Mil Tech — Dolphins Locating Mines
Apr 05 2010
Uncle Sam is getting a little bit of underwater help from some of the residents of the deep — dolphins.
Locating and marking mines at sea is a difficult process, but seemingly one that comes easily to dolphins with their built-in biological sense of echolocation. The U.S. Navy uses those capabilities in its Marine Mammal Program to train the animals — dolphins and sea lions — to detect and locate mines and other potentially dangerous targets.
Dolphins naturally possess the most sophisticated sonar known to man and can locate targets that are acoustically difficult to detect, especially in murky or dark water.
Sea lions are not only adept at locating objects in challenging conditions, they also have the ability to maneuver in tight spaces and can go onto the shore if necessary.
The Marine Mammal Program uses five Marine Mammal Systems (MMS) to perform an assortment of tasks. In the MK 4 MMS, dolphins are used for detecting and/or marking the location of sea mines that are tethered off the ocean bottom. Deep-water mines are easy targets for the dolphin’s highly-effective echolocation, and the mammals are able to operate in highly cluttered and rough seabed conditions, as well as where there is high marine growth and other complex acoustic conditions that hamper Navy hardware performance.
The MK 7 MMS dolphins are trained to detect and/or mark location of mines sitting on the ocean bottom or buried in sediment. These dolphins are sent out after the first troops have gone into the area and help clear a wider path of safety for additional troops and equipment.
The MK 8 MMS is a human/dolphin team that allows troops to quickly identify safe corridors for the initial landing of troops ashore. MK 8 operates with a low profile in very shallow water.
MK 5 uses sea lions and MK6 uses both sea lions and dolphins.
Teams of animals and sailors can be deployed within 72 hours and transported by aircraft, helicopter, ship, or land vehicle.
About the author: Alan M. Petrillo is a Tucson, Ariz., freelance writer who works in a wide variety of fields, writing for national and regional magazines and newspapers. He’s also the author of the mystery novel, Full Moon, and several books on historical military small arms.
