The hunt for the Loch Ness monster – 75 years and counting

Scotland's famous Loch Ness. At over 700 feet deep, Loch Ness can submerge the entire Empire State Building. Photograph: Murdo Macleod/Murdo Macleod

November 12 1933: Snapped by Hugh Grey, this is the first photograph claiming to show the Loch Ness monster and was published on the front cover of the Scottish Daily Record Photograph: Scottish Daily Record

January 4 1934: A view of Loch Ness, where a search was hastily initiated following Hugh Grey's photo Photograph: AP

April 19 1934: The most famous 'Nessie' photograph, which was exposed as a hoax by one of the participants, Chris Spurling, on his deathbed Photograph: Getty

August 16 1934: Over a period of weeks, the monster is said to have been seen by the official search party no less than 21 times. The above photograph shows the 'monster' beneath the water. Photograph: Corbis

July 14 1951: Another famous 'Nessie' photo, this time by Lachlan Stuart Photograph: Public domain

July 29 1955: One of the best known photographs, taken by bank manager Peter MacNab. It is one of the few to have withstood scientific examination Photograph: PD

August 1968: Members of the Loch Ness Monster Investigation Team scan the loch for a sighting Photograph: Fox Photos/Getty

June 1969: American submarine expert Dan Taylor sits in the cockpit of his 20 foot submarine at Loch Ness, prior to a search Photograph: Popperfoto/Getty

November 2 1972: Robert H Hines, president of the Academy of Applied Science, claims this photo shows the fin of the Loch Ness monster Photograph: AP

August 6 1983: Urquhart Bay, Loch Ness. This photo by American wildlife photographer Erik Beckjord shows splashes that he claims could have been made by the monster (top right) Photograph: Erik Beckjord/AP

1976: The view from the creature camera – a remotely operated submersible camera, which was deployed into Loch Ness Photograph: Ralph White/Corbis

1987: An illustration of Operation Deepscan Photograph: Rex Features

1987: Some small boats search the Loch Ness during Operation Deepscan Photograph: John Dee / Rex Features/Rex

April 2001: Investigators transport a net that will be used to trap 'Nessie' Photograph: Dung Vo Trung/Corbis

April 2001: Goran Rajala shows his radio transmission hydrophone, which is built to detect the monster Photograph: Dung Vo Trung/Corbis

April 2001: A diver shows the contents of a trap laid during an expedition – a minute fish and a rusty section of fishing rod Photograph: Dung Vo Trung/Corbis

May 9 2001: James Gray and friend Peter Leving's sighting of the Loch Ness monster as reported in the Mail newspaper Photograph: James Gray/Rex

March 2008: Loch Ness monster hunter Steve Feltham, who is not certain that he has seen the monster but has witnessed inexplicable movements on the loch surface Photograph: Murdo Macleod/Murdo Macleod

July 2001: A 1993 sculpture from Niki de Saint Phalle in Nice, France Photograph: Jacques Munch/AFP