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Subject: About Lochness Legend
Replies: 8 Views: 605
princ3_1 11.02.11 - 11:55am
In the Beginning
Loch Ness is part of the Great Glen or Glen Mor in Gaelic, a scar like fault line which runs over 60 miles from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south. It is made up of 3 lochs, Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness, with Loch Ness being by far the largest.
The loch is a tectonic lake resulting from a movement in the earths crust. Around 500 million years ago tremors opened up the crack that is now Loch Ness as the land to the north moved around 65 miles south westerly.
During the last ice age, which ended about 10 to 12 thousand years ago, the whole area was covered in 4 thousand feet of ice. In fact the only land mark would have been Ben Nevis to the south. It was this ice which gauged out the trough that loch ness lies in. Tremors can still be felt around the loch, the last one in December 1997. The hills surrounding the loch are still rising by 1mm per year. *
princ3_1 11.02.11 - 11:57am
Loch Ness is the largest body of fresh water in Britain.
(1) There is more water in Loch Ness than all the other lakes in England, Scotland and Wales put together.
(2) It is around twenty two and a half miles long and between one and one and a half miles wide, a depth of 754 feet with the bottom of the loch being as flat as a bowling green.
(3) It holds 263 thousand million cubic feet of water which is around 16 million 430 thousand million gallons of water with a surface area of 14000 acres and could hold the population of the world 10 times over.
(4) It is fed by 7 major rivers the Oich, Tarff, Enrich, Coiltie, Moriston, Foyers and Farigaig plus numerous burns, with only one outlet the River Ness which flows 7 miles through Inverness into the Moray Firth 52 feet below the loch surface.
(5) During a heavy rainfall the lochs level has been known to rise by as much as 7 feet and a rise of 2 feet is common place.
(6) The rain catchment area for Loch Ness is so large that a rainfall of just quarter of an adds 11.000.000 tons of water to the loch.
(7) It is said that the loch never freezes and this is true.
(8) Because of the great amount of water in the loch a thermocline lies at around 100 feet down in the loch.The top 100 feet of water alters temperature depending on the weather conditions but below the thermocline the temperature never alters from 44 degrees Fahrenheit. So as the surface water cools in winter and nears freezing point it sinks and is replaced by the warmer water from below. This can cause the loch to steam on very cold days, in fact it as been estimated that the heat given off by the loch in a winter is the equivalent to burning 2 million tons of coal.
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princ3_1 11.02.11 - 12:03pm
Most people think that the Loch Ness monster first appeared in the 1930s and it is certainly from this time that Nessie became famous but sightings of something unusual in the loch date back much further than this.
It is said that the residents around the loch used to tell their children stories of the kelpie to keep them away from the dark dangerous waters of the loch. The story was of a fearsome beast who lived in the loch and when hungrywould leave its watery home and transform itself into a beautiful horse which would wait for some unlucky traveller to climb on its back then it would gallop straight into the loch and feed on its victim. I can see how this would discourage children from playing near the loch but it never stopped the locals from fishing the loch for salmon.
The first recorded sighting of the creature dates back to 565 by Saint Columba. The Saint was an Irish priest who was touring the Highlands teaching Christianity to the Picts. One day while travelling along the side of the loch he came upon a group of locals burying one of their friends who had swum out into the loch to retrieve a boat that had come loose from its moorings and been savaged by a great beast. Columba asked one of his followers to swim out and retrieve the boat and when he did the beast rose from the loch with a mighty roar and went to attack the man. At this point St Columba held up his cross and shouted Stop go thou no further nor touch the man . Upon hearing this the beast returned to the depths of the loch seemingly never to roar again.
Next we jump to around 1650. At this time the English army were trying to gain more control over the Highland clans and to help with this a large ship was built at Inverness then moved to the loch using rollers. The idea of the ship was to transport supplies and men around the loch to quell any trouble before it became serious. On board the ship was a writer called Richard Franck who was part of Oliver Cromwell's (Lord Protector of England) army. He wrote about the famous Loch Ness well known for its floating islands. Franck explained the floating islands as mats of vegetation moving around the loch but because of the peat content in the water very littlevegetation grows near its s s as the sunlight can only penetrate a few feet below the surface.
Other reports of strange things seen in the loch can be found from the 18th and 19th centuries but it was 1933 which heralded the start of the Loch Ness monster as we know it.
In April 1933 Mr&Mrs Mackay were driving down the lochside from Inverness to their home in Drumnadrochit when Mrs Mackay saw a disturbance in the loch which she at first thought was ducks fighting but as she watched she saw a large beast in the middle of the loch rolling and plunging in the water causing a great disturbance.The sighting was reported to Alex Campbell, a local game keeper and a reporter for the Inverness Courier (Campbell claims to have seen the monster on no less than 18 occasions). The story appeared in the paperon 2nd of May 1933 and the Loch Ness monster as we know it today was born.
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princ3_1 11.02.11 - 12:07pm
.
This is the first picture taken which claims to show the Loch Ness monster. It was taken on the 12th of November 1933 by Hugh Gray at Foyers.
Mr Gray was returning from church and was walking near to where the River Foyers meets the loch.He saw an object of considerable dimensions rise out of the flat calm waters of the loch to what he estimated was a height of about 3 feet. He immediately got his camera ready and took a series of 5 photos before the loch had returned to being flat calm again. Mr Gray thought he had missed anything of interest so the film stayed in the camera for the next three weeks until his brother had it developed but only one of the pictures came out andthis is now one of the classic pictures of the Loch Ness monster .The picture has been studied by four photographic experts and all have found it to be without trace of tampering.Dr Maurice Burton a zoologist believed it to show an otter in the act of diving but F. W. Holiday, a well known fishing writer, thought it was some kind of giant marine worm.
