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PMarione
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 883
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 Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 12:29 am Post subject: Daedalus' sea serpent |
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On 6 August 1848 HMS Daedalus was sailing on her way to Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, when the officer of the watch sighted something in the sea.
He called Captain McQuhae and several crew members to come on deck to see a mysterious sea creature that was about sixty feet long and about fifteen inches in diameter, with its head raised four feet above the water, swimming by their vessel.
It was so close to the ship that the McQuhae said if it had been a friend of his, he would have acknowledged him. He noted that the creature moved very quickly, with neither horizontal nor vertical undulating movements.
It remained in sight for about twenty minutes and resembled a serpent.
The Daedalus arrived in Plymouth on 4 October 1848 and the story was in the Times of 10 October.
The Naval Admiralty and Members of Parliament were outraged at the item in the paper because they thought it was an insult. Soon, other papers printed stories about the sea monster. Captain McQuhae was asked about how the absurd story was printed.
Sir Richard Owen, the famous biologist, proclaimed the beast to be an elephant seal. Other explanations for the sighting proposed that it was actually an upside-down canoe, or a posing giant squid. |
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Redfish
Joined: 03 Dec 2007
Posts: 59
Location: Arnhem
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| Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 10:27 am Post subject: |
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In 1831 a Captain (not naval) also thought he saw a monster. It later proved to be the temporal island known as Ferdinandea or Graham Island. It's most recent appearance as an island was in July 1831. The first sign of an eruption was a period of high seismic activity spanning from June 28 to July 10 reported by the nearby town of Sciacca. On July 4 an odor of sulfur spread through the town reportedly in such quantities that it blackened silver. On July 13, a column of smoke was clearly seen from St. Domenico. The residents believed it to be a ferry on fire. On the same day, the brig Gustavo passed through the area, confirming a bubbling in the sea that the captain thought was a sea monster. Another ship reported dead fish floating in the water. By July 17, a fully grown islet had formed.
This temporary island caused an international dispute as UK, Italy, France and Spain all claimed it. Follow the link for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinandea
Danni |
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