During a routine test, the U.K.’s National Oceanography Centre’s autonomous underwater vehicle, Boaty McBoatface, stumbled upon a submerged camera system that had been deployed to capture evidence of the Loch Ness Monster. The camera, believed to have been submerged 55 years ago by the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau, was found at a depth of approximately 590 feet.
The camera trap, triggered by strong underwater currents, was part of the bureau’s initial efforts to use underwater photography in the search for Nessie. Despite revealing around 24 film exposures, the photographs did not show any evidence of the mythical creature. Renowned Nessie investigator Adrian Shine confirmed the identity of the camera system upon its retrieval.
Shine praised the ingenuity of the camera trap, which was activated by a bait line connected to a float above the camera. He noted that while the pictures mainly depicted Loch Ness’ dark, murky waters, the camera’s activation might have been due to the loch’s powerful underwater currents.
The recovered camera, an Instamatic film camera, was one of six deployed in the project led by American biologist Roy Mackal. Unfortunately, the camera pulled up by Boaty McBoatface was one of three lost during a stormy gale.
The National Oceanography Centre, which frequently utilizes Loch Ness for testing its underwater technology, expressed excitement at the unexpected historical find. Sam Smith from the Marine Autonomous Robotics Systems group at the center hopes that this discovery can shed light on the mysterious origins of the camera system.
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