U.S. Army Corps of Engineers debris vessel pulls Chessie from the depths of the Baltimore Harbor

Published April 1, 2016
Debris Vessel Reynolds works to clear Chessie the Chesapeake Bay sea monster from the Baltimore Harbor Friday morning April 1, 2016.

Debris Vessel Reynolds works to clear Chessie the Chesapeake Bay sea monster from the Baltimore Harbor Friday morning April 1, 2016.

BALTIMORE—After decades of speculation, the legend of Chessie--the sea monster who calls the Chesapeake Bay home—has come to an end. 

Crews on board the REYNOLDS, part of the Corps’ Baltimore Harbor Debris Unit, pulled Chessie from the waters of the Baltimore Harbor while on routine patrol April 1, 2016.  The Debris Unit often pulls large objects out of the Harbor as part of their mission to dredge federal navigation channels to reduce safety hazards, and subsequent damages and financial losses to both commercial and recreational vessels.

“We recover large objects from the waters all the time, but this takes the cake,” said Baltimore District Deckhand Joe Smith.  “Furniture, tires, logs…but nothing quite like this before.”

Chessie sightings in the Baltimore area go back to 1943, when two fisherman spotted something in the water near the Harbor.  Throughout the years, other sightings were recorded, but most were dismissed by naysayers who believed the creature was nothing more than a manatee.

The Corps will work with its federal and state partners to decide what to do with this illustrious creature.