![]() In 1960, the United States Navy implemented a program using dolphins and sea lions to help with defense and the design of new submarines and underwater weapons. Navy use their superior underwater vision to detect enemy swimmers. Navy states that it has never trained “its marine mammals to harm or injure humans in any fashion or to carry weapons to destroy ships.” But with other countries now acquiring and training sea mammals, could the employment of animals in offensive battle roles be just around the corner? In March 2000, however, the Russian Navy transferred their military dolphins to Iran, and the chief trainer has been carrying on his research there. The only other country to have had a similar, long-standing project has been Russia, which closed its marine mammal program in the early 1990s. Navy Marine Mammal Program, established more than 40 years ago and based in San Diego, California, dolphins and sea lions are trained to assist in military missions. Human divers are then sent in to destroy the explosives. Some of these dolphins have been trained to find mines and mark their location by dropping an acoustic transponder. And in 2003, the Navy flew nine dolphins to an Iraqi port on the Persian Gulf to identify mines.In the future, will more animals be enlisted in navies around the world? ©Candice Gaukel AndrewsĪ squad of about 80 bottle-nosed dolphins is presently serving in the U.S. Navy dolphins named Garth, John, Slan, Tinker and Toad were stationed in Cam Ranh Bay and worked to prevent enemy swimmers from attacking an ammunition pier, according to MIT Technology Review. One of the first uses of defensive dolphins was by the U.S. (The Navy's program was declassified in the early 1990s, though its website still reminds people not to believe the rumors reinforced in the popular 1973 sci-fi thriller The Day of the Dolphin - in which dolphins are trained as offensive weapons.) It operates out of San Diego, where it trains bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to "detect, locate, mark and recover objects in harbors, coastal areas, and at depth in the open sea," according to the program's webpage. established the Navy's Marine Mammal Program in 1959. Here's a look at why dolphins make good defenders and which countries rely on them. ![]() Navy has a history of similar programs, and it trains dolphins as well as seals for similar purposes to this day. ![]() "The Ukrainian work that pre-dated the seizure of Crimea was a continuation of existing programmes, and we know the Russians seem to be using other marine mammals, including belugas in the Arctic," Lambert added in an email.Īnd Russia isn't the only country to do this kind of work with marine mammals. Russia took control of the unit after it annexed Crimea in 2014, and it expanded the program once again. That particular unit transitioned to the Ukrainian military when the Soviet Union collapsed, Sutton explained, but "barely stayed open," despite attempts to remain operational. ![]() Indeed, the Soviet navy ran several marine-mammal programs during the Cold War, including training dolphins near Sevastopol. The firm also provided new satellite images, taken on Friday and showing a closer view of dolphin pens in the water at the entrance to the bay.Īndrew Lambert, a professor of naval history at King's College London, told NPR that he isn't surprised by the use of defense dolphins in the conflict, since they were in Sevastopol's harbor "long before it started." The Maxar News Bureau confirmed to NPR that it agrees with that analysis. Ukraine invasion - explained Russia now says 1 crew member died, 27 are missing in the sinking of its warship
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |