The Loch Ness 'Surgeon's Photo': A Toy Submarine
The most famous picture of the Loch Ness Monster, the 1934 'Surgeon's Photograph,' was revealed in 1994 to be a hoax using a toy submarine fitted with a model head and neck.
Verdict: Debunked. The weight of the evidence cited below contradicts this claim. How we rate stories
The Story
In 1934 the Daily Mail published a grainy picture of a small head on a long, curving neck rising from the waters of Loch Ness. It was credited to a London doctor, R. Kenneth Wilson. Because of him it became known as the 'Surgeon's Photograph,' and for sixty years it was the defining image of the monster.
In 1994 the truth came out. Researchers Alastair Boyd and David Martin traced the photo to Marmaduke Wetherell, a filmmaker and self-styled 'big game hunter' who, according to the reports, had been hired by the Daily Mail to find the monster and wanted revenge for the way the paper had treated him.
The world's most famous monster photo was a toy submarine with a model head.
According to NOVA, Wetherell's stepson, Christian Spurling, 93 and near death, confessed. He had built the 'monster' from a 14-inch toy submarine with a neck and head made of plastic wood. Wetherell's son Ian took the pictures in the shallows, and Wilson was the respectable front man.
Later science has not found a monster either. An environmental DNA study reported in 2019 found no trace of a large reptile. The study's leader said that eels, perhaps large ones, were a possibility. The most famous photo of Nessie turned out to be a toy.
Origins
According to NOVA, the photo was published in the Daily Mail in 1934. It was credited to a respected London doctor, R. Kenneth Wilson, which made it seem credible for decades.
The Claims
- A large, long-necked creature lives in Loch Ness.
- The 1934 photo shows its head and neck rising from the water.
Key Evidence
- For decades, the photo was widely treated as the best visual evidence for the monster, partly because it came from a doctor.
The Evidence Against
- According to a 1994 Reuters report carried by the Deseret News, Christian Spurling, the stepson of filmmaker Marmaduke Wetherell, confessed that he had built the model from a 14-inch toy submarine, using plastic wood for the neck and head.
- The report says Wetherell had been hired by the Daily Mail to find the monster. NOVA says the hoax was revenge for how the paper had treated him. Wetherell's son Ian took the photos, and Wilson was used to present them.
- Researchers Alastair Boyd and David Martin uncovered the hoax.
- An environmental DNA study of the loch's water, reported in 2019 and led by Prof. Neil Gemmell of the University of Otago found no reptile or 'monster' DNA. The Guardian reports that Gemmell said he could not rule out very large eels.
Documents & Sources
- NewsThe Beast of Loch Ness: Birth of a Legend (NOVA, PBS) pbs.org ↗
- NewsLoch Ness Is a 14-Inch Submarine! (Reuters via Deseret News, Mar. 14, 1994) deseret.com ↗
- NewsLoch Ness monster could be a giant eel, say scientists (The Guardian, Sept. 5, 2019) theguardian.com ↗
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