130-year-old torpedo: US Navy dolphins found rare torpedo
Credit: Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR)
The self-propelled Howell torpedo was found last March by a bottlenose dolphin named Ten and was confirmed by another dolphin named Spetz.
Christian Harris, operations manager with the Navy Marine Mammal Program, explained that "A diver went down and began to sweep the dust and debris off, and they realized that they had found something significant. Subsequently, it was recovered, and that’s when the light went on that what the dolphins had discovered was a really old marine artifact."
The Navy however cannot explain how and why the torpedo was stucked in the waters off San Diego.
These torpedoes were reportedly named after its inventor, Lt. Cmdr. John A. Howell.
US Navy battleships and torpedo boats were reportedly armed with these Howell torpedoes from 1870 to 1889.
A Howell torpedo measures about 11 feet long and uses a 132-pound flywheel to propel itself up to 400 yards at a speed of 25 knots.
Below is a video of the 130-year-old Howell torpedo found by US Navy-trained dolphins.
130-year-old torpedo found by US Navy dolphins
Credit: US Navy
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