The Silent Black Triangle UFO
It was supposed to be an ordinary night on the water. In early November 1996, a fishing crew off the coast of Northern Norway prepared for another cold, silent shift under the stars. The Barents Sea has long been known for its beauty and brutality, but nothing prepared these men for what would happen next.
As their trawler navigated the dark waters near the small town of Andenes, an enormous triangular object appeared in the sky. It made no sound. It moved against the wind. And for five long minutes, it hovered above the boat, blocking out the stars—until the crew’s navigation and radio systems flickered, died, and refused to restart.
What happened that night remains one of Europe’s most unexplained UFO encounters. Nearly thirty years later, the story still echoes across the Norwegian coast.
An Ominous Arrival in the Arctic Sky
According to the surviving reports from the crew, the object appeared shortly after midnight. The weather was clear. The sea calm. At first, it looked like a shadow—just a dark patch against the night. But soon it became clear this was no cloud. It was solid. Structured. And unlike anything they had seen before.
The triangular shape stretched at least 30 metres across, according to estimates from the skipper. Three soft white lights marked the corners, but the object itself emitted no sound. No hum of engines. No whirring blades. Just a heavy, impossible silence.
For several minutes, the object remained directly above the boat, unmoving. Then the electronics failed.
GPS, sonar, depth sounders—everything shut down. Even the boat’s ageing radio gave a final crackle and went dead. Panic set in. But before anyone could act, the object simply shifted, tilted slightly, and accelerated into the night sky without a sound, disappearing toward the mountains.
Power returned seconds later. The equipment rebooted. But nothing would ever be the same.
Not Alone: Other Sightings in the North
This wasn’t an isolated case. In the weeks following the encounter, multiple fishermen from Troms and Nordland counties reported similar shapes—silent black triangles hovering low over fjords or coastal waters. Some said they were trailed by strange pulses in their radios. Others claimed their compasses spun wildly.
Most were reluctant to report anything. Norway, despite its quiet embrace of folklore, treats the idea of UFOs with a healthy dose of scepticism. Yet those who have worked these waters for decades know the sky better than most. When they say something was wrong that night, people listen.
To this day, local investigators have no explanation. The Norwegian Armed Forces declined to comment. No aircraft were registered in the area. No NATO exercises. No civilian traffic. Nothing that should have been in the sky was there—and yet something very much was.
Triangles, Tech Failures, and a Global Pattern
What makes the 1996 incident particularly strange is how closely it matches other sightings across the globe. Triangular UFOs, often described as large, silent, and slow-moving, have been reported over Belgium, the UK, and parts of the United States—many accompanied by electrical interference.
Theories range from experimental military craft to alien reconnaissance vehicles. Some point to TR-3B rumours, a supposed US black-budget aircraft. But even those who subscribe to terrestrial explanations struggle with the sheer silence and agility of these objects—especially over the Barents Sea, where few test flights would logically occur.
And why disable a fishing boat’s instruments?
For the crew, the effect was immediate and visceral. Several members left the profession within the year. One refused to sail again entirely. Their experience left more questions than answers—but also a lasting sense of being watched.
A Cold, Quiet Place of Watchers
There’s something about Norway’s far north that lends itself to mystery. Endless nights, towering cliffs, and ancient myths still woven into daily life. Locals speak of huldufólk—hidden people living in the rocks—and of lights that dance not just in the sky, but beneath the waves.
It’s not difficult to imagine that if something—or someone—wanted to remain hidden, this would be the place.
Andenes itself sits near one of the deepest underwater trenches in the North Atlantic. Some believe the mysterious object disappeared in that direction for a reason. The idea of undersea bases has long circulated in UFO circles, but here, where sonar often fails and whales dive beyond human reach, the idea gains a strange plausibility.