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Tuesday 12 November 2013

On This Day: First photograph of Loch Ness monster sparks global sensation


Since then there have been repeated missions to find the alleged beast, whose presence has been disputed since the sixth century

November 12: The first purported photograph of Loch Ness Monster was taken on this day in 1933 – bringing the ancient legend to the world’s attention.

The publication of picture by Hugh Gray – who took the snap while walking home from church – sparked a global sensation.

Since then there have been repeated missions to find the alleged beast, whose presence in the deep Scottish water has been disputed since the sixth century.



Among them was a submarine investigation by British explorer Dan Taylor in June 1966.

A British Pathé shows the amateur submariner boarding his boat Pisces – erroneously pronounced “piskies” by the reporter, who was no doubt not au fait with astrology.

A shadowy outline of the 'Loch Ness Monster' in a picture taken in 1934, the second photographic 'evidence' of …

This second exploration by Taylor picked up a large moving object on sonar 200 feet ahead and 50 above the bottom of the loch.

Vickers, the builders of the sub, also made a giant model of the beast which later provoked amusement when it sank.

But the mythical monster hasn’t always been a cause of mirth – it has also been blamed for accidents.

Among them was the death of racing legend John Cobb in 1952 after his 200mph boat hit a ripple that Nessie hunters say was caused by the reputed creature.




The 52-year-old Englishman’s Crusader vessel disintegrated and sank to the bottom after striking an unexplained wake during his bid to set a new water speed record.

Believers in the Loch Ness Monster claim the alleged creature caused the rogue ripple by moving just beneath the surface of the Scottish lake.

They note that Cobb, who was on course to set a new record of 206mph was just finishing his first of two laps, so the wake could not have been caused by him.

1st August 1968: Members of the Loch Ness Monster Investigation Team scan the loch for a sighting of the monster. …

Among the Nessie hunters who blamed the unconfirmed animal was Tim Dinsdale.

The former RAF engineer slowed down the 24-frames-per-second footage and claims that the killer ripple was moving faster than any boat could have caused.

Eight years later, he filmed what remains one of the few alleged sightings of the Loch Ness Monster – with a humped creature appearing to leave a massive wake.

There have also been several other sightings, photographs and, in 2011, a sonar image of a 5ft-wide unidentified object moving at a depth of 75ft.





There have also been numerous other expeditions – and yet there have been no scientifically confirmed sightings of Nessie.

Some observers have claimed the sightings are really those of large eels, seals, birds, dogs and even an elephant.

Yet – along with other alleged cryptids such as the Himalayan Yeti and North American Sasquatch – Nessie claims will undoubtedly continue to fascinate people.

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