Prehistoric Times

Commonly speculated to be a long-surviving plesiosaur, the history of the Loch Ness Monster presumably dates from some time between the start of the Jurassic Period (approximately 200 million years ago) to the end of the Cretaceous Period (approximately 65 million years ago). Loch Ness itself is only 10,000 years old, dating from the end of the last Ice Age, so where the monster lived before remains unknown.

565 A.D.

The first recorded sighting of the Loch Ness Monster was in 565 A.D. According to legend, St Columba was walking by Loch Ness when he came upon some men burying one of their friends. On hearing that the dead man had been attacked by a beast while swimming in the River Ness, St Columba sent one of his followers into the water to lure the beast forth. When the creature appeared, the Saint made the sign of the cross and ordered it to retreat. To this day, according to the history of the Loch Ness Monster, no one has been harmed by anything living in the loch.

1933

Local Loch Ness Monster history was commonplace through the centuries but remained just that. Modern interest in the Loch Ness Monster began in 1933 when a sighting of the monster was reported in the Inverness Courier and the first photograph of the creature, taken by Mr Hugh Gray, appeared that same year. Although there was a certain degree of scepticism regarding the authenticity of his picture, no evidence was found that it had been tampered with in any way. The picture has since proved to be a key point in Loch Ness Monster history.

1934

The most famous photograph in the history of the Loch Ness Monster was taken in later 1934 and depicts a distinct head and neck of the beast. Later pictures have shown only humps or general disturbances in the water. The photograph, taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson, refused to have his name associated with the picture. It became known as the ‘Surgeon’s Photograph’ due to Wilson’s occupation in London, and for sixty years reigned supreme as the definitive picture of the Loch Ness Monster. In 1994, a death bed confession by an associate of Wilson, Christian Spurling aged 93, revealed that the image had been a hoax. It remains unknown how many hoaxes there may have been in Loch Ness Monster History.

1954

Sonar contact has been another important milestone in the history of the Loch Ness Monster. In December 1954, the finishing boat, ‘Rival III’, made sonar contact with a large object in the water. The object kept up with the speed of the boat at a depth of 480 feet for a distance of approximately half a mile while disappearing and reappearing on the sonar radar. This was the first time such contact had been made with an unknown object in Loch Ness. Although, there was no conclusive evidence as to exactly what had been found.

1968

Later sonar contacts also provided inconclusive. However, in 1968, two investigations led by Professor Gordon Tucker of Birmingham University made positive contacts using shore-based, fixed sonar equipment.

1972

President of the American Academy of Applied Science (AAAS) and major figure in Loch Ness Monster history, Dr Robert Rines, conducted further sonar trails in Loch Ness in Summer of 1972. On 8 August, a crew comprising of the AAAS and the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau was out on the loch in Urquhart Bay. Their Raytheon sonar tracked an object as it passed 20 feet from the underwater camera which was at a depth of 45 feet and set to flash every 15 seconds. The picture taken in somewhat indistinct due to poor visibility through the dark, peaty water. However, the shows a hind quarter, a flipper and part of a large animal’s tail which had greenish-brown skin. The sonar chart was subsequently examined by independent experts who agreed there were large animals in Loch Ness that could reach 20-30 feet long with “several segments, body sections or projections such as humps”. This was indeed a detailed description in the history of Loch Ness Monster searches.

1987

More than 10 years later, another scientific survey of Loch Ness took place in 1987. This was named ‘Operation Deepscan’ which was led by Adrian Shine, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a leader of the Loch Ness Project and another key figure in Loch Ness Monster history. Shine planned a sonar sweep of every inch of the loch which had an estimated cost of approximately £1 million. The plan comprised of 24 boats which scanned the area which returned with promising results. ‘Operation Deepscan’ was deemed successful as the team tracked an unknown object in the loch for 140 seconds, however this target could not be located again and was assumed to have moved away from its original position, suggesting the object was alive. Two other objects were also located, both found to be larger than sharks but smaller than whales.

At the end of the operation, only 60% of the loch had been swept. While the media and onlookers may have felt cheated that a whole monster was not pulled from the loch, there has been no satisfactory explanation of what it was that the three sonar units located. All that is known is that whatever it was, was too large to have been anything known to be living in the loch.

1992

Further evidence of a creature living in Loch Ness came in 1992 with the findings of ‘Project Urquhart’, led by former BBC news reporter and Loch Ness enthusiast, Nicholas Witchell. Sonar scans picked up a considerable number of fish shoals. But on the evening of 28 July 1992, the sonar locked onto a particular target for approximately two minutes. The operator described it as a much stronger echo than the one received from the fish that appeared earlier in their search. Once again, in the history of Loch Ness Monster hunting, there was unfortunately no absolute proof of a monster lurking from within the loch.

Now

The definitive, long sought-after, scientific proof the St Columba did not really banish the Loch Ness Monster from Loch Ness has not been found. Loch Ness Monster history continues, and believers from around the globe continue to watch the murky waters of the loch in the hope that one day, firm and indisputable evidence will be found.