Chessie of Chesapeake Bay
In 1982 someone filmed something long and dark swimming in Chesapeake Bay, and Chessie became a local star.
What was reported
Chessie is said to be a serpent-like creature in Chesapeake Bay, on the US East Coast. Reports increased from the late 1970s, describing a dark, snake-like animal several metres long with humps.
In 1982 a resident of Kent Island filmed a long, dark shape in the water near his home; the film was studied by scientists at the Smithsonian, who couldn't identify it.
Explanations offered
In 1994 a real manatee that wandered unusually far north into the bay was nicknamed Chessie, and some think manatees, river otters swimming in a line or floating debris explain earlier sightings. No unknown animal has been confirmed.
- When
- Filmed in 1982
- Where
- Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA
- Witnesses
- Boaters and people living on the bay
- Status
- Unconfirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.