Nessletter - No 048 - 1981

Magazine Overview

This issue of the NESS INFORMATION SERVICE, titled 'New Atlantis' and dated October 1981, is Nessletter No 48. It is published from Huntshieldford, St. Johns Chapel, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham, DL13 1RQ, with a telephone number Wearhead 359. The subscription cost is UK £2.00 and North America $8.00, with other areas on application. The editor is Rip Hepple.

'New Atlantis' - Loch Ness Investigations

The issue leads with a report on a BBC mid-day programme, 'Pebble Mill at One', which featured an interview with Jim Hogan aboard his boat, 'New Atlantis', on Loch Ness. Hogan was demonstrating his new sonar equipment. He reported finding the loch bottom surprisingly flat, with large, mile-long areas at depths exceeding 700 feet, contrary to expectations of a rough, craggy bottom. This finding aligns with one theory that the loch is a deep cleft filled with silt, smoothing out original features. The Academy of Applied Science has also produced photographs of the loch bottom showing smooth areas. Hogan noted that while the 'Pisces' submarine crew claimed a depth of nearly 1000 feet in 1969, his sonar found no area deeper than 770 feet. His new sonar, similar to the Loch Ness & Morar Project's, features a color readout and has provided good bottom readouts, though no definite 'animal' contact has been made. He showed examples of vertical sides of the loch dropping to about 700 feet, and mentioned places where the shoreline is so steep the 'Queen Elizabeth II' could tie up.

Hogan's older sonar equipment, Skipper 603, had previously produced 'monster' contacts. One notable contact occurred off Urquhart Castle, where a large dot appeared, indicating something approaching, then became a line as it passed below, and reappeared as a dot as it moved away. Hogan suggested it might be a log, but pointed out it was 100 feet below the boat, with 500 feet of water beneath it and the bottom, and was moving across the boat's path, not inert.

The report then introduces Mike Carrie, who has been using a new underwater camera in Loch Ness, developed for the North Sea oil industry. This camera is a complex of electronic circuits in a waterproof casing designed for high pressures. It is a low light silicon intensified camera that amplifies available light by 2500 times, providing results that look like full daylight even in near-total darkness. It has a low 20-watt light source, unlike ordinary television cameras requiring 500-1000 watts. This low light source minimizes 'backscatter' from the peat-laden water and is less likely to deter animals. Carrie was keen to test the camera at greater depths than possible in the North Sea.

Carrie's first task was to examine the remains of a crashed Wellington bomber in the loch. Using sonar, they located the aircraft at a depth of 220 feet. The aircraft appeared sound and intact, with a clearly visible wing outline and a gleaming, uncorroded engine cowling. Mike suggested the lack of corrosion might be due to the depth and lack of light, while the author speculates it could be due to low oxygen or other oxidizers at depth.

Later, while examining a flat 'plain' area at 760 feet, Mike observed a large cloud of disturbed silt. He switched on the video recorder and saw a small, white, sausage-shaped 'creature' moving at an angle across the camera's field of vision. It appeared to have no visible features like a head, limbs, or tail, and moved smoothly close to the bottom. Mike estimated it to be about two inches long. He managed to capture more of these creatures on video tape. This tape was examined at the British Museum, causing excitement, and scientists stated they were not fish and would be pleased to receive a specimen.

Paddy Vickers recalled that the crew of the 'Pisces' submersible had also reported seeing white flat-fish on the loch floor in 1969, described as similar to skate and sole, and about six inches long. The author suggests there is much more to be discovered in the depths of Loch Ness and other waters.

Mike Carrie expressed fascination with his work, finding it captivating to watch the screen for hours, always with the feeling that something might appear at any moment.

Dick Raynor recounted an experience of drifting overnight in the 'New Atlantis' with Jim Hogan. They used a heavy spanner to keep the camera pointing in one direction, dragging along the bottom. After seeing nothing but smooth silt, they later came across a furrow made by the spanner, noting the strangeness of finding this straight line in a freely drifting boat.

Lake Champlain Phenomena Investigation

Joe Zarzynski of the Lake Champlain Phenomena Investigation (LCPI) has provided news and press cuttings regarding his work. The LCPI conducted sonar, photography, and scuba diving expeditions on Lake Champlain during the summer of 1981, using side scan sonar and a Raytheon unit. Joe made 15 dives and participated in shore and boat watching.

