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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."

19 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. The unwritten story by ColdWetDog · · Score: 5, Funny

    What was left unsaid (by the dolphins) was how many times the critters have found 'unintended' things and not told their handlers about it, but instead squirreled it away to their underwater hideout, planning for the eventual overthrow of human kind. They just felt that since this was so old and unusable, there was no harm in telling the Navy guys.

    Besides, they were hungry and wanted a snack.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    1. Re:The unwritten story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      but instead squirreled it away

      The squirrels are in on it too? Aww, nuts!
      -- posted from my radio tracking collar

  2. A more informative article link by Fluffeh · · Score: 5, Informative

    From the LA times.

    Serious editors, that link is even provided at the bottom of the crappy summary article you folks pointed to - and it is MUCH more in-depth.

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    1. Re:A more informative article link by Dan+East · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Meant to be launched from above the water or submerged torpedo tubes, the Howell torpedo was made of brass, 11 feet long, driven by a 132-pound flywheel spun to 10,000 rpm before launch. It had a range of 400 yards and a speed of 25 knots.

      Clever design. The energy in the flywheel was used for propulsion, but it also created a gyroscopic effect that helped it track in a straight line.

      --
      Better known as 318230.
    2. Re:A more informative article link by jonfr · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You are mistaken, there are no editors on Slashdot.

    3. Re:A more informative article link by adolf · · Score: 3, Informative

      Perhaps only clever in modern parlance; there was a time where flywheels were very, very common for energy storage. (And no, I don't mean the one between the engine in your car and the transmission.)

      That said: It spun at 10k RPM before launch, which also seems mighty nifty for the time until one realizes that the bearings only have to work once...

      --
      Kid-proof tablet..
  3. 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.
    1. Re: Wait, dolphins? by TheGreenNuke · · Score: 5, Informative

      They operate as part of the US Navy Marine Mammal Program In the early days of the program, various marine mammal species were considered including: killer whales, pilot whales, belugas (white whales), Steller sea lions, grey seals and fur seals. Other animals were used in various studies pertaining to locating personnel from downed aircraft and creating effective shark deterrents to protect them until they could be rescued.

  4. I've got one by gmhowell · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, I've got a 'Howell torpedo' myself. Banned by the Geneva Convention as a weapon of mass destruction.

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    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  5. 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?

  6. 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.

  7. 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."

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
  8. 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).

    1. Re:Makes no Sense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      From TFA: "The newly discovered Howell will likely be displayed in a museum as well.". In other words: it will likely not be displayed in the same museum.

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

    The world disagrees with you.

  10. Re:That sound you hear... by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't you mean steaming their pants?

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    Table-ized A.I.
  11. Re:Forget about the torpedo... by Bazman · · Score: 3, Funny

    Why else do you think Dr Evil wanted sharks with frickin' laser beams?

  12. Re:50 or 2? by lxs · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's not a bug. It's a feature!