How a Giant Squid Attack Became an Urban Legend

For more than half a century, the story of a giant squid attack on the survivors of a sunken troop ship during World War II has made the rounds. It sounded plausible because Architeuthis dux, to give the squid its formal name, was shrouded in mystery and fantasy.

Historian Jonathan Dyer picks apart the story as an urban legend. This much seems factual: Second Lieutenant R.E.G. Cox of the Indian Army survived the sinking of the troop ship Britannia in March 1941. He and others clung to a raft for five days before being rescued.