The USS Stein Monster was an unidentified sea creature that apparently attacked the Knox-class destroyer escort USS Stein (DE -1065), which was later redesignated as a Frigate (FF-1065) in the US Navy.
The ship got its name USS Stein after Tony Stein, who was the first Marine to receive the ‘Medal of Honor’ for action in the Battle of Iwo Jima. USS Stein was commissioned on January 8, 1972, and after two decades of her restless service, she got decommissioned on March 19, 1992.
The USS Stein earned its popularity all over the world when it was attacked by a sea monster in 1978. That monster is believed to be an unknown species of giant squid, which damaged the “NOFOUL” rubber coating of her AN/SQS-26 SONAR dome. Over 8 percent of the surface coating was surprisingly damaged.
How big was the squid that attacked the USS Stein?
To make things even stranger, nearly all of the cuts contained remains of sharp, curved claws that are especially found on the rims of suction cups of some squid’s tentacles. The claws were indeed much larger than any reported at that time which indicated the monstrous creature may have been up to 150ft in length! So, you can assume how big was the squid that attacked the USS Stein.
Though this mysterious giant-creature sounds unbelievable, we actually can’t deny the fact that our knowledge of the Moon’s surface is more extensive than our knowledge of oceans’ bottoms.
Therefore, given the vastness of the ocean, we should not be surprised at all if someday the intrepid explorers discover some strange and bizarre new form of sea life that we never thought is possible.
The creature could be of an enormous size similar to that USS Stein Monster, or could be beyond our imagination with a different body structure formed in a unique way that it “makes a living.”
Is there a scientific explanation behind the 1978 USS Stein monster incident?
If you curious about the the mysterious deep sea creatures then read this post about the Great Gator Experiment. After that, read about these 44 strangest creatures on Earth. In the end, know about these 14 mysterious sounds that remain unexplained to date.
