The Philadelphia Experiment
Alleged 1943 naval experiment to render the USS Eldridge invisible — officially denied; primary source Carlos Allende's letters held at the Office of Naval Research.
Overview
The Philadelphia Experiment is an alleged event claimed to have been carried out by the U.S. Navy at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on October 28, 1943. According to the story, the destroyer escort USS Eldridge (DE-173) was rendered invisible and teleported. The U.S. Navy maintains the experiment never occurred. The story originated in 1955 letters from Carl M. Allen ('Carlos Allende') to author Morris K. Jessup. The Office of Naval Research holds the 'Varo Edition' annotated by Allende.
Timeline
- 1943-10-28Date of alleged experiment.
- 1955–1956Carlos Allende sends letters to Jessup.
- 1959Jessup found dead in his car (ruled suicide).
- 1979Berlitz and Moore publish 'The Philadelphia Experiment.'
- 1994ONR official statement denying the event.
Evidence on Record
- 01Varo Edition of 'The Case for the UFO' (annotated by Allende)
- 02USS Eldridge logbook (NARA) — places ship elsewhere on October 28, 1943
Theories & Disputes
Hoax originating with Allende (mainstream).
Misremembered degaussing experiment (USS Engstrom).
Unified-field theory experiment based on Einstein's 1929 work (fringe).