About Shag Harbour UFO incident
The Shag Harbour UFO incident occurred on the night of October 4, 1967, in Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada, where multiple witnesses reported a lit object descending and striking the waters of the Gulf of Maine. Police, fishermen, the Coast Guard, and Navy divers searched the area and found only patches of yellowish foam, with no debris or survivors. Because all conventional explanations were ruled out, Canadian officials officially labelled the event a UFO report.
- Date
- About 11:20 p.m. ADT, 4 October 1967
- Place
- Shag Harbour, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, Canada (Gulf of Maine)
- First reporters
- Laurie Wickens and four friends, driving on Highway 3
- Responders
- RCMP (Barrington Passage); fishing boats; Coast Guard cutter from Clark's Harbour; Navy divers of Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic
- Found
- Patches of yellowish foam; no debris
- Official status
- Labelled a "UFO Report" by RCC Halifax; Condon Report case 34
- Also known as
- Shag Harbour
- Location
- Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia
- Coordinates
- 43.5000, -65.7000 ↗
The full story, section by section
The story of Shag Harbour UFO incident in 8 parts. Tap any part to read it in full.
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SettingShag Harbour is named after the shag, a bird of the cormorant family.Read this part →
Aerial view of location where the Shag Harbour Incident occurred. · Photo: J5255, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons -
Earlier sightings that eveningSeveral unusual lights were reported earlier that evening.Read this part →
RCMP file on Capt. Leo Howard Mersey's sighting of 4 October 1967. · Photo: Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons -
The object enters the waterAt about 11:20 p.m. Atlantic Daylight Time, at least eleven people saw a low-flying lit object head towards Shag Harbour.Read this part →
The UFO Gazebo and picnic site can be found about 3 minutes up the road from the Shag Harbour Museum Centre, where visitors can look out on the ocean to the location the object crashed in 1967. · Photo: SnowyBadger, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons -
Search and rescueWithin about 15 minutes, Pound, Corporal Victor Werbieki and Constable Ron O'Brien reached the shore, along with local residents.Read this part →
Fishing boats at Clark's Harbour, home port of the Coast Guard cutter that joined the search. · Photo: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons -
Official responseThat morning RCC Halifax sent a priority telex to the "Air Desk" at Royal Canadian Air Force headquarters in Ottawa, which handled all civilian and military UFO reports.Read this part →
Southern tip of Nova Scotia, showing Cape Sable Island near Shag Harbour. · Photo: Geo Swan, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons -
Press coverageThe Chronicle-Herald gave the reports extensive front-page coverage.Read this part → Illustration drawn for this site — not a photograph.
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Later claimsThe story faded quickly. Theories circulated that a Russian spacecraft had crashed, which supposedly explained the presence of a Russian submarine in the area, and that the United States had been involved in the follow-up, though the U.S.Read this part → Illustration drawn for this site — not a photograph.
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LegacyThe Shag Harbour Incident Interpretive Centre, at 5615 Highway 3, shows television documentaries, newspaper articles, memorabilia and an exhibit on outer space.Read this part →
The UFO gazebo and picnic site near the Shag Harbour Incident Interpretive Centre. · Photo: SnowyBadger, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
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📖 Term · 17 min readUnidentified flying objectAn unidentified flying object, or UFO, is an unexplained phenomenon or object seen in the sky, with the modern craze originating in the United States in June 1947. While popular culture often equates UFOs with alien spacecraft, most investigations reveal them…
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- Library and Archives Canada: UFO filesLibrary and Archives Canada · Records 1947 – 1990s; online 2009A digitized collection of Canadian government records on UFO sightings, gathered from National Defence, Transport Canada, the National Research Council and the RCMP.
🛸 UFO sightings near Shag Harbour
1 sighting on ufos.dev were reported within 100 km. The most-upvoted:
Sightings that mention Shag Harbour UFO incident
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Questions & answers
What is Shag Harbour UFO incident?
Shag Harbour UFO incident: The Shag Harbour UFO incident occurred on the night of October 4, 1967, in Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada, where multiple witnesses reported a lit object descending and striking the waters of the Gulf of Maine. Police, fishermen, the Coast Guard, and Navy divers searched the area and found only patches of yellowish foam, with no debris or survivors. Because all conventional explanations were ruled out, Canadian officials officially labelled the event a UFO report. Read: Shag Harbour UFO incident →
Where is Shag Harbour UFO incident?
Shag Harbour UFO incident is in Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia (about 43.500, -65.700). Read: Shag Harbour UFO incident →
What else is Shag Harbour UFO incident called?
Shag Harbour UFO incident is also known as Shag Harbour.
What is 1967 in UFO history?
1967 in UFO history: This article outlines UFO and UAP events from 1967 in Canada and the United States, including notable incidents like the Falcon Lake and Shag Harbour cases, as well as government investigations and military memos. Key occurrences feature Steve Michalak's encounter in Manitoba, an object crashing into the sea near Nova Scotia, and an Air Force memo warning about unauthorized individuals silencing witnesses. Read: 1967 in UFO history →
What is Unidentified flying object?
Unidentified flying object: An unidentified flying object, or UFO, is an unexplained phenomenon or object seen in the sky, with the modern craze originating in the United States in June 1947. While popular culture often equates UFOs with alien spacecraft, most investigations reveal them to be known objects, natural phenomena, hoaxes, or mirages, and no government investigation has ever concluded they are extraterrestrial. Read: Unidentified flying object →
What is Ocean & underwater (topic)?
Ocean & underwater (topic): This encyclopedia overview covers objects seen entering, leaving, or moving under the sea, which are associated with military encounters and government investigations spanning from 1951 to 2022. It details various reported sightings by Navy personnel, including incidents involving aircraft carriers and submarines, as well as official efforts like the Pentagon's inclusion of submerged objects in its unidentified anomalous phenomena scope. Read: Ocean & underwater (topic) →
Have UFOs been reported near Shag Harbour UFO incident?
1 sighting on ufos.dev were reported within 100 km of Shag Harbour UFO incident, and 6 mention it by name. Sightings near Shag Harbour UFO incident →