+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: The Tale of a Sea Monster during WWI

  1. Link to Post #1
    Administrator Mark (Star Mariner)'s Avatar
    Join Date
    15th November 2011
    Language
    English
    Posts
    4,399
    Thanks
    29,156
    Thanked 35,508 times in 4,311 posts

    Default The Tale of a Sea Monster during WWI

    In the field of cryptozoology, I think the most fascinating tales (for me) involve sea monsters! There are numerous famous examples in the myths and legends of old, but not so many in the modern era. But they do exist. And these are particularly interesting.

    There are several accounts from World War I and II, including that of U-Boat U85. The Captain, Günther Krech, audaciously blamed the damage and eventual capture of his U-boat off the coast of Ireland in 1918 on an attack by a great 'sea-monster'. His story went down in history, lasting a long time, but it was only hearsay after all...

    It was finally proven to be a hoax only recently, when the truth was revealed by records in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in the United States.

    Records of the German Navy, from 1850 to 1945, were captured by the Allies at the end of the war, and copied on to 4,317 rolls of microfilm. Among these records were the official testimonies of U85's crew. The damage had been caused by quite conventional means, with no mention of any sea beasts.

    However, the story of U-Boat U28 is a little different.

    * * * *

    DID U-28 SEE A SEA MONSTER?

    On July 31st, 1915 the SS Iberian, a British merchant steamer was headed from Manchester to Boston, Massachusetts when it was torpedoed and sank by the U-28, roughly nine miles south-west of Fastnet, Ireland and resulting in the deaths of seven people. The Iberian sank stern first, with the bow aiming directly upwards, and after about twenty-five seconds underwater there was another, very large explosion which was most likely the Iberian‘s boilers exploding. However, during the explosion U-28‘s commander, or “captain-lieutenant,” Kapitänleutnant Freiherr Georg-Günther von Forstner, reported seeing something very unusual. In his own words, Forstner stated:

    “The wreckage remained beneath the water for approximately twenty-five seconds, at a depth that remains clearly impossible to assess, when suddenly there was a violent explosion, which shot pieces of debris – among them a gigantic aquatic animal – out of the water to a height of approximately eighty feet.

    “At that moment I had with me in the conning tower six of my officers of the watch, including the chief engineer, the navigator, and the helmsman. Simultaneously we all drew one another’s attention to this wonder of the seas, which was writhing and struggling among the debris. We were unable to identify the creature, but all of us agreed that it resembled an aquatic crocodile, which was about sixty feet long, with four limbs resembling large webbed feet, a long, pointed tail and a head which also tapered to a point. Unfortunately we were not able to take a photograph, for the animal sank out of sight after ten or fifteen seconds.”


    Continues: https://northatlanticblog.wordpress....a-sea-monster/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_U-28_(Germany)

    * * * *

    Sixty feet is huge, but interestingly enough, the rough description of the animal given by von Forstner is very close to a real creature that exists in the fossil record - the Mosasaur. It is estimated it grew to that approximate length, but Mosasaurs disappeared at the K-T extinction event at the end of Cretaceous Period, some 66 million years ago...or so we think.

    Note: NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) states that less than five percent of the Earth’s oceans have been explored.

    [Artists impression of a Mosasaur, which closely resembles the description of the beast.]



    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosasaur
    "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."
    ~ Jimi Hendrix

  2. The Following 19 Users Say Thank You to Mark (Star Mariner) For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (16th October 2017), BMJ (9th November 2017), Cardillac (17th October 2017), Cidersomerset (16th October 2017), DeDukshyn (16th October 2017), Did You See Them (17th October 2017), DNA (28th January 2019), enigma3 (16th October 2017), Ewan (18th October 2017), fourty-two (17th October 2017), Foxie Loxie (16th October 2017), genevieve (17th October 2017), justntime2learn (17th October 2017), Mercedes (17th October 2017), Mike Gorman (17th October 2017), mojo (16th October 2017), Nasu (17th October 2017), skogvokter (17th October 2017), Words of Joy (17th October 2017)

  3. Link to Post #2
    United States Avalon Member Foxie Loxie's Avatar
    Join Date
    20th September 2015
    Location
    Central NY
    Age
    79
    Posts
    3,078
    Thanks
    67,683
    Thanked 17,639 times in 2,960 posts

    Default Re: The Tale of a Sea Monster during WWI

    The ceoloycanth(sp.?) was supposedly extinct, as well!

