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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
The Navy Is Depending on Dolphins to Keep the Strait of Hormuz Open
2012-01-17
The threat of Iran closing the strait has reached a fever pitch, reports today's New York Times, with U.S. officials warning Iran's supreme leader that such moves would cross a "red line" provoking a U.S. response. Iran could block the strait with any assortment of mines, armed speed boats or anti-ship cruise missiles but according to Michael Connell at the Center for Naval Analysis, “The immediate issue [for the U.S. military] is to get the mines.” To solve that problem, the Navy has a solution that isn't heavily-advertised but has a time-tested success rate: mine-detecting dolphins.
Article has lots of supporting links, so it's easier to check it out directly.
Posted by:gorb

#12  Just wait until Iran deploys its LR Shark, Killer Whale, or Crocodile anti-US Naval Suicide Jihad Unit???

* ION WORLD NEWS > [Bloomberg News] KEEPING STRAIT OPEN TO GET TOUGHER WITHIN DECADE [2021?] AS IRAN BOLSTERS FORCES [+ advanced MilTechs].

Iran at present is more a military nuisance than a realistic threat to the US = US-Allied - despite possessing certain good mil capabilities, ITS NOT STRONG ENOUGH YET TO PREVENT THE US, etc. FROM FORCIBLY/UNILATER REOPENING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ [or any area of the Persian Gulf] WIDIN A MONTH'S TIME AFTER ANY IRAN ATTEMPT TO CLOSE IT.

Truth be told, the USDOD per se could easily reopen the Strait in half the time or less save for the brouhahas of International Politics.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2012-01-17 23:23  

#11  Countries that depend on shipping for their economic life blood are being foolish when they threaten international maritime law. After all, turnabout is fair play.

Of course, with ~80% of Iranian owned tonnage now flagged outside of Iran, the flagging states would have the responsibility of enforcing a total embargo, which is what might happen if Iran did succeed in closing the straits.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey   2012-01-17 22:11  

#10  and the spotted luminous shark from Life Aquatica...
Posted by: Frank G   2012-01-17 22:00  

#9  Hmm SEALS, dolphins , Israeli killer attack sharks , angry sea bass all converging in the Strait of hormuz . Makes for a great movie ! But I rly wanna see the mutant jellyfish shoals akin to godzilla siZe , surely they exist too ! Don't tell me otherwise ;)
Posted by: Mac in Aus   2012-01-17 21:56  

#8  They call him Flipper, Flipper .... ....
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2012-01-17 20:20  

#7  I'm thinking some SEALS might be used as well
Posted by: Frank G   2012-01-17 19:54  

#6  The US has been training dolphins since the 1970s. Though the movie The Day of the Dolphin (1973) was a box office bomb, it impressed enough of the right people to give the US Navy the benefit of the doubt.

And the Navy used the opportunity to great advantage. Among other uses, dolphins can be deadly against enemy scuba divers (imagine being hit underwater by a 400lb dolphin at 35mph with little or no warning).

They can detect a one foot diameter object at 100 meters, and can tell if it is natural or man made.

The way they could be used against mines in simple and safe. When they spotted a mine, they give a signal from their GPS location. Then they swim a distance and give a second signal for the same mine. With triangulation, both a static and drifting mine can be located and destroyed.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2012-01-17 19:43  

#5  Thank you again, Mr. 'Pinch' Sulzberger, for advertising our technology. Not that the use of Flipper is a state secret, just that it's not always a really wonderful thing to lay all your cards face up while you're in play.

The Persians will now kill any dolphin they find swimming about. They're probably 'haraam' anyway.
Posted by: Zebulon Chusomp6100   2012-01-17 17:03  

#4  Operation Laces Out.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2012-01-17 16:40  

#3  Same concept as bomb-sniffing dogs. No big deal. Brilliant idea.
Posted by: crosspatch   2012-01-17 16:24  

#2  But they're playing the Mullahs who are definitely Division II...
Posted by: Steve White   2012-01-17 15:10  

#1  Dolphins? Didn't they just fire their head coach - and they need a decent QB?

Posted by: OldSpook   2012-01-17 15:05  

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