Post Ping Ergo Propter Ping?

I tend to doubt both that the submarine in this story used active sonar and that it would have caused dozens of dolphins to learn about natural selection the hard way. Nevertheless, this story is interesting for how much emphasis it places on the dolphins, and how little it places on the safety of the men involved in the naval exercises in question. This includes the statement of LCDR Sommer.

"This is absolutely high priority," said Lt. Cdr. Jensin Sommer, spokeswoman for Norfolk, Va.-based Naval Submarine Forces. "We are looking into this. We want to be good stewards of the environment, and any time there are strandings of marine mammals, we look into the operations and locations of any ships that might have been operating in that area."

But suppose it turns out that the submarine did use sonar and that the sonar likely caused the dolphins to die. Consider the hue and cry that will come from PETA et al. (and likely will no matter what). I doubt it would have gone over too well back in World War II and it shouldn't now.

Our submarines very rarely use active sonar and when they do, lives are at stake. Whether such a capability is used for collision avoidance or to train personnel to function properly (via drills or other exercises), lives of servicemen are at stake. While it is true that the Navy takes care to avoid events like this, I'd like to see Naval officials and politicians alike stress the importance of protecting the lives of those serving on submarines. Not only should these officials do so because we are fighting a war, but the lives of those involved in that exercise far outweigh those of a bunch of dolphins.

-- CAV