PHILADELPHIA, PA — What began as an experiment in magnetic warfare defense during World War II has grown into one of America’s most infamous military conspiracy theories. The 1943 USS Eldridge experiment, often referred to as the “Philadelphia Experiment,” has long fascinated — and baffled — generations of skeptics and history buffs alike.
The story claims that the USS Eldridge vanished from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and reappeared moments later in Norfolk, Virginia. But did a Navy test really lead to teleportation? Or was it a misunderstood attempt at magnetic camouflage?
The Real Goal: Shielding Ships from Magnetic Mines
In 1943, the U.S. Navy was working against deadly threats in the Atlantic — particularly German magnetic mines that detonated based on a ship’s magnetic field. To counter this, naval engineers used a process called degaussing, which involved running electrical currents through coils wrapped around a ship’s hull to neutralize its magnetic signature.
This wasn’t science fiction. It was smart, real-world physics that helped Allied ships evade underwater bombs. Degaussing effectively made ships invisible — but only to magnetic sensors, not the naked eye.
What Actually Happened to the USS Eldridge?
According to official ship logs, the USS Eldridge was never even in Philadelphia when the supposed “teleportation” took place on October 28, 1943. Records show the ship was conducting a training cruise in the Bahamas at the time…