  4. The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to Foxie Loxie For This Post:

    DeDukshyn (16th October 2017), Denise/Dizi (27th January 2020), DNA (28th January 2019), Ewan (18th October 2017), Mark (Star Mariner) (17th October 2017), Mercedes (17th October 2017), Mike Gorman (17th October 2017), Spellbound (19th October 2017)

  5. Link to Post #3
    Canada Avalon Member DeDukshyn's Avatar
    Join Date
    22nd January 2011
    Location
    From 100 Mile House ;-)
    Language
    English
    Age
    50
    Posts
    9,394
    Thanks
    29,778
    Thanked 45,445 times in 8,541 posts

    Default Re: The Tale of a Sea Monster during WWI

    Quote Posted by Foxie Loxie (here)
    The ceoloycanth(sp.?) was supposedly extinct, as well!

    I recall hearing about when the first (recorded) coelacanth was caught on a commercial fish vessel. Local fisherman of the area had always spoken of it, but it was assumed to be one of those "fishing tales", about an extremely large, aggressive "monster" fish. The one caught on the commercial fishing vessel brought fascination from the crew as it lived for quite some time out of water, trying to snap at people if they got too close. It was later discovered to be a coelacanth, something that scientists had only known by fossil records previously, despite many reports by small local and/or indigenous fishermen of the creature.

    The coelacanth has a lung, and has "limb-like" appendages -- a creature that appears to be ahead of the way evolution works as it is generally a deep sea dweller. Why the lung and limb-like appendages? Was evolution thinking ahead? Anyway, a very fascinating fish. For me anyways Living proof that that which we think as extinct or non existent can sometimes just be well hidden from our perceptions.

    Last edited by DeDukshyn; 18th October 2017 at 16:48.
    When you are one step ahead of the crowd, you are a genius.
    Two steps ahead, and you are deemed a crackpot.

  6. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to DeDukshyn For This Post:

    BMJ (14th November 2017), Denise/Dizi (27th January 2020), Did You See Them (17th October 2017), DNA (28th January 2019), Foxie Loxie (16th October 2017), Mark (Star Mariner) (17th October 2017), Mercedes (17th October 2017)

  7. Link to Post #4
    United States Avalon Member Foxie Loxie's Avatar
    Join Date
    20th September 2015
    Location
    Central NY
    Age
    79
    Posts
    3,078
    Thanks
    67,683
    Thanked 17,639 times in 2,960 posts

    Default Re: The Tale of a Sea Monster during WWI

    Thanks for the picture! I wouldn't know one fish from another, not coming from a "fishing" family!

  8. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Foxie Loxie For This Post:

    DeDukshyn (17th October 2017), Denise/Dizi (27th January 2020), fourty-two (17th October 2017), Mercedes (17th October 2017)

  9. Link to Post #5
    England Avalon Member
    Join Date
    26th January 2011
    Posts
    147
    Thanks
    630
    Thanked 487 times in 121 posts

    Default Re: The Tale of a Sea Monster during WWI

    I found this encounter on a website over 10 years ago. I thought it was a interesting tale but totally unable to prove if it is fictitious or not.

    Giant Shark - Megladon in the Indian

    Giant Shark 75-85 foot long - Megladon is a live and well in the Indian Ocean
    This sighting is by a serving US sailor therefore we have removed all identifying references, at his request. Let me introduce myself my name is XXXXXXXX I'm a Petty Officer in the US Navy based in XXXXXXX. I have been in the service now for 15 years out of those 15 years 12 have been on active sea commands. I have been on 4 ships with a total out to sea time of 9 years (That's underway steaming).

    I recently saw an episode of your series and browsed your web page. And thought I might share a story with you that happened in 99 when I was stationed on the USS XXXXX. You will have to forgive me if I leave out the exact Latitude and Longitude and only give a general location since some of this is still sensitive. I was assigned to the VBSS (visit board search and seizure) Team on the XXXXX, our job was to board all ships suspected of smuggling oil out of Iraq during the UN embargo while Saddam was still in power. We had boarded an Indian Registered vessel transiting out bound from the straits of Hormuz and were escorting the vessel back to Goa to turn it over to the Indian Navy. We were pulling 12 hour security shifts onboard (To prevent them from scuttling the vessel). I can't give the exact date but it occurred in Jan 00.

