{"type":"events","slug":"2015-uss-roosevelt-encounters","title":"USS Roosevelt Encounters","url":"https://disclosdex.com/events/2015-uss-roosevelt-encounters","description":"F/A-18 crews recorded objects called Gimbal and GoFast during exercises off Florida, sparking Pentagon interest","date":"2015-01-26T00:00:00.000Z","tags":["Sighting"],"updated":"2025-06-13T13:26:43.000Z","disclosureRating":5,"status":"unresolved","lat":29.5,"lng":-79,"connectionCount":4,"content":{"markdown":"During routine training east of Florida, pilots from VFA-11 aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt tracked unusual craft on infrared targeting pods. The objects executed rapid accelerations and rotations inconsistent with known aircraft.\n\nThe videos were leaked in 2017 and later confirmed by the Department of Defense. They became central evidence in congressional hearings on unidentified aerial phenomena. [^1][^2][^3][^4][^5]\n\n## Personnel\n\n| Name                       | Role/Description                                                                         |\n| -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Lt. Ryan Graves            | F/A-18 pilot with VFA-11 \"Red Rippers\"; first logged anomalies and filed safety briefs   |\n| Lt. Danny Accoin           | Squadron pilot; confirmed simultaneous radar and infrared tracks                         |\n| Ripper 11 crew (unnamed)   | Captured the 'Gimbal' imagery                                                            |\n| Another VFA-11 crew        | Recorded the 'GoFast' video                                                              |\n| Carrier Air Wing staff     | Briefed Rear Adm. Craig Clapperton on both clips                                         |\n| Rear Adm. Craig Clapperton | Carrier Air Wing commander briefed on the incidents                                      |\n| Luis Elizondo              | Former AATIP officer who transmitted the files to journalists, leading to public release |\n\n## Timeline\n\n| Date/Period | Event/Development                                                                                                                                                            |\n| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Summer 2014 | Newly installed APG-79 AESA radars aboard Roosevelt strike aircraft begin registering anomalous returns during training flights along the Virginia-to-Florida coast.[^6][^8] |\n| Late 2014   | A Super Hornet narrowly avoids a collision with a \"sphere surrounding a cube\", prompting an official mishap report.[^6][^8]                                                  |\n| 20 Jan 2015 | The 'Gimbal' video is recorded around 100 km east of Jacksonville, Florida, showing a disc-like object rotating about its axis.[^7]                                          |\n| 26 Jan 2015 | The 'GoFast' clip captures a small target apparently skimming the Atlantic surface; symbology later suggests slow, wind-borne motion.[^1][^9]                                |\n| 16 Dec 2017 | The New York Times publishes both clips, revealing the Pentagon's secret study of unidentified aerial phenomena.[^2]                                                         |\n| 27 Apr 2020 | The Department of Defense formally declassifies the videos while maintaining that the objects remain unidentified.[^1]                                                       |\n| 06 Feb 2025 | AARO publishes a resolution stating the GoFast object drifted with the wind and showed no anomalous performance.[^13] |\n\n## Evidence\n\nCarrier data sets include four complementary streams.\n\n| Evidence Type            | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |\n| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Infrared imagery         | The Gimbal and GoFast clips were recorded on AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR sensors in 1.5-degree narrow-field mode. Time stamps, aircraft attitude, azimuth, and elevation are visible in the overlay, allowing geometric reconstruction of target range and line-of-sight (LOS) rate. |\n| Radar tracks             | APG-79 AESA logs show correlated contacts at roughly 32,000 ft with closure rates under 120 kt and instantaneous accelerations inside conventional flight envelopes. Full raw files remain classified, but parameters were summarized in 2023 AARO briefings.[^11]         |\n| Audio and pilot debriefs | Cockpit recordings capture 90 s of continuous lock on Gimbal and 34 s on GoFast. Mishap report NAVAIR-IR-2014-077 documents a near-miss with a \"cube inside a sphere\" at 50 ft separation during the same work-ups.