Long Lost "Loch Ness Monster" Found in Loch Ness

Has the Loch Ness Monster been found? The answer: Yes. And no.

Confused yet? Read on...

In 1969, the movie The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes was filmed. The Loch Ness Monster was part of the movie, so a 30-ft model was used in Loch Ness. During filming, the model sank, and no one could find it - until now, that is.

An underwater robot detected the model with sonar, which was built to resemble the Loch Ness Monster - with a long neck and two humps on its back.
Sonar image of the "Loch Ness Monster"

BBC News reports:

"A 30ft (9m) model of the Loch Ness Monster built in 1969 for a Sherlock Holmes movie has been found almost 50 years after it sank in the loch.
"The beast was created for the Billy Wilder-directed The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, starring Sir Robert Stephens and Sir Christopher Lee.
"It has been seen for the first time in images captured by an underwater robot.
"Loch Ness expert Adrian Shine said the shape, measurements and location pointed to the object being the prop.
 "The robot, operated by Norwegian company Kongsberg Maritime, is being used to investigate what lies in the depths of Loch Ness.
"VisitScotland and Mr Shine's The Loch Ness Project, which gathers scientific information on the loch's ecology and the potential for a monster, is supporting the survey.
"Mr Shine told the BBC News Scotland website: 'We have found a monster, but not the one many people might have expected.
"'The model was built with a neck and two humps and taken alongside a pier for filming of portions of the film in 1969.
"'The director did not want the humps and asked that they be removed, despite warnings I suspect from the rest of the production that this would affect its buoyancy.
"'And the inevitable happened. The model sank.'"

See the rest here.

The real Loch Ness Monster has not been found, but this is pretty cool nonetheless.

(BBC News)

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