Loch Ness underwater investigation uncovers the remains of a monster
Or is it...?
Led by Kongsberg Maritime and supported by The Loch Ness Project and VisitScotland, the mission using a state-of-the-art marine robot, has revealed new information about the elusive 230m deep Loch, uncovering areas underwater that have never been reached before.
In the findings, 180m down on the Loch bed, Operation Groundtruth has uncovered a recognisable creature.
However, although it is the shape of Nessie – it is not the remains of the monster that has mystified the world for 80 years – more one that has inhabited the loch for over half that time – and is a star of the silver screen.
The finding is that of a 30-foot Loch Ness Monster model from the 1970 film, 'The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes', directed by Billy Wilder and starring Robert Stephens and Christopher Lee.
It is thought the model sank after its humps were removed (the buoyancy was in the humps) never to be seen again - until now.
The monster was actually a submarine in the original movie. Other findings have revealed that claims around a ‘Nessie trench’ in the northern basin of the Loch made in January 2016 are incorrect, as the new, more precise underwater evidence shows that there is in fact no anomaly or abyss in the location specified.
A 27-foot long shipwreck has also been uncovered at the bottom of the Loch under this new investigation and the team is looking for more information on the origins of this boat.
The survey – the first of its kind in Scotland – has being carried out over two weeks by Kongsberg, with an analysis of findings and discoveries every day. Loch Ness has been notoriously difficult to survey in the past due to its depth and steeply sloping side ‘walls’ consisting of hard clay and rocky outcrops.
Kongsberg used its 'Munin' marine robot for the work, a highly accurate underwater vehicle whose operations in the past have included searches for downed aircraft, sunken vessels and marine forensic investigations. Operating autonomously, the 4m-long device carries state-of-the-art sonars that efficiently map vast areas to depths of 1500m.
Discoveries already made within its waters include: a crashed Wellington bomber from the Second World War, a 100-year-old Zulu class sailing fishing vessel and parts of John Cobb’s speed record attempt craft Crusader which crashed at over 200mph in 1952.
It is estimated that the Loch Ness Monster or ‘Nessie’ phenomenon is worth more than £60 million to the Scottish economy. Hundreds of thousands of visitors travel to Loch Ness and Drumnadrochit every year to catch a glimpse of the monster.