Mine clearing dolphins see first in battle use
Posted by MelSkunk (Melissa Drake) on Thu 27 Mar 2003 - 22:52
Dolphins and sea lion are part of the US troops deployed in the Gulf. Tacoma and Makai, part of the US Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Three, are the two dolphins charged with helping clear Iraqi ports of misplaced mines. Using echolocation, the mines are found in the silt of the ocean floor. Floats are put in place by the dolphins, marking the locations. The Navy says they face no "significant" risk.
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MelSkunk (Melissa Drake) — read stories — contact (login required)a student and Skunk from Toronto, ON, interested in writting, art, classic cars and animals
Comments
"chared with helping clear Iraqi ports of misplaced mines"
Poor dolphins. Burns hurt.
Oh wait.... did you mean charged?
From the article:
"This is the first time any of Eodmu 3's animals have been used for mine clearance. "
Yeah, sure, I believe that.
From an article two years ago:
"Dolphins are to be used by the U.S. Navy to help clear 80,000 mines and other ordnance off Norway... The four dolphins are trained to use their natural sonar to find mines on the seabed and then attach a marker buoy."
Ok, so perhaps they changed their unit designation, or can truthfully say this is their first mine-clearing role by some other technicalitiy, but to imply that they've never done this before... no way. Makai has been with them for twenty years, and they've never cleared mines with dolphins before? Come on...
Reminds me of the dolphin in Gibson's short story, "Johnny Mnemonic".. the future is now..
Not unlike like MP guard dogs or bomb sniffing dogs, or rescue dogs... just... water based.
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