Marine Mammal Systems

The Navy has four operational Marine Mammal Systems (MMS) managed by the Special Operations Community. These systems are comprised of specially trained bottlenose dolphins and sea lions. The use of these animals natural echolocation system to locate objects in the water has proven effective and efficient at meeting many fleet requirements.

The fleet marine mammal detachment consists of four to eight dolphins or sea lions, which can be quickly deployed by strategic air lift to any part of the world and worked from a shore based or shipboard platforms. The fleet operational marine mammal system detachments are comprised of about 40 animals consolidated at Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit THREE in San Diego.

The MK 4 MMS is a four-dolphin detachment used for close-tethered, deep-moored mine-hunting and neutralization. The Navy is working to expand this system's capability to neutralize all buoyant mines.

The Mk 5 MMS is a four-sea lion detachment used for deep recovery. Sea lions attach recovery pendants to exercise mines, torpedoes-and other test objects equipped with acoustic pingers at depths in excess of 500 feet.

The Mk 6 MMS is a six-dolphin detachment used for swimmer detection and defense. These dolphins provide defense for harbors, anchorages, and individual ships against swimmers and divers.

The Mk 6 MMS is a fly-away waterside security system that protects high value targets in harbors, anchorages and individual assets against underwater borne intruders. The Mk 6 MMS has been operationally forwarded deployable numerous times since its initial deployment during the Vietnam War. This rapidly deployable system provides the Navy with its most comprehensive surface and sub-surface swimmer detection and response capability.

The Mk 7 MMS for mine detection, location and neutralization of proud and buried mines. The Mk 7 MMS is the Navy's only operational buried mine detection and neutralization capability in the mine warfare inventory.