Interest in the monster soared so the Daily Mail newspaper decided to send a team to the loch to look for evidence. It was headed by Marmaduke Wetherall, a famous big game hunter who turned up at the lochand hired a boat to search for the beast. He intended to use his tracking skills to hunt the monster to its lair.Daily reports appeared in the paper and after only two days at the loch the headlines shouted the story of Wetheralls find of footprints on the s of the loch. Plaster casts were taken and sent to the British Museum of Natural history to be examined. The footprints were soon discovered to have been made by a stuffed hippopotamus foot so with heads bowed low the Daily Mail left the loch to find other news stories with which to tempt its readers.
The next big event at the loch and probably the one which has had most impact over the last 66 years is the photo taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson on the 19 of April 1934. Better known as the Surgeons photo it must be one of the most easily recognisable photos in the world. Wilson and a friend were in the Highlands wild fowl shooting and when travelling down the side of the loch pulled their car over to stretch their legs near to Invermoriston. As they stood looking at the loch they noticed a considerable commotion on the surface about 200 yards away and as they watched they saw something break the surface and his friend shouted my god ,its the monster . Wilson ran the few yards back to his car and retrieved his camera and ran back down to his friend near the loch. He focused the camera on the object and took four pictures of it. By the time he had taken the photos the object had disappeared back into the loch. Wilson thought he might have something on film.When he had the photos developed only two came out the best one being the now famous head and neck shots which he sold to the Daily Mail newspaper. When questioned over what he had seen in the loch that day Wilson said he was too busy setting up the camera to take notice of what it was and he had just seen something strange in the loch. *
princ3_1 11.02.11 - 12:07pm
The first big organised attempt to find the monster started in July 1934.Sir Edward Mountain, owner of the Eagle Star insurance company, had been following the news at Loch Ness and while staying in the area decided to organise a search for the monster. He hired captain James Fraser to run the expedition for him with the help of 20 men from the Inverness labour exchange who were signed up to bewatchers for the monster. They were all supplied with binoculars and cameras and each day a bus would take them around the loch and pick them up at the end of the day. Each man was paid 2 a week but they had the added incentive of a bonus of 10 guineas for a good picture of the monster. Over the next 5 weeks a total of five photos were taken but 4 of these could be seen to be made by boat wakes but the fifth one shows an isolated area of disturbance with spray being thrown up which does not look like it was made by water birds. The best results from the expedition came after the 20 men had finished the search. Captain Fraser and an assistant were standing below the road just north of Urquhart Castle on the morning of 15 of September when they noticed something in the loch about three quarters of a mile away. He looked at it through his binoculars and he could see a dark object in the water which looked like an upturned boat. He started to film it which he did for about 2 minutes until with a plume of spray it disappeared. The 16mm film was sent to London for developing but nothing much could be seen on it as the distance had been too great.
Many sightings were still reported from the loch but the next classic photo was taken in 1951 by a local wood cutter. Lachlan Stuart lived in a croft at Whitefield on the s s of the loch across from Urquhart Castle. On the morning of 14th of July at around 6.30 am he came out of his croft to milk his cow when he looked at the loch and saw what at first he thought was a speed boat coming down the loch but soon realized that it was moving too fast to be a boat. He called to his wife and a friend who was staying with them to come down to the waters edge and bring their camera. He watched as three humps rose out of the water and when his wife with Taylor Hay arrived he took one photo before his camera jammed. On the photo you can see three large humps and Lachlan claims that just out of shot was a long thin neck which bobbed up and down in the water. Again the film was checked and no proof of tampering could be found.
Peter Macnab a Scottish bank manager was returning from a holiday in the Highlands in July 1955 when he pulled up his car just above Urquhart Castle and prepared his camera to take a picture of the castle ruins.But as he prepared his camera he noticed a large dark object rise above the surface of the calm loch and start to move across the bay. He rushed to fit his main camera with a 150 mm lens and was able to take one shot with this and another shot with an instant camera. When he had the photos developed both showed a large dark object moving across the bay but when he showed the photo to his friend all he received was skepticism and much leg pulling. So much so that he threw the negative of the second photo away. What the photo shows is of great interest because the size can be guessed as we know the tower of the castle is 64 feet high so the largest of the two humps can be estimated at around 50 feet in length.
R H erell was a fish farmer from Fort William who had a keen interest in the Loch Ness monster. His expedition in the autumn of 1958 consisted of him paddling around the loch in his canoe at night with a specially designed camera fitted to his helmet. On the last night of his expedition just before dawn he was in themiddle of the loch just out from Invermoriston when the breeze dropped and he was sitting on a mirror calm surface. He noticed about 50 yards away something which seemed to be swimming steadily towards him.He thought it looked like a very large flat head 4 or 5 feet long with what looked like another line just behind it .He was convinced that he was looking at the head and neck of some very large creature and with some great effort decided to move nearer to it. He was somewhat shocked to see that it appeared to move towards him with some speed so he took a shot with his camera while he had the chance. As he continued to move nearer a light breeze moved across the loch and the object seemed to sink but when the breeze passed he could still seesome thing on the surface. As he reached it all he found on the lochs surface was a long stick about 1 inch thick. He left the loch and returned home thinking he had just seen and filmed a stick until he had the film developed and saw that the object he had filmed was very large and did have a wash on an other wise flat calm surface. *
princ3_1 11.02.11 - 12:08pm
And Finally
What was and still is classed as the greatest piece of evidence for the Loch Ness monster was taken in 1960 by Tim Dinsdale.
After reading Constance Whytes book he became interested in the monster and for the next few months read everything he could find on the subject which convinced him that some kind of unknown creature lived in Loch Ness.
He decided to man a one man expedition to the loch in April 1960 with a pair of binoculars and aborrowed 16 mm cine camera. He spent 5 days at the loch rising at dawn and spending all day scanning the loch for signs of the monster but with no luck until the last day of his search he was returning to his hotel for breakfast.
