Newly publicized government records detailing historical Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) sightings above Santa Catalina Island are drawing renewed attention to unidentified submerged object (USO) activity off the Southern California coast. As Female First reported, filmmaker and UFO researcher Mark Christopher Lee has drawn attention to recently published Department of War files from PURSUE Release 07, which log a series of unresolved UAP reports occurring around Santa Catalina between 1949 and 1955.
Lee, who has produced documentaries on alien life such as The Rendlesham UFO: The British Roswell and The King of UFOs, maintains that these historic records support the idea that potential evidence of non-human technology may originate from ocean environments rather than exclusively from the skies. The documents in Release 07 feature Air Intelligence Information Reports and open case files tracking several distinct sightings over the island.
Among the recorded events in the file is a 1952 observation made by Boy Scouts near Camp Fox on Santa Catalina Island. The Scouts described seeing silver flying saucers that traveled faster than a traditional jet engine before climbing into the air and appearing to disintegrate. Another account from 1953 details a round, purplish-white object that hovered in a fixed position above the area before traveling northwest toward Los Angeles. An earlier entry from 1949 details multiple individual objects observed over the island.
These military files remain unexplained. Investigators noted at the time that the 1949 report lacked sufficient evaluation data, while the 1953 report cited the planet Jupiter as a potential explanation for the purplish-white object. Lee stated to Female First that the Catalina documents exist within one of the world's most active regions for USO activity, emphasizing that while current public attention centers on modern silent black triangle reports, older island records indicate persistent activity near ocean waters for decades.
In his assessment, Lee referenced the public position of retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, who previously served as acting NOAA Administrator and Oceanographer of the Navy. Gallaudet has testified regarding the seriousness of UAP phenomena, asserting that some incidents involve transmedium craft capable of seamlessly operating across both air and marine environments.
Additionally, Gallaudet has discussed proprietary high-resolution bathymetric ocean surveys in the Atlantic Ocean that his research team believes showcase physical characteristics matching Plato's description of Atlantis. The precise locations and underlying datasets for those oceanographic surveys have not been publicly disclosed, and no independent scientific verification has confirmed a connection to Atlantis.
Lee told Female First that Gallaudet offers institutional credibility to arguments that oceans are central to UAP research. He noted that if oceanographic teams are mapping sites corresponding to historical accounts while government agencies release uninvestigated Catalina reports, both elements suggest investigators should prioritize undersea research.
Despite the historical entries in the Catalina cluster, official government evaluations remain inconclusive. Lee acknowledged that previous reviews by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) uncovered no verified evidence of extraterrestrial technology. Specifically, AARO's 2024 historical report stated that no official U.S. government investigation or formal review had confirmed any UAP sighting as extraterrestrial technology, though it confirmed many historical files remain unresolved.
Lee is advocating for independent oceanographic and archival research into the Santa Catalina historical reports, increased analysis of maritime USO records, and full public disclosure of public or private bathymetric surveys that document anomalous underwater formations. The complete set of PURSUE Release 07 files has been published online at war.gov/UFO.
