Interest in the giant squid was fueled by the fortuitous collection of a giant squid by the French gunboat Alecton in 1861. The boat spied the creature on the surface, obviously in distress, shot it multiple times and eventually hooked it. They attempted to bring it aboard by throwing a rope around it, but the carcass split in two and they were left with a tail section. Though not a complete specimen, it was apparently the freshest carcass to be observed by modern science at that time. (via Attack of the giant squid! (1874) | Skulls in the Stars)
The Committee to Nuke Elysium 