Sweden's Loch Ness monster possibly caught on camera

Sweden's own version of the Loch Ness monster, the Storsjoe or Great Lake monster, has been caught on film by surveillance videos, an association that installed the cameras said Friday.

The legend of the Swedish beast has swirled for nearly four centuries, with some 200 sightings reported in the lake in central Sweden.

"On Thursday at 12:21 pm, we filmed the movements of a live being. And it was not a pike, nor a perch, we're sure of that," Gunnar Nilsson, the head of a shopkeepers' association in Svenstavik, told AFP.

The association, together with the Jaemtland province and local municipality of Berg, installed six surveillance cameras in the lake in June, including two underwater devices.

The project, which has so far cost some 400,000 kronor (43,000 euros, 62,500 dollars), is aimed at resolving the mystery of the Swedish Nessie.

The first sighting dates back to 1635 and the most recent to July 2007, with most speaking of a long, serpent-like beast with humps, a small cat or dog-like head, and ears or fins pressed against the neck.

The association employs one person full-time to review the recorded video footage each day.

In the images filmed Thursday and posted on a website dedicated to the Storsjoe monster (www.storsjoodjuret.nu), a long serpent-like being is seen swimming in the murky waters.

"A highly-advanced system on one of the cameras detected heat produced by the cells," indicating that it was a live being, Nilsson said.

He readily admitted however that the project was also "aimed at improving business around the lake."

http://www.storsjoodjuret.nu/

Here is a video report. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHiIPD4Qz4w

Translation: Transcript of video

TITLE: Sweden’s Legendary Great Lake Sea Monster (Storsjödjuret) Caught on Film

ANNOUNCER: ..on Storsjöodjuret, and now six constantly monitoring cameras have captured a blurry image. And now an American TV-company is on its way to present it.

VIDEO VOICE OVER: This is said to be the first moving images of Storsjöodjuret, taken by an underwater camera. The red [rectangle] is supposed to mark heat. At least the group around Storsjöodjuret want to believe that the swedish Loch Ness is captured on film. And a special monitoring station have been built in Svenstavik.

SUSANNE KINDSTRÖM (project Storsjöodjuret): It is clear that it contains heat and cells, otherwise [the equipment] would not indicate “red”. So.. eh, [is it] a sea snake or is a part of Storsjöodjuret, one could ask. As we’ve just discovered.

INTERVIEWER: It can’t be a piece of wood, or something else..?

SUSANNE KINDSTRÖM: That’s NO piece of wood, that I can see! Not by the pattern of movement.

VIDEO VOICE OVER: And this is supposed to be the back fin of the beast, and here the camera should indicate heat also. [Shown on video is a BLUE rectangle] Since the project Storsjöodjuret started this spring [2008], the interest has been huge - most of all from abroad. The american TV-company NBC is said to be making a story about the beast this fall. And next summer, they are going to [increase the amount of monitoring cameras] from 6 to 30. It is on this rock [pictured] the cameras are placed today.

INTERVIEWER: But.. do you [really] think you will ever get Storsjöodjuret on film?

KURT JONSSON (project Storsjöodjuret): I believe so. And I am also convinced that the technology will also be able to.. in 15 or 20 years, you will be able to search any lake. From space, or with probes. Technology goes forward..

INTERVIEWER: It won’t end with it being a piece of wood?

KURT JONSSON: No, I don’t think so. Something will turn up, yes.

Translator’s notes: I have rephrased some of what was said to make the meanings more clear. As always with interviews, half-finished sentences abound.. Storsjön is a location, translating into “The big lake”, odjur is approximately “beast”. Thus, it is the beast of the big lake. The broadcast itself is taken from an SVT (Swedish Television) news show that is fairly reputable.

Translation from Cryptomundo: http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/blobbogey-vide/

To us Swedes, these news are devastating.

Until now, our nation has believed itself to be the naval subjugator of super powers. The main reasons for this attitude are;

1. The 1790 battle of Svensksund - one of the major military events that hindered Russia from reaching the Seven Seas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Svensksund_(1790)

2. Possessing what “could the most dangerous sub in the world” according to the US Navy.

In fact, there probably isn’t any place situated along the coastline of USA where it could NOT come and go as it pleased.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khaa3y0i87s

But now, we all of a sudden have to face up with being unable of tracking down and killing off a giant, delusive fresh water anemic amoeba.

