• NEW! LOWEST RATES EVER -- SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE VERY BEST PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! Welcome to The Paracast+, eight years young! For a low subscription fee, you can download the ad-free version of The Paracast and the exclusive, member-only, After The Paracast bonus podcast, featuring color commentary, exclusive interviews, the continuation of interviews that began on the main episode of The Paracast. We also offer lifetime memberships! Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! You can sign up right here!

    Subscribe to The Paracast Newsletter!

The Case for the UFO: Varo Annotated Note


Bhoeskern

Paranormal Novice
I was fortunate to acquire the Varo Annotated "The Case For the UFO" facsimile from our very own Mr. Gene Steinberg. While flipping through the pages I come across this interesting note:

Can any of you make out what it says?
Varo Note.jpg
 
I was also able to acquire another copy of the book from another source. In this one there was the original leaflet from Saucerian Press. Nothing paradigm shifting, just thought it was interesting. Saucerian Press Pg 2.jpg
 
I was fortunate to acquire the Varo Annotated "The Case For the UFO" facsimile from our very own Mr. Gene Steinberg. While flipping through the pages I come across this interesting note:

Can any of you make out what it says?
Varo Note.jpg

I'll take a stab.

Seen from SS Medina ...-time- 1947

Discharged between 100-110 flying light from explosion

later crew hair fell out

ship exploded

Probably more of Carl Allen's nonsense. Just a guess. The SS Medina has quite a history, serving as a transport ship in the North Atlantic during both World Wars, and is apparently still in use. It was renamed in 1948 or so. Built in Newport News. Allen may have been on the ship at some point, or imagined he was. Who knows?

Congratulations on acquiring that Varo copy. I was tempted. I think the whole saga is silly, but that's a rare artifact from one of the more bizarre rabbit holes infesting ufology, and now a part of history.
 
I'll take a stab.

Seen from SS Medina ...-time- 1947

Discharged between 100-110 flying light from explosion

later crew hair fell out

ship exploded

Probably more of Carl Allen's nonsense. Just a guess. The SS Medina has quite a history, serving as a transport ship in the North Atlantic during both World Wars, and is apparently still in use. It was renamed in 1948 or so. Built in Newport News. Allen may have been on the ship at some point, or imagined he was. Who knows?

Congratulations on acquiring that Varo copy. I was tempted. I think the whole saga is silly, but that's a rare artifact from one of the more bizarre rabbit holes infesting ufology, and now a part of history.

The Carl Allen nonsense is printed in red, that much I know. The scribbles are actually written on the page, perhaps by a mechanical pencil if I had to guess.

I appreciate your efforts, sir, and also thank you for the time.
 
The Carl Allen nonsense is printed in red, that much I know. The scribbles are actually written on the page, perhaps by a mechanical pencil if I had to guess.

I appreciate your efforts, sir, and also thank you for the time.

Heh. That hadn't registered with me yet. That is interesting. I figured the red was Allen's original comments, but was focused on deciphering the handwriting. It has been a long time, but I've seen images of some of the original notations and it seems the handwriting was similar. I could be way off though. Maybe it was equally legible or something. If I still have a book with any of that in it, the thing is buried in storage. I don't recall where Gene got that copy. Curious. Now I have to do an image search!
 
I got that copy direct from Gray Barker, back in the days when he gave me lots and lots of books.

Here's the historical note: It was also used by Charles Berlitz when he did his research for a book, "The Philadelphia Experiment." He gave it back to me after the book was published.
 
Hello I am trying to read the Pencil notes.
I think it says:

"Seen from SS Malay"

So I googled the SS Malay and it seems she was an American merchant ship active in 1947:

"Completed in June 1921 as Swiftwind for Boat Owning & Operating Co (C.D. Mallory & Co Inc), Wilmington DE. 1933 renamed Malay for Marine Transport Lines Inc, New York.

Post-war:
1948 renamed Loideste for Aegean Shipping Co (Embiricos), London. 1950 renamed Astra for the same owner. 1951 sold to Greece and renamed Troy for Alexander S. Onassis. Broken up at Hamburg in August 1955."