It was the 23rd of April at around 9 am as he drove down into Foyers and as the loch came into viewhe noticed a dark object about half way across the loch and as he studied it through his binocularsit started to move away from him across the loch. He started to film it with the 16mm Bolex cine camera with long bursts as it moved across the lochthen turned parallel to the far s and headed down the loch in the direction of Fort Augustus.He noticed he was running out of film so decided to rush down to the lochs s with the hope of the object turning back across the loch so he put down the camera and raced down the narrow winding road at break neck speed until he reached the s but to his dismay the object had returned to the depths of the loch leaving no sign of itself.
On his return home the film was developed and instantly became the conclusive proof that some large unknown animal lives in the depths of the loch. This roll of 16mm film became and still is the basis for more peoples belief in the Loch Ness monster than any other evidence.
This was strengthened in 1966 when the RAF studied the film and came to the conclusion that it wasnot a surface vessel or submarine but some animate object in Loch Ness. It was partly due to this film that saw the formation of The Bureau for Investigating the Loch Ness Phenomena Ltd or the LNI as it became known as.
It was formed by MP Sir David James, Constance Whyte ( whose book Tim had read and was published in1958 ) and naturalists Sir Peter Scott and Richard Fitter.
Its first expeditions to the loch lasted only two weeks using volunteers but later ran them formonths at a time.
The expeditions ran for ten years and their main study was surface watching using manned camera stations either fixed or mobile around the loch.
It was one of these mobile units which gave them one of their best pieces of photographic evidence.
d*ck Raynor was on a expedition with the LNI in June 1967 and on the 13th he noticed a white wakeline on the opposite side of the loch near Dores Bay. Through his binoculars he could see a dark object at the head of the line so he started to film it with a 16mm cine camera. As he was filmingt he Scott ll pleasure boat came into view about half a mile from the object he was filming.
Again the film was studied by the RAF film unit JARIC ( Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre)and they stated that the object at the head of the wake was a solid object which measured 7 feetlong. This was good news for the LNI as nothing of that size is known to live in the loch.
During their ten years at the loch the LNI tried many ways with which they hoped to spot the monster from playing search lights on the lochs surface to manned submarines fitted with sonar they even used an autogyro that was used in a James Bond film but at the end of their days at the loch they still did not have the proof they wanted to show the loch ness monster was a real life creature. Many one man searchers carried on at the loch and some are still there to this day and the only organized team at the loch now is the Loch Ness project which studies the loch from a more scientific basis which in the end may give us the answers to the mystery of the loch.
The next question we should be asking is what could it be in the loch that people are seeing even to this day.
Well many theories have been put forward for what lives in the loch but none of then really explainall the sightings.
The most exciting theory put forward is that the Loch Ness monster is in fact a plesiosaur. Very little is known about their life style or breeding habits but still the theory goes on. *
princ3_1 11.02.11 - 12:11pm
The surgeons photo did more to add to this as it showed what could be a plesiosaur rising from the loch.
Around 70 million years ago a group of primitive reptiles gave rise to several different off shoots two of which became successful lines.
One was the pliosaurs which had large heads and short necks and the other being the plesiosaur withits small head and long neck. It is thought the plesiosaurs were always marine animals (lived in the sea ) but we know this can be overcome as crocodiles turtles and dolphins are known to survive in both fresh and salt water. It is still not known if the plesiosaur was warm or cold blooded and this would make the difference as to whether they could live in the loch or not. Cold blooded animals must live in warm climates to keep active, whereas warm blooded animals like ourselves generate heat themselves from the food we eat. If the plesiosaur was warm blooded then they may have found their way up the River Ness into the loch and still be there today. So if plesiosaurs do live in the loch the next question would be is there enough food for them to live on.
Studies done on the food chain in the loch give estimates from 1 to 27 tonnes and we are told this is not enough to feed a population of plesiosaurs on.The only answer we can think of to this is are all the migratory salmon which pour into the loch included in these figures and what about the unknown amount of eels which live at all levels of theloch?
There have been several sightings of a long necked creature seen eating fish in the loch like the one from John Maclean who in 1938 while standing near the loch s at Invermoriston saw a monsters head and neck 20 yards away which looked to be swa11owing food by opening and closing its mouth several times then tossing its head backwards. When the monster dived he saw two distinct humps and the entire length of the tail. It came up again a few yards further out and lay there for 2 or 3 minutes. He described it as around 20 feet long with the tail being around 6 feet long the neck was rather thin and several feet long.
The common eel anguilla anguilla starts its life 1000 feet down in the Sargasso Sea in the Gulf of Mexico. After drifting with the gulf stream for around 3 years they turn up on our s s in there thousands to find there way into our rivers and lakes to live for around 10 years before making the journey back to the Sargossa Sea to breed. It has been noted from studies done by the Freshwater Biological Association in Lakes Windermere and Ullswater that some stay in fresh water all there lives and those that do grow to sizes larger than would be expected.
The rod caught record for Britain is 11lb 2oz but much larger ones have been caught in nets. There have been reports of eels weighing up to 50lbs being caught and this would be at least 6 feetlong. In a body of water as large as Loch Ness it could be possible for them to grow much larger than this.I have spoken to people at loch ness who say they have seen eels as large as 15 feet in the loch. No real studies have been done into the eel population in Loch Ness but it is known that they can live at all levels of the loch from the many bays to the bottom were they are only seen by the underwater cameras that are sent down to look for the monster.
Another thing in the eels favour is the fact that they can leave the water and move across land for great distances this could explain some of the many land sightings that have been seen over theyears.
If an eel could grow up to say 20 feet with a body width of 3 feet then this could explain many of the single hump sightings.
The European catfish or wells was introduced into this country at the end of the last century inlarge houses as a source of food. The wells which derives from German to wallow lives in lakes or the deeper parts of rivers.They feed mainly from the bottom with the use of 2 long feelers on the top of their jaws and 4 small barbules underneath. Their food mainly consists of carrion but they will take fish and have been known to take water fowl.