Concerning my correction:

That link doesn’t seem to work either, I’m afraid.

While being well aware a lot of people across the world don’t bother too much about late 18th century strife between Russia and Sweden, I’d still like to provide anyone into Northern European history with a proper link to this certain Wikipedia article in English which, by all means, does exist.

This will probably work:

Go to the Swedish wikipedia article

http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaget_vid_Svensksund_(1790)

THEN CHOOSE THE OPTION “ENGLISH” (UNDER “ANDRA SPRÅK”) AT THE BOTTOM OF THE COLUMN TO THE LEFT OF THE ARTICLE.

The battle from a patriotic Russian stance:

http://www.neva.ru/EXPO96/book/chap5-4.html

Quote from the above mentioned Wikipedia article concerning the 1790 battle of Svensksund between Russia and Sweden which seems difficult to link to from this site:

ORIGINS

Circumstances in the 1780s, including the war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, and the moving of a portion of the Russian Baltic Fleet to the Black Sea, prompted the Swedish King, Gustavus III to attack the Russian Empire in 1788. It was also started to distract domestic attention up for domestic political problems and for the king to be able to fulfil his role as the king and hero.

His main aim was to recapture some of the territory in Finland which had been lost to the Russians in the 1740s. In 1788, he began a maritime campaign in the Gulf of Finland, intended to exploit the relative weakness of the Russians. From here, he planned to attack Kronstadt and St Petersburg. However, the Swedish army was crippled by political factions, and, as a result, Gustavus was forced to rely heavily on his navy including his new inshore defence fleet based at the sea fortress of Sveaborg.

The war was supposed to be won by a surprise assault on St Petersburg, conducted by the Swedish Royal Navy and the Army’s navy; (Skärgårdsflottan). The latter was a superb brown-water force, designed for coastal amphibious warfare in the Baltics and the elite of the Swedish armed force in the late 18th century. However, after the Battle of Hogland (1788) (a tactical tie but a strategic failure for the Swedes) the Russians gained the initiative and the tensions in Sweden rose. The First Battle of Svensksund on August 24, 1789 had ended in a massive Swedish defeat.

BATTLE

In 1790 an attempt to assault Vyborg failed, and the Swedish navy, caught in a trap on July 3 in the Bay of Vyborg during the Battle of Vyborg Bay, was able to escape, but with heavy losses. After retreating to Svensksund, King Gustav III together with his Flag Captain Lieutenant-Colonel Carl Olof Cronstedt waited and prepared the fleet for the expected Russian attack. On 6 July, the final decisions were made for the defences, and early in the morning on 9 July 1790 the ordre de bataille was given and the battle started.

The battle started very well for the Swedes; although Russia had superiority in men and guns, the Swedish forces were anchored in a strong L-shaped formation. On the first day, the Russians attacked to the south, but were scattered by wind and sea. They took a battering from the Swedish coastal forces, including shore batteries, anchored galleys and gunboats.

The Swedes then advanced their gunboats down the left flank, forcing the Russian gunboats to flee. This in turn led to the Russian galleys being overcome by waves and sea, and either sunk or run aground. Several sailing ships, anchored in position, were boarded and either captured or burnt.

At dawn the next morning, the Swedes consolidated their position with an attack and succeeded in driving the Russian fleet off.

The Russians lost 7,500-9,500 of 14,000 men dead, wounded and captured, 64 vessels sunk, burnt or taken and one third of their fleet captured, compared with Swedish losses of 4-6 ships and 300 men. Along with 21 other ships the Swedes captured the flagship of Prince Nassau, the Catarina.

The second battle of Svensksund is the biggest naval battle ever fought in the Baltic sea: 500 ships (including supply ships and other ships not involved in combat), close to 30,000 men and several thousand cannons. In Svensksund, the Swedes boasted to have destroyed 40 percent of the Russian coastal fleet. It is even considered one of the largest naval battles in history in terms of the number of vessels involved. Only the Battle of Leyte Gulf has involved a larger number of vessels (if you disregard sources from the Classical Era, e g regarding the Battle of Salamis and Battle of Ecnomus).

From about.com:

http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles16001800/p/svenskund.htm

From youtube.com:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58vquZ5Jvoo

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