Project Quick Find

by Michael P. Wood

  Change of command brought a new group of trainers and some additional sea lions. From left to right: Leading Petty Officer Tom McHugh with Fatman, me with Sinbad, Mike Kelly with Akahi, OIC Lieutenant Don Ridgeway, Jack Kennedy, Chief Petty Officer Pat Gruber, Rick Hetzell, Eddie Felton with Gump, Gary Young with Snitch, and John Jauzems with Scooner. Coronado Bay bridge in the background.

  Me getting love from Sinbad on the dressing stand.

  7

  SEALS CAPTURE SEA LIONS

  Testing and demonstrating the best marine mammal course of action for the new mine warfare requirement would necessitate a much higher inventory of sea lions and dolphins. I do not know how or if any new dolphins were acquired. This new mine warfare requirement did lead to one of the most fun and exciting experiences of my time in the navy, and that was the capturing of sea lions at a rookery on San Nicholas Island (SNI).

  We conducted two captures at selected rookeries on San Nicholas Island, California, with one occurring in January 1975 and one during February 1976 under close supervision and oversight from NUC veterinarians and in accordance with all marine mammal act requirements of the day. LT Dan Healy and NUC Vet Jay Sweeney led the first capture in 1975, and LT Don Ridgeway and NUC Vet Bob Gunnels led the second 1976 capture. We were based out of SNI quarters and used the island icehouse to house the captured sea lions in a cool and wet environment.

  There were actually two separate captures in 1975 and 1976, but the elements and results were essentially the same. The main goal was to capture one-year-old males as determined by the scientific and marine mammal leadership that males would be the best choice. I do not know whether top-down guidance was provided on what specific rookeries we were to use, but we did seem to scout out a couple rookeries during a pre-capture reconnaissance.

  Quick Find crew prepares to load sea lions and equipment onto the cargo flight from San Nicholas Island to North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado.

  OIC LT Dan Healy and vet Jay Sweeney meet with the sea lion capture crew in front of the San Nicholas barracks for the first sea lion capture in 1975.

  OIC LT Don Ridgeway (far left) confers with NUC vet Bob Gunnels (far right) on a cliff overlooking a sea lion rookery, preparing a plan for the second capture in 1976.

  NUC vets Jay Sweeney and Bob Gunnels discuss the capture plan on a cliff overlooking the sea lion rookery st San Nicholas Island.

  The rookeries consisted of a mixture of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and elephant seals (Mirounga). The main difference between sea lions and seals is that sea lions have visible external ears. More obvious was that elephant seals were three to four times the size of the sea lions. The rookeries ranged in size and typography, with most of them on sandy beaches and a few of them on rocky bluffs. This difference in rookery locations significantly altered the capture approach, method, and concealment. We definitely had to be able to approach the herds from a seaward location so when they alerted and began their escape toward the safety and sanctuary of the water, they would actually have to run right by us to get to the water. This capture approach did rule out conducting any captures on the rocky bluffs. The beach captures caused us to have to come out of concealment sooner than we would have liked. We decided to cross the rocky shorelines and risk the longer out-in-the-open approach because it would cause less stress and eliminate or reduce injury to all the sea lions and seals in the rookery due to the sandy bottom.

  Most of us had never been on a sea lion capture except for some of the NUC personnel. Also, our capture tools and implements seemed to be rudimentary to include hoop nets, larger area nets, blocking boards, capture by hand, and cages.

  A view of the rookery on San Nicholas Island that was selected for the capture. A group of elephant seals rest in the higher section of the beach and the California sea lions gather on the lower part of the beach, closer to the water.

  Captors use the rocky ledges adjacent to the rookery to hide their approach to the sea lions on the beach.

  Captors stoop low for the final approach to the sea lion rookery to start the capture.

  Dan Peterson carries a large capture net down to the beach.

  Jack Kennedy holds down the hind flippers of a newly captured sea lion, waiting for the NUC personnel to check the sex of the animal.

  The NUC personnel showed us how to use the hoop nets on selected animals, how to capture a sea lion just by grabbing its hind flippers, using the larger area net to capture several animals, and finally how to use the blocking boards to isolate and herd an animal. All of these methods minimized the chance of physical injury to the sea lions but in some cases did cause injury to the captors. Captor injury was not of concern.

  In both capture cases, the pre-capture reconnaissance caused us to choose a beach rookery that was close to the rocky bluffs. This enabled us to sneak along the rocky ledges out of sight until we got to the bluff edge next to the rookery on the sand. Then we would climb down the rocky ledges and get into the knee- to ankle-deep water and leave the concealment of the bluffs. In most cases, the rookeries did not alert until we came out into the open along the beach.