The largest rod caught catfish is 202lb taken from the Banude and took 5 hours to land but in Russia specimens of up to 660lbs have been caught with a body length of 16 feet.
Warm windless weather is the best time to catch them usually during early morning or late evening.This is also the same conditions and times a large number of nessie sightings are made.
Many specimens are now caught in this country over the 50lb mark and one caught in Ess*x was 97lb.
It may be possible that one of the large houses around the loch or in one of the glens stocked catfish in there private lake only for one or two to escape and enter the loch and be seen today by people and reported as a sighting of the monster.
Who would know that the large hump they had just seen was a 16 foot catfish.
The sturgeon is a true prehistoric fish that has not changed for millions of years.They are known to appear around our coast and in 1833 a specimen weighing 203lb and 8 foot 6 inchlong was caught at Findhorn which is only 15 miles up the moray firth from Loch Ness. A report from the Inverness Courier in the 1930s say one was seen heading up the River Ness towards the loch.
The heaviest to be taken in British waters is 460lb from a net and they can grow up to 11 feet long and be as wide as 4 feet.
Again as with the catfish who would realise that the hump they had just seen belongs to a fish that has been around for the last few million years. We must remember that not all of the reported sightings are of the Loch Ness monster. Some of them are genuine mistakes by people who do not know the loch and its moods.
Seals are sometimes seen in the loch and people who do not know what they look or behave like will think they have seen the monster.
It is only recently that seals have been filmed in the loch and until then some people, even those who have studied the loch, thought that seals could not or would not enter the loch but in reality they do so several times a year, entering the loch from the River Ness.
Several photos and video have been taken of what people thought was the monster only to show when examined to be nothing more than a seal in the loch.
Strange waves can be seen on the loch most days and some of them look very much like lines of humps twisting across the loch surface. Logs can be seen floating on the lochs surface which can look like a large hump and the lochs birdlife can sometimes look like strange beasts which suddenly dive below the surface.
After taking all these explanations away, there are still people, both tourists and locals, who see things onthe loch that they can not explain.
People who have lived at the loch all their lives and seen nothing suddenly see something in the loch which should not be there.
The only thing we can do is to keep looking at the loch, keep listening to the people who see things that should not be there, examine the photos that are taken at the loch every year and hopefully one day the one piece of evidence that we need to prove to the world that the Loch Ness monster is a real living thing will finally appear.
If you think you have seen something strange at the loch or taken a photo at the loch that you think may be important please let us know as all the evidence needs to be examined if we are to ever solve the mystery. Your sighting and photos will be examined under the strictest confidence and only used by us with your approval. *
princ3_1 11.02.11 - 12:15pm
Map Of Lochness River
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princ3_1 11.02.11 - 12:21pm
Evidence Water Sight
Observer: D Mackenzie
Time: 1200
Date: October 1871
Motion: Slow, then moved off at speed
Description: Log like, then up-turned boat
Observer: Roderick Matheson
Time: Unknown
Date: 1885
Motion: Forward
Description: Described as the biggest thing I ever saw in my Life, neck like a horse with a mane.
Observer: Alexander Macdonald
Time: Early morning
Date: 1888
Motion:
Description: He called it salamander-like.
Observer: Salmon Angler, Forester, Hotel Keeper and Fishing Ghillies
Time: Unknown
Date: 1895
Motion:
Description: Observers reported that a horrible great beastie appeared in Loch Ness
Observer: F Fraser, 2 others
Time: Afternoon
Date: December 1903
Motion: Could not get closer by rowing towards it.
Description: Hump like upturned boat
Observer: John Macleod
Time: Unknown
Date: 1908
Motion: Motionless, then moved off
Description: Long tapering tail, eel-like head. 30-40ft, creature lying in the water, flush with surface
Observer: William Miller and D McGillvray
Time: 0730
Date: May 10th 1923
Motion: Stationary, moved off in arc, submerged.
Description: 10-12ft like up-turned boat.
Observer: Mrs and D McGillvray
Time: 0930
Date: August 1929
Motion: Motionless, sank with a splash
Description: Hump size of horse's body
Observer: Ian J. Milne
Time: 0730
Date: July 14th 1930
Motion: Splash, moved in an arc at 16-17mph, submerged
Description: 2 or 3 shallow humps undulating along back.
Observer: James Cameron
Time: 1600
Date: Feb 7th 1932
Motion: Little or none, sank
Description: Hump like up-turned boat
Observer: Mrs Kirton and P.F.Grant
Time: 1145
Date: 1933
Motion: Disturbance, moved about, great speed, disappeared and re-appeared 100yds away
Description: 6ft by 1ft hump
Observer: Mr and Mrs Mackay
Time: 1500
Date: April 14th 1933
Motion: Commotion, wake, then humps, turned in arc then sank
Description: 20ft overall, 2 humps, one larger
Observer: Alexander Shaw and Alister Shaw
Time: 1700 to 1800
Date: may 11th 1933
Motion: Wake, then hump moving faster than a rowing boat.
Description: 8ft hump like a log
Observer: Miss N Smith
Time: 1400
Date: August 5th 1933
Motion: Moved circling, submerged
Description: 1 hump, size of a rowing boat
Observer: Miss P Keyes, R.A.R. Meiklem and Mrs Meiklem
Time: 1500
Date: August 5th 1933
Motion: Moved back and forth, submerged
Description: 1 hump,(4-6ft) seen end on with ridge (size of cart horse)
Observer: Mr A. H. Palmer
Time: 0700
Date: August 11th 1933
Motion: Disturbance, wake, saw head, moved off
Description: Head set low in the water, front view, mouth opening and closing. Width of mouth 12-18 inches, opened 6inches
Observer: Mr G McQueen
Time: 1430
Date: August 1933
Motion: Moving slightly, ripples, sank
Description: 12ft by 4ft hump
Observer: Mr John Cameron
Time: 1730
Date: August 15th 1933
Motion: Moving fast, V shaped ripple.
