Navy diver (United States Navy)
Navy Diver | |
---|---|
Issued by | United States Navy |
Type | Enlisted rating |
Abbreviation | ND |
Specialty | Diving Harbor clearance Experimental diving Ship husbandry Submarine rescue Special Operations support Underwater Construction Teams |
A United States Navy diver refers to a service personnel that may be a restricted fleet line (Engineering Duty) officer,
The U.S. Navy is the lead agency in military diving technology and training within the
History through World War II
The US Navy began employing divers in the middle of the 1800s; these were mostly swimmers and skin divers using techniques that had not been altered for hundreds of years. Duties included the salvage and repair of ships, construction work and military operations, including the
In 1898, Navy divers were briefly involved in an international crisis when the second-class armored battleship
As American technology expanded in the early 1900s the US Navy developed an interest in submarine warfare. However, throughout the period of 1912–1939, the development of the Navy's F-class, H-class and S-class submarines was marred by a series of accidents, collisions, and sinkings. As a result of these submarine disasters a corresponding growth in the Navy's diving capability was developed.
Until 1912, US Navy divers rarely went below 60 FSW (feet of seawater). There is little documentation that the Navy had a diving program prior to 1912.[3] In that year, Chief Gunner George D. Stillson set up a program to test Haldane's diving tables and methods of stage decompression. A companion goal of the program was to develop improvements in Navy diving equipment. Throughout a three-year period, first diving in tanks ashore and then in open water in Long Island Sound from USS Walke,[3] Navy divers went progressively deeper.
The publication of the first US Navy Diving Manual[4] in 1916 and the establishment of a Navy Diving School at Newport, Rhode Island were the direct outgrowth of experience gained in the test program and the USS F-4 salvage. When the United States entered World War I, the staff and graduates of the school were sent to Europe, where they conducted a number of salvage operations along the French coast.[5]
On 24 May 1939 four divers would earn the Medal of Honor rescuing 33 men off the sunken USS Squalus. When the Squalus went down twelve divers from the Experimental Diving Unit were part of the rescue. Those directly involved in the most dangerous aspects of the rescue received the medals.
WWII brought with it an expanded need for divers that began immediately after the December 7, 1941 Japanese
The creation of Naval Construction Battalions to build advance bases in the
The war itself produced an unending demand for underwater ship repair and salvage. In
When the Japanese took the Philippines a couple of the prisoners were USN divers, one was
During WWII, "diver" was a qualification not a rate. First class divers could work 300 ft (91 m) depths while salvage and second class divers were qualified down to 150 ft (46 m).
Post World War II
At
The Korean War brought development to USN diving. In October 1950 USS Pledge struck a mine in Wosan harbor and sank. A UDT diver using an Aqualung located and marked the ships location for surface supported hard hat divers to return and destroy the classified materials on board. That was the first tactical use of scuba gear by the U.S. Navy. For the UDTs it marked a transitional change in their mission model and for the Navy it changed thinking of diving as a solely non-combat task.
The United States Navy Experimental Diving Unit is located at Panama City, Florida. There unit is composed of 120 service personnel drawn from numerous components of the Navy. It is their job to execute the U.S. military's special diving tasks like saturation diving.
During the 1960s the Navy had divers involved in two submersed projects, Tektite and SEALAB I, II, and III. On 28 January 1969 a detachment of 50 men[29] from Amphibious Construction Battalion 2 plus 17 Seabee divers began installation of the Tektite habitat in Great Lameshur Bay at Lameshur, U.S. Virgin Islands.[30] The Tektite program was funded by NASA and was the first scientists-in-the-sea program sponsored by the US government.[31] The Tektite project was a product of the Cold War. It caused the US Navy to realize the need for a permanent Underwater Construction capability that led to the formation the Seabee Underwater Construction Teams.[32]
SEALAB was led by Captain George F. Bond with divers from the fleet. SEALAB I, II, and III were experimental underwater habitats developed by the United States Navy in the 1960s to prove the viability of saturation diving and humans living in isolation for extended periods of time. The knowledge gained from the SEALAB expeditions helped advance the science of deep sea diving and rescue, and contributed to the understanding of the psychological and physiological strains humans can endure. USN Aquanauts of note include Robert Sheats, Robin Cook, Alan Shepard, Scott Carpenter and Robert Barth.
In 1966 a
Still in service, USS Chanticleer was involved with
In the 1970s Navy divers took part in
In 1975 the first female hard hat diver to be qualified was Donna Tobias. Ten years later
In the 1980s
.Post Vietnam the DOD has made an effort to recover the missing remains of US service personnel. In 2010 MDSU divers searched at Quynh Phuong, Vietnam for the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command or JPAC. They dove the Mediterranean for WWII remains in 2012.[35] In 2018 MDSU divers were again requested by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency or DPAA, which had absorbed JPAC. The divers were sent to the Palau group where WWII aircraft were known to have gone down.