    We were pulling shift it was around 1030 AM. There were 6 of us on security shift and three of us were on the focastle of the ship when we heard this loud splashing sound not just a small splash but a long drawn out one like something thrashing around. We looked over the railing of the ship to see the Large Pod of dolphins that had been following us for days going crazy!! Jumping out of the water and flying across the water madly. We were amused at first thinking they were in a feeding frenzy when the largest dorsal fin I have ever seen broke the water and was chasing after the dolphins.

    At first I thought maybe it was a whale due to its huge bulk we could see the back of this thing and some of its body. The fin it's self was over 10 Ft tall. Well the whale theory went out the window when I saw the head of this thing. I grew up in the Florida Keys I have seen Tiger Sharks, Bull Sharks, Lemons, Dusky's, And so on. This was a shark plain and simple!!! The head of this shark resembled that of a Tiger Shark the nose was blunted like a Tigers but not as flat and rounded almost to the tip. This shark's head came out of the water and came down and we watched this thing munching on a dolphin as it turned back to the pod.

    Our RHIB (Ridged hull inflatable boat) came around from the fantail of the ship to see what was going on and hit the wake of this thing and actually caught air and came down. We were yelling at them that it was a shark and we were telling them to fall back to the ship. But of course they didn't do it. And went over to the where the pod used to be where they could see the out line of the shark. When they got close the shark turned creating a wake that almost swamped the boat and the shark turned and went right under the boat. The Boat engineer was so scared he actually fired three rounds at the shark from his Rifle (M14) Hoping it would scare away the shark and it just went right by them towards us and went down. We never saw it again. It was the wildest thing I have ever seen out to sea. I've seen some big sharks before. Whale sharks 40 Ft + Tigers 15+ but this was the largest I have ever seen.

    It was 75+ if it was an inch!!!

    Once we reported it and got back to the ship the Officer of the Deck told us it was just a whale that's all. A whale eating a dolphin with a large dorsal fin and a shark shaped head huh??? One of my team mates was a sonar tech by trade so he went to sonar control and pulled the readings up. They had tracked it coming up from 250 Fathoms since that's what they had the computers set on after they tracked it they adjusted the settings and lost it at 1040 Fathoms.

    The computer read it at 87 Ft long. Now you tell me what that was?? I would never send this to anyone had I been by myself but there was witnesses and records showing this. Thank you for listening to me. If you could please not use my name or location to anyone when reference this I don't think the Navy would like that to much.

  10. The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to Soul Safari For This Post:

    BMJ (9th November 2017), Denise/Dizi (27th January 2020), Did You See Them (17th October 2017), DNA (28th January 2019), Ewan (18th October 2017), Foxie Loxie (17th October 2017), I should cocoa (17th October 2017), Mark (Star Mariner) (18th October 2017), Nasu (17th October 2017)

  11. Link to Post #6
    Administrator Mark (Star Mariner)'s Avatar
    Join Date
    15th November 2011
    Language
    English
    Posts
    4,399
    Thanks
    29,156
    Thanked 35,508 times in 4,311 posts

    Default Re: The Tale of a Sea Monster during WWI

    Quote Posted by Soul Safari (here)
    I found this encounter on a website over 10 years ago. I thought it was a interesting tale but totally unable to prove if it is fictitious or not.

    Giant Shark - Megladon in the Indian
    Very interesting account, pity there's no further details, nothing specifically on record, or anything more solid to verify the story. Even if it was a creature resembling a Megalodon, 87ft really is a leviathan, even challenging palaeontological estimates for this animal.
    "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."
    ~ Jimi Hendrix

  12. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Mark (Star Mariner) For This Post:

    Denise/Dizi (27th January 2020), Ewan (18th October 2017), Foxie Loxie (18th October 2017), Soul Safari (18th October 2017)

  13. Link to Post #7
    England Avalon Member
    Join Date
    26th January 2011
    Posts
    147
    Thanks
    630
    Thanked 487 times in 121 posts

    Default Re: The Tale of a Sea Monster during WWI

    I've tried searching for the website since and for the life of me I can't remember the site name. I copied and pasted the abovt text to hard drive so sadly, that's all I have! Would be interesting to know if there was any follow up article.

    It's a great story nonetheless (even if 87ft is ridiculously challenging)

  14. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Soul Safari For This Post:

    BMJ (9th November 2017), Denise/Dizi (27th January 2020), Foxie Loxie (18th October 2017)

+ Reply to Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts