Glowing Orange-Yellow UFO Hovered USS JFK (1979)
Mr. Kopf’s experience during his time in the Navy, particularly onboard the USS John F. Kennedy (JFK) in the summer of 1979, presents a compelling account of an unusual encounter. Having joined the Navy in 1969, Kopf initially worked in communications before transitioning to the navigational section. His career took him from the JFK to a position at the National Security Agency, reflecting a trajectory deeply involved with military and national security operations.
The USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), named after the 35th President of the United States, was a conventionally-powered aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. Unlike its predecessor, the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), and its successor, the Nimitz-class carriers, which are nuclear-powered, the JFK was powered by conventional oil-fired boilers. Commissioned in 1968, the JFK served the Navy for nearly 40 years before being decommissioned in 2007.
The UFO incident unfolded after the JFK had completed operational readiness exercises in the southern Atlantic, near Cuba and the Caribbean Sea. As the ship prepared to return to Norfolk, Virginia, an unexpected and dramatic event occurred: all electronics and communications systems onboard the JFK ceased to function. This blackout coincided with the appearance of a large, glowing, pulsating sphere, described by Kopf and other witnesses as hovering over the ship. The object’s appearance and the simultaneous system failures prompted a state of high alert, with the ship going to general quarters, or battle stations, for approximately two hours.
Kopf’s recounting of the incident includes details such as the disruption of cryptographic communications equipment, radar screens displaying nothing but static, and navigational aids going offline. Notably, even the ship’s nuclear weapons, a detail indicative of the JFK’s strategic importance, were onboard during this encounter, underscoring the potential implications of the incident.
The UFO was described as a large, glowing, pulsating sphere, with the colors oscillating between a yellowish and orange hue. The witness, Mr. Kopf, noted the object’s considerable size, estimating it to be anywhere from three or four hundred feet to a quarter of a mile in diameter, although he acknowledged that it was difficult to determine its exact size due to the lack of perspective. The sighting occurred in the evening, during twilight, which made the object’s glowing appearance particularly noticeable against the darkening sky.
The object was observed to hover over the island structure of the USS John F. Kennedy (JFK), which is the superstructure of the aircraft carrier where the navigation bridge and flight control towers are located. Despite the significant size and the close proximity of the object, no specific details beyond its spherical shape and glowing nature were reported, and the witness did not mention observing any other features or markings on the object.
The appearance of the UFO and its associated effects, such as the complete shutdown of the ship’s electronic and communication systems, left a lasting impression on the witnesses and contributed to a heightened state of alert on the ship. The object’s presence was also associated with a sense of vulnerability and loss of control among the crew, particularly the commanding officers, due to the inexplicable nature of the encounter and the disruption of the ship’s operational capabilities.
Following the event, the ship’s commanding officer issued a reminder over the closed-circuit television system that certain onboard events were classified and not to be discussed. This statement, coupled with the arrival of men in suits to interview crew members upon the ship’s return to Norfolk, suggests an effort to manage the narrative and information surrounding the incident.
Kopf’s reflections on the broader implications of such encounters touch on themes of government secrecy, potential technological advancements derived from extraterrestrial artifacts, and the ethical considerations surrounding the dissemination of potentially transformative technologies. His belief in the right of the public to be informed about such encounters speaks to ongoing debates regarding transparency, national security, and the public’s right to know.
This incident, as described by Kopf, stands as a stark example of the intersection between national security, advanced aerospace phenomena, and the complex dynamics of secrecy and disclosure within military and government institutions.