In 2003 Divers from MDSU 1 and SUPSALV were given the task to remove 2,000,000 US gallons (7,600,000 L) of
Distinguished Diver list:
- William Badders Chief Machinist mate
- Carl Brashear Master Chief Boatswains Mate
- Orson Leon Crandall Chief Boatswains Mate
- Owen Francis Patrick HammerbergBoatswains mate 2nd Class
- James Harper McDonald Chief Metalsmith
- John Mihalowski Chief Torpedoman
- Chief Machinist mate Edward Raymer[39] (was the senior NCO of the first divers sent to Pearl Harbor after the attack, retired with the rank of Commander)
- 29 Divers received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for having over 100 hours in dive time at Pearl Harbor.[40]
- 2 Divers received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for diving during gale-force winds, in sub-freezing temps, snow, and possible air attack (including a nine-hour dive in 36 °F (2 °C) water).[41]
Training and ratings
The Schools
After completion of recruit training or acceptance in the Navy diver program from the Fleet, individuals will go to Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, for Diver Preparation Course (32 training days, including 20 days of basic electrical and engineering courses). Upon completion of the training, candidates will go to Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC) in Panama City, Florida, for Second Class Dive School, which is 70 training days long.[42]
The center has 22 different courses of instruction for roughly 1300 students annually. On average, there are 300 students in training at any given time. The training center conducts approximately ten thousand dives each year.[42]
The NDSTC is divided into Fleet and specialized sections. Regardless of their section, all candidates receive instruction in:
- Basic gas laws as they relate to diving.
- Diving medicine
- Decompression chamberoperations
- Scuba gas planning
- Diving physics
- Salvage operations
- Surface-supplied diving systems
- Use of all diving apparatus: Open- and closed-circuit rigs
- Underwater mechanics and tools, and underwater cutting and welding[42]
Fleet Training
Upon completion of Second Class Dive School service personnel are assigned to one of the Navy Diver Units to develop their diving and salvage skills. Underwater ship repair, salvage, or construction can be done using either SCUBA equipment or a surface-supplied diving system. Training for Diving Medical Officers and diving medical technicians is also part of Fleet training.
Advanced Training
Many experienced divers return to NDSTC for further course work so they can qualify as First Class divers or as Master divers. The first-class dive school is approximately 12 weeks in length. During training, students are subjected to numerous drills and tests. Some of the subjects include:
Specialized Training
A Navy diver gets specialized training in demolition and mixed-gas diving.[42]
Navy divers work in extreme conditions, performing various underwater tasks ranging from underwater ship repair, underwater salvage and special operations/special warfare type diving. Because their area of operations are so varied, they can be required to utilize any type of diving equipment for use in any depth or temperature in any part of the world. Certain diving qualification allows NDs to live and work at extreme depths for days or weeks at a time, a discipline known as saturation diving.
Navy enlisted personnel that graduate from second class or first class dive school; and ultimately
- Second class diver - E-4 to E-5 personnel. This is the basic diving qualification in the ND rating, awarded upon completion of ND 'A' School (pin awarded upon warfare qualification). Primary duties are to serve as in-water operators during various missions.
- First class diver - E-6 to E-8 personnel. Advanced diving qualification awarded upon completion of ND 'C' School. In addition to duties as a second class diver, first class divers serve as diving and chamber treatment supervisors.
- Master diver - The highest enlisted diving position in the Navy. Awarded upon successful completion of the master diver course which includes exceptionally demanding diving operational problems and acceptance by a master diver board. Oversees diving operations and train/qualify diving supervisors.
Personnel in the CEC Seabee ratings can qualify as underwater construction technician (UCT). Like other Navy divers, UCTs are primary in-water operators that conduct underwater construction and demolitions. The three qualification that the various rate can obtain with are as follows: Basic Underwater Construction Technician/ NEC 5932 (2nd Class Diver), Advanced Underwater Construction Technician/ NEC 5931 (1st Class Diver), and Master Underwater Construction Technician/ NEC 5933 (Master diver).[43]
Navy
Additionally, there is a scuba diver qualification primarily for those stationed on submarines to serve as sub divers in a limited capacity. Navy scuba divers are also trained at NDSTC at a 5-week course. Their duties consist primarily of conducting occasional inspections on the submarine they are stationed on. Scuba divers maintain their traditional Navy rating such as ET or MM; their diving Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) is a collateral duty, not their primary one.
