Accessibility links

Breaking News

Nessie Found! Sort Of


This image shows outlines of the movie prop that famously sank during filming of a 1970s Sherlock Holmes thriller. (Courtesy Kongsberg Maritime)
This image shows outlines of the movie prop that famously sank during filming of a 1970s Sherlock Holmes thriller. (Courtesy Kongsberg Maritime)

It won't end the search for the world's most famous sea monster, but maritime researchers say they have found the Loch Ness Monster.

Well... maybe not THE fabled Loch Ness Monster, but a famous moviemaker's vision of the mythical beast.

The discovery was made as part of a survey of the lake done by Norwegian company Kongsberg Maritime and two local groups, The Loch Ness Project and VisitScotland.

The surveyors deployed an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) called MUNIN, which pinged on a very Nessie-looking feature lying on the seafloor of Scotland's second deepest body of water.

The image clearly showed the body and head of something that looked very much like our notion of 'Nessie,' based on the grainy photos and lousy video that purport to show her in the water.

Long-lost Monster

In fact, it was Nessie! Just not the real Nessie. This was a long-lost film mock-up of the monster that sank in the 1970s, while director Billy Wilder was on the lake filming "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes."

The underwater robot wasn't necessarily searching for Nessie, but finding her was an added bonus for Kongsberg.

They plan to keep putting MUNIN through its paces at the loch, which is notoriously deep, and difficult to survey.

So, stay tuned, maybe Nessie is still out there.

  • 16x9 Image

    Kevin Enochs

    Kevin Enochs is an award-winning content creator who has been explaining the intricacies of the natural world to television and online audiences for over 20 years.

    He perfected his craft working for CNN and the National Geographic Channel before heading to the Voice of America in 2012.

XS
SM
MD
LG