Description: 15ft long, hump about 8inches up, like floating telegraph pole.
Observer: Mrs E Garden Scott
Time: 1100
Date: August 16th 1933
Motion: Submerged
Description: Hump like an up-turned boat
Observer: Mrs B McDonell and Mrs Sutherland
Time: 0900
Date: August 25th 1933
Motion: Moving in an undulating way, submerged
Description: Hump with disturbances 20ft behind
Observer: Mr W. D. H. Moir
Time: 2115
Date: August 26th 1933
Motion: Wash, then moving hump, submerged
Description: Long sloping hump, 40ft by 5ft
Observer: Mrs J Simpson
Time: 0900
Date: October 22nd 1933
Motion: Dived
Description: Impression of 2 flippers
Observer: Mr A Gillies
Time: 1130
Date: October 22nd 1933
Motion: Foam disturbance, submerged, re-appeared
Description: Single hump, 2 to3ft out of water
Observer: Miss C MacDonald
Time: 1245
Date: October 22nd 1933
Motion: Moving slowly, V shaped ripple
Description: Single hump, splashing either side toward front.
Observer: Mr C Macrae and Mr J Mackinnon
Time: 1400
Date: November 10th 1933
Motion: Splashing, sank and rose 2-3 times
Description: Single hump like up-turned boat, 25ft by 2ft
Observer: Miss N Simpson
Time: 0900
Date: November 20th 1933
Motion: Motionless, sank, V-shaped wash
Description: One low hump and one small hump, 30ft overall
Observer: Mr G Jamieson
Time: 1100
Date: December 27th 1933
Motion: Moved across Loch, rapidly dived when car horn sounded
Description: Two humps 15 to 20ft overall by 2ft and 3ft
Observer: Mr Howard Carson
Time: 1825
Date: January 30th 1934
Motion: Wash, moving slowly, submerged.
Description: 2 humps 2ft by 3ft, 13ft overall including head and neck
Observer: Mrs M MacLennan
Time: 1620
Date: February 25th 1934
Motion: Turned from side to side, submerged, left wash.
Description: Neck was 6ft round column, top small pointed.
Observer: Mr William Mackay
Time: 1030
Date: July 12th 1934
Motion: Slowly moving streak on the water, later object appeared, disappeared
Description: Single object
Observer: Mr William Mackay and Mr William Campbell
Time: 1630
Date: July 12th 1934
Motion: Surfaced 5 times then moved off
Description: 2 humps, 6ft apart.
Observer: Mr R. J. Scott
Time: 1240
Date: July 12th 1934
Motion: Appeared to swim on it's side, fin or mane where neck and body met.
Description: Overall 18 to 24ft long, body 2ft out with 3 humps above
Observer: Mr J. Mackintosh
Time: 1015
Date: July 16th 1934
Motion: Moved slowly.
Description: 2 humps 3ft out of water, 3ft apart, 15ft overall
Observer: Mr A Ross
Time: 0820
Date: July 17th 1934
Motion: Turned over and dived
Description: Single hump, 20ft long by 2ft
Observer: Mr D Ralph
Time: 1520
Date: July 24th 1934
Motion: Submerged, no wash.
Description: Hump 8ft by 1.5ft
Observer: Mr P Grant and Mr James Legge
Time: 1020
Date: July 27th 1934
Motion: Moving slowly (50 yds)
Description: Hump, 15ft long.
Observer: Mr R. J. Scott and Mr Evan Strang
Time: 0945
Date: July 30th 1934
Motion: Moving slowly, submerged, re-appeared, submerged.
Description: Hump 14ft, 3 portions showing, second appearance 4ft.
Observer: Sir Murdock MacDonald and son and one other observer
Time: 1800
Date: August 8th 1934
Motion: Moved slowly, about 100yds in five minutes.
Description: 2 humps, 15ft overall.
Observer: Mrs Marjory Moir, Mrs Grant Shewglie and 3 others
Time: Afternoon
Date: October 1936
Motion: Head-neck dipped into water often, stationary, turned, shot off, returned head-neck only showing, wake.
Description: 3 humps, 30ft overall, middle hump was largest.
Observer: S Grant and Mr Scott
Time: 1100
Date: January 8th 1943
Motion: Not recorded
Description: Observed a moving animal and a second object disturbing the water.
Observer: C. B. Farrel
Time: 0515
Date: May 1943
Motion: Submerged
Description: Single hump, overall size 25-30ft
Observer: Mr and Mrs Donald MacIver and daughter and 2 cyclists
Time: 1700
Date: July 1947
Motion: Moved at speed.
Description: Single object
Observer: W. H. Davidson, Mother and Sister, Mrs Cary
Time: 0930
Date: July 1954
Motion: V shaped wake, 5 to 6 mph, submerged several times.
Description: Single hump, 30ft by 3ft
Observer: Mr and Mrs Alan Graham Oxford-Cambridge party
Time: 0615
Date: July 1956
Motion: Surfaced, stationary 4 mins, moved off at a fair speed, wash, submerged.
Description: Single hump, 4ft by 1.5ft
Observer: Peter O'Connor
Time: 1000
Date: July 3rd 1960
Motion: Two separate and parallel wakes 4 to 8mph.
Description: one or two specks at head of a wake
Observer: Bruce Ing
Time: 1850
Date: July 10th 1960
Motion: Moved along, bow waved.
Description: 8 to 10ft by 1.5 to 2ft hump.
Observer: Husband and wife Smiths and crew of small yacht
Time: 1640
Date: August 7th 1960
Motion: Wash, moved 9 to 10mph, 2 pairs of splashes.
