From: "Mark" 

"scuttled by animal activists."

I'm pretty well tired of those types, I'd say they can go suck eggs, but
that would probably be offensive to them too...

"Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
news:43379002$1{at}w3.nls.net...
> Rumors of the Navy dolphin 'swimmer nullification' program go back to the
> Vietnam era. Dolphins were also to be used in a project to work as guards
> at the Bangor Washington Trident Missile Base that was scuttled by animal
> activists.
>
> http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/whales/etc/navycron.html
>
>
> "Mark"  wrote in message
news:433788fd{at}w3.nls.net...
>> Seriously though, even in view of this somewhat Monty Pythonish header:
>> "Does the Navy *ask* the dolphins and sea lions to do
dangerous things?"
>>
>> I think that the dolphins would say, nope we ain't doing that dangerous
>> stuff, not until that Davis-Bacon Act is unsuspended 
> may be on another page though>
>>
>> http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technology/mammals/NMMP_FAQ.html
>>
>>
>> "Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
>> news:43375bff{at}w3.nls.net...
>>> Ah yes - I understand now. We get to invade Cuba if one of Castro's
>>> attack dolphins is spotted swimming up the Potomac.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Mark"  wrote in message
news:43374d54{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>> Way too complicated and far off Rich, it'll be Castro's
fault 
>>>>
>>>> "Rich Gauszka"  wrote
in message
>>>> news:43374912$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>>> Ands if they train free dolphins we could have an
armed ( flippered? )
>>>>> rebellion in the Gulf.  Although Bush will proclain
that US dolphins
>>>>> aren't responsible - It's those outsider dolphins from
the Indian
>>>>> Ocean that are the culprits 
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> "Mark"  wrote in message
>>>>> news:4337448e{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>>>> Finally, I know what the big deal is on the
dolphins in the news all
>>>>>> the time! I had been thinking, so what?, they're
out in their natural
>>>>>> environment again...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Now I know, hapless snorkeling fools off the coast
of Sanibel Island
>>>>>> may just get taken out, instead of taking out
shells. 
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Rich Gauszka"
 wrote in message
>>>>>> news:43373bbf{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>>>>> Think Flipper will have a wanted poster hung
in the Post Office?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1577753,00.ht
ml
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Armed and dangerous - Flipper the firing
dolphin let loose by
>>>>>>> Katrina
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> by Mark Townsend Houston
>>>>>>> Sunday September 25, 2005
>>>>>>> The Observer
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It may be the oddest tale to emerge from the
aftermath of Hurricane
>>>>>>> Katrina. Armed dolphins, trained by the US
military to shoot
>>>>>>> terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may
be missing in the Gulf
>>>>>>> of Mexico.
>>>>>>> Experts who have studied the US navy's
cetacean training exercises
>>>>>>> claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic
dart' guns. Divers and
>>>>>>> surfers risk attack, they claim, from a
species considered to be
>>>>>>> among the planet's smartest. The US navy
admits it has been training
>>>>>>> dolphins for military purposes, but has
refused to confirm that any
>>>>>>> are missing.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Dolphins have been trained in attack-and-kill
missions since the
>>>>>>> Cold War. The US Atlantic bottlenose dolphins
have apparently been
>>>>>>> taught to shoot terrorists attacking military
vessels. Their coastal
>>>>>>> compound was breached during the storm,
sweeping them out to sea.
>>>>>>> But those who have studied the controversial
use of dolphins in the
>>>>>>> US defence programme claim it is vital they
are caught quickly.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Leo Sheridan, 72, a respected accident
investigator who has worked
>>>>>>> for government and industry, said he had
received intelligence from
>>>>>>> sources close to the US government's marine
fisheries service
>>>>>>> confirming dolphins had escaped.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 'My concern is that they have learnt to shoot
at divers in wetsuits
>>>>>>> who have simulated terrorists in exercises. If
divers or windsurfers
>>>>>>> are mistaken for a spy or suicide bomber and
if equipped with
>>>>>>> special harnesses carrying toxic darts, they
could fire,' he said.
>>>>>>> 'The darts are designed to put the target to
sleep so they can be
>>>>>>> interrogated later, but what happens if the
victim is not found for
>>>>>>> hours?'
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Usually dolphins were controlled via signals
transmitted through a
>>>>>>> neck harness. 'The question is, were these
dolphins made secure
>>>>>>> before Katrina struck?' said Sheridan.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The mystery surfaced when a separate group of
dolphins was washed
>>>>>>> from a commercial oceanarium on the
Mississippi coast during
>>>>>>> Katrina. Eight were found with the navy's
help, but the dolphins
>>>>>>> were not returned until US navy scientists had
examined them.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sheridan is convinced the scientists were keen
to ensure the
>>>>>>> dolphins were not the navy's, understood to be
kept in training
>>>>>>> ponds in a sound in Louisiana, close to Lake
Pontchartrain, whose
>>>>>>> waters devastated New Orleans.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The navy launched the classified Cetacean
Intelligence Mission in
>>>>>>> San Diego in 1989, where dolphins, fitted with
harnesses and small
>>>>>>> electrodes planted under their skin, were
taught to patrol and
>>>>>>> protect Trident submarines in harbour and
stationary warships at
>>>>>>> sea.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Criticism from animal rights groups ensured
the use of dolphins
>>>>>>> became more secretive. But the project gained
impetus after the
>>>>>>> Yemen terror attack on the USS Cole in 2000.
Dolphins have also been
>>>>>>> used to detect mines near an Iraqi port.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

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