The story revolves around SCP-1861, also known as the HMS Wintersheimer, a ghostly British submarine that appears in various bodies of water, causing a red mist and anomalous weather events. The submarine is crewed by figures in archaic diving suits who evacuate people from the surrounding area, taking them on board. Once on board, these individuals are forced into diving suits, transforming them into new instances of SCP-1861-B.
The story follows Shaun, a commuter who becomes trapped in a traffic jam near a lake where the HMS Wintersheimer has appeared. He is approached by one of the figures in a diving suit, who attempts to persuade him to board the submarine. However, Shaun is rescued by a group of soldiers from the SCP Foundation, a secret organization that contains and researches anomalous objects and entities.
The Foundation discovers that the individuals taken on board the submarine are transported to an alternate dimension, where they exist in a world made of living water. They do not need to eat or sleep and are tasked with exploring and interacting with each other. However, they are also surrounded by dead humans and animals with mutilated bodies, which are said to have been deemed "unworthy" by a mysterious entity known as "the watcher of eyes and biter of teeth."
The story concludes with the Foundation's attempts to understand and contain the HMS Wintersheimer, which has earned a Keter Classification due to its unpredictable nature and difficulty in containing it.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The HMS Wintersheimer is a World War One-era British B-Class Submarine.
2. The submarine is designated as SCP-1861-A by the SCP Foundation.
3. The first recorded incident of the HMS Wintersheimer occurred in 1916 in the British seaside town of Innsmouth-On-Sea.
4. The town of Innsmouth-On-Sea was enveloped in a thick, red mist, and a rain of a mixture of saltwater, human blood, and human cerebrospinal fluid fell on the town.
5. The residents of Innsmouth-On-Sea were persuaded to board the submarine by figures in archaic diving gear, where they disappeared.
6. The SCP Foundation wiped all records of the town from existence and delivered amnestic treatment to anyone who still mentioned or remembered Innsmouth-On-Sea.
7. The HMS Wintersheimer has been appearing since 1916, and the SCP Foundation has recorded hundreds of instances.
8. The submarine can appear near any body of water wide enough to accommodate its comms tower and topmost platform.
9. Depth does not seem to be any hindrance to the submarine appearing, and it can even manifest in water that's just a few inches deep.
10. The SCP Foundation has discovered that those taken onto the Wintersheimer are forced into a diving suit of their own, which transforms them into new instances of SCP-1861-B.
11. The interior of the Wintersheimer is a spatial anomaly that seems to stretch on forever.
12. The submarine can accommodate vast numbers of people, like the entire population of Innsmouth-On-Sea.
13. Prisoners of the Wintersheimer are faced with two choices: suit up or drown.
14. Once suited up, the transformation into a new instance of SCP-1861-B begins.
15. The Wintersheimer effectively enters an alternate dimension after descending.
16. The airlock opens, and new recruits are instructed to step outside and take a look around.
17. The world inside the alternate dimension is eerily similar to how it looked on land before the mist descended, but with everything seeming to be underwater or made of water.
18. The inhabitants of this world neither need to eat nor sleep.
19. Anyone who attempts to take off their suit dissolves and diffuses into the surrounding liquid.
20. The SCP Foundation conducted an experiment by sending two D-Class personnel into the red mist, one of whom was instructed to enter the submarine and report back.
21. The experiment revealed that the diving suits have anomalous durability and cannot be removed by anyone other than the wearer.
22. The SCP Foundation has classified the HMS Wintersheimer as Keter due to its unpredictable nature and difficulty in containing it.
23. The only containment procedure employed by the SCP Foundation is for Mobile Task Forces to try and intercept the submarine when appearances are reported.