[^6]                                                    |\n\n## Assessment\n\nProponents argue that sustained flight without visible propulsion and rapid heading changes signify technology beyond current aerospace engineering. Skeptical researchers counter that the infrared bloom in 'Gimbal' matches jet exhaust viewed off-axis and that its apparent rotation originates inside the sensor mount.\n\nFrame-by-frame trigonometry places the 'GoFast' object at roughly 13 000 ft and 40 kt, consistent with a drifting research balloon. The 2021 ODNI report lists insufficient data as the primary barrier to definitive attribution.[^12] Government agencies have not issued any more granular technical rebuttal, leaving the case unresolved.\n\nSymbology breakdown — Frame extraction yields:\n\n| Video  | Key Parameters                                                        | Interpretation/Notes                                                                                                                                       |\n| ------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Gimbal | LOS rate < 2°/s; slant range ≈ 4.4 nmi; camera roll −54°              | Apparent 90° rotation coincides with gimbal reaching mechanical stop, indicating sensor-induced image roll rather than craft motion.[^9][^10]              |\n| GoFast | Slant range 3.6 nmi; altitude 13,000 ft; groundspeed ~40 kt eastbound | Parallax against ocean surface creates illusion of high-speed sea-skimming; actual speed and altitude consistent with drifting object (e.g., balloon).[^9] |\n| —      | Instrument error margins: ±0.3° LOS, ±0.2 nmi range                   | These margins allow for both mundane explanations (research balloons, distant turbofan exhaust) and extraordinary claims made by aircrew.                  |\nIn February 2025 the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office issued a case report concluding the GoFast object drifted with prevailing winds and showed no anomalous performance.[^13]\n\n[^1]: [DoD video archive](https://www.navair.navy.mil/foia/documents)\n\n[^2]: [New York Times coverage](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html)\n\n[^3]: [CBS News report](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/navy-confirms-ufo-videos/)\n\n[^4]: [The War Zone analysis](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/22723/gofast-and-gimbal-ufo-videos-seem-genuine)\n\n[^5]: [Wikipedia: USS Theodore Roosevelt UFO incidents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Theodore_Roosevelt_UFO_incidents)\n\n[^6]: ['Wow, What Is That?' Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/us/politics/ufo-sightings-navy-pilots.html)\n\n[^7]: [Ryan Graves, GIMBAL – Everyday Occurrences](https://www.ryangraves.io/p/gimbal)\n\n[^8]: [UFO Timeline: USS Roosevelt UAP incidents](https://www.ufo-timeline.com/uss-roosevelt-uap-incidents-gimbal-ufo-and-other-strange-objects/)\n\n[^9]: [Mick West, No Mere Balloons?](https://mickwest.substack.com/p/no-mere-balloons)\n\n[^10]: [Leonard David, Debunking Navy \"UFO\" Videos](https://www.leonarddavid.com/debunking-navy-ufo-videos/)\n\n[^11]: [AARO technical briefing slide – NASA UAP Study Team, 31 May 2023](https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/kirkpatrick_nasa_uap_study_team_may_31_2023.pdf)\n\n[^12]: [ODNI Preliminary Assessment on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena](https://www.odni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625.pdf)\n[^13]: [Go Fast Case Resolution](/documents/2025-go-fast-case-resolution)","readingTime":"5 min read"},"relatedRecords":[{"ref":{"type":"documents","slug":"2025-go-fast-case-resolution","title":"Go Fast Case Resolution","url":"https://disclosdex.com/documents/2025-go-fast-case-resolution"},"direction":"mutual","weight":2},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"ryan-graves","title":"Ryan Graves","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/ryan-graves"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"mick-west","title":"Mick West","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/mick-west"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1}],"citation":{"canonicalUrl":"https://disclosdex.com/events/2015-uss-roosevelt-encounters","title":"USS Roosevelt Encounters","publisher":"Disclosdex","retrievedFrom":"https://disclosdex.com/api/v1/events/2015-uss-roosevelt-encounters","license":"CC-BY-4.0"},"witnesses":["F/A-18 crews"],"evidence":["video","sensor data"]}