Montauk, SAGE & The Monster

Controversy has ranged in many circles during the past week regarding a strange creature that washed ashore on Montauk Beach, Long Island. The creature, which appears to have a “beak”, has been written off by many and salivated over by conspiracists. Some say the “creature” is merely a dog with its snout bitten off and its hair eroded after some time in the water. Others argue it is a product of the continuing projects run by the US Military at the infamous Camp Hero on Montauk Point.

The Montauk Project has long been held by conspiracy theorists as the continuation of the Philadelphia Experiment – that disastrous 1943 project, the intention of which was to render the USS Eldridge invisible. Myths abound regarding the 1943 incident, said to have resulted in men being ‘fused’ into the hull of the ship as it entered hyperspace, and two men being transported to the year 1983 where they found themselves at Montauk AFB on Long Island. This was all documented in an 80’s film titled, imaginatively enough, The Philadelphia Experiment.

It is reported that the project was moved to Montauk, where a massive underground installation was built to house personnel and equipment. Originally, The Montauk Project was based at Brookhaven National Laboratory, but was moved due to the fact that, at the time, the nearby Camp Hero was one of the only locations that still had a functioning SAGE radar – considered essential to the project. SAGE (Semi Automatic Ground Environment) was used by NORAD as an automated control system to track and intercept enemy aircraft. Operating from the 1950’s to the 1980’s, its manufacture was directed by MIT and IBM, leading to the latter’s domination of the computer industry in years to come. SAGE sites were erected near urban cities without residents even knowing what they were. The sites, traditionally, were massive concrete blocks housing four stories of equipment and the largest computer ever built – the AN/FSQ-7. The system was so advanced in its day that it could send automated instructions to an aircraft’s autopilot redirecting the craft to engage an enemy.

But what was the purpose of the Montauk Project and the SAGE installation at Camp Hero? It depends on what you are willing to accept. Anything from time travel to subliminal redirection of human thought via the SAGE radar. Most importantly, it was said to be a continuation of the electromagnetic shielding technique so disastrously attempted in 1943. But how could a base be built underground in the 1950’s and just how do personnel get into the facility without being seen?

Camp Hero was officially closed in 1969 and donated as a ‘wildlife refuge/park’, although, technically, the Montauk AFB remained in operation until 1987. Some state it was a provision of the land donation that ‘everything under the surface’ would remain the property of the United States Air Force. The fact that the SAGE installation has not been demolished is testament to some that the site remains operational. It apparently has underwater access and is still fenced off from the public. There have been reports of government officials and military personnel warning stray hikers to keep clear of certain areas.

But back to the monster….
It’s very possible that this ‘creature’ is nothing more than a freak of nature discarded by its human owners as defective. It’s also very possible that it was ejected through a wormhole from a parallel dimension – a freaky alternate world where Rottweilers have beaks and hooves and humans have ears on their shoulders. Now that is something you’d want to keep from the public.

by Max Drake


(Max Drake is a freelance designer for GritFX. Max has an interest in all things weird and will have regular posts on this blog.)

For more conspiratorial outrageousness, visit www.rense.com

GritFlix – Now Showing

The GritFlix Channel is now broadcasting on YouTube.

GritFX artists Max, Will, Dave & Manz will be uploading short films of their own making over the coming months. GritFX staff will also be listing their favourite videos on the channel for you to check out.

Admission is free - so grab some popcorn, take an aisle seat and enjoy GritFlix.

Our first short film is "An ode to Jonesy and Ella, the gorgeous GritFX cat mascots - set to the wonderful sounds of the Beach Boys."

Bonus shot - not seen in the video...