Description: Single hump 10ft by a few inches.
Observer: Rev and Mrs W. L. Dobb and son
Time: 1515
Date: August 13th 1960
Motion: Wake, appeared and disappeared.
Description: Single hump, disappeared, then 2 humps.
Observer: Mr McIntosh and Mr Cameron
Time: 2230
Date: 1961
Motion: Saw something cutting water, head-neck appeared vertically, sank, re-appeared, sank, re-appeared, submerged.
Description: Single hump.
Observer: F.W. Holiday
Time: 0600
Date: August 24th 1962
Motion: Plunged under.
Description: 40 to 45ft object 3ft out, observed to taper either end below surface.
Observer: Alastair Grant and Mr Ayton
Time: 1930
Date: August 1963
Motion: Wash from front, submerged, re-appeared momentarily
Description: At least 4 humps, 35 to 40ft overall
Observer: Peter and Pauline Hodge
Time: 0815
Date: May 21st 1964
Motion: Moved off when car door slammed
Description: Pole-like object.
Observer: Miss E. M. J. Keith of Rothienorman and James T. Ballantyne
Time: 1920
Date: March 30th 1965
Motion: Commotion, wake, sank twice, moved at speed.
Description: Observed part of body.
Observer: F. W. Holiday, William Fraser and John Cameron
Time: 2230
Date: June 1965
Motion: As moved faster, profile elongated, submerged several times.
Description: Single hump like overturned whale boat, dark ridge at top, 10ft by 5 to 6ft
Observer: Edward and Vivianne Elliott
Time: 0700
Date: September 30th 1965
Motion: Saw wash 15 mins earlier, sank slowly.
Description: Object protruding
Observer: Mr and Mrs Alistair Macdonald
Time: 1430
Date: May 28th 1966
Motion:
Description: 3 humps 25 to 30ft overall
Observer: Mr and Mrs Pommitz
Time: 1005
Date: May 29th 1966
Motion: Wake, moved in jerks
Description: Single hump
Observer: Mae Macdonald and Sylvia Paterson
Time: 1115
Date: May 31st 1966
Motion: Moving fast
Description: 3 Humps.
Observer: B M Cameron and niece
Time: 0945
Date: June 13th 1966
Motion: Moving at 17 mph
Description: Small object at head of disturbance
Observer: F S Young
Time: 0730
Date: June 14th 1966
Motion: Appeared 3 times in centre of disturbance
Description: Object in centre of disturbance
Observer: Lena Holmgren
Time: 1030
Date: June 20th 1966
Motion: Submerged when observers screamed
Description: Single object
Observer: R W Swan
Time: 1513
Date: June 29th 1966
Motion: Gentle surface swimming
Description: Single hump 15-20ft
Observer: Heather Cary and Mother
Time: 0800
Date: July 28th 1966
Motion: Disturbance
Description: Single hump
Observer: M Pool
Time: 0920
Date: September 5th 1966
Motion: Stationary, not bobbing, wake breaking against it
Description: 6-7ft by 4ft hump, like upturned boat
Observer: Angela Veitch
Time: 1800
Date: September 25th 1966
Motion: Disturbance
Description: 10ft object
Observer: David Wathen
Time: 1900
Date: March 1967
Motion: Commotion, moved around in arc, submerged slowly, appeared to fall over sideways.
Description: 2 humps approximately 15ft
Observer: Peter Davies
Time: 1720
Date: August 6th 1967
Motion: Submerged with turbulance
Description: Single object 10ft by 3 ft
Observer: Norman Schofield
Time: 0805
Date: August 7th 1967
Motion: Small object submerged, re-appeared with large hump, submerged
Description: Single hump, triangular 10ft, overall 20-30ft
Observer: Dennis Gartrell
Time: 1205
Date: August 22nd 1967
Motion: Quickly rose up and curling, hit water with commotion
Description: 8ft long, flexible
Observer: Dennis Bland
Time: 1545
Date: September 20th 1967
Motion: Small wave moving along, slowly submerged, wake
Description: Hump 9ft by 3ft
Observer: John Stroud
Time: 1502
Date: September 26th 1967
Motion: Stationary, partially submerged
Description: Long 20ft object
Observer: Miss C Sanders
Time: 1730
Date: April 18th 1968
Motion: Sank slowly, vertically
Description: 2 humps 15ft overall
Observer: Philip Bull and Howard Pratt
Time: 2200
Date: May 5th 1968
Motion: Cruising fast, wash, disappeared
Description: Single 10-12ft hump
Observer: Fred Deacon and Mrs Deacon
Time: 1120
Date: July 10th 1968
Motion: Ripple, surfaced, travelled slowly, submerged
Description: Long body
Observer: Mr and Mrs E A Grummet and son
Time: 1115
Date: September 4th 1968
Motion: Stationary, sumerged twice, final submergance when boat appeared
Description: Spherical hump 3ft by 2ft
Observer: Cmdr R K Sil and Mrs Sil
Time: 1530
Date: September 19th 1968
Motion: Broke surface cruising along, submerged 3 times, V-shaped wash
Description: 6-8ft hump
Observer: J F M MacLeod
Time: 0830
Date: November 6th 1968
Motion: Slammed door, splash, ripples moved towards centre of the Loch
Description: Neck 4ft long held at 70 degree angle
Observer: Bruce Marshall and Bill Jobes
Time: 1045
Date: April 7th 1969
Motion: Moved at great speed, disappeared, re-appeared, sank
Description: Single hump, then 2 humps, 20-24ft overall
Observer: Mr and Mrs D Clayton and Mr and Mrs Maurice Smith
Time: 1530
Date: July 26th 1969
Motion: Moved 6-7 mph, submerged, wake
Description: Single hump 6ft by 3ft
Observer: R A Moyse, two sons and a friend
Time: 2030
Date: August 1st 1969
Motion: Moved at 3 mph, submerged
Description: 3 humped object, 20-30ft by 12-14 inches
Observer: Mr and Mrs Geoffrey Craven and 2 children
Time: 0920
Date: August 6th 1969
Motion: Disturbance, surfaced, submerged
Description: 2 humped object, 25-30ft by 3-4ft
Observer: Mr Jenkyns
Time: 1145
Date: November 10th 1973
Motion: Emerged, submerged
Description: A rigid pole-like object.