Diving medical personnel evaluate the fitness of divers before operations begin and are prepared to handle any emergencies which might arise. They also observe the condition of other support personnel and are alert for signs of fatigue, overexposure, and heat exhaustion. The physical fitness test has been shown to be a poor predictor of job task performance.[44]
The test consists of the following carried out in the order given:[45]
- Swim 500 yards (or 450 m) utilizing only combat side stroke or breast stroke within 12 minutes 30 seconds (candidates are allowed to push off the sides when turning. However, if the candidate uses the bottom to stand or rest, they will fail the test).
- 10-minute rest period.
- Perform 50 push-ups within 2 minutes (Upper arms must parallel deck at dip and arms locked out at the top of the rep).
- 2-minute rest period.
- Perform 50 sit-ups within 2 minutes (Bent knees. Candidates hands must stay on the collarbone and the elbows must touch the knees).
- 2-minute rest period.
- Perform 6 pull-ups within 2 minutes (no kipping or swinging is allowed and the chin must clear the top of the bar on each repetition).
- 10-minute rest period.
- Run 1.5 miles (2.414 km) within 12 minutes 30 seconds.
Note: The times and quantities listed are for passing the screening test only. Each candidate's scores are submitted and the candidates with the top scores along with ASVAB exam scores will be selected and given a navy diver contract. Passing the physical fitness test is necessary but by no means guarantees the candidate a contract.
Health impact
A study published in 2011 by the Navy Experimental Diving Unit reviewed the long-term health impact on the U.S. Navy diving population.[46] The divers surveyed participated as divers for an average of 18 years out of their average 24 active duty years.[46] Sixty percent of the divers surveyed were receiving disability compensation.[46] One in seven of the divers had experienced neurologic symptoms of decompression sickness, with 41% of the divers experiencing one or more of the nine diving injuries surveyed.[46] Seven percent of the surveyed divers had undergone a joint replacement.[46] Eighty-six percent of the divers rated their health as "Excellent, Very Good, or Good".[46] When compared to the general population, the divers showed better mental health but poorer physical health.[46]
Ratings and enlisted designators
The navy diver rating was announced in Naval Administration Message 003/06 and consists of sailors with the following NECs:
The effective date of the ND rating was June 1, 2006 for E6-E9 (senior
- E4 (ND3) – Navy diver third class
- E5 (ND2) – Navy diver second class
- E6 (ND1) – Navy diver first class
- E7 (NDC) – Chief Navy diver
- E8 (NDCS) – Senior Chief Navy diver
- E9 (NDCM) – Master Chief Navy diver
Officer designators
Designation as a Diving Officer for selected:MILPERSMAN 1210-140[48]
- Unrestricted Line (117X, 112X)[48]
- Restricted Line/Staff Corps (146X, 144X, 210X, 510X)[48]
- Limited Duty (61XX, 648X, 653X)[48]
- Warrant (71XX, 72XX, 748X, 753X)[48]
- 1440 – Engineering Duty (restricted line) Officer[48]
- 510x – Civil Engineer Corps (staff) Officer[48]
- 720x – Diving (warrant) Officer[48]
-
Underwater welding
-
SEAL operations
-
Salvage Operations
-
Harbor clearance
-
EOD Cast and recovery exercise
-
SCUBA
-
Closed circuit
-
Saturation diving
-
Explosive ordnance disposal
-
Disaster recovery
See also
- free divepioneer)
- Clearance diver
- Diving gear
- Diving hand signals
- Royal Navy ships diver
- Underwater Construction Teams
- UDT
- Uniform Service Diver Insignia (United States) – Qualification badges of the uniformed services of the USA
- Military diving – Underwater diving in a military context by members of an armed force
- United States military divers – Underwater divers employed by the US armed forces
References
- ^ "Navy Expeditionary Combat Command – Diving". www.public.navy.mil. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
- ^ Salty Dog Old School (February 7, 2020). "Navy Diver: A Tradition of Honor!". Crows Nest website.
