A photo of a US Navy test was edited to add a UFO rising out of the ocean

CLAIM: A photo shows a UFO emerging from the ocean next to a naval ship and a large explosion.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Altered photo. The UFO was edited into a real image from 1982 of a U.S. Navy shock test. The altered version of the image — and others showing the supposed spacecraft close-up in the water — have been online since 2008 when they appeared in a short, fictional film called “The Orion Conspiracy.”

THE FACTS: Social media users are sharing the edited image, suggesting that it is evidence extraterrestrials have already paid Earth a visit.

The photo shows what appears to be a large metal disc — the supposed UFO — emerging from the ocean. Meanwhile, a large explosion is underway next to a naval ship.

“UFO spotted emerging from beneath the sea?” asks one Facebook post that included the image, as well as multiple cropped iterations.

But the image is simply science fiction. The original, which shows the explosion and only one ship, was taken in 1982 during a Navy shock test and is lacking the added UFO.

Navy spokesperson Jamie Koehler told The Associated Press that as part of the test, an explosive charge was detonated off the starboard side of the USS Arkansas, the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the photo.

“The purpose of shock trials is to test the survivability of ships and shipboard equipment, to ensure its ability to execute its mission in hazardous environments,” she wrote in an email.

Other objects in the version circulating online, such as additional ships and what look like yellow flotation devices, were also edited into the Navy’s image.

The edited image with the UFO first appeared online in 2008 as a still from “The Orion Conspiracy,” a short, fictional film created by artist Seb Janiak. The film, which includes numerous other fabricated images, features a man outlining supposed secret UFO research throughout history in a presentation for three government officials. Janiak did not respond to a request for comment.
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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.