The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 30-sep-54-Petit-Couronne.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper Paris-Normandie for October 2-3, 1954 reported that in Petit-Couronne, near Rouen, Mr. Jean Andrieux, 34, waterman, made his last cross on "Sunday" - so on September 30, 1954 - in the evening, when he noticed a curious luminous reflection in the waters of the river.
He looked up and saw, stunned, a huge white luminous ball, under which was another smaller green ball.
Strongly impressed, Mr. Andrieux reached the bank to find another witness. He found a young man, Michel Leroux, waiting on the bank for the ferry's return.
Jumping out of his boat, Mr. Andrieux ran to the young man and showed him the thing that was still there, and from 10:00 p.m. to 10:20 p.m., the two men were able to observe it. Then the white ball went down slightly and disappeared towards the Southwest, without any noise.
They waited until 11 p.m., but no other phenomenon occurred.
The newspaper stated that both men have "a reputation for good balance, solidly established and are not subject to hallucinations."
In the 1960s, ufologist Jacques Vallée considered this a case of "landing", locating it at "Grand-couronne" or even in Brest - 400 km from the correct place; many others later copied his brief summary.
[Ref. pne1:] NEWSPAPER "PARIS-NORMANDIE":
Mr. Jean Andrieux, aged 34 ans, ferry operator, did his last crossing Sunday evening, when he noticed a curious luminous reflection in the river's water. Looking up, he saw, not without stupor, an enormous white luminous ball, under which was another smaller ball of green color. Strongly impressed, Mr. Andrieux reacher the bank to find a witness to whom to show his astonishing vision.
A young man, Michel Leroux awaited on the bank the return of the passor. Jumping from his boat, Mr. Andrieux ran to the young man and showed his discovery to him. The thing was still there, and from 22 hour to 22 hours 20 the two men managed to observe the phenomenon. Then the white ball went down slightly and disappeared in the direction of the South-west, without any noise...
The two men have a reputation of good balance, firmly established and are not prone to hallucinations. They awaited until 23 hours but no phenomenon occurred.
[Ref. hws1:] HAROLD WILKINS:
The author says that in France in 1954, a ferryman near Rouen saw spherical objects in the sky.
[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:
| 169 | -000.99891 | 49.35960 | 30 | 09 | 1954 | 22 | 00 | 130 | GR.COURONNE P. ROUEN | F | 301 | A |
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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167) September 30, 1954 10:00 p.m., Grand-Couronne (France):
Jean Andrieux, ferry operator, saw a large white sphere, with a smaller green sphere below, hang motionless above the Seine for 20 min. Two witnesses. It eventually flew away to the S.-W. (P 67)
[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
In a list of cases that the magazine called for investigation or re-investigation, there was:
"167 30-9-54 Grand-Couronne"
[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:
The author indicates that on September 30, 1954, the driver of the ferry crossed the Seine when he saw a large white sphere with a smaller green sphere below hovering without movement above the river during twenty minutes. It flew away towards south-west; he heard no sound.
[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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September 30, 1954 (at dawn), Brest (France):
Jean Andrieux, ferry operator, saw a large white sphere, with a smaller green sphere below, hang motionless above the Seine for 20 min. Two witnesses. It eventually flew away to the Southwest. (Le Parisien, 2 oct. 1954; France-Soir, 3 oct. 1954).
[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON:
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341 30 September 1954 2200 GRAND-COURONNE (FRANCE)
Jean Andrieux, ferry operator, saw a large white sphere, with a smaller green sphere below, hang motionless above the Seine for 20 minutes. It eventually flew away to the south-west.
(M167; Le Parisian [sic], 2 October 1954; France...Soir, 3 October 1954)
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The authors indicate that on September 30, 1954, at 10 p.m., in Brest "Grand Couronne", Jean Andrieux, ferryman, saw a large white sphere and below, a smaller green sphere which remained motionless above the Seine for 20 minutes, then flew towards the South-West.
[Note: it's amazing that the authors believed the Seine river flows in Brest!]
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
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Same day [September 30, 1954]. The river Seine.
Another nautical UFO report on the 30th came from a ferry operator on the river Seine. Perhaps he saw a balloon, and perhaps not, but the thingseen was a big pale ball that hovered over the surface of the river for an estimated 20 minutes before it moved away on a south-west course. An odd detail in the man's report is that a smaller sphere, green in color, was hanging just below the bigger one. 163.
[...]
163. Vallee, Jacques. 'The Pattern Behind the UFO Landings." The Humanoids. 1969. p.33.
[Ref. mcn1:] MARK CASHMAN:
Grand Couronne (France).
9/30/1954 22:00
Jean Andrieux, ferry operator, saw a large white sphere, with a smaller green sphere below, hang motionless above the Seine for 20 min. Two witnesses. It eventually flew away to the southwest.
[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on September 30, in France, in Brest-Grand Couronne "Around 22 hours Jean Andrieux, passor, saw a large white sphere and below a smaller green sphere which remained motionless above the Seine during 20 minutes. They ended up flying away the towards south-west."
She indicates that the source is "M. FIGUET: J.L. RUCHON: 'Ovni, le premier dossier complet...' Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979, p. 96".