Observer: Paul H. Biermasz
Time: 10-1100
Date: July 17th 1979
Motion: Speeding from s
Description: Black object
Observer: Bill Kinder
Time: 1000
Date: April 9th 1996
Motion: Rising out of water
Description: Two humps
Observer: Two people
Time: unknown
Date: April 10th 1996
Motion: Moving across Loch
Description: Two large brown shapes
Observer: Jonathan Murphy
Time: unknown
Date: May 14th 1996
Motion: unknown
Description: Strange object which was photographed
Observer: Staff at Craigdarroch House Hotel
Time: 2030
Date: June 13th 1996
Motion: Zig-zagged across water
Description: Large disturbance followed by a wake
Observer: Emilio Demnio and Nikhi Bayeri
Time: 1415
Date: July 21st 1996
Motion: Emerged, submerged
Description: Large dark hump
Observer: Nick Watson and two others
Time: 1730
Date: August 1st 1996
Motion: Water disturbance
Description: Black hump
Observer: Craig Kerr
Time: unknown
Date: August 18th 1996
Motion: Emerged
Description: Photographed head and neck
Observer: Staff at Clansman Hotel
Time: Around noon
Date: 1996
Motion: Emerged, submerged
Description: Several black humps
Observer: Frank Meyer
Time: 0845
Date: September 1996
Motion: Floating under surface
Description: Dark object
Observer: South African holidaymaker
Time: unknown
Date: March 21st 1997
Motion: Emerged
Description: Two humps
Observer: Film Crew
Time: 0900
Date: June 21st 1997
Motion: Moving fast across Loch
Description: Dark object
Observer: Tourist from England
Time: 0855
Date: May 30th 1998
Motion: Emerged
Description: Large object
Observer: Adam and Mark Sutherland, Peter Gillies and Peter Rhind
Time: 0500
Date: June 17th 1998
Motion: Emerged, submerged
Description: Large object with long tail
Land sight
Observer: A group of children near graveyard
Date: 1879
Place: North s
Description: Observed strange creature coming down hillside to loch. Colour as an elephant, small head turning side to side on long neck. 'Waddled into water.'
Observer: E.H. Bright and cousin
Date: 1880
Place:Drumnadrochit
Description: Observed 'monster' emerge from wooded area and 'waddle' into water on four legs. Left wash after entering water. Long neck, dark grey.
Observer: Gypsy woman
Date: 1890's
Place: Unknown
Description: Unknown
Observer: Five or six children including William MacGruer
Date: 1912
Place: Inchnacardoch Bay
Description: Queer looking animal moved to the Loch and vanished in the water. Compared to a camel but smaller, long neck, humped-back and fairly long legs, sandy pale yellow colour.
Observer: Mrs Peter Cameron and 2 brothers
Date: 1919
Place: Unknown
Description: Small head like a camel, long neck, humped-back and 4 limbs. Colour like a camel.
Observer: Alfred Cruickshank
Date: April1923 at night
Place: Unknown
Description: Body 10-12ft long, tail 10-12ft long. Maximum diameter of body, 5-7ft, Arched back. Khaki green colour, lighter underbelly. Four legs, thick like an elephants, with large webbed feet.
Observer: Alec Muir
Date: 1930's
Place: Inverfarigaig
Description: A 'monster' alleged to have crossed the road in front of car. Left visible trail and depressed area in moss where it must have been lying.
Observer: School children
Date: 1930's
Place: Drumnadrochit
Description: They said they had seen a most peculiar and horrifying animal in the bushy swamp in Urquhart Bay
Observer: Mrs Eleanor Price-Hughes
Date: 1933
Place: Unknown
Description: Alleged to have seen 'monster' emerge from the bushes and vanish into Loch. Carried something pink in mouth. (note: it has been said that this sighting was a hoax)
Observer: David Stewart
Date: March 1933
Place: Altsigh
Description: A grey coloured creature came out of the bushes and disappeared into the Loch, it had a long neck.
Observer: George Spicer
Date: July 22nd 1933
Place: Unknown
Description: Length 6-8ft long, thick body, long neck, greyish colour, saw near where neck joined body something flapping up and down. (They later decided it was tail bent round) Maximum diameter 4-5ft. Observed 150-200 yds away.
Observer: Mrs M. F MacLennan
Date: August 1933
Place: Unknown
Description: Observed a dark grey mass on the beach estimated 20-25ft in length, back looked ridged, had several humps on it. When asked about limbs, Mrs MacLennan replied saying it had short, thick, clumsy legs with a kind of hoof very like a pigs but much larger.
Observer: Mrs Reid
Date: December 1933
Place: Inverfarigaig
Description: Strange animal resting on slope of Loch s . Partially obscurred by bracken. Hairy mane on neck, rest of body seemed hairy. Shaped like a hippopotamus, large round head, short thick legs, dark colouration.
Observer: Mr Arthur Grant
Date: January 1934
Place: Unknown
Description: Small head and long neck, bulky body with 2 slight humps, long tail, rounded at end. Head like an eel with large eyes. Overall length 15-20ft, tail 5-6ft, neck 3-4ft long, maximum diameter 4ft. Colour was black or dark brown. Four flippers, front flippers strong.
Observer: Doreen Taylor
Date: February 1934
Place: Foyers
Description: Large creature with long neck and short body, its legs were very thick and it had webbed feet.
