizon. These phenomena can also make it look as though a ship is floating above the water (which would explain the "flying ships") while the sound of the real battle could have been carrying across the open sea. It's a bit harder to explain the disk above St. Nicholas Church, however.
As for the trembling and pain experienced by the fishermen... it may have been acute stress. Remember, these people were experiencing what seemed to be a full-on war of the supernatural right in front of their eyes, filtered through the lens of a low-level 1665 education. Another explanation might have been ergot poisoning, which has been known to cause convulsions, pain and hallucinations - contaminated supplies could have affected the full crew!
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| Cumbria is a popular holiday destination - could an alien have had the same idea? (Emphyrio) |
The Solway Spaceman
In 1964, one holiday snap taken on a family outing featured a strange photo-bomber. The uninvited guest resembled a humanoid figure in a white suit with a black visored helmet - much like an astronaut.The photographer Jim Templeton had only seen his wife Annie, daughter Elizabeth and a pair of pensioners during their trip to Burgh Marsh near the Solway Firth in Cumbria... so it was a surprise when the chemist developing the snaps pointed out a mysterious figure behind his daughter.
The photo seems to be genuine - the film company Kodak offered a reward to anyone who could prove the photo was faked, but no-one claimed the prize. To make matters even stranger, a pair of black suited men claiming to be from the government (and referring to themselves only by numbers) turned up and requested Templeton take them to the site of the photo... though it seems more likely that these were pranksters rather than "Men in Black."
Meanwhile on the other side of the world, a Blue-Streak missile system was being tested as a possible satellite launch system in Woomera, Australia... only to be interrupted by a sighting of two "spacesuit" clad figures. These interlopers allegedly looked a lot like the Cumbrian photo-bomber, though this story only appeared after the original photo was printed in newspapers all over the world. There's no actual evidence of the Woomera encounter to back up these claims.
Though experts generally agree that the photo wasn't a "hoax" there are other explanations than a vacationing extraterrestrial. Other photos from the trip show Annie wearing a pale blue dress, which (if overexposed) could look like the bright white of a spacesuit. It's possible that the limited view from the camera meant that Jim missed Annie walking into shot behind Elizabeth, giving the impression of an alien photo-bomber!
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| Scotland has plenty of places well-suited to hiding something... (abikphotography) |
The Scottish Saucer That Left Evidence
Sometimes known as the Dechmont Woods incident, this encounter occurred in Livingston, Scotland during 1979... and unlike most sightings, it left some physical evidence. The witness and "abductee" was 61 year-old Robert Taylor, a war hero and churchgoer who didn't touch alcohol. He was checking the fences in the local forest when he spotted a large dome-shaped object with bladed protrusions sitting in a clearing. The object responded to being discovered by deploying a pair of spiked spheres... that rolled towards Taylor and seemed to grab his legs.Taylor's recollection of events after that became blurred except for the scent of something burning. When he came back to his senses the clearing was empty except for a strange set of marks on the ground. He attempted to drive home, only to crash into a ditch and have to make the rest of the trip on foot.
Police actually investigated the site (working on the assumption that someone or something had assaulted Taylor) and found around forty small holes in the ground, along with something resembling tracked-vehicle marks. It also seemed that an object weighing several tons had been in the clearing, without leaving any trail in or out of the area.
Explanations for the encounter vary from a full-on UFO abduction to Taylor suffering a mini-stroke or epileptic seizure (possibly linked to a past case of meningitis) - given his character, it's unlikely that he would intentionally fabricate the tale.
Personally, I can't help but wonder if it was a combination of things. Picture a group of military researchers carrying out covert testing in the quiet Scottish forests, possibly having flown in by helicopter. Unexpectedly coming across such a group could be quite traumatic for a war-veteran, possibly triggering a seizure and scrambling his memory of events.
Curiously, police investigators found a pattern of damage on the trousers worn by Taylor indicating that they had been pulled upwards. At the very least, this supports the idea that something did attempt to grab and lift the forester - though it doesn't tell us what!
Thanks for reading - for more mysterious encounters, check out...