She was torpedoed off the coat of North Virginia in 1942 but Survived here is a report:

At 10.34 hours on 19 Jan 1942 the unarmed Malay (Master John M. Dodge) was shelled by U-123 off Oregon Inlet, while steaming as leading ship in an unescorted convoy of five ships with dim navigational lights set. Hardegen underestimated the size of the tanker and decided to attack with the deck gun to save torpedoes. The U-boat fired ten shots from astern of which five or six struck from about 650 metres. The shelling fatally wounded one man, destroyed two lifeboats, damaged the bridge and crew´s quarter and started a fire on board.

Then the U-boat left to chase another ship of the group and finally torpedoed the Ciltvaira at 12.01 hours. While doing this Hardegen heard the radio messages from Malay and realized the size and importance of this target and returned to the tanker. In the meantime the passing Scania helped the crew of Malay by handing over firefighting equipment. The eight officers and 26 crewmen got the fire under control and the ship under way. When U-123 found the damaged tanker again they noticed the stopped British steam merchant City of Delhi nearby which was recovering on of her lifeboats. Hardegen had only one torpedo left and he decided to chase the tanker instead of attacking the easy target because it was more valuable. At 12.44 hours, the torpedo struck Malay in the #7 starboard side tank, just aft of amidships in 35°40N/75°20W. The crew abandoned ship in three lifeboats, but one capsized and four men drowned. The survivors circled the ship for about an hour before reboarding her. One dead man and three badly injured were later taken off by boats from the Chicamacomico US Coast Guard Station. The Malay reached Hampton Roads, Virginia under own power the same day. She was repaired and returned to service.


malay.jpg


I will add more if I find out anything further
 
SS Malay is a better match. I googled that first, but got sidetracked by a Wiki page that said it may refer to RMS Malay or something. Didn't sound promising because RMS Whatever didn't seem to survive the war. Maybe even WWI. Now I can't find that page. Don't care anymore either. Since SS Malay was very much afloat in '47, that must be it. Is '47 correct? I dunno.

The handwriting doesn't look like that in images I found of inscriptions by Charles Berlitz. Someone scribbled some stuff that sounds just like Allen's evolving fantasy in that particular book. Interesting.
 
I have:

"Seen from SS Malay May-June 19*7

Discharged between 150/10 flying light then explosion

Later crew hair fell out

Ship exploded.

Not sure if both "1947" and "Ship exploded" are underlined for a reason? I understand that the Roswell crash was alleged to have happened in June 1947.
I don't think that the SS Malay could have seen the Roswell crash, because Roswell is too far from the Sea. But maybe whoever wrote that, made a connection between the two incidents? I believe that 1947 was the year of the flying saucer, Kenneth Arnold and all that.


The SS Malay must have had a reasonably large crew, so if something was seen their could be many witnesses. I am not sure if this kind of thing would make the ships log or not? It may be possible to see the log book for 1947 if it is held at Maritime museum collection.

It might be worth engaging the help of an amateur expert/s in such things, for example maybe a US Navy historical society or similar.
I believe that the SS Malay was part of the Merchant Navy:
011.jpg


Above image is taken from the US Navy 'Blog'* and shows the SS Malay after she was torpedoed.

*National Maritime Day: Remembering the forgotten - Navy Live

She was obviously relatively famous and there is even a radio show episode based onboard her:
Something called 'Your's truly Johnny Dollar' a fictional insurance investigator:


swiftwind1-08.jpg


Judging by the tug next to her she must have been quite big.


More to follow.
 
BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The SS MALAY was allegedly used as a tanker in the Philadelphia experiment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I found this online:

OTHER SHIPS

Edward Dudgeon served on the U.S.S. Engstrom (DE 50) from June 1943 on. Mr. Dudgeon states that his ship passed the Eldridge (on its way to Norfolk.)