  There was one case when captors were hunched over using the rocks and ledges to conceal their approach. One of the captors in the lead placed his hand down on what he thought was a rock, but it turned out to be a sleeping bull elephant seal that woke up with a start, rising to full height and bellowing out an alert that echoed across the cliffs, beach berms, and sandy beach. This caused the entire rookery to begin scurrying for the water and the captors to race for the water line to cut off the animals’ approach to the ocean. On most of the approaches, we began slowly from the water’s edge toward the sandy beaches and dunes, and that is generally when the majority of the sea lions and some of the elephant seals would alert and begin their running, waddling, and undulating toward and past us and into the safety of the water. Not all of the elephant seals would alert or run. It seemed that some of the larger elephant seals would still lie on the beach, never move, and barely look up at us as if in disdain of our puny presence. I guess our puny presence was not much of a threat.

  Jack Kennedy holds down a sea lion and the NUC vet inspects the sea lion bite wound on Jack’s arm.

  Captors lie down, keeping a low profile as they survey the rookery below.

  Captors weave their way through the rocky shoreline as some of the bull sea lions escape to the water.

  Captors crawl in low profile along a sand berm into the open beach area where the sea lions are becoming alert.

  A rookery of California sea lions alerts to the presence of the captors and begins running to the safety of the water.

  NUC corpsman and lumberjack-sized Rob Horseman weaves his way through the elephant seals to reach the sea lions.

  Dan Peterson (left) and Rob Horseman (right) carry their hoop nets and run up the beach to select and capture a yearling sea lion.

  The goal was to capture male yearlings that ranged in weight from thirty to fifty pounds. Obviously, we could not tell the sex of the animals until we captured them. So as we approached the herd from the water line, we would pick out yearlings farther up the beach and focus on a single animal instead of getting distracted by all the animals running by. Once the approach from the water line to the beach began, it all seemed to become a cacophony of loud noise, splashing, movement, and even a thunderous roar and vibration. A few captors would take a splashy wet fall as they missed their target animal with the hoop net or hand capture. It is true, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Not many tried to use the blocking boards or the larger nets during the initial rush, when the animals passed by us; the overall activity seemed to slow a little, but the loud noise escalated as the animals out in the safety of the water were still directing their loud barking toward those still on the beach. The dunes and rocky cliffs also added to the echo of the boisterous barking from the sea so the noise continued. A couple of captors even managed to capture two sea lions at a time.

 
Rob Horseman and Bob Gunnels lift up the hind flippers of the sea lion to check the sex.

  John Jauzems reconfigures the large capture net to give the captured sea lions more room to move.

  LT Don Ridgeway (left) holds the hind flippers of a sea lion while others check the sex of the captured sea lions.

  Captors use a large net to herd and capture several sea lions.

  Sea lions escape to the safety of the water and surf zone and continue loudly barking warnings to the rest of the rookery on the beach.

  Dan Peterson (left) holds a sea lion in a hoop net while Rick Hetzell (right) holds onto two sea lions in hoop nets.

  Some of the captors caught their animals during the initial rush, with most using a hoop net and a few capturing by hand. Half of the captors participated in the capture process.

  The other half of the captors started herding and isolating both individual and small groups of yearlings and capturing them with the larger nets or hand capture. There were a few that did not capture because they were needed to help the vets go around to determine the sex of the captured animals. If they were females, they were immediately released. The vets continued inspecting the animals, ensuring they were the desired age, and if too young or old, they were released regardless of sex. As things began to quiet down, the vets looked even closer to see if there were any outward appearances of injury, illness, or sickness, and those would also be let go. Each captor then tried to calm down each animal, and spare personnel began to bring the portable cages down to the beach. We loaded two animals into each cage and then carried the cages into the shallow water for a little while to help cool and calm the animals.

  Then came the long process of walking back up the beach, where four personnel would carry each cage of two animals through the soft sand, up the beach berm, and up the even steeper dirt- and crevice-riddled road to the top of the cliff or bluff where the trucks were parked. The roads were in too poor of condition to drive the trucks to the beach. We brought big water spray cans with us to keep spraying and wetting down the animals to keep them cool during the climb and while in the trucks. Once the animals were safely secured, we did finally stop for our own wet down, water, and meal break.

  Once we had the trucks loaded with personnel, sea lions, and equipment, we began the very slow and bumpy drive up the rest of the hill to the one and only road that circled the island. The drive on this road was fairly smooth and short to the island cement and block icehouse with running water.

  The captors took a short break at the SNI icehouse and then began to open the “barbershop” and the “Frankenstein lab.” Assigned captors then began to select, isolate, and hold down each sea lion to shave a small patch of tail fur to draw blood. Each blood sample was labeled and put in a slow shaking device to prevent the blood samples from coagulating. The vets then broke out their microscopes and glass slides to test and inspect each sample.

  I do not know what tests the vets were conducting or what their parameters were, but some of the animals were put back in cages and released back into the rookeries. The young male yearlings that were left had passed the sex and medical exams. During this testing process, there was one young sea lion that stood out among the group. Every time the guys would go into the icehouse to select another sea lion for testing, this one animal kept sneaking out the open door and escaping. He did this time after time to the point that we gave him the name Papillion after the famed French prisoner who kept escaping prisons.

