Military dolphins, the ultimate defenders of US nukes

Daniel Brown
Updated

The US Navy Marine Mammal Program at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) started in 1960, when the Navy began studying Notty, a female Pacific white-sided dolphin.

Researchers soon found that dolphins had excellent sonar. The mammals went on to guard an Army ammunition pier in Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay, providing surveillance to thwart enemy swimmers, in 1970 and 1971.

In 2002, SPAWAR was allocated $14 million a year through 2020. But it wasn't until 2003 when dolphins were used to clear mines during the US invasion of Iraq.

Here's how the Navy uses dolphins to guard nuclear arsenals and spot bad guys in the water:

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