Blog

Cookson County:
SEE MONSTER?
04 September 2006

IT'S a thought to keep you awake at night that we live on the edge of what's been described as one of Earth's last unexplored frontiers.

What's actually down there in the sea? What comes up and has a look around when we're all in our beds?

You might wonder after some lines I've had from a reader. He prefers to remain modest, as when you put old seafarers together with tales of sea monsters it's usually with a nod and a wink.

But don't be hasty: he wasn't the only witness to the strange creature that he spotted in the waters off the east coast more than 50 years ago.

At the time he was sailing in France, Fenwick's Sherwood. It was in about November and he and the mate had just gone on watch at 4pm.
Murky

The ship was off Tees Bay, heading south after loading at the west staiths at Blyth.

Our reader remembers: "It was a murky afternoon. The mate was scanning the horizon with the glasses when he did a double-take.

"He called me over from the wheel and said 'have a look and tell me what you think of that'.

"I said 'that's the nearest thing to a sea monster I've ever seen'."
Our correspondent enclosed a rough drawing of a creature with three humps and a long neck.

"I can't remember if it had a tail," he says. "It was moving into Tees Bay. We didn't mention it to anyone else for obvious reasons: nobody would have believed us and we would never have lived it down.

"We tried to equate it to a small boat, a trick of the light, the sea, shadows etc. But no, we were convinced that we had seen some sort of marine beastie – and I'm still convinced.

"I wonder if anyone has seen anything like it before?"

Well, have you?

http://www.southtynesidetoday.co..uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=4902&ArticleID=1741805