The U-Boat Captain saw a giant crocodile blast up, writhing, out of the explosion, unharmed.  It was estimated to be 65 feet long.

There were some huge crocodiles in prehistoric times.  We have the fossilized remains to back that up.  One was the Sarcosuchus Imperator.  It could reach over 31 feet in length and weigh about five tons.  Its teeth were over six inches long and it lived in the Cretaceous Period.

Another, Deinsuchus, lived during the Late Cretaceous.  It could be 40 feet long and weigh about ten tons.  It had teeth the size of bananas.

Both could kill and eat large dinosaurs.  Deinonychus fossils have been found in ten states, including Texas and Montana, but they are mostly in the Georgia-Alabama area.

I am describing these huge crocodiles in order to make size comparisons for a remarkable event.  You can view their fossils and skeletons online, to get a real perspective.

That brings me to the event that happened in World War I, that I am just now finding out about.  It involved a German submarine or U-Boat, the SM U-28.

The SM U-28 sank 40 ships as it served in the First World War.  It was launched for the German Empire in August of 1913.  It was commissioned in 1914 and is described as a German-type U-27 submarine, 212 feet long.

On July 30, 1915, the SM U-28 sank the British Steamer, Iberian.  After the Iberian had been submerged for about 25 seconds, that is when an underwater explosion sent masses of debris shooting up out of the water.  Commander Georg-Gunther von Forstner described the sighting of a giant sea creature that burst forth as part of the debris.  It resembled a crocodile in every way and was all in one piece.

As the boiler of the British steamer sank, this bizarre sight was seen by several people on the U-Boat.  The people included the chief engineer, a navigator, helmsman, engineer officer, a seaman, and the U-Boat Captain.  Yes, they saw a giant crocodile blast up, writhing, out of the explosion, unharmed.  It was estimated to be 65 feet long.

This is so incredible that I had to check something out.  The skirmish between the two vessels occurred around North Cape at the top of Norway.  It is extremely cold there, but a branch of the Gulf Stream flows over in that area of the Barents Sea.  The seawater temperature averages 43 degrees Fahrenheit.

Alligators and crocodiles can survive in temperatures as low as 40 degrees, but it is not the best temperature for them, and cold temperatures can cause them to get sluggish.

The SM  U-28 met its end on September 2, 1917.  It sank as the result of an explosion on the ship it had torpedoed—the Olive Branch.

The Olive Branch was a steamer attacked by the submarine and it was hauling a lot of munitions.  The resulting explosion impacted the SM U-28 and it was destroyed along with 39 of its crewmen.  Some of them survived the blast and were in the water but they would not be picked up by lifeboats from the Olive Branch. The Olive Branch was carrying munitions from England to Russia.  Once again the confrontation happened near North Cape, Norway.

What happened to the huge crocodile?  Will we ever see another?

Please click HERE to find Dark Continent Continental, a mystery by Sara Marie Hogg.