Navy To Deploy Anti-Terrorism Dolphins

[matcom]

<snip>

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a military base in Washington state, the Navy said Monday. In a notice published in this week's Federal Register, the Navy said it needs to bolster security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, on the Puget Sound close to Seattle.

The base is home to submarines, ships and laboratories and is potentially vulnerable to attack by terrorist swimmers and scuba divers, the notice states.

Several options are under consideration, but the preferred plan would be to send as many as 30 California sea lions and Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins from the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, based in San Diego.

"These animals have the capabilities for what needs to be done for this particular mission," said Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal Program.

LaPuzza said that because of their astonishing sonar abilities, dolphins are excellent at patrolling for swimmers and divers. When a Navy dolphin detects a person in the water, it drops a beacon. This tells a human interception team where to find the suspicious swimmer.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DOLPHIN_DEFENDERS?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=US

[KenHodson]

1. ABOUT FRIGGIN TIME!

[KenHodson]

2. But it sure seems costly just to nab "suspicious swimmers"

Hell, if they are looking to arrest suspicious swimmers, just go to the downtown senior rec center right before they close.