Military2019

Unidentified drones swarm Navy destroyers off California

When: 14 Jul 2019
Where: Pacific Ocean off southern California
Sources: 3 public sources

The destroyer USS Kidd, whose logs recorded drones in July 2019 San Diego Webcam, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Deck logs obtained under FOIA show USS Kidd, Rafael Peralta and other destroyers recording unidentified drones around them near San Clemente Island over several nights from July 14, 2019. In 2021 the Chief of Naval Operations said the aircraft had not been identified.

Sources

PressMultiple Destroyers Were Swarmed By Mysterious 'Drones' Off California Over Numerous Nights (opens in a new tab)The War Zone / 2021-03-23
PressMystery drones hovered over Navy destroyers off California, report says (opens in a new tab)NBC News / 2021-03-24
PressNavy's Top Officer Says 'Drones' That Swarmed Destroyers Remain Unidentified (opens in a new tab)The War Zone / 2021-04-05

How sources are chosen and tiered

How the story came out

Happened 14 Jul 2019. First made public 2 years later (23 Mar 2021).

14 Jul 2019It happened (this event)
23 Mar 2021The War Zone reports FOIA deck logs of the drone swarms The War Zone (opens in a new tab) - first made public

See it on the timeline: happened vs became public

Where it fits

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See it on the timeline More in Military