SEA LIONS AND SUBMARINE

Hokitika Guardian, 28 February 1931, Page 6

SEA LIONS AND SUBMARINE

STALKING U-BOATS BY SOUND. AY A B-TLAI E EX PERI M ENTS. LONDON, February 5. Not a few of the eivstwhile “hush hush’’ methods that were used to combat the German submarine menace have become known since the war, but it may be doubted whether many people have heard of the attempts made in 1917, to train sea-lions to ae\ as “U-boat retrievers,” writes the naval correspondeii t of the “Daily Telegraph.” Fantastic as this may sound, the

archives of the Admiralty contain the full story, which, in spite of the grim purpose behind it all, has distinctly humorous elements. Early hi 1917 there occurred to an officer of the British Navy the ingenious idea of training sea-lions to stalk submarines, just a« the sportsman's intelligent dog “points” the presence of a bird and thus gives his master the opportunity of a, sliot. Once a U-boat was submerged, its whereabouts become largely a matter of guesswork, and depth-charges have to be dropped more or less at random. ACUTE SENSE OF HEARING. Now the sea-lion, besides being a most intelligent creature, i« gifted with a wonderfully acute sens; 1 of hearing. Hopes were therefore cherished that it could be trained to detect the noise set up by the electric motors of a submerged U-boat. The sea-lion—to whoso body was attached a line, towing a Madder buoy which bobbed above the surface—would then swim round the submarine thereby betraying its presence to the patrol craft above, and offering an easy mark for depthcharges.

AA'hat would have happen to the “sea retriever” when the 3001 b charges of T.N.T. began to explode in the depths is not. told in the official reports, bill mav easily be imagined. Experiments were conducted at Bala Lake. North Wales, headquarters being established at Glanllvii, the fishing lodge of Sir AA'atkin AA'iTliarns Wynn. Near at band were, erected “stables” for liftv of the sea-lions. “Queciiie.” one of the first to he successfully trained, vas a female about three years old. lent by the London Zoological Society.

The animals were given preliminary instruction in a swimming pool, when their receptivity to various sounds under water was tested. 'Queenic’’ proved a particularly apt pupil, and as each successful attempt she made was rewarded by a generous meal of fisl, Hie soon !>"cani.. an enthusiast lor the game. A wi ,- e muzzle was liUe'i over ner mouth to prevent her from chasing rsE

At Bala she was taken out into the lake in a launch and released from lief crate. Some distance from the launch a sound-producing mochanism. endorsed in a metal case, was suspended well below the surface from a buoy. Alore often than not the .sea-lion would start swimming straight towards the soundproducing apparatus, 800 yards away, a lew moments after the mechanism lead been set in motion. On reaching the point where the “buzzer” was submerged, the animal invariably stopped, and then began swimming round in eiivies. Had the sounds been produced by si submarine there would have been no difficulty in dropping' depth charges almost on top of th ( . vessel. The range was gradually extended, until it was found that a well-trained sesr-lion would detect and make for the “Inizzer” up to si distance of nearly three miles.

One example of “QueenieV’ intelligence and agility may he cited. After having made a successful “point” she would swim straight back w> the boat, leap on to the gunwale, siud instantly clamber forward along tbe narrow giniwsile to where a bucket of fish was kept. As the boat was moving sit si speed of seven miles an hour, and the (listsince from surface to gunwale wsis about three feet, si sued ss| u| leap (allied for considerable- judgment ; but “Queenio’’ never inside si Isdse jump. To what further stage these singular experiments were carried, smd whether in (lie end, the sea-lions were actually used for the detection of submarines, j,s still a secret kept by the naval a utliorities.

All manner of mysterious anti-sub-marine methods are still being fried out by the- Admiralty, and startling rumours of wlia-f. Ims been accomplished are heard in the naval ports from time to time. 11 is conceivable, therefore, that the public may one day learn, to its bewilderment, that a flotilla of trained sea-lions, wearing the badge ol AIS (anti-submarine) Detector Ratings ban been added to the permanent establishment of the Roval Navy!