Observer: Patricia Harvey and Jean MacDonald
Date: February 1934 at night
Place: Inchnacardoch Bay
Description: Observed an animal crossing a stream by moonlight, moving out of sight towards the Loch. Thick body at shoulder tapering towards tail, dark colour, underside of neck white, 4 short legs. Height about 6ft, length 8-10ft. Moved with speed.
Observer: Miss Margaret Munro
Date: June 5th 1934
Place: Unknown
Description: Using binoculars observed at 200-300 yds, an animal almost clear of the water for 25mins. Giraffe like neck, small head, dark grey body, and two very short forelegs or flippers clearly seen.
Observer: Mr Torquil Macleod
Date: February 28th 1960
Place: Unknown
Description: Observed on opposite s of the Loch, grey black mass at a distance of 1700yds. Used binoculars 7x50. Estimate animal 45ft in length. Observed one pair of paddles, thought he saw a third, square end flipper forward of the other pair, described one end like elephants trunk. Finally flopped into water
Observer: Members of the Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau Ltd camera team.
Date: June 6th 1963
Place: Achnahannet
Description: A dark object was filmed at the water's edge on a small beach 2.5 miles from the Achnahannet main camera rig, slight movement seems to occur, but may be caused by wave action or halation. Size estimated by Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre, 7-17ft.
Sonar
Date: 1954
Investigators: Captain Donald MacLean & Mate Peter Anderson
Type of Equipment: Messrs. Kelvin & Hughes, Marine Echo Sounder
Type of Experiment: Peterhead drifter Rival III; ordinary depth sounding
Significant Results: Inconclusive
Date: 1960 to 1972
Investigators: Miscellaneous vessels passing through Loch Ness
Type of Equipment: Depth recorders of various manufacturers
Type of Experiment: Ordinary depth sounding
Significant Results: Inconclusive
Date: 1960 June to July
Investigators: Dr Peter F Baker & Mark Westwood
Type of Equipment: Basdic Frequency 38kHz
Type of Experiment: Preliminary survey
Significant Results: None
Date: 1961
Investigators: Birmingham University Loch Ness Expedition
Type of Equipment: No Information
Type of Experiment: Vertical echo sounding from surface
Significant Results: None
Date: 1962 July to August
Investigators: Oxford and Cambridge Loch Ness Expedition, Dr Peter F Baker and team
Type of Equipment: Three Basdic Units (Simrad of Oslo, Norway) Frequency 28kHz
Type of Experiment: A. Single moving craft traverse B. S -based sonar gate C. Moving sonar curtain
Significant Results: Inconclusive (possibly none)
Date: 1968 April
Investigators: Birmingham University, Prof D Gordon Tucker, Dr Hugh Braithwaite, Dr D J Creasy and team
Type of Equipment: Digital Sonar developed by Birmingham University. Frequency 50kHz
Type of Experiment: Fixed sonar screen, s -based
Significant Results: Positive
Date: 1968 August
Investigators: Same Birmingham Team
Type of Equipment: Digital Sonar developed by Birmingham University. Frequency 50kHz
Type of Experiment: Fixed sonar screen, s -based
Significant Results: Positive
Date: 1969
Investigators: Same Birmingham Team, except cooperation with Plessey Ltd. team
Type of Equipment: Digital Sonar developed by Birmingham University. Frequency 50kHz
Type of Experiment: Fixed sonar, s -based
Significant Results: None
Date:1969 June to August
Investigators: Vickers, Ltd., R W Eastaugh and team
Type of Equipment: Western Marine Electronics SS100; Frequency 155kHz
Type of Experiment: Mobile mode, sonar aboard Pisces submarine
Significant Results: Positive
Date: 1969 May
Investigators: LNIB Ltd., Major Eustace Maxwell, David James, Lord Richard Percy, Dr Ian Lyster
Type of Equipment: Marconi Depth Sounder Raytheon Model 729 Fathometer; Seascribe Depth Finder
Type of Experiment: Drifter Penorva mobile mode from surface craft
Significant Results: None
Date: 1969 September
Investigators: Independant Television (ITN) sponsorship. Plessey Ltd. (in cooperation with Birmingham Tucker Team)
Type of Equipment: Plessey Model 195; Frequency 10kHz
Type of Experiment: Stationary vessel in middle of Loch; 5 kilowatts of audible sonic energy projected
Significant Results: None
Date: 1969 September to October
Investigators: World Book Encyclopaedia Griffis Foundation, LNIB Ltd., Robert Love & team, Captain Don Boddington
Type of Equipment: Honeywell Scanar II; Frequency 100kHz
Type of Experiment: Mobile search mode made from surface vessel Rangitea
Significant Results: Positive
Date: 1970 September
Investigators: Birmingham University Prof D Gordon Tucker, Dr Hugh Braithwaite, Dr D J Creasy and team
Type of Equipment: Digital Sonar developed by Birmingham University; Frequency 50kHz
Type of Experiment: Fixed sonar screen, s -based
Significant Results: Positive results not published
Date: 1970 August to November
Investigators: World Book Encyclopaedia, Carl Byoir and Associates, LNIB Ltd., Robert Love and team, Captain James Skinner
Type of Equipment: Honeywell II; Frequency 100kHz
Type of Experiment: Mobile search mode made from surface vessel Rangitea
Significant Results: Positive
Date: 1970 September
Investigators: Academy of Applied Science, Robert Rines, Martin Klein and team
Type of Equipment: Klein Associates Model MK - 300 Side Scan; Frequency 50kHz
Type of Experiment:A. Fixed mode from s -base B. Towed mode from surface craft
Significant Results: Both Positive
Date: 1972 August
Investigators: Academy of Applied Science, Robert Rines and Team
Type of Equipment: Raytheon Depth Finder Model DE - 725C; Frequency 200kHz
Type of Experiment: Fixed surface operation
Significant Results: Positive
*
