Overview
NewsNation special correspondent Ross Coulart’s investigative report, “Reality Check: Underwater UFOs,” examines reports of Unidentified Submerged Objects (USOs) and their possible relationship to the broader UAP phenomenon. The program shifts attention from unexplained activity in the atmosphere to the world’s oceans, where vast areas remain difficult to monitor or explore. While the report presents witness accounts, expert commentary and field investigations, it does not establish that any reported object is of non-human origin.
The Baltic Sea Anomaly
The investigation revisits a 2011 discovery by Swedish deep-sea explorer Dennis Åsberg and the Ocean X Team. The group reported finding a roughly 200-foot-wide circular formation on the Baltic Sea floor. Some skeptics have characterized the feature as a natural geological formation, but Åsberg maintains that its appearance and the behavior of nearby equipment raise unanswered questions.
According to Åsberg, remotely operated vehicles, cameras and satellite phones malfunctioned when the team approached the site. He also described radar detections of “phantom ships” that could not be located physically. The report presents these claims as part of the continuing debate over the anomaly, while acknowledging that no independent evidence has conclusively identified the structure or explained the reported equipment failures.
Claims of Submerged Bases
U.S. Representative Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee and co-chair of the bipartisan UAP Caucus, argues that the government has not been sufficiently transparent about underwater incidents. Burchett said conversations with senior Navy officials led him to believe that five or six deep-water areas may be associated with alleged non-human bases. Those claims have not been publicly substantiated by the Navy or through released documentation.
The report also discusses accounts of objects described as being as large as football fields and traveling underwater at speeds exceeding 200 mph. Such performance would be far beyond that of conventional submarines, which generally operate at much lower speeds. However, the program does not present independently verified sensor data confirming those measurements or identifying the objects.
Activity off Southern California
The waters surrounding Southern California, including the Catalina Channel and Redondo Canyon, receive particular attention. Retired Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet, formerly an administrator at NOAA, suggests that deep submarine canyons could provide concealment for unusual craft. UFO investigator Ben Hansen led a sonar and remotely operated vehicle expedition near Redondo Beach. The search did not locate a suspected vehicle, but it demonstrated the challenges posed by deep, silty waters that can limit visibility and sensor performance.
Boat captain Thor Laizans described a September 2021 sighting of three orange orbs near Catalina Island that appeared to merge and separate. Investigators reportedly compared the event with marine casualty records, military exercise schedules and SpaceX launch data but found no explanation they considered conclusive. Laizans also recalled seeing a large underwater light source resembling “stadium lights” beneath his boat, an account that remains unverified.
Scientific Questions and Unresolved Evidence
Astroparticle physicist Matthew Szydagis discussed a flight over Laguna Beach during which a “Cosmic Watch” particle detector stopped collecting data within a specific rectangular area and resumed afterward. Szydagis said he has been unable to reproduce the failure in laboratory testing, but the report does not establish whether the incident resulted from an environmental anomaly, equipment malfunction or another cause.
The program concludes that the oceans—covering about 70% of Earth’s surface—remain a plausible setting for phenomena that are difficult to observe. Author and USO researcher Richard Dolan points to recurring reports near military centers such as San Diego as possible evidence of surveillance. For now, the investigation adds testimony and questions to the USO debate, but no confirmed evidence of an underwater non-human presence has been made public.