Joe also attended a scientific seminar titled 'Does Champ Exist' on August 29th, 1981, at Shelburne Farms, Vermont. Over 200 people attended, and the panel included scientists and eyewitnesses. Joe Zazynski, a founder of LCPI, presented the history of the Lake Champlain monster, dating back to Samuel Champlain's report in 1609. There have been approximately 150 reported sightings, with twelve investigated by Joe in the past year. The startling 1977 sighting by Sandra Mansi of New Haven, Conn., involved seeing a disturbance in the water followed by a head on a long neck. Her photograph, examined by scientists at the University of Arizona, was deemed not faked but unidentifiable.

Scientists at the seminar, including Dr. Roy Mackal (University of Chicago) and Richard Greenwell (University of Arizona), suggested that if monsters exist, they might be primitive whales, zeuglodons, or plesiosaurs. Dr. George Zug (Smithsonian Institution) stated that the evidence for their existence is overwhelming. Mounting evidence from cold lakes in the Northern Hemisphere was also mentioned.

The seminar was deemed a success, aiming to lay groundwork for a Vermont legislature resolution to protect 'Champ'. A reward of $500 has been offered for the creature, dead or alive. Joe expressed concern about irrational individuals claiming the reward. Lake Champlain spans New York, Vermont, and Quebec, and the Vermont resolution is seen as a start. The animals have been given the Latin name 'Belua Aquatica Champlainiensis'.

Dinosaurs

In mid-October, Dr. Roy Mackal departed for the Likoula Region of Central West Africa to continue his search for 'Mokele-Mbembe', an animal identified by natives as a Brontosaurus. His search is guided by old accounts and focuses on the River Congo basin. Last year, he discovered that natives identified pictures of a Brontosaurus as 'Mokele-Mbembe' and spoke of areas in the swamps where these animals lived, but he did not have time to investigate then. This year, he hopes to reach these areas.

Herman Regusters, a former space scientist, and his wife have also gone to the same area in mid-September for their own expedition, hoping to land a floatplane on an unmapped lake in the swamps. They plan to travel by dugout canoe.

Dr. Mackal stated that his work is 'straight zoology' and not related to the 'goblin world'. He noted that the Likoula region has remained relatively unchanged since the Cretaceous period, making it suitable for a 'relict species'. He finds it remarkable that eyewitnesses consistently single out reconstructions of sauropods as 'Mokele-Mbembe', raising the possibility of their survival.

Tail Ends

Alex Campbell, the Fort Augustus correspondent for local newspapers, retired after 62 years, having covered the Loch Ness Monster story since 1933, when he sent in the first newspaper report. He has appeared in documentaries and films on the subject.

On August 21st, 1981, Stella Taylor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, swam the 24-mile length of Loch Ness in 19 hours, becoming the oldest woman to do so at 51 years old and setting a new record.

A seaplane, part of a leisure experiment by a Sussex firm aiming to fly anglers to Highland lochs, attempted to land in Dores bay on September 13th, 1981, but found the going too rough. Capt. K. E. Sissens hopes his amphibious Lake Buccaneer aircraft can taxi onto dry land, but rocky shores have been a problem.

Dave Calvert and Roger Acraman were in the Fort Augustus area for two weeks in August, planning short trips to Lochs Sheil and Morar, equipped with Pentax cameras and telephoto lenses.

Carol Showell visited the loch at the beginning of September but could not stay long.

Alice Bjornstad from Indiana, USA, spent three weeks in September, staying at the Foyers Hotel. She took a photograph of 'something' in the loch, which she later considered might have been an unusual wave, but would share the film if it yielded anything of interest.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue consistently focuses on unexplained phenomena, particularly aquatic mysteries like the Loch Ness Monster and the Lake Champlain 'Champ'. It highlights scientific investigations using sonar and underwater cameras, alongside eyewitness accounts. The magazine promotes a serious, evidence-based approach to these phenomena, as exemplified by Dr. Roy Mackal's scientific perspective on 'Mokele-Mbembe'. There is a clear interest in documenting new findings, historical accounts, and ongoing research efforts, while also acknowledging the challenges and limitations of such investigations. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, presenting information and allowing readers to draw their own conclusions, while also advocating for the protection of potential undiscovered species.