Lieutenant Homero Ribeiro

Naval Dentist

Lieutenant Homero Ribeiro was the ship’s dentist aboard the Brazilian Navy vessel Almirante Saldanha and served as a key eyewitness to the January 16, 1958 UFO sighting near Trindade Island.

He was among the few crew members who visually confirmed the object, which was photographed by civilian photographer Almiro Barauna. Ribeiro was alerted to the phenomenon by the shouts of Amilar Vieira Filho and José Teobaldo Viegas; he ran excitedly from the bow to the stern, pointing skyward and yelling about the bright, disc-shaped object before it disappeared. His testimony helped corroborate the large-scale witness account, although later reports noted conflicting numbers regarding how many crew members actually saw the craft.