The Cargo Ship S.S. Malay reportedly witnessed the experiment. [14] While doing research into this claim I did not find a SS Malay that would fit the time frame and location. I could only find a Malay Tanker that had records of being Torpedo & Shelled on January 18th of 1942 resulting in 4 deaths. There was a SS Malay, a Norwegian cargo ship in service from 1959 to 1961 and now known as SS Ambria, however this by dates alone could not be the “Malay” that witnessed the experiment in 1943. I did find something interesting during my research though; “Yours Truly Johnny Dollar” was one of the longest-running detective series on radio. It aired on CBS Radio for 15 minutes from 1948 to 1962. On February 10, 1950 the episode was entitled “The SS Malay Trader Ship.” Leads one to wonder if this is where the name of the ship came from that Carl Allen gave to Moore.

[14]“Without A Trace” by Charles Berlitz, Pg 171, Paragraph 2

((source)): https://www.de173.com/ships-of-the-experiment/


I think the Malay fits the dates perfectly? so I am not sure what the person who wrote the above saw to make them think it wasn't when they say: "While doing research into this claim I did not find a SS Malay that would fit the time frame and location".

A tanker like that could literally sail round the world, so location is not an issue, she was also under the command of the Navy in 1943.



 
I am now wondering if the note translates as this:

In 1947 the USS Eldridge (the ship that was allegedly cloaked in 1943) reappeared in 1947 near to the SS Malay, it (the Eldridge) then emitted lights and exploded.

Maybe whoever wrote the note in the book spoke to somebody (possibly on the telephone) that was on the SS Malay, hence the rushed note?
 
Good work, Han!

I think this was a case of not knowing much about the 'experiment' I was much more interested in the Ship and crew. Oh and I have the worst handwriting in the world, so am quite practiced in deciphering scribble ;)

Has anybody got access to the book “Without A Trace” by Charles Berlitz"?
I think that it must contain more information about the SS Malay. Specifically on Pg 171, Paragraph 2
I expect that whoever wrote the article on https://www.de173.com/ships-of-the-experiment/ must have read this book as they have cited it.
As they still may own the book it might be worth contacting them.

I would also recommend asking as many people as possible, because the book could be very useful, but then again it might not contain sources, I still think it would be worth checking it out though.

I would also suggest contacting an amateur naval historian/s or joining a forum dedicated to such things (unless you want to pay someone :)) to advise you on the various minutia that would come into play if for example you wanted to trace the Captains log.

For example I understand that the SS Malay was in the Merchant Navy, but I don't know what that means in terms of her records (and secrecy/security etc), and where to look for them, but there are people who would only be to happy to help if you asked them I am sure.
Maybe possible eventually to do FOIA requests on the SS Malay records it is 70+ years ago now, and if they are withheld/missing/massively redacted could be even more interesting.
I wouldn't even bother to mention the 'experiment' in fact I would avoid mentioning it all together, let the records speak for themselves, if there are even any still in existence. You would be amazed what gets/got thrown away in terms of historical documents for example:



_97265759_drawing1.jpg

_97266275_tpm_drawings_1.jpg

Bill Ramsey, the project's operations director, who served in the RAF for 41 years, said the drawings weighed 67kgs (148 lbs) in total and were going to be thrown into a skip.

WW2 Mosquito aircraft blueprints found at Airbus factory - BBC News




I am not sure if you have the word "skip" in the US? they are basically a big Bin/Trashcan that is transported by a Lorry/Truck, specifically for 'builders'/contractors waste/refuse and look like this:

skip-hire-malton.jpg


then loaded on to a "Skip Lorry"

skiphire_2.jpg


Do you have the same thing? and what do you call them?

Anyway Good luck in the search :)
 
I've read the PDF version floating around on-line, and I have often wondered what the fuss was.

From what I recall, the notes seem really random, some easily dismissible, and the whole thing just seemed like someone had either gone off their rocker or was trying to come up with a sequel to the terrible UFO Blue Book TV show or something.

Are people still interested in this?
 
Back
Top