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The Navy uses hardware and unarmed instrumented test equipment that may be launched from ships or dropped from planes into the ocean. Traditionally, these items were recovered by human divers. However, humans are restricted to short periods of working time on the bottom and can also be hampered by poor visibility, currents, and the requirement for surface support. To meet this need, the Navy developed the MK 5 "QuickFind" Marine Mammal System (MMS).
The MK 5 "QuickFind" system first demonstrated its capabilities when it recovered an ASROC (Anti Submarine Rocket) MK 17 from 180 feet of water in November of 1970. The MK 5 MMS became operational in 1975 and uses California sea lions to locate and attach recovery hardware to underwater objects such as practice mines. Some of these mines are equipped with a device called a pinger that sends out a tone to help the sea lion locate them. For this, the sea lion may have to dive to depths of 500 feet or more. The QuickFind system consists of a small rubber boat, a sea lion, and two or three handlers. When the boat arrives at the recovery site, the sea lion is sent over the side and given a bite plate to which an attachment device is mounted. The sea lion locates the object by using its exceptional low light vision and directional hearing to locate the undersea object. A strong line tied to the bite plate is payed out from the boat as the sea lion swims down and attaches the device. To be sure the connection is complete, the sea lion tests it by pulling back on the bite plate a few times. The sea lion then releases the bite plate and returns to the boat for a well-deserved reward of fish while the recovery vessel pulls the object to the surface.
The MK 5 "QuickFind" system provides an inexpensive method to recover submerged objects. Cost analyses have shown that this system is much less expensive for recovery than the use of dive teams or remotely operated vehicles (ROV). The sea lions' natural swimming ability makes it ideal for working in this environment and they are not hampered by decompression times. Their speed and agility allow them to recover objects much quicker than the mechanical options. The MK 5 MMS has also located submerged vehicles in a lake and had the opportunity to recover victims (dummies) in a simulated airplane crash.
As of 1 October 2005, SSC Pacific has taken over the daily operations of MK 5 after many years of being part of EODMU THREE.
Requesting Services
The use of the MK 5 "QuickFind" MMS to recover objects is not limited to Navy assets. The system is available for tasking from any branch of the armed forces or RDT&E labs. In most cases the cost for employing MK 5 is limited to travel and per diem expenses. To request the recovery services of the MK 5 "QuickFind" MMS please download and fill out the following request form:
QuickFind Services Request Form.doc or
QuickFind Services Request Form.txt
Email the completed form or any other inquiries to: QuickFind (at) spawar.navy.mil
(Replace the (at) with an ampersand (@))
