SEA LIONS IN THE WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 81, 7 April 1931, Page 7

SEA LIONS IN THE WAR.

DETECTION OF SUBMARINES

LONDON, April 2,

How sea-lions, like white mice, canaries and other creatures, did their bit in the Great War, has been disclosed by Captain Joseph Woodward, ex-trainer of a troupe of performing sea-lions, who for nearly two yeara placed himself and his troupe at the disposal of the research department of the Admiralty. The idea was to use the sea-lion's acute . hearing to detect German submarines and enable the dropping of depth charges. He told the "Star" that with his own sea-lions, reinforced by others from the Zoo, all muzzled with -piano wire to prevent their catching fish, a series of experiments was conducted at the Westminster swimming baths in the presence of admirals and experts. The sea-lions were taught to 6\vim towards underwater bpzzers. Later training began at Lake Bala, in North Wales, where the sea-lions were taken out in crates on motor launches and learned to locate apparatus making a [humming sound resembling submarines' engines.

Each sea-lion towed a light buov, marking its course when circling the apparatus. The sea-lions were finally able to detect the apparatus from five miles distant. They were thereupon moved into the English Channel for actual tests against submarines, in which

they proved themselves superior to hydrophones, then at an early stage of development. The experiment was abandoned when the Germans began operating with groups of submarines, against which listening devices were comparatively ineffective. .