ENSIGN DARWIN

NAME: Darwin
RANK: Honorary rank of Ensign
SERIAL NUMBER: NA
STATUS: ACTIVE
SEX: Male
EYES: NA
HAIR: NA
RACE: Dolphin
AGE: 11
MARITAL STATUS: NA
PLACE OF BIRTH: Unknown
DOB: c. 2007
BACKGROUND: Darwin is a male bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) trained for special reconnaissance and a valued member of the crew of the submarine seaQuest as commissioned by the United Earth Oceans Organization. Advanced experimentation has made it possible for direct communication with the highly intelligent mammal through a shared vocabulary of approximately 125 words of English. In his infancy, Darwin was rescued from a tangled fishing net by retired U.S. Navy Captain Nathan Bridger near his compound on a remote tropical island. While nursing the dolphin back to health, Bridger formed a bond with his patient and began developing a means of spoken contact. As a full-fledged crew member with a commission, Ensign Darwin has been trained for deep-sea tracking and data retrieval. The dolphin can enter or leave the craft via a mammal port, a re-tooled forward torpedo tube. Once inside, he virtually has the run of the ship through an integrated, water-filled tube system covered by glass behind the bulkheads (Bridger's Folly a.k.a. hydropressure swim tubes). Thus, Darwin can see and be seen as he travels to important areas of the seaQuest where his skills are needed.