Article

2012-01-17 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

The Navy Is Depending on Dolphins to Keep the Strait of Hormuz Open

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by gorb 2012-01-17 14:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

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

Posted by OldSpook 2012-01-17 15:05|| 2012-01-17 15:05|| Front Page Top

#2 But they're playing the Mullahs who are definitely Division II...

Posted by Steve White 2012-01-17 15:10|| 2012-01-17 15:10|| Front Page Top

#3 Same concept as bomb-sniffing dogs. No big deal. Brilliant idea.

Posted by crosspatch 2012-01-17 16:24|| 2012-01-17 16:24|| Front Page Top

#4 Operation Laces Out.

Posted by swksvolFF 2012-01-17 16:40|| 2012-01-17 16:40|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2012-01-17 17:03|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2012-01-17 19:43|| Front Page Top

#7 I'm thinking some SEALS might be used as well

Posted by Frank G 2012-01-17 19:54|| 2012-01-17 19:54|| Front Page Top

#8 They call him Flipper, Flipper .... ....

Posted by JosephMendiola 2012-01-17 20:20|| 2012-01-17 20:20|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2012-01-17 21:56|| Front Page Top

#10 and the spotted luminous shark from Life Aquatica...

Posted by Frank G 2012-01-17 22:00|| 2012-01-17 22:00|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2012-01-17 22:11|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2012-01-17 23:23|| Front Page Top

23:37 JosephMendiola
23:31 Bugs Glomoque3110
23:23 JosephMendiola
23:21 Super Hose
23:13 Super Hose
23:05 JosephMendiola
23:05 Super Hose
23:01 JosephMendiola
22:54 JosephMendiola
22:54 Big Chaising3512
22:45 Barbara
22:27 Ebboluling Theamp7972
22:16 Mike Ramsey
22:12 Ebboluling Theamp7972
22:11 Mike Ramsey
22:00 Frank G
21:56 Mac in Aus
21:48 Mike Ramsey
21:44 crosspatch
21:23 Mike Ramsey
21:12 RandomJD
21:05 Pappy
20:36 JosephMendiola
20:20 JosephMendiola