The encounter recorded by the crew of the German submarine U-28 in July 1915 is one of the most unusual sea-serpent accounts ever preserved in a naval log. Unlike most maritime creature stories, which pass through rumor before reaching print, this incident came directly from a decorated officer, Kapitänleutnant Freiherr Georg-Günther von Forstner, whose wartime report described a moment so unexpected that it has remained a point of fascination for historians, cryptozoologists, and naval researchers for more than a century. The event unfolded in the frigid waters southwest of Ireland, during the First World War, after U-28 had engaged the British armed merchant vessel SS Iberian.
According to Forstner’s written account, the Iberian was struck by a torpedo on July 30, 1915. The ship sank bow-first, lifting its stern high before disappearing beneath the waves. Moments later, an underwater explosion, likely from the ship’s boilers rupturing under pressure, sent debris and seawater violently upward. It was in this eruption, Forstner claimed, that something extraordinary appeared: a massive animal hurled briefly above the surface, flung into the air by the force of the detonation.
Forstner described the creature as resembling a “gigantic crocodile,” roughly sixty feet long, with four large limbs and a long, powerful tail. He noted that its body seemed covered in scales, not unlike those of a reptile, and that its jaws gaped wide as it twisted in the air before crashing back into the sea. The sight lasted only seconds, yet Forstner insisted that several of his officers witnessed the same thing. In his later statements, he emphasized that the creature appeared lifeless or gravely injured, more a victim of the explosion than an active participant in the encounter.
The account did not become public until years after the war, when Forstner published his recollections in a German newspaper. This delay contributed to the mystery. Naval officers were not prone to embellishment in official logs, and wartime censorship limited unusual details. But once the story entered the postwar press, it drew immediate attention. Some dismissed it as a tall tale embellished for publication, while others pointed to the specificity of the description and the credibility of the officer involved.
The U-boat community, both German and Allied, maintained a reputation for strict observation and precise recordkeeping. Submarine commanders lived by details; their survival depended on accurately identifying silhouettes, estimating distances, and tracking minute changes in the water. That context lends weight to Forstner’s insistence that he and his crew saw something out of the ordinary. His reputation within the Imperial German Navy was solid, and he received multiple commendations during the war. Nothing in his service record suggests a tendency toward exaggeration.
Several explanations have been proposed. Some marine biologists suggest that a decomposing whale or a large shark, distorted by gases and tangled in wreckage, could momentarily appear crocodile-like if thrown violently to the surface. Others propose that the visible “limbs” may have been sections of the Iberian’s structure mistaken for anatomy during the chaotic explosion. Yet none of these theories fully address the uniformity of the officers’ descriptions or the mention of scales, teeth, and articulated limbs—all uncommon misidentifications for trained observers.
Another possibility lies in the existence of large, deep-diving marine animals rarely seen at the surface. Species such as giant beaked whales or colossal squids are often cited in discussions of unexplained sea sightings, though neither matches Forstner’s account closely. The U-28 creature remains distinct among naval reports for its reptilian characteristics, which evoke imagery more akin to prehistoric marine reptiles than contemporary fauna. No known marine species fits the description, but wartime seas, filled with wreckage and danger, often revealed fragments of the unknown.
Despite the lack of corroborating evidence beyond the U-boat testimony, the U-28 encounter became one of the most discussed maritime anomalies of the early 20th century. It stands as a rare intersection between military documentation and sea-monster folklore, preserved in the words of a man who insisted he simply reported what he saw. Whether the creature was a misinterpreted carcass, an extraordinary but natural marine animal, or something stranger still, the moment it appeared above the waves remains locked within the closed circle of men who watched it rise and fall in the shattered water of the North Atlantic.
Sources & Further Reading:
– Georg-Günther von Forstner, postwar published recollections of the U-28 patrol
– Imperial German Navy submarine activity logs, 1915
– British Admiralty reports on the sinking of SS Iberian
– Marine biology analyses of anomalous marine carcass sightings
– Historical studies on naval eyewitness accounts during World War I
(One of many stories shared by Headcount Coffee — where mystery, history, and late-night reading meet.)
