Dolphins Help Spot Mines in Iraq War

Middle East - AP ^ | Tue, Mar 25, 2003 | Middle East - AP

[Justice]

In this handout photo from the U.S. Navy (news - web sites), Sergeant Andrew Garrett watches K-Dog, a bottle nose dolphin attached to Commander Task Unit 55.4.3 leaps out of the water while training near the USS Gunston Hall in the Persian Gulf on March 18, 2003. Commander Task Unit 55.4.3 is a multinational team from the United States, Great Britain and Australia conducting deep/shallow water mine clearing operations to clear shipping lanes for humanitarian relief and are currently conducting missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (AP Photo/ U.S. Navy, Brien Aho, HO)

CAMP AS SALIYAH, Qatar - Coalition forces have brought in two specially trained bottle-nosed Atlantic dolphins to help ferret out mines in the approaches of the port of Umm Qasr, Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart of the Central Command said Tuesday.

The dolphins will help clear the way for the shipment of humanitarian aid to allied-held southern Iraq (news - web sites), Renuart said.

"Our maritime forces are hard at work supporting air operations, maintaining security to the Arabian Gulf for all shipping and completing the difficult task of de-mining Iraqi waters," Renuart said. "They're even using some unique techniques. We have some specially trained dolphins that are out there helping us to determine where mines may be in the channels."

The dolphins, named Makai and Tacoma, were flown into Umm Qasr by U.S. Navy (news - web sites) helicopters Tuesday night and were expected to begin searching for mines on Wednesday, according to pool reports.

The dolphins are taught to avoid touching the mines, which might cause them to explode, said Capt. Mike Tillotson, a Navy bomb disposal expert. He said there was little risk to animals doing this kind of work.

The biggest hazard could come from other indigenous dolphins in the waters of Umm Qasr.

Dolphins are territorial and there is a fear local dolphins might drive the interlopers out, causing them to go AWOL.

The Navy started using marine mammals in the early 1960s, when military researchers began looking into how sea mammals' highly developed senses — like dolphins' sonar — could be harnessed to locate mines and do other underwater tasks.

Dolphins were used in the 1970s during the Vietnam War. In the late 1980s, six Navy dolphins patrolled the Bahrain harbor to protect U.S. ships from enemy swimmers and mines and escorted Kuwaiti oil tankers through potentially dangerous waters.

[filbert]

I've always hated the Dolphins...they keep beating the Broncos...

[Dialup Llama]

I guess that one freeper has 30 cents now.

[NEJake]

Dolphins, Patriots, Jets... Pretty soon the entire NFL will be over there...

[Justice]

LOL good one.

[Zipporah]

.. I think this is SO cool.. but of course the PETA wackos are upset saying that the dolphins are being MADE to do this and they have no clue what they are getting themselves into.. oh brother.

[filbert]

AFC East, anyway...

[PianoMan]

I love this article, but it has been posted like 5 times today.

[rintense]

This is such a cool story! Dolphins are incredibly smart- smarter than most liberals.

[Justice]

Yes...sorry for the repeat posting...I saw on Yahoo news that the story was 5 minutes old so I went for it then later did a Freep search and found it. My bad.

[skinkinthegrass]

NO search?....Wasn't this story posted early this morning?

[Darheel]

Dophins with laser guns lol, it's crazy; I think it's time to start training Octopi.

[laz17]

the PETA wackos

I'm sure if Saddam had every single animal in Iraq set on fire, PETA would say nothing, absolutely nothing.

[Calpernia]

Already posted: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/875042/posts

[Calpernia]

Maybe PETA will go in as Dolphin Shields ^-^

[Yankee]

.. I think this is SO cool.. but of course the PETA wackos are upset saying that the dolphins are being MADE to do this and they have no clue what they are getting themselves into.. oh brother.

First the animal-rights wackos tell us that dolphins are extremely intelligent beings, then they tell us they are being made to do something they can't understand. I wish those liberal imbeciles would make up their minds.

PS: Tuna just doesn't taste right anymore since they took out the dolphin. :-)

[Calpernia]

Fresh tuna is GREAT! Wonder what is actually in that canned stuff :P

[exit82]

Almost lost the keyboard on that comment--good one!