Unveiling The Shocking Truth Behind The Legendary Philadelphia Experiment
By Sarah Norman | July 7, 2023
The Philadelphia Experiment Is One Of The Strangest Events Of World War II
The tale of the Philadelphia Experiment is a wild story full of invisible ships, UFOs, covert missions, a government cover-up, and even involvement from Albert Einstein. However, the question remains: Was the story surrounding the USS Eldridge a total hoax or an extraordinary manifestation of science fiction?
According to accounts, the Philadelphia Experiment supposedly occurred at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania, around October 28, 1943. A former merchant mariner named Carl M. Allen claimed to have witnessed a U.S. Navy ship completely vanish and then rematerialize in the shipyard minutes later.
Over the years, various versions of the alleged experiment have circulated in paranormal literature and gained popularity through motion pictures, often presenting conflicting narratives. The U.S. Navy, on the other hand, maintains that no such experiment took place. They argue that the details of the story contradict well-established facts about the USS Eldridge and that the scientific principles supposedly underlying the experiment are non-existent. Continue down the rabbit hole with us as we try to understand exactly what happened on the USS Eldridge.
The "Philadelphia Experiment" story began in late 1955 when a merchant marine named Carl M. Allen anonymously sent a package to the U.S. Office of Naval Research. The package contained a book called The Case for the UFO: Unidentified Flying Objects by Morris K. Jessup. This book was filled with handwritten notes in its margins, written in three different shades of blue ink. The notes seemed to be a discussion among three people, with only one person named "Jemi" named. The notes discussed Jessup's ideas on how flying saucers could move, talked about different alien races, and expressed concern that Jessup was getting too close to discovering their technology.
Allen claimed that he personally witnessed what became known as the Philadelphia Experiment while serving on the SS Andrew Furuseth. According to Allen, a destroyer escort ship became invisible and without warning teleported to Norfolk, Virginia, for a few minutes before reappearing in the Philadelphia ship yard.
Operation Rainbow
What we know as the Philadelphia Experiment was actually an alleged top secret government project codenamed Operation Rainbow, led by none other than Albert Einstein as a kind of test for his unified field theory along with alleged alien invisibility technology that would render US ships invisible to enemy radar.
On what scholars believe to be October 28, 1943, the USS Eldridge was outfitted with alien tech at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. As soon as the experiment began the Eldridge started vibrating while emitting a greenish blue glow before vanishing into the air.
The USS Eldridge Allegedly Rematerialized In Virginia
As if the sudden disappearance of the Eldridge wasn't strange enough, it supposedly rematerialized 200 miles away at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia before vanishing again.
If this story is true then the Philadelphia Experiment would have been a massive success. Not only did the generators make an entire Cannon-class destroyer escort ship invisible, but it teleported to another shipyard and back again. However, that may not be the case.
The Experiment
The experiment was allegedly based on an aspect of Einstein's unified field theory, a term he came up with to describe a class of potential theories that attempt to describe the interrelated nature of the forces of electromagnetism and gravity through mathematics. Basically, Einstein was trying to bring together these two respective fields into a single field.
A group of unidentified "researchers" believed that by harnessing Einstein's theory, that it would be possible to manipulate light using powerful electrical generators. This manipulation would cause the light to bend around an object, essentially rendering it completely invisible. Recognizing the military significance of this potential capability, the Navy allegedly decided to support and fund the experiment.
Sailors Onboard The Eldridge Were Allegedly Fused To The Ship
According to classified military documents, when the USS Eldridge rematerialized in Philadelphia, members of its crew suffered injuries ranging from minor to the phantasmagoric. Numerous adverse effects were reported, including nausea, disorientation, insanity, severe burns, and unexplained illnesses. However, the most disturbing incidents involved crew members who were discovered fused to various parts of the ship, with some of them still alive.
That's right, reportedly when the ship reappeared there were sailors embedded within the hull of the Eldridge. These horrific stories are all unsubstantiated, but who would ever admit to doing something so terrible by accident?
Could Sailors See The Dematerialized Ship?
A slightly different version of the story has the experiment occurring as its been reported, but with even more sci-fi trappings. This version has the experiment taking place on October 28, 1943 with the USS Eldridge not only turning invisible and vanishing from its original location before reappearing over 200 miles away in Norfolk, Virginia. in this version, the ship remained visible to the crew aboard the SS Andrew Furuseth even after it dematerialized before reappearing back in Philadelphia at its initial position.
The Crew Of The Eldridge May Have Been Brainwashed
Once again, this variation has bad news for the crew. Allegedly some of the men were physically fused to bulkheads whereas other members of the crew were turned inside out by the experiment, and others vanished all together. Some Philadelphia Experiment-truthers believe that the men were subject to MK-Ultra brainwashing prior to taking part in the experiment.
