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Military Dolphins Discover 1800s Torpedo

Posted by timothy on from the dolphins-what-can't-they-do? dept.

First time accepted submitter The0retical writes "A couple of mine-sweeping dolphins dredged up what is known as a 'Howell torpedo' dating from 1870 to 1889. Only 50 were ever produced, this being the second example known to exist. The 11-foot-long brass torpedo had a maximum range and speed of 400 yards at 25 knots. The new example will be displayed at Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Wash. alongside the only other example."

8 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. Wait, dolphins? by Quinn_Inuit · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We have mine-sweeping dolphins that actually find stuff? That strikes me as way more important than the torpedo. It's not that the torpedo is unimportant, but we've got one of those already.

    --

    Stop learning! Only you can prevent esoterrorism.
  2. Redundancy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seriously - there are only two in existence, so they're displayed side by side in the same museum?

    How wasteful is that? The US Navy has like a dozen museums, scattered all over the country. Why not share the bounty about a bit?

  3. Re:50 or 2? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Only 50 were ever produced, this being the second example known to exist."

    If there are 50 produced, then there are 50 known to exist.

    There are 50 known to have existed, but many of them may no longer exist. See, torpedoes occasional blow themselves up, a minor design flaw that means they sometimes stop existing, at least in the form of a torpedo.

  4. False positives? by Kwyj1b0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The LA times report mentions that another dolphin had alerted them a few days ago, but the operator didn't send anyone to check it out because they didn't expect to find anything. Does the system have a large number of false positives?

    1. Re:False positives? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't read that as indicating any percentage of false positives. The operator was simply looking for something specific, within a definite area. He KNEW that certain items had been deposited within strictly defined areas. Because this item was found outside of those areas, he wasn't interested enough to investigate. Apparently he recorded and reported the "hit" because days later when another "hit" was made, it was investigated.

      In effect, "They've found something, but I don't think it's what we're looking for."

      --
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  5. Makes no Sense by craigminah · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So only two are known to exist? Why display them both at the same location? Do people who see one need to see the other or can you share your rare discovery with more than one museum? I'd think having the only two torpedoes of a type at the same location would risk losing them both if something were to happen to that facility (e.g. fire).

  6. Re:A more informative article link by jonfr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You are mistaken, there are no editors on Slashdot.

  7. Re:1800s has a specific meaning. by ceoyoyo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The world disagrees with you.