It is often referred to as the Caspian Sea Monster.  To my eye, it looks more like a spacecraft from a sci-fi movie than a creature of cryptozoology.  It is, in fact, a huge vessel, part plane, and part ship, that has lay abandoned on the shore of the Caspian Sea for three decades.

It is more properly known as a Lun-class Ekranoplan, the only one of its kind ever put into service, between 1987 and sometime in the 1990s. An Ekranoplan, also known as a Ground Effect Vehicle, is classified by IMO as a ship, but derives its unique high-speed capabilities by skimming the surface of the water at a height of between one and five meters (three to 16 feet). The aerodynamic ground effect allows low drag and relatively high speeds.  

As reported by CNN, the “Lun” ekranoplan was one of the last designs to come out of the Soviet ground effect vehicle program. Longer than an Airbus A380 superjumbo and almost as tall, despite its size and weight, the Lun was capable of reaching speeds of up to 550 kilometers per hour (340 mph) thanks to eight powerful turbofans located on its stubby wings.

This formidable machine was even able to take off and land in stormy conditions, with waves of up to two and a half meters. Its intended mission was to conduct lightning sea-borne attacks with the six anti-ship missiles it carried in launch tubes placed at the top of its hull.

After sitting abandoned for thirty years, the Lun has now been moved to the site of a future military museum and theme park near the ancient city of Derbent, in Russia’s republic of Dagestan. Construction of the park is expected to start later in 2020. For the time being, Lun will sit alone on the beach.

Thanks to Willy for contributing to this post.