report of five missing people off the coast of Oregon. The local sheriff, Bill Nash, takes Mathews and Joyce to the attack site, where they find a giant suction cup imprint in the beach sand. (At this point, the two have become romantically involved.) They request that Carter join them. Nash is later attacked along the beach by the giant octopus; the two nearby scientists barely escape. Together, they hastily arrange for all Pacific coast waters to be mined before departing for the navy's base in San Francisco. An electrified safety net is strung underwater across the entrance to San Francisco Bay, protecting the electrified Golden Gate Bridge. Carter takes a helicopter along the shoreline and baits the sea with dead sharks in an effort to lure the creature inland. Joyce demonstrates to reporters a special jet-propelled atomic torpedo, which they hope to fire at the giant, while driving it back to the open sea before detonating the weapon. Later that day, the creature demolishes the underwater net, irritated by the electrical voltage, and heads toward San Francisco. The navy orders the Golden Gate Bridge abandoned; Carter learns that the electric circuit was left on, so he races to the bridge to shut it off. The giant creature, however, catches sight of the bridge and attacks, the electrical voltage irritating it even more. Mathews is able to rescue Carter before a bridge section is pulled down by a giant tentacle. The residents of San Francisco panic and begin a mass exodus. The navy struggles to evacuate the Embarcadero and the Ferry Building, which is battered by the creature's giant tentacles. When more people are killed, the Defense Department authorizes Mathews to take out the submarine and fire the torpedo; Carter joins Mathews aboard while Joyce remains at the base. Flamethrowers drive the giant tentacles back into the sea. When Mathews fires the jet torpedo into the giant creature, it grabs the submarine. Using an aqualung, Mathews swims up to the massive body and places explosive charges before being knocked out by the shockwaves from their premature explosion. Carter then swims out and shoots at one of its eyes, forcing the giant octopus to release the submarine; he then pulls Mathews to safety. Back at the base, as the creature turns toward the open sea, the torpedo is detonated, completely destroying the giant cephalopod. The trio later celebrate the victory at