The Entire Story Comes From One Person
Numerous individuals assert that they witnessed the events of the Philadelphia Experiment, where the ship allegedly vanished and reappeared. However, only one person initially came forward as a witness, and it wasn't until the 1950s that more details about the incident started to surface. All information surrounding the Philadelphia Conspiracy stems from a sole source, a man named Carl Meredith Allen.
According to historian Mike Dash, many authors who popularized the "Philadelphia Experiment" story after Jessup's account seemed to have conducted little to no independent investigation. Some argue that a significant portion of the literature on the subject prioritizes sensational embellishment rather than substantive research. For instance, in Berlitz's and Moore's book, The Philadelphia Experiment: Project Invisibility, they claimed to include factual details, including interviews with a scientist involved in the experiment. However, their work has faced criticism for allegedly plagiarizing key elements of the story from the novel Thin Air, which had been published a year earlier.
There's No Version Of The Story Where The Soldiers Come Out Of This Well
Another version of the story gets rid of the invisibility aspect of the experiment all together. In this variation the military was attempting to research magnetic and gravitational measurements of the seafloor to detect anomalies, supposedly based on Einstein's attempts to understand gravity.
While no credible and verifiable testimonies exist, most versions of the alleged experiment describe the USS Eldridge being equipped with the necessary apparatus at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. The testing purportedly commenced during the summer of 1943 and reportedly achieved partial success. According to accounts, during one test, the Eldridge supposedly became almost invisible, leaving observers to witness a peculiar "greenish fog" in its location. As with every version of the story, crew members reported experiencing intense nausea and adverse side effects following the experiment.
Who Was Carl Allen?
The identity of Carlos Allende, also known as Carl Allen, has long remained a mystery. Very little information was available about him until journalist Robert Goerman shed some light on the man in 1980. Goerman, who discovered a familial link to Allen, conducted interviews with Allen's family and portrayed him as a "creative and imaginative loner." Prior to this revelation, Allende's true background and story had largely evaded public knowledge.
Jessup's UFO Book Made Its Way Around The Navy
Austin N. Stanton's fascination grew to the extent that Varo's office initiated the production of mimeographed copies of Jessup's book. These copies included the annotations and letters from Allen, starting with a dozen copies and eventually expanding to 127. This specific version became widely known as the "Varo edition."
In addition to recognizing the distinct handwriting of an individual referred to as "Jemi" (identified as such by the others and using blue-violet ink), the anonymous introduction within the Varo edition reveals the presence of two additional contributors: "Mr. A" (identified by Jessup as Allen and using blue ink) and "Mr. B" (using blue-green ink).
The Story Of Invisibility May Come From A Misunderstanding Of Military Documents
(national museums liverpool)
Officials from the Fourth Naval District have put forward a suggestion that the alleged incident was a misinterpretation of routine research conducted at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard during World War II. One hypothesis proposes that the basis for these unverified tales originated from degaussing experiments, which aimed to render ships undetectable or "invisible" to magnetic mines.
An alternative explanation for the narratives involving levitation, teleportation, and their impact on the crew can be traced back to experiments involving the power plant of the USS Timmerman (DD-828), a destroyer vessel. In these experiments, a higher-frequency generator was utilized, resulting in corona discharges. It's worth noting that none of the crew reported experiencing any adverse effects from these experiments.
One Writer Claims That Allen Was Mentally Unstable
Writing in Fate Magazine in 1980, Robert Goerman states that "Carl Allen," the mystery man who corresponded with Jessup, was actually Carl Meredith Allen of New Kensington, Pennsylvania. Goerman claimed to have uncovered Allen's history of psychiatric mental illness, which Goerman believes led to his claims of this unsettling experiment. Goerman writes:
[Allen is] a creative and imaginative loner... sending bizarre writings and claims.
There Are Numerous Timeline Inconsistencies In The Story
The story surrounding the Philadelphia Experiment raises several inconsistencies that merit attention. One notable discrepancy pertains to the USS Eldridge itself, as it was not officially commissioned until August 27, 1943, and it remained docked in New York City until September of that year. However, according to accounts, the experiment supposedly occurred in October while the ship was on its initial shakedown cruise in the Bahamas. Supporters of the story argue that the ship's logs may have been altered or remain classified, providing a potential explanation for this contradiction.
The Office of Naval Research stated in September 1996:
ONR has never conducted investigations on radar invisibility, either in 1943 or at any other time.