  Four captors carry a portable cage with two sea lions to the water to help cool them down.

  Captors congregate around the sea lions in the cages at the water line. This helped cool down the animals before the long hike up the road to the trucks at the top of the berm.

  Captors carry the sea lions in the cages to the trucks on the hilltop.

  Captors have loaded caged animals onto the truck and stop for a water break.

  Personnel make sure the sea lion cages are secure in the trucks and begin the laborious process of driving up the rugged road to the island roadway above.

  Captors drive the trucks on the only roadway on the island back to the icehouse.

  Trucks pull up to the icehouse ready to unload the sea lions.

  Rob Horseman and Dan Peterson carry a sea lion out for medical exam and blood sampling.

  Captors draw blood from the sea lion.

  NUC vet Bob Gunnels and LT Don Ridgeway review the blood samples.

  I took a liking to Papillion’s strong spirit and decided to select him as my animal to train when we got them back to San Diego. Some of the animals went to NUC, some went to Sea World, but most would go to Project Quick Find and join the naïve animal training program for basic training behaviors and then later for the mine search and marking program the navy was starting.

  Young captured sea lion Papillion makes a break for it in the open doorway to escape but is corralled by a captor.

  Captured sea lions huddle together under the dripping water in the icehouse.

  The group of young sea lions got a one-day rest and recuperation period in the icehouse before the airline flight to San Diego. During that overnight rest period, we checked on the sea lions continuously, and some of us even stayed in the icehouse overnight to look out after them. We would sit on some empty plastic milk containers resting against the wall with our legs stretched out. A strange thing began to happen the longer we sat there. First it was Papillion. He waddled over and began to sniff my legs and then climbed up my legs until his torso was high up resting on my chest and he was looking directly into my eyes. I was a little nervous at first because although he was a yearling, his canines were right next to my throat. To my surprise, Papillion rested his head on my shoulders and went to sleep. I felt like a daddy with a newborn. Some of the other sea lions then did the same thing with the two other captors, Rob Horseman and LT Don Ridgeway. Three sea lions lay down next to Horseman’s six-foot-plus prone body on the floor, and one sea lion climbed on Ridgeway’s lap and went to sleep. We were under no illusions that these animals liked us; they were just looking for a warm place to sleep. It was still one of the coolest experiences ever.

  Papillion crawls up on my legs and rests his head on my chest to get warm from the cold icehouse floor.

  A sea lion crawls up on the lap of LT Don Ridgeway to rest and get warm.

  Six-foot-plus Rob Horseman lies down on a pallet and two sea lions crawl onto his body for warmth.

  A truck loaded with sea lions and equipment waiting at the Naval Outlying Field, San Nicholas Island.

  Airfield crew pushes the pallet load of sea lion cages onto the cargo aircraft.

  The next day, a couple more animals were released back to the rookery, and then we loaded up all the animals, equipment, and personnel and waited at the San Nicholas Island air terminal for our flight back to Naval Air Station Coronado.

  Depending on which capture it was, the flight conditions would vary from either a Navy C-9 jet to a commercial prop cargo plane. When on a passenger C9, we could not escape the requirement to show off the sea lions and discuss the capture on San Nicholas Island.

  Aircraft crewman secures Project Quick Find equipment and sea lion cages onboard the aircraft for the flight home to Coronado.

  Civilian and military passengers hover around the captured sea lions in their cages onboard the commercial aircraft.

  Papillion takes his first steps into his new home at the newly built floating sea lion pen.

  Papillion looks out of the fencing as he sits in the tub of water in his pen, where he will be temporarily quarantined from the other sea lions.

  The passengers also would get an occasional rude awakening when one of the grey plastic-cage inserts would leak and the sea lion excrement would flow the full length of the aircraft passageway. The sea lions were not concerned, or impressed, with the passengers’ GS-position or military rank.

  Once we arrived home, we introduced the sea lions to their new home, where food was plentiful and the wo
rk light.

  8

  MISSION EXPANSION

  A lot of things changed about this time, including personnel, sea lions, and missions. Three Quick Find plank owners were still around, including Hetzell, Peterson, and me, but we also received several SEALs from the East Coast teams, including Gary Young, Mike Kelley, John Jauzems, Chuck McPhearson, Jack Kennedy, and three new West Coast guys, Bud Dennehy, Tom Waples, and Eddie Felton. Some sea lion changes occurred, including new sea lions such as Sinbad the volunteer, Scooner, and Papillion, with Gump being transferred to Sea World. Scooner and Papillion were caught at SNI.

  Plank owners had the duties of training up the new sea lion trainers for the traditional ASROC recovery missions while simultaneously improvising methods, procedures, and equipment to begin training the new naïve sea lions, as well as coming up with ways to train the animals for a mine search and recovery mission.