- Who
- Bottlenose dolphin
- What
- first
- Where
- Vietnam (Cam Ranh Bay)
- When
- 1970
The earliest use of marine mammals in active military defence was during the Vietnam War between 1970–71, when five US Navy bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were sent to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam to defend US military boats from enemy swimmers.
This followed on from the first successful open-sea military exercise using a dolphin, near La Jolla, California, USA in 1965. 'Tuffy' dove 60 m (200 ft) to deliver supplies to Sea Lab II installation and also guided swimmers to safety.
The animals are used as a defensive, not an attacking weapon. Their sonar and diving capabilities, plus the fact that they are very responsive to training makes these animals ideal for such military manouvers. Since 1975, sealions and beluga whales have also been introduced.
The most recent employement of dolphins in active duty was during the Umm Qasr mission, in the waters off southern Iraq in March 2003. The team of dolphins were trained by the US to detect underwater mines in the Gulf, so that military boats and ships loaded with humanitarian aid could pass safely. The dolphins were trained not to touch the mines, but to release a balloon showing the location of the explosive.
