NUFORC Sighting 27493

Occurred: 1964-08-22 18:40 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2003-02-03 08:05 Pacific
Duration: 1 minute
No of observers: 1

Location: Florence, AL, USA

Shape: Disk
Characteristics: Lights on object

Typical "saucer shaped craft" followed a valley leading to a major hydroelectric plant on the Tennessee River.

I was leaving my job as 6:00 PM News Anchor at the local TV station. The street leading away (east) from the station dipped into a severe valley, up the other side and then flattened out for the trip into the town itself. As I approached the downward (eastward direction) side of the valley I noticed, perpherially, a semi-gloss, silver, saucer shaped object with a slight dome on top. The dome was one-third the thickness of the saucer which I estimated to be 40 to 50 feet in diameter and (including dome)about 15 to 20 feet tall from the bottom to the dome top. The bottom of the saucer was flat and unremarkable. The saucer was traveling from my left to right (north to south) and was following the contour of the valley. It seemed to be traveling at about 30 miles per hour. It was totally silent. There were muted red and blue lights circling the perimeter of the saucer. I could not tell if the entire saucer was rotating or just the light rotating around it. As I approached the bottom of the valley, so did the saucer. I brought my car to a stop and jumped into a ditch as it looked as if we were going to meet at the bottom.

The saucer passed approximately 25 to 30 feet above and to the east of me and blotted out a full moon in the process of following the valley southward toward the Tennessee River and The Power System Service Shops of The United States Tennessee Valley Authority in addition to Wilson Dam, a hydro-electric facility built around World War II. The event happened at 1840 hours as that was the time I left work every evening. I never saw the object again. However, several years later (1969-71) so many saucers were seen "feeding" off high voltage power eminating from Wilson Dam that it became a popular thing to go north of Florence a few miles and park to watch the saucers.

At the time of my sighting I did not even tell my wife, much less put it on the air for fear of being put away since "saucers" were for "kooks" only, not respectable News Men.

NUFORC Note:

Date is approximate. PD

Posted 2003-03-21