Philadelphia - Rainbow - Phoenix - Montauk
May 3, 2016 5:25 PM Subscribe
From Project Rainbow to the Montauk Project - a brief history of what might have happened.... From the Philadelphia Experiment to Project Montauk.
"Project Rainbow was allegedly an experiment conducted upon a small destroyer escort ship during World War II, both in the Philadelphia Naval Yard and at sea; the goal was to make that ship invisible to enemy detection. The accounts vary as to whether the original idea was to achieve invisibility to enemy radar or whether the prize sought after was more profound: optical invisibility. Either way, it is commonly believed that the mechanism involved was the generation of an incredibly intense magnetic field around the ship, which would cause refraction or bending of light or radar waves around the ship, much like a mirage created by heated air over a road on a summer day. The legend goes on to say that the experiment was a complete success... except that the ship actually disappeared physically for a time, and then returned. They wanted to "cloak" the ship from view, but they got de-materialization and teleportation instead.."[via]
Timeline of Events
"Project Rainbow was allegedly an experiment conducted upon a small destroyer escort ship during World War II, both in the Philadelphia Naval Yard and at sea; the goal was to make that ship invisible to enemy detection. The accounts vary as to whether the original idea was to achieve invisibility to enemy radar or whether the prize sought after was more profound: optical invisibility. Either way, it is commonly believed that the mechanism involved was the generation of an incredibly intense magnetic field around the ship, which would cause refraction or bending of light or radar waves around the ship, much like a mirage created by heated air over a road on a summer day. The legend goes on to say that the experiment was a complete success... except that the ship actually disappeared physically for a time, and then returned. They wanted to "cloak" the ship from view, but they got de-materialization and teleportation instead.."[via]
Timeline of Events
I'm just glad that this timeline didn't lead to Procedure 110-Montauk.
posted by ejs at 6:04 PM on May 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by ejs at 6:04 PM on May 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
Though this link is for a roleplaying game, it does do a good job of putting together Nichols and Moon's Montaulk Project book series. Those things went on and on and on and on in the 90s and (this is coming from a person who spent $50 for a poorly copied Kinkos-bound edition of Wilhem Reich's Contact From Space after driving 4 hours to visit his museum at Orgonon) they were not worth the paper they were written on. Not from an ideas point, mind you, but from a 'two page chapters with no editing' point.
There is a documentary called The Montauk Chronicles that's out that the directors made the fringe podcast rounds for last year. I have not seen the movie yet, but probably will once I can stream it. Some of the stories told about the people involved, though, make me much more interested in a blooper reel. Just look at YouTube for Preston Nichols videos and you'll see what I mean.
That said, the Montauk stuff really paved the way for these super focused fringe conspiracies where a few people try to make a career based on one out there idea and milk it for all it's worth - see also Project Serpo books and the Skinwalker Ranch books.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:21 PM on May 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
There is a documentary called The Montauk Chronicles that's out that the directors made the fringe podcast rounds for last year. I have not seen the movie yet, but probably will once I can stream it. Some of the stories told about the people involved, though, make me much more interested in a blooper reel. Just look at YouTube for Preston Nichols videos and you'll see what I mean.
That said, the Montauk stuff really paved the way for these super focused fringe conspiracies where a few people try to make a career based on one out there idea and milk it for all it's worth - see also Project Serpo books and the Skinwalker Ranch books.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:21 PM on May 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
My favorite conspiracy theory. Probably because they pulled in all the other theories, like when you'd go camping and your Mom would buy the cereal variety pack. If you prefer your stuff in podcast format, I'll recommend this.
posted by benito.strauss at 7:03 PM on May 3, 2016
posted by benito.strauss at 7:03 PM on May 3, 2016
There was a movie about this! The Philadelphia Experiment. I wonder how it holds up?
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:36 PM on May 3, 2016
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:36 PM on May 3, 2016
I'm just glad that this timeline didn't lead to Procedure 110-Montauk.
*left eye twitches involuntarily*
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:19 PM on May 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Fun fact: The day after I got my driver's license, I rented a car and drove all the way to Camp Hero just to pay tribute to this conspiracy theory. By the time I got there, it was dark as night because it was night. Something like 2am. I ended up spending more time at Montauk Point Light instead since the sky was full of stars. Nothing weird happened, sadly.
posted by I-baLL at 9:34 PM on May 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by I-baLL at 9:34 PM on May 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
so much clicks so many
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:21 AM on May 4, 2016
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:21 AM on May 4, 2016
I-baLL: " By the time I got there, it was dark as night because it was night. "
This really belongs in the Lytton thread.
posted by Splunge at 7:39 AM on May 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
This really belongs in the Lytton thread.
posted by Splunge at 7:39 AM on May 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
The Montauk Mythos books by Nichols and Moon are fascinating. Yes, dreadful diminishing returns. But they're a fascinating case of 'crushingly sad, probably mentally ill true believer meets credulous self-publisher and magic happens.' If you're wondering about late-90s conspiracist culture and the paranoid psychotronic-weirdo fringe, they're just golden. Badly written, compulsive, misshapen, but...golden.
posted by waxbanks at 10:37 AM on May 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by waxbanks at 10:37 AM on May 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
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