SCP-4217

rating: +213+x
Item#: 4217
Level2
Containment Class:
keter
Secondary Class:
none
Disruption Class:
vlam
Risk Class:
danger

Special Containment Procedures: Foundation naval forces are to patrol SCP-4217's territory with 3 or more battleships under the guise of the British Royal Navy. During a Hostile State, naval forces are to engage SCP-4217 until it reverts to a Passive State. Survivors from civilian vessels attacked by SCP-4217 are to be recovered and processed in accordance with Maritime Disinformation Protocols.

bismarck.jpg

SCP-4217 (circa 1940)

Description: SCP-4217 refers to both Bismarck (henceforth SCP-4217-A), an anomalous German battleship sunk on 1941-05-27, and the large cephalopod organism that is fused to the inside of its hull (henceforth SCP-4217-B). SCP-4217-B possesses a pair of octopoid eyes which protrude from the base of SCP-4217-A's superstructure, and twelve 100- to 200-meter-long muscular hydrostats that extend from an opening in the stern. Aside from the presence of SCP-4217-B, SCP-4217-A shows no signs of damage sustained from battle or subsequent decades submerged underwater.

SCP-4217-B operates SCP-4217-A's systems. This includes its full armament of 8 main guns, 44 secondary guns, and 12 anti-aircraft guns. SCP-4217-B also can operate SCP-4217-A's propellers to reach speeds approaching 40 knots, but only while surfaced. While submerged, SCP-4217 achieves locomotion via ejection of water from SCP-4217-B's body cavity (with an average speed of approximately 30 knots).

SCP-4217 typically remains submerged at a depth of 500-1100 meters, navigating its territory. However, SCP-4217 will periodically1 surface and enter a Hostile State.2 During this period, SCP-4217 will seek and attack non-threatening targets (such as civilian cargo ships). If sufficiently damaged, it will revert to a Passive State; otherwise, it reverts after a median 9 hours.

Addendum 1 - History: The SCP-4217 designation previously referred only to Bismarck itself, which was believed to have been neutralized in 1941. A previous version of this document can be found below:

On 1985-02-16, a team from MTF Gamma-6 ("Deep Feeders") was dispatched to verify the status of SCP-4217. On 1985-02-19, the surface crew reported that the dive team had remained submerged for several hours past what their oxygen supplies allowed. Shortly thereafter, they detected the distress signal from the submersible's black box recorder and retrieved it. Transcript follows:

The first sighting of SCP-4217 in its current form was made shortly thereafter. It was responsible for sinking two cargo carriers and one cruise liner prior to the establishment of current containment procedures.

Cover stories were disseminated to explain the lost vessels. Foundation misinformation teams constructed a replica of Bismarck and sank it ~100 km east of the location of SCP-4217's rediscovery. Arrangements were then made for a high-profile civilian oceanographer to discover it on 1989-06-08.

Addendum 2 - Recovered Documents: Following the collapse of the USSR and subsequent dissolution of GRU Division "P", the Foundation acquired a number of documents that GRU-P had recovered during the Soviet occupation of Germany. Among these documents were a number of internal Obskuracorps memos believed to be related to SCP-4217 (Translated from the original German):

In light of this discovery, the Foundation conducted investigations of the individuals named in these correspondences. Records indicate the deaths of Otto Schmidt in 1940 and Hans Meyer in 1941, with no evidence found to contradict this information. Dietrich Klossner was acquired by the United States military in Operation Paperclip and later died of natural causes in 1976. The Department of Defense has thus far refused to disclose information on his postwar work. References to Karl Reuter can be found in other Obskuracorps documents up until 1944, after which no further information on him has yet been found.

Addendum 3 - Incident 4217-09: On 1993-07-22, SCP-4217 appeared to enter a Hostile State, and Foundation naval forces prepared to enact Special Containment Procedures in response. However, before any vessels were able to reach firing range, Kurt Wegner, captain of SCPS Nemed, noticed that SCP-4217 was not moving from the location where it had surfaced. As this was different from previously observed behavior, Captain Wegner ordered SCPS Cesair and SCPS Partholón to hold position while he investigated. SCP-4217 was unresponsive to the presence of SCPS Nemed, even when the latter drew within 200 meters. After a brief period of observation, Captain Wegner attempted to hail SCP-4217 over the radio. Transcript follows:

SCPS Nemed, SCPS Cesair, and SCPS Partholón subdued SCP-4217 without further incident. SCP-4217 has not responded to subsequent attempts at communication.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License