Icelandic US Navy Seal Passes Away Skip to content

Icelandic US Navy Seal Passes Away

The Icelandic seal Gunnar, which serviced the US Navy, has passed away at the age of 38. Born in Iceland in 1973, Gunnar was adopted by an American soldier who arranged for the seal to be trained to work for the navy.

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A seal at the Reykjavík Zoo. Photo by Páll Kjartansson.

During the Cold War, Gunnar helped the US Navy out with various tasks, such as picking up objects on the ocean floor at depths of up to 150 meters, placing or removing objects in certain locations and using a screwdriver, to name a few of his skills, ruv.is reports.

Gunnar retired in 1979 and was placed in a zoo in Washington where he spent the remainder of his days. His bloodline will continue, because he has some descendants at the zoo.

Click here to read another recent seal story.

ESA

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