Case file · Cryptid
HMS Plumper's sea serpent
On 31 December 1848, months after the Daedalus report, an officer of the Royal Navy steamer HMS Plumper sketched a long-necked animal swimming off the coast of Portugal, between Lisbon and Porto.
1848 CE · 41.00, -12.00 · status: account
The account
The sketch and the officer's letter were printed in the Illustrated London News in 1849. He described a head like a long, flat-topped snout and a mane-like ridge along the back, moving slowly against the swell. Position approximate (off the Portuguese coast).
The sceptical view
A single drawing with no measurement. Floating seaweed, a swimming seal or a line of porpoises have all been suggested for this class of report.