In October 1943, a newly-commissioned destroyer called USS Eldridge was being equipped with large generators to conduct a top-secret experiment with the mission to win the Battle of the Atlantic ocean by creating a technology that would make the ship invisible to enemy radar, or so the story goes. They tested it in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard with a full crew on board. The generators were turned on and started to hum. According to a witness, an eerie green-blue glow surrounded the ship’s hull, and suddenly, the ship was gone into thin air. Minutes later, the Eldridge was reportedly seen in the Naval Shipyard in Virginia, then reappeared back in Philadelphia. The two places are about 319 miles apart. Was the US Naval military trying to experiment on teleportation?

Aerial view of the Reserve Basin of the U.S. Navy Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) August 1956 with numerous battleships, cruisers, escort carriers, and auxiliaries in reserve.

Here’s where it gets crazy. The legend says that the crew of the USS Eldridge was severely affected. Some suffered from burns and disorientation. Others went insane. The worst was that some got stuck in the ship or fused with it together. They were still alive with their limbs and arms sealed to the deck. How creepy is that!

The Man Who Cried Wolf

In 1956, ufologist Morris Jessup received over 50 handwritten letters from a guy who introduced himself as Carlos Allende. He offered his eyewitness account to prove that unified field theory exists. According to him, he was aboard the Liberty Ship SS Furuseth when he saw the USS Eldrige vanish into thin air during a second experiment done at sea, only to reappear after a few minutes. Allende would claim that this proved Albert Einstein’s Unified Field theory and that he had been taught by Einstein himself. The US was using it to experiment with teleportation invisibility. He also mentioned the side effects that the crew suffered, including one member who suddenly disappeared in a crowded bar.

The next letter came from Carl M. Allen, saying he would attempt to recall more details about the USS Eldrige through hypnosis, which was probably a little off already at this point but maybe not to someone who studies about UFOs. The Office of the Naval Research contacted Jessup in 1957 after receiving a copy of his book which seemed to add credence to the story, which in turn fueled the fevered imaginations of conspiracy theorists.