Approximately 20 miles south of Malta, Mediterranean Sea, Malta
The Malta Fishermen's Submarine and the Little Men
A later Maltese UFO account attributes to fisherman Pawlu Zammit and companions a summer 1947 encounter with a dark submarine-like object on the sea surface and small figures moving on it before the object became brightly illuminated and submerged. The accessible source chain appears to derive from
Why This Case Matters
An evocative early USO/occupant story, but presently a thin historical case whose evidential value depends almost entirely on recovering the original Maltese source chain.
Chronology
- summer 1947 alleged fishermen encounter south of Malta
- no contemporary primary report located in current pass
- story later recorded in David Pace's Maltese UFO literature
- modern English-language catalogues repeat the account
The Witnesses
Evidence
The following evidence types are documented for this case:
Conventional explanations: Misidentified vessel, submarine, marine animal, memory distortion or folklore development are plausible. The long source gap prevents confident reconstruction.
What Remains Unresolved
- Earliest Maltese publication
- original interview with Zammit
- identities of companions
- exact date
- maritime/naval traffic
- any contemporary Maltese press or harbour record.
Key Takeaways
- Do not treat this as a documented 1947 USO. It is a later historical account that needs Maltese primary-source recovery before substantial use.
Sources
Primary and secondary sources for this case file: