J.A. O'Farrell

Lieutenant J.A. (Shamus) O'Farrell was a 25-year-old Royal Australian Navy pilot in 1954 when he encountered one of the most compelling UFO incidents on record. Flying a Sea Fury aircraft solo from Yass back to Nowra Naval Air Station at 220 knots, he observed a brilliant light closing rapidly at his 1 o'clock position, crossing ahead and orbiting to his port side. A second light appeared at 9 o'clock, passing 2.5 km ahead before joining the first. The objects approached to within two aircraft lengths. Nowra radar confirmed two 'paints' tracking his aircraft, as verified by Petty Officer Keith Jessop. O'Farrell described their speeds as the fastest he had seen. In 1973, Defence Secretary Sir Arthur Tange arranged his meeting with Dr. Allen Hynek, providing Joint Intelligence Bureau files detailing the case, which astonished O'Farrell. He reluctantly participated to avoid career risks but contributed key testimony to UFO research.