The following account was forwarded to me by a reader. A young man and others were swimming in Pensacola Bay, Florida, and supposedly encountered a 'sea serpent.'
"In May 1965, readers of Fate magazine were treated to a remarkable tale penned by then-19-year-old Edward Brian McCleary. Titled “My Escape from a Sea Monster,” the story has achieved near-legendary status in cryptozoological circles and inspired a bizarre Internet parody forty years after the fact.
The facts of the case—if points they are—may be summarized. On Saturday, 24 March 1962, McCleary and four young companions left their homes in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, for a diving expedition offshore from Pensacola. Their target was the USS Massachusetts, a decommissioned battleship deliberately sunk by naval gunfire in January 1921, still famous today with scuba divers who enjoy exploring wrecks. Joining McCleary on that fateful day were 17-year-old Warren Salley Jr., 16-year-old Eric Ruyle, 15-year-old Larry Bill, and 14-year-old Bradford Rice.
Aboard a rubber raft, the five companions paddled toward Massachusetts, but they ran afoul of unexpected currents, gale-force winds, and fog that left them stranded on a buoy anchored to the sunken hulk. At nightfall, according to McCleary, a long-necked and foul-smelling sea monster approached the buoy, prompting all five boys to swim in panic through the fog. McCleary saw the beast grab Eric Ruyle and drag him underwater, followed shortly by Salley shouting, “It’s got, Brad!” A scream signaled Salley’s fate moments later, while McCleary lost sight of Larry Bill in the mist. McCleary alone reached the shore, spending the night in World War II-era gun emplacement near Fort McRae, where a helicopter crew from Pensacola’s Naval Air Station found him at 7:45 A.M. on Sunday.
Writing three years after the supposed event, McCleary claimed that he immediately shared his monster tale with personnel at Pensacola’s naval hospital, where he was treated for shock and exposure to the elements. E. E. McGovern, a verified member of the Escambia County Search and Rescue Unit, allegedly listened in awe, then said, “The sea has a lot of secrets. I believe you, but there’s not much else I can do.” - Sea serpent attacks swimmers outside Pensacola Pass in 1962
The first-hand account of Edward Brian McCleary - Pensacola Bay, Florida in 1962
"We were in an Air Force rescue raft bound for a sunken ship a few miles off the coast. Midway out, we were caught in a storm and dragged out to sea. When the storm cleared, we were in a dense fog. We began to hear strange noises, rather like the splashing of a porpoise. Also a sickening odor like that of a dead fish. The noise got closer to the raft and it was then we heard a loud hissing sound.
Out of the fog, we saw what looked like a long pole, about ten feet high, sticking straight up out of the water. On top was a bulb-like structure. It appeared several more times, getting closer to the raft. The silence was broken once again by something out of the fog. I can only describe it as a high-pitched whine. We panicked. All five of us put on our fins and went into the water. 'Keep together and try for the ship!' I yelled.
"After we were in the water, we became split up in the fog. From behind I could hear the screams of my comrades one by one. I got a closer look at the thing just before my last friend went under. The neck was about 12 feet long, brownish-green, and smooth-looking. The head was like that of a sea turtle, except more elongated with teeth. There appeared to be what looked like a dorsal fin when it dove under for the last time. Also, as best I can recall, the eyes were green with oval pupils.
"I finally made it to the ship, the top of which protruded from the water, and stayed there for most of the night. Early that morning I swam to shore and was found by the rescue unit."
NOTE: What are your thoughts on this encounter? Lon
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