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Dolphins Help Spot Mines in Iraq War
Middle East - AP ^
| Tue, Mar 25, 2003
| Middle East - AP
Posted on 03/25/2003 6:41:48 PM PST by 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.
TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Virginia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: campassaliyah; dolphins; dolphinsmines; humanitarianrelief; mines; navydolphin; norfolknas; ussgunstonhall
1
posted on
03/25/2003 6:41:48 PM PST
by
Justice
To: Justice
I've always hated the Dolphins...they keep beating the Broncos...
2
posted on
03/25/2003 6:42:41 PM PST
by
filbert
To: Justice
I guess that one freeper has 30 cents now.
To: filbert
Dolphins, Patriots, Jets... Pretty soon the entire NFL will be over there...
4
posted on
03/25/2003 6:49:01 PM PST
by
NEJake
To: NEJake
LOL good one.
5
posted on
03/25/2003 6:49:26 PM PST
by
Justice
(One more for the pot)
To: Justice
.. 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.
6
posted on
03/25/2003 6:54:53 PM PST
by
Zipporah
To: NEJake
AFC East, anyway...
7
posted on
03/25/2003 6:54:58 PM PST
by
filbert
To: Justice
I love this article, but it has been posted like 5 times today.
8
posted on
03/25/2003 6:58:14 PM PST
by
PianoMan
(Liberate the Axis of Evil)
To: Justice
This is such a cool story! Dolphins are incredibly smart- smarter than most liberals.
9
posted on
03/25/2003 6:59:15 PM PST
by
rintense
(The tyrant will soon be gone... or extremely dead.)
To: PianoMan
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.
10
posted on
03/25/2003 6:59:53 PM PST
by
Justice
(One more for the pot)
To: Justice
NO search?....Wasn't this story posted early this morning?
11
posted on
03/25/2003 7:01:47 PM PST
by
skinkinthegrass
(Just because your paranoid,doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. :)
To: Justice
Dophins with laser guns lol, it's crazy; I think it's time to start training Octopi.
12
posted on
03/25/2003 7:03:49 PM PST
by
Darheel
(Visit the strange and wonderful.)
To: Zipporah
the PETA wackos I'm sure if Saddam had every single animal in Iraq set on fire, PETA would say nothing, absolutely nothing.
13
posted on
03/25/2003 7:04:36 PM PST
by
laz17
(Socialism is the religion of the atheist.)
To: Justice
14
posted on
03/25/2003 7:04:57 PM PST
by
Calpernia
(http://www.politicsandprotest.org/attack.swf)
To: Zipporah
Maybe PETA will go in as Dolphin Shields ^-^
15
posted on
03/25/2003 7:06:55 PM PST
by
Calpernia
(http://www.politicsandprotest.org/attack.swf)
To: Calpernia
.. 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. :-)
16
posted on
03/25/2003 7:37:26 PM PST
by
Yankee
To: Yankee
Fresh tuna is GREAT! Wonder what is actually in that canned stuff :P
17
posted on
03/25/2003 7:39:02 PM PST
by
Calpernia
(http://www.politicsandprotest.org/attack.swf)
To: rintense
Almost lost the keyboard on that comment--good one!
18
posted on
03/25/2003 8:59:17 PM PST
by
exit82
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