UFO. Trinidad and Tobago

Flying saucer sighted and photographed from Aboard the Almirante saldanha,” o Jornal, a Rio de Janeiro newspaper, published the above photo, along with two others which were taken aboard a Brazilian ship at mon on 16 January 1958.  Th. Almirante sardana, artie patingin International Geophysical Year projects, in the vicinity ofTrindade Island, was preparing to leave the area when Mr. Almiro Barauna, a member of the expedition, who was photographing maneuvers, spotted the object and photograph edit . Some of the observers (on the island as well as on the ship) were frightened by the object. Jose dos Santos Saldanha, Captain of Sea and War, obtained the film from Barauna, and at the suggestion of some of the officers, had it developed on the ship shortly after the sighting was made in the presence of several people. Saldanha Reported The episode to Naval Headquarters at Rio de Janeiro, and after careful investigation by Navy officials begun.’ This investigntion ditelornt lhnl llrr,object phokrgraplrobtly Renunr was the snnre object obrervetl by tho ship’s personnel and residents of trindade Island.

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Days after this event, on January 16, Admiral Saldanha ship arrived on Trindade Island, with professional photographer Almiro Baraúna aboard. Around noon the UFO appeared again attracting the attention of several soldiers present on both the island and the vessels present on the scene. The UFO came toward the island at high speed, hovered slightly over a peak, disappeared behind it for some time, and moved toward the sea. Baraúna managed to obtain four images of the object during these maneuvers.

According to newspapers from Rio de Janeiro, due to the repercussion of the case in the media, the Pentagon requested a copy of the photographs for analysis. According to the American ambassador at the time, the Pentagon was interested in comparing these photographs with others in their archives. Perhaps this request was motivated by the visit of Major General Thomas Darey of the American Air Force to Rio de Janeiro days before the news was broadcast.

In an interview for the press, Admiral Gerson Macedo Soares, Secretary General of the Navy, at the time, confirmed the episode occurred in Trindade. Commander Pedro Moreira, who was the public relations officer, also confirmed the news reports.

The January 16 event forced an official investigation by the Brazilian Navy on the determination of the National Congress. The investigation, approved by the Chamber of Deputies on February 27, 1958, by Rep. Sérgio Magalhães, requested that the Navy explain the facts related to the Trindade Island incident:

Diary of the National Congress (February 27, 1958)

Purpose: The Ministry of the Navy is requested to answer the following questions from Mr Sérgio Magalhães:

Original request for information on D.V. by Mr Sérgio Magalhães:

The questions asked are as follows:

1) If it is true that the crew of the NE "Almirante Saldanha" saw the appearance of strange object on the Island of Trindade.

2) Considering that the official note issued by the Office of the Minister of the Navy acknowledges that photographs of the strange object had been taken in the presence of large numbers of members of the NE garrison "Almirante Saldanha", I asked whether any inquiry had been opened and the testimony of the crew .

3) In the negative hypothesis, on which the Ministry of the Navy is based not to give importance to the fact.

4) If it is true that the photos were revealed in the presence of the official of the NE "Almirante Saldanha", denouncing the strange object.

5) If the negatives were examined in order to determine any photograph taken before the event.

6) Why the fact was kept confidential for a month.

7) If it is true that other identical phenomena were observed by Navy officials.

8) If it is true that the commander of the tugboat "Tridente" watched the appearance of the object called "flying saucer".

Justification

The appearance of these strange objects, known as Flying Discs, has awakened, for more than ten years, the interest and curiosity of the world.

For the first time, however, the phenomenon is attended by large numbers of elements of a military force and their photographs receive the official call, in a note distributed to the press by the Cabinet of the Minister of the Navy. Being, however, an issue that affects national security, it needs more clarification, because there are contradictions in the news stories, without the Navy seeking to inform public opinion. Even though, officially declaring the cabinet of the Minister of the Navy to have a large number of elements of "Saldanha da Gama" garrison, since the strange object photographed on Trindade Island was not taken, the testimonies of the crew members or other measures were not taken. confessed the chief of the General Staff of the Navy, responding to the press.

In response to this request, the deputy had access to a confidential Navy document confirming the whole episode, adding new data.

Skepticism

The Case of Trindade Island is heavily contested by skeptics and detractors of the UFO Phenomenon. The way this all started is somewhat ridiculous. The case was immediately disclosed, gaining great repercussion at that time. There was a journalistic bore by a news story of the time that provoked the rage of its direct competitor who would publish the news firsthand. In response, this vehicle produced an article in which it attempted to demystify the case. The confusion was made and skeptics embarked on the story using the case in their battle to deny the ufological facts.

Currently there are several skeptical studies on the case being released by various skeptical sites, including Brazilians. None of these studies hold, although skeptics disagree with this statement. Let us then look at the set of these attempts at refutation presented and repeated relentlessly by this group.

The suitability of the author

This is one of the main arguments presented. According to the skeptics, Baraúna's photographs can not be considered legitimate because Baraúna would be a master at forging photos of UFOs, including publishing an illustrated article in a magazine of great repercussion at the time, in a period prior to the occurrences recorded in Trindade.

In fact there was such a published article. That is a true statement. But let's see ... Almiro Baraúna was skeptical of flying saucers. He produced the article with the intention of showing that cases of UFO photographs would have originated in frauds. If we check the photographs of this article with the photographs obtained in Trindade, in the presence of 48 people, we will see a brutal difference in quality.

Another detail that we do not see skeptics mention is the fact that Almiro Baraúna did not use Trindade's photographs to discredit ufological cases and ufology itself, since he had previously presented himself as a skeptic. It would be an unmissable opportunity for any skeptic. If he did not, we can only conclude that there was no fraud and the case was legitimate.

To close the question about the suitability of Barauna, we ask: Why did a person who had one day defraud ufological photographs in order to demoralize ufology suddenly changed sides? Does this prevent someone from having a legitimate experience?

Fraud pictures?

This is another common point in most of the skeptical approaches to the case. One of the fiercest proponents of this hypothesis is Martin Powell who claims that Barauna would have used dual-exposure features to defraud the flying saucer image. He would have first photographed an airplane in the sky and then photographed Trinity Island with the same negative. He reinforces his theory by stating that in two photographs the object recorded in the second photograph was identical to the first in an inverted position.

Now, this is something questionable, which in no way refutes the case. As we know, photographs of objects at a distance, with variations of position, light and shadow can hide or highlight details of this object. Therefore, to affirm that there was an adulteration in the photo, using the same model, in an inverted position, is a precipitous affirmation, being merely a supposition. Another important point to note is that various civilian and military institutions, or even private ones, have made numerous tests in which no overlap of images (which is easily detected), image adulteration or any other photographic trick were found. Even the light and shadow relation of the object and the environment coincide perfectly, that is, the object captured in the photograph was even recorded in the place photographed.

Airplane?

Among all the statements, perhaps the most comic is the claim that the object photographed was an airplane, Twin Bonanza model, used at the time. Without explaining how and why there would be an airplane of that model in the middle of the ocean and as none of the dozens of witnesses recognized it as such, the author tries to force an explanation of the case more pleasingly to his convictions.

The quality of the photographs used in the study by Martin Powell is much lower and offers no subsidies for proper analysis. Even so he insisted on doing so.