Crews aboard three Lake Superior steamers reported observing the anomaly at the same time, even though the ships were many miles apart. This occurred on July 10, 1968.
"It was shaped like a large kite and apparently was much larger than an airplane. It was silver in color and shiny and it hovered over three lake steamers on Lake Superior for more than two hours before speeding away in a westerly direction. What was it? That's what nearly 100 seamen on the steamers Ben Moreell, James A. Farrell, and Matthew Andrew would like to know.
For lack of a better term, the UFO was sighted near Caribou Island in eastern Lake Superior on the evening of July 10, 1968. At that time the three freighters were upbound on the lake and were south of Caribou, the Morrell, and Andrews enroute to Silver Bay and the Farrell to Two Harbors. A letter to the Duluth, Minnesota News-Tribune described the object and requested assistance as to its identity. The object, the letter states, was "huge, silver in color, and shaped like a large kite with small wings protruding from the sides." The letter, postmarked July 12 at Silver Bay, was signed "interested seamen." Two of the three steamers returned to the Head of the Lake area on July 18, U.S. Steel's Farrell to Harbors and Wilson Marine Transit Co.'s Moreell to Silver Bay. Officers on both verified the contents of the letter.
A spokesman for the Andrews, owned by the Hanna Mining Co., said the Caribou incident was reported to Hanna personnel in Cleveland. Capt. Tom LeRoy, Two Harbors, skipper of the Farrell, said the object was first reported to his attention by his third mate, then on watch. It resembled an "enormous kite," said Capt. LeRoy, "and had a point on one end. It followed us along for about two hours." The three freighters were running at full speed, about 12 knots. The captain estimated the object to be at an altitude of five to eight miles and noted that "the sun kept shining on it for some time after it went down." He said he did not discount the possibility of it being a plane since he heard one shortly after darkness set in
Capt. Charles K. Valentine, Duluth, Minnesota, in command of the Morrell, commented, "Whatever it was, it was weird." He described the object as being similar to a ball, but also "having something like a pigeon tail fanned out." The Duluthian suggested that the object had to be high "because high-powered binoculars didn't change the size" seen by the naked eye. Capt. Valentine theorized that the object may have been a weather balloon but his third mate, Arnold Brandstrom, Toledo, Ohio, discounts that possibility. Brandstrom said he witnessed a transport plane pass over the three ships (possibly the same plane heard by Capt. LeRoy) and contended that the"object was much larger than the plane." A weather balloon "couldn't match the size of that thing," the mate added. The Chio officer said the object was first sighted about 7 PM and remained above the steamers until nearly 9:30 PM. "Then it suddenly moved westerly at a pretty fast rate of speed and disappeared," Brandstrom said.”
“UFO Sighred By Three Lake Steamers”. APRG Reporter - Vol 6 No 12 - No 72 – 09, 1968
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