The Eltanin Antenna
The one and only photo of the Eltanin Antenna.
The Eltanin Antenna is a strange antenna like structure spotted on the ocean floor at a depth of 12,808 ft by a research ship in 1964. Some believe it may be an extraterrestrial artifact.
The Discovery of the Eltanin Antenna
Back in 1957, a mighty ship called Eltanin set sail. Originally, it was a cargo-carrying icebreaker for the United States Navy. In 1962, it transformed into the world's very first Antarctic research vessel. Eltanin dedicated itself to exploring the mysteries of the icy southern continent until 1975.
During one of its daring adventures on August 29, 1964, the ship found itself near Cape Horn, South America. It’s crew were busy collecting samples and snapping pictures of the seabed. And there, at a whopping depth of 12,808 feet, at coordinates 59°07'S 105°03'W, Eltanin captured an incredible photograph.
The world got its first glimpse of this peculiar image when it made headlines in the New Zealand Herald on December 5, 1964. The news story was titled "Puzzle Picture From Sea Bed." But the mystery didn't stop there. In 1968, a writer named Brad Steiger added to the intrigue with an article in Saga Magazine. According to him, the Eltanin had actually photographed something mind-boggling—a strange contraption resembling a mix between a TV antenna and a telemetry antenna. It was estimated to be about 1.6 metres tall, about the size of an adult woman.
Dr. Thomas Hopkins, a marine biologist from Florida State University, stated in regards to the Eltanin Antenna:
“I don’t think it’s correct to assume that humans built and installed this thing. Mainly because it raises questions about how and why they would have installed it. But, its shape is too extremely symmetrical to correspond to a natural formation… that’s the problem. We’re looking at a perfect shape with 90-degree angles, which suggests a deliberate design.”
Theories about the Eltanin Antenna
A drawing by Alexander Agassiz of Cladorhiza concrescens, a possible natural explanation for the Eltanin Antenna. Image: Wikipedia
In 2003,Tom DeMary, a researcher who studies sound underwater, got in touch with an oceanographer named A.F. Amos. Now, what's intriguing is that Amos had actually been on board the USNS Eltanin back in the 1960s. When DeMary reached out to him, Amos pointed him towards a book from 1971 called "The Face of the Deep" written by Bruce C. Heezen and Charles D. Hollister.
Hollister suspected that the Eltanin Antenna could have been Cladorhiza concrescens, which is a type of carnivorous sponge. In their book, Heezen and Hollister not only included the photograph taken by the USNS Eltanin, but they also included a drawing by Alexander Agassiz that was first published way back in 1888 in his book "Three Cruises of the Blake."
According to Hollister and Heezen, this Cladorhiza concrescens sponge looks a bit like a fancy microwave antenna you'd find in a space-age setting. But Agassiz, in his own description, mentioned that these sponges have long stems with branching roots that go deep into the muddy ocean floor. The stems have nodes with club-like appendages, and they seem to cover vast areas of the ocean bottom like bushes.
Others, like UFO researcher Bruce Cathie, suggest that the Eltanin Antenna might hold the key to connecting with civilizations from distant planets. By activating it, we could establish communication with ancient visitors who once explored our world.
One criticism of this idea is that If this artifact's purpose is to aid communication, why would it be hidden in such a remote and hard-to-reach location? And if it was deliberately left for us to discover, why place it in an almost impenetrable icy abyss? Some argue that the reason the antenna was positioned in such an isolated spot was precisely to ensure it wouldn't be easily found.
What do you think about the Eltanin Antenna? Tell us in the comments.
If you enjoyed learning about the Eltanin Antenna you might be interested in similar underwater artifacts such as the underwater city in cuba or the Baltic Sea Anomaly.
