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USS Stein monster

Also called USS Stein sonar dome attack, Stein squid

Mysterious cuts and curved 'teeth' found in a US Navy frigate's sonar dome in 1978.

The story

USS Stein was a Knox-class frigate of the US Navy, carrying a large AN/SQS-26 sonar in a dome under its bow. In 1978 the dome's rubber 'NOFOUL' coating was found cut in many places, across about 8 percent of its surface.

Nearly all the cuts held fragments of sharp, curved teeth or claws. They were reported as larger than those of any squid known at the time, and the case has been linked ever since to an unknown giant squid or other large animal.

Exactly where and when the damage happened is not recorded, no animal was seen, and the fragments have never been tied to a known species. It remains one of the few sea-monster stories with physical evidence from a navy ship.

What was shown or claimed

  • Slash marks on a ship's hull or sonar dome
  • Sharp, curved hooks left embedded
  • No animal ever seen

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Similar creatures

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Different creatures from the same part of the world.

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