Sunday, November 22, 2009
Bottlenose Dolphin (photo: NASA)
Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Washington soon will have a new kind of anti-terrorism personnel to guard the nation’s Pacific fleet of nuclear submarines. Specially-trained dolphins and sea lions will be deployed next year in the harbor to detect intruders attempting to swim in at night. The program was devised by the U.S. Navy to meet new counter-terrorism guidelines that require greater security for the base where Trident subs, armed with nuclear missiles, are based.
Using Atlantic bottlenose dolphins for the swimmer interdiction security system has raised concerns from one local biologist who fears the local waters will be too cold for the mammals. The Navy insists the dolphins’ metabolism will be able to tolerate the cooler temperatures during their two-hour shifts. The rest of the time they will be housed in temperature-controlled in-water enclosures.
Dolphins already are being used to help guard the Navy’s base in King’s Bay, Georgia, home to the Atlantic fleet of Tridents.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Dolphins Will Be Deployed at Bangor Starting Next Year, Navy Says (by Ed Friedrich, Kitsap Sun)
Environmental Impact Statement (Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor)
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