[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
Encounters With Aliens On this Day
September 30
[...]
1954 - Jean Andrieux, a ferry operator in Grand-Couronne, France and another witness, saw a large white sphere at 10:00 p.m. A smaller green sphere accompanied it and hung below, both object remaining stationary above the Seine River for 20 minutes. It eventually flew away to the southwest. (Source: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 213).
[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:
September 1954
30
In the twilight In Brest (France), Jean Andrieux, passor on the Seine, sees a large white sphere and at the lower part a smaller green sphere which remain motionless above the Seine during 20 mn. 2 witnesses. They end up flying away towards the south-west. He did not hear any sound.
The sources are indicated as "Le Parisien, 2 October 1954"; "France-Soir, 3 October 1954"; "Vallée, J., case #29, 'Rapport sur l'analyse de 200 observations documentées faites en 1954'".
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Seine Maritime in Grand Couronne, on September 30, 1954, "the witness, vat driver, saw a large white sphere, with a smaller green sphere below. They appeared motionless above the Seine during 20 minutes. Then it flyies towards the south-west. There was in all two witnesses."
Luc Chastan indicates that the source is "Liste des cas Magonia par Jacques Vallée".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 30 September 1954 at 22:00 in Grand-Couronne, France, "Jean Andrieux, ferry operator, saw a large white sphere, with a smaller green sphere below, hang motionless above the Seine for 20 minute."
And: "Jean Andrieux, a ferry operator in Grand-Couronne, France and another witness, saw a large white sphere at 10:00 p.m. A smaller green sphere accompanied it and hung below, both object remaining stationary above the Seine River for 20 minutes. It eventually flew away to the southwest."
And: "Jean Andrieux, ferry operator, saw a large white sphere, with a smaller green sphere below, hang motionless above the Seine for 20 minutes. Two witnesses. It eventually flew away to the southwest."
And: "An object was sighted that had an appearance and performance beyond the capability of known earthly aircraft."
And: "One green ball was observed by one male witness for 30 minutes."
The sources are indicated as Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Vallee, Jacques, Challenge to Science: The UFO Enigma, Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Preliminary Catalog (N = 500), (in JVallee01); Vallee, Jacques, A Century of Landings (N = 923), (in JVallee04), Chicago, 1969; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173).
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
*Sep. 30, 1954 - Jean Andrieux, a ferry operator in Grand-Couronne, France and another witness, saw a large white sphere at 10:00 p.m. A smaller green sphere accompanied it and hung below, both object remaining stationary above the Seine River for 20 minutes. It eventually flew away to the southwest. Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 213).
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded this case 8 times:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19540000 | 00.00.1954 | Grand Couronne | France | |||||||
| 19540930 | 30.09.1954 | Grand Couronne | France | 22.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19540930 | 30.09.1954 | Grand Couronne | France | 22.00 | ||||||
| 19540930 | 30.09.1954 | Grand Couronne | France | 22.00 | NL | |||||
| 19540930 | 30.09.1954 | Grand Couronne | France | 22.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19540930 | 30.09.1954 | Grand Couronne | France | 22.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19540930 | 30.09.1954 | Seine River | France | |||||||
| 19541000 | 00.10.1954 | Seine Inferieure | France | CE II |
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
September 30 1954. 2200hrs.
GRAND COURONNE (SEINE-MARITIME : FRANCE)
Ferry operator Jean Andrieux (34) was startled by a brilliant reflection in the water and looking up a large sphere of white light, with another sphere of green light under it. He went to the bank to get a witness and there met Michel Leroux. The two observed the light for about 20 minutes before it slowly descended and disappeared silently to the southwest.
Evaluation - Nowhere in the original text is there a mention of low altitude. Moon and star?
I do not know why ufology sources gave "Grand-Couronne" or "Brest" as place instead of "Petit-Couronne"; however, the two communes formed only one until around 1600.
Petit-Couronne is currently south-west of Rouen, on the banks of the Seine, of course.
That night in Rouen, the moon set at 07:28 p.m.. There was nothing below the Moon, but Venus was very close to the Moon, visually to its left and slightly above, the whole towards the Southwest.
However, Venus is never green, and that night the Moon was not a ball but a very thin crescent with only 12.3% of its surface illuminated.
So one may think of the Moon and Venus, but that does not seem to me to be a very solid explanation.
To note: another sighting at the same location, unfortunately without a preicse date (end September or beginning of October, 1954.)
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(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Petit-Couronne, Grand-Couronne, Seine-Maritime, Jean Andrieux, Michel Leroux, sphere, white, green, multiple, hovering, still, duration
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | January 18, 2006 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | February 11, 2010 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [pne1], [goe1], [jbu1], [lcn1], [uda1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | June 19, 2010 | Addition [jve5]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | June 24, 2010 | Addition [hws1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | November 15, 2014 | Addition [nip1]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | February 5, 2017 | Addition [ubk1]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | October 25, 2019 | Additions [prn1], [prn2], Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | April 7, 2022 | Addition [lgs1]. |
| 1.8 | Patrick Gross | June 13, 2022 | Addition [fru1]. |