- ^ a b c d e f Navy Divers, Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin, All Hands, September 1944, pp. 26–30, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, Indiana [1]
- ^ "Navy Expeditionary Combat Command – Diver History". www.public.navy.mil. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
- ^ I San Diego, Decent into Darkness, Cdr. Edward C. Raymer, Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Rd, Annapolis, MD, 1996, p. 12
- ^ Navy and Marine Corps Medal: Howard E. Haynes, Hall of Valor: The Military Medals Database website, 2021 [3]
- ^ Diving Seabees, IV USS West Virginia, Decent into Darkness, Cdr. Edward C. Raymer, Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Rd, Annapolis, MD, 1996, p. contents
- ^ Salvage Diary from I March-1942-15 November 1943 pdf, Industrial Department War Daiary Collection, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in San Bruno, California
- ^ Salvage Begins: II USS Nevada, Decent into Darkness, Cdr. Edward C. Raymer, Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Rd, Annapolis, MD, 1996, p.29
- ^ 16th Naval Construction Battalion, Seabee Museum Archives, Port Hueneme, CA., p. 7 [4]
- ^ a b c d Diving Seabees, IV USS West Virginia, Decent into Darkness, Cdr. Edward C. Raymer, Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Rd, Annapolis, MD, 1996, p.126-7
- ^ Diver's Ingenuity: II USS Nevada, Decent into Darkness, Cdr. Edward C. Raymer, Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Rd, Annapolis, MD, 1996, p.32
- ^ Pearl Harbor Navy salvage diver Ken Hartle dies at 103, Navy Times, January 28, 2017 [5]
- ^ Recovery of Bodies: USS Arizona, Decent into Darkness, Cdr. Edward C. Raymer, Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Rd, Annapolis, MD, 1996, p. 82-5
- ^ Naval Construction Battalion 4 records, Navy Seabee Museum Archives, Port Hueneme CA, p. 6 [6]
- ^ Water Temperature Table of the Alaska Coast, National Centers for Environmental Information, last updated: Sat Jun 06, 23:02:52 UTC 2020
- ^ a b c "Naval Construction Battalions".
- ^ 301st Naval Construction Battalion cruisebook, U.S. Navy Seabee Museum Archives, Port Hueneme,CA, 2020-01-22, p. 60, 61 [7]
- ^ a b CEC Bulletin, Vol. 2 February 1948 No. 15, Lt jg. Cushing Phillips, p. 45 [8]
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine I-7: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ^ Combined Fleet Decoded: The Secret History of American Intelligence and the Japanese Navy in World War II, John Prados, Naval Institute Press, 2001
- ^ Navy Diver, Joseph S. Karneke, Ace Publishing, January 1, 1962
- ^ a b c Corregidor Treasures, Philippine Sailor, Karl-Wilhelm Welteke, July 2018 [9]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Appendix A: Activities of Participating Navy Vessels During Operation Crossroads , DNA 6032F Operation Crossroads 1946, United States Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Tests Nuclear Test Personnel Review, L. Berkhouse, J.H. Hallowell, F.W. McMullan, S.E. Davis, C.B. Jones, M.J. Osborne, F.R. Gladeck, E.J. Martin, Defense Nuclear Agency, Washington D.C., 1984, p.305-7 [10]
- ^ a b DNA 6032F Operation Crossroads 1946, United States Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Tests Nuclear Test Personnel Review, L. Berkhouse, J.H. Hallowell, F.W. McMullan, S.E. Davis, C.B. Jones, M.J. Osborne, F.R. Gladeck, E.J. Martin, Defense Nuclear Agency, Washington D.C., 1984, p. 189 [11]
- ^ References: Section C:Target ships, DNA 6032F Operation Crossroads 1946, United States Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Tests Nuclear Test Personnel Review, L. Berkhouse, J.H. Hallowell, F.W. McMullan, S.E. Davis, C.B. Jones, M.J. Osborne, F.R. Gladeck, E.J. Martin, Defense Nuclear Agency, Washington D.C., 1984, p.249 [12]
- ^ The raising of the Skipjack (SS-184) after the atomic blast sunk it during Shot B of Operation Crossroads at Bikini, NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive, photograph courtesy of flickr.com via Don Cochrane [13]
- ^ All Hands, 8 June 1969, Number 629, Navy Dept. Washington, DC. p. 39
- ^ Seabeemagazine online
- ^ "Project Tektite: The Aquanauts That Lived in the Sea". August 11, 2016.
- ^ US Navy Seabee Museum online magazine, "Project Tektite and the Birth of the Underwater Construction Teams" by Dr. Frank A. Blazich Jr., Historian, US Navy Seabee Museum
- ^ a b Contact 261, Captain Lewis B. Melson USN, United States Naval Institute Proceedings, June 1967, p. 37 [14]
- ^ Seabee 71 in Chu Lai, David H. Lyman, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, North Carolina, 2019
- ^ US Navy Divers, alongside the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, DVIDS, Ensign Martin Carey, 10.18.2012 [15]
- ^ S0300-B6-RPT-010, 0910-LP-102-8809 U.S. NAVY SALVAGE REPORT USS MISSISSINEWA OIL REMOVAL OPERATIONS, COMMANDER, NAVAL