The "Experiment" May Have Just Been A Misunderstanding Of The Degaussing Process
It's likely that stories of invisibility and electromagnetic generators come from an actual procedure that was carried out on the USS Eldridge in 1943. According to researcher Jacques Vallée, an operation was conducted aboard the USS Engstrom, which was stationed alongside the Eldridge in 1943. This procedure was an attempt to degauss the ship by employing a strong electromagnetic field.
Degaussing is a process where systems of electrical cables are installed around the circumference of ship's hull, running up and down from bow to stern. A measured electrical current is shot through the cables to cancel out the ship's magnetic field.
The purpose of degaussing a ship is to reduce its magnetic signature. Ships can generate magnetic fields due to the electrical systems and equipment on board. These magnetic fields can potentially trigger or attract magnetic mines or torpedoes, posing a significant threat. Degaussing involves neutralizing or counteracting these magnetic fields by using specialized equipment. By degaussing a ship, its magnetic signature is minimized, making it less susceptible to detection and targeting by magnetic-based underwater weapons. This helps enhance the ship's safety and survivability in combat situations.
The Trip To Norfolk Was Possible Thanks To America's Canal System
During World War II, British ships commonly incorporated degaussing systems within their upper decks. Degaussing remains in use today, although it does not have any impact on visible light or radar. Jacques Vallée, a researcher, raises the possibility that the accounts regarding the USS Engstrom's degaussing may have become distorted and mixed up over time, potentially influencing the narrative of the Philadelphia Experiment.
Vallée highlights the testimony of a veteran who served on the USS Engstrom, suggesting that the ship could have traversed from Philadelphia to Norfolk and back within a single day. This feat was accomplished by utilizing the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and Chesapeake Bay, which at the time were exclusively accessible to naval vessels. The utilization of this route was deliberately kept discreet due to the peril posed by German submarines during Operation Drumbeat. By secretly moving military ships via canals, they could avoid the threat of submarine attacks and protect themselves more effectively.
One Theory States That The "Glow" Was Actually St. Elmo's Fire
Today, the explanation put forth by former Navy electrician Edward Dudgeon garners acceptance from many individuals. Dudgeon's insights shed light on the alleged glow and sudden appearances associated with the USS Eldridge, debunking some of the more fantastical notions.
According to Dudgeon, the glow often attributed to the ship could be attributed to a natural phenomenon known as St. Elmo's Fire, which resembles lightning. Furthermore, the ship's mysterious appearance in Virginia and subsequent return to Philadelphia could be attributed to the utilization of inland canals, inaccessible to the general public.
However, despite Dudgeon's credible explanation of the Philadelphia experiment, there are still those who cling to the more sensationalized version of events. With no official records available to definitively confirm the truth, neither narrative can be substantiated with concrete evidence.
As for the USS Eldridge itself, it eventually found its way to Greece and underwent a name change to HS Leon. During the Cold War, the ship participated in various exercises. Regrettably, in the 1990s, the vessel was dismantled and sold for scrap metal, existing today only as scattered remnants.
It's Likely That Allen's Story Was A Hoax
Thanks to the wealth of information about the Philadelphia Experiment it's widely acknowledged that Carl Allen came up with the entire thing as a hoax. Someone close to the Allen referred to him as a "master leg-puller." However, even with all of the information that's out about Allen's hoax, the conspiracy around the USS Eldridge continues to grow to this day.
Allen Kind Of Admitted That He Made The Whole Thing Up
When Morgan K. Jessup expressed his interest in obtaining additional information to support the story, Allen responded by suggesting that his memories needed to be recovered. He directed Jessup to a purported newspaper article from Philadelphia, which, it turns out, does not appear to exist, supposedly covering the incident in question.
In 1957, Jessup received an invitation to the Office of Naval Research, where he was presented with a copy of his book, The Case for the UFO: Unidentified Flying Objects, annotated with handwriting that resembled the letters he had received from Allen. It was twelve years later when Allen finally admitted that he was the author of all the annotations, claiming that his intention was "to scare the hell out of Jessup."
The Navy Disavows All Knowledge Of The Experiment
Captain Sidney Sherby and Commander George W. Hoover, both affiliated with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), displayed a personal interest in the alleged experiment. Commander Hoover, in particular, as the Special Projects Officer, was responsible for scrutinizing numerous publications that covered the story. However, after thorough investigation, he found no substantial evidence supporting the claims of the alleged invisibility experiment.
The Philadelphia Experiment Continues To Grip Americans
In spite of the likelihood that what we know as the Philadelphia Experiment was likely a hoax, it continues to entrance everyone who hears about the story. In 2021, an episode of the Disney+ series Loki the trickster god ends up seeing the USS Eldridge after it appears in a magical void. It's fascinating that this story continues to transfix viewers who may not even know about this strange and fascinating story.
