UAP Trail Workspace
Show
1981 · Puerto Rico operating area, Caribbean, seen from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)

Ricky Harris's triangle over the Eisenhower battle group (1981)

Sourced, unconfirmed
Strength E · 2/10
Evidence 0/4 · Witnesses 1/3 · Backing 1/3

One named firsthand witness, known so far only through the publisher's episode description; the other sailors are unnamed. The carrier's 1981 schedule fits; no deck log, general-quarters entry or press item on file.

Plausibility Low
Score 6 · 5 factors for, 0 against

A named former Navy avionics technician describes a large lit triangle over a plane-guard ship, watched by shipmates he does not name; the record rests on a podcast episode description, though the carrier's 1981 schedule fits.

See the factors ↓

Unidentified
July 1981: sailors on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower watch a vast triangle, black underneath, hang over the battle group. · Illustration for uaptrail.com
WhenJuly 1981
WherePuerto Rico operating area, Caribbean, seen from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)

In July 1981, according to the Safe Aerospace Podcast's episode description, former Navy avionics technician Ricky Harris was on Vultures Row aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Puerto Rico operating area when a triangle bigger than a warship, black underneath and mirror-bright on top, with coloured corner lights and a large amber centre light, hovered motionless over a plane-guard ship. Then, in an instant, it was eight miles away. Several other sailors watched, a general-quarters call followed, and days later he read of a ship in the battle group firing a missile by accident. The account rests on the episode description until the audio is transcribed.

How plausible · Low

A named former Navy avionics technician describes a large lit triangle over a plane-guard ship, watched by shipmates he does not name; the record rests on a podcast episode description, though the carrier's 1981 schedule fits.

  • ●●
    Access He says he watched it himself from Vultures Row.
  • ●○
    Character record Named former Navy avionics technician (EC-130 TACAMO) and later a civilian instructor at the Navy's strike fighter weapons school, as the description gives it; record not on file.
  • ●○
    No gain sought Nothing sold; a podcast appearance only.
  • ●○
    Checkable details check out Deck logs of CVN-69 and its plane guard, the general-quarters entry and the accidental missile firing could all be checked; the carrier's 1981 schedule fits.
  • ●○
    Fits the documented skeleton Fits the pattern of large lit triangles and objects over Navy ships (a fit, not corroboration).
  • ○○
    Independent convergence The 'several other sailors' are unnamed and have not spoken.

Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-11-08.

Claims

According to the episode description, in July 1981 Harris was on Vultures Row, the viewing balcony on the island of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, in the Puerto Rico operating area when a triangle 'bigger than a warship', black underneath and mirror-bright on top, with red, blue and green corner lights and a large amber centre light, hovered motionless over a plane-guard ship that was under way.Puerto Rico 1964firsthandSourced, unconfirmedRicky Harris
The description says the object was then 'in an instant' eight miles away, that 'several other sailors' watched, and that a general-quarters call followed.firsthandSourced, unconfirmedRicky Harris
Days later, the description says, Harris read a newspaper item about a ship in the battle group firing a missile by accident.secondhandLeadRicky Harris
The carrier's published service history lists a selected restricted availability (a scheduled yard period) from January to May 1981 and the next Mediterranean deployment from 5 January 1982, so Caribbean workups in July 1981 fit the account.analysisSourced, unconfirmedDetective daily scan (8 Nov 2026), from Wikipedia

Similar cases · sharing people, threads, topics or era

Logan Labby's V-craft, Colorado 2008 2008Upper Heyford: a silent triangle over the golf course 1980Nellis Area II nuclear weapons storage: orbs, a disc, shadow figures and missing time (2002-2008) 2002Nightcrawler Research: a civilian sensor study off Long Island (2022-2023) 2022Gimbal & GoFast 2015Canarias 1976: the corvette, the doctor and the sphere 1976

Connected cases

People and organizations

Ricky Harris person

Sources

A research project by Igor FrancePrivacy