Old Hit

This acrylic painting pays tribute to the legendary 22 foot Great Hammerhead Shark, nicknamed "Old Hitler". The Great Hammerhead was first sighted during World War II by Navy Sentries on duty in Florida's Gulf Coast. Great Hammerheads are unafraid of humans, and their unique head design gives them a 360 degree field of vision. Other nicknames for this predatory monster of the sea include "Bad Boy", and "The Wolf". The following article is from the Sunday, Oct 09, 2016 edition of the Bradenton (Florida) Times: 'With rich history dating back to the mid-1800s, it’s no secret several inhuman creatures still lurk around the Manatee area, somehow stuck between this world and the next. However, you won’t find the most frightening in a graveyard or haunted house. 'Old Hitler' reportedly still prowls beneath the surface in Tampa Bay, bloodthirsty and waiting for his perfect kill. During WWII, the U.S. government issued ration stamps for controlled distribution of scarce food resources. Families across the nation were encouraged to grow 'Victory Gardens' in their yards so they could can and jar their own fruits and vegetables. Residents in the area had an advantage—because they lived near the water, a seafood entrée harvested fresh by a family member was a daily occurrence. However, there were many nights people came home empty handed, not because of the scarcity of seafood, but because their fishing gear was decimated by a monster lurking beneath the surface. The scavenger would steal their catch, destroy their cast-net and terminate their fishing rods in a horrifying event that left some fishermen afraid to return to their favorite fishing hole. The monster was a Great Hammerhead, one of four species found in the Gulf. He stretched over 20-feet in length and weighed a whopping 2,000 pounds. During the era of duress, he harassed numerous fishermen, sneaking up on them in shallow water and violently attacking their catch at pivotal moments. Dozens of rusty hooks hung from his jaws. He was so aggressive and persistent, local fishermen gave him the name of Old Hitler. After many nights of going home empty handed, a vigilante group formed with the sole purpose of catching Old Hitler and killing him. The massive shark seemed to know what was happening; on several occasions he allowed himself to be reeled to the side of a vessel, only to roll to his belly, take a good look at his opponent, smile with teeth bloodied by rusty hooks, then take off—cutting the line with his sharp jagged jaws. There were several huge hammerheads caught around the region that were reported to be Old Hitler, but just when someone thought they had taken care of the nuisance shark, he'd pop up again flashing his hair-raising smile as he took off with someone's catch. Old Hitler's reign outlasted the war, but continued to harass area fishermen for several decades. In one tale, two men battled a 14-foot-hammerhead for hours, finally bringing him alongside their boat. They tied a noose around the giant shark and hoisted him up above the water, but just when they were about to swing the shark over the gunwale, Old Hitler shot out of the water, bit off a quarter of the shark's body then disappeared under the dark blue surface. Old Hitler became bolder over the years and some say he even targeted humans. Capt. Riley Bryan, a businessman who ran a Sea Taxi in the 1980s, said he'd sometimes tie up to a sea buoy on hot days and go for a quick swim. On one occasion, Bryan was took a surveyor out to inspect another vessel near the buoy where he swam. While he waited, he saw a dark shadow come up beneath the boat. The shadow was longer than his 20-foot water taxi, with a long wire leader trailing behind the dark mass. Instantly Bryan knew it was a shark. The beast started bumping the vessel from below and Bryan knew it was meant to be a warning he wouldn't be alone during his next swimming session. Of course, that was the last time Bryan would ever swim at the buoy. Today people still talk of their experiences with Old Hitler. Could the shark be alive when the average lifespan of such a creature is 35 years? Perhaps people are witnessing the ghost of the creature, still haunting the depths of the bay until he lands his first human.' The shark tales mentioned in this article are accounts given in the books "Tampa Triangle Deadzone" by Capt. Bill Miller and "Sharks and Survival" by Perry W. Gillbert.

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