News

Reserve crews airlift dolphins home

  • Published
  • By Sandra Pishner
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  There are just some passengers a C-17 loadmaster will never forget. Like Spets, the passenger who just talked, and talked, and talked for most of the eight hour flight from New Caledonia to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

Although technically not passengers, aircrews from the 313th Airlift Squadron airlifted four dolphins from New Caledonia back to the continental U.S. at the end of November in support of the U. S. Navy Marine Mammals program, San Diego, Calif.

The dolphins were in Noumea, New Caledonia, for Lagoon MINEX 2009.

Lagoon MINEX 2009 is a humanitarian project in which U.S. Forces, along with French, Australian and New Zealand military, work together Nov. 9 - 20 to locate and dispose of more than 200 contact mines that were leftover from World War II.

The dolphins are integral to the exercise; with their biological sonar capabilities, they are used for underwater surveillance and mine detection, location, marking and recovery.

Tech. Sgt. Heather Normand and Tech. Sgt. Tim Long served as loadmasters on the mission and found that although the cargo was moving and breathing and wet, the loading of this cargo was not much different than any cargo they've loaded on other missions.

"The dolphins were in these big blue tubs with casters," said Sergeant Normand. "They were taken off the flatbed with a forklift and then we just pushed them into place and strapped them down."

Along with the four dolphins was an entourage of about 28 people, to include divers, handlers and veterinarians.

"The people who came with the dolphins were all there to ensure the dolphins' comfort and care. Throughout the flight they would scoop water over them to keep them cool," said Sergeant Normand.

The four dolphins - Spets, Koa, Katrina and Punani - were also kept comfortable by the aircrew, which flew at an altitude that maintained a cabin altitude of about 5,000.

"The handlers like to keep the cabin altitude no higher than 6,000. They also prefer that the temperature be in the 50s, but the lowest we could get it was 62 degrees," said Sergeant Normand.

With four open tubs of water taking up about six to eight pallet positions on a C-17 cargo aircraft, some spillage would be expected. But according to Sergeant Normand, there was only a small about of sloshing and spillover on takeoff due to turbulence, and none on the landing in Hawaii.

"(Lt. Col. J.W. Smith) used the maximum length of the runway to make one of the smoothest landings I've ever experienced," said Sergeant Normand. "Not one drop of water spilled out of the tubs. I almost didn't realize we had even landed."

According to statistics nickel mining and the fishing industry are the two main sources of commerce in New Caledonia.

Twelve minefields were constructed by the Australians during World War II to prevent enemy (Japanese) access to the New Caledonia ports where American troops were deployed. In 1944, the U.S. began a mine sweeping operation of the surfaced mines. More than sixty years later, the U.S., New Zealand, Australia and France have gathered in a joint effort to help a community by eliminating the remaining mines.

The 535th Airlift Squadron, Hickam and a Reserve C-17 crew from the 452nd Air Mobility Wing, March Air Reserve Base, Calif., took the dolphins to New Caledonia at the beginning of November to start the exercise, and the McChord Reserve crews brought them home.