U-Haul Giant Squid

Clem

Architeuthis
Registered
Joined
Apr 6, 2003
Messages
1,839
Howdy folks,

Who would've thunk that one of the more accurate and literate online pages about Architeuthis would be produced by U-Haul? (For those unfamiliar with the company, U-Haul provides moving van and truck rentals for the consumer market.) I'd once seen a U-Haul truck with a big old giant squid emblazoned on the side panel, and was delighted to find that the U-Haul site not only features the graphic but provides an excellent primer on our pal Architeuthis.

U-Haul's Giant Squid (click here)

The text does perpetuate the discredited 60-foot maximum length figure (I've sent U-Haul a gentle note) but is quite good in most other respects, and reproduces two old photographs of stranded giant squid, presumably taken on Newfoundland beaches, that I'd not seen before. One of them appears to be different angle of the enigmatic "Holyrood Architeuthis" that Phil turned up last year, a dead giant arranged on wooden planks on a rocky beach. The U-Haul hosted pic shows the animal with its arms held up by bystanders.

Cheers to U-Haul for embracing an opportunity to educate the moving public.

Clem
 
Clem,

Do you have a copy of the original 'Holyrood Architeuthis' picture stored anywhere? I lost mine when my computer crash earlier this year wiped all my old files. If so, please could you send it to me and I'll reinstate it it the old thread.

Thanks.
 
Hello Phil,

I do not have a copy of your original Holyrood squid photo. The one site that I know used to host it is no longer in existence.

Sadly,
Clem
 
Tintenfisch said:
:mad: Don't make me put the beard on and come over there.
Chrono,

Avast, lad, don't be pullin' the lanyard on yer gun 'til her beard be ticklin' ye. Then: repel that boardin' wench with grapeshot, aye.

It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Who knew?

Clem
 
Clem said:
I do not have a copy of your original Holyrood squid photo. The one site that I know used to host it is no longer in existence.

By a fluke I actually found a copy of it on a disk this evening; duly restored to original thread. Phew!
 
Holyrood Architeuthis photo

Don't know if anyone is still reading this thread but I came across it and thought I'd post anyway. The picture 'Holyrood Architeuthis' that you are discussing is actually my great uncle. The original photo used to hang in my grandparents house! So just in case you never found more info on this, I can provide some! The picture was taken in 1934 in Harbour Main, Newfoundland. Uncle Joe was out in his boat when he saw something floating in the water. He went over to it and realized it was still alive although it appeared to be sick and weak. He had a struggle with it and managed to bring it into shore, where it died. I believe he charged local residents a couple of cents to come and see it and made himself a little profit! The squid was taken to St. John's for research but the freezer it was kept in mysteriously caught on fire, destroying the squid, before the scientists were able to examine it. There are more details but I can't remember them all. It's been a while since I read the story. There was a Reader's Digest article on the story back in the late 80s I believe. My parents still have it. Anyway, if anyone's reading this, I hope it helps clear up a little bit of the mystery surrounding the photo!
 
Hi and welcome to TONMO.com!:welcome:

What a strange coincidence that you know about this photo and the story behind it! Thanks for sharing the story.

Nancy
 
:welcome:, thanks, and yeah, if your parents still have the pic or the reader's digest article, it'd be great if you'd be willing to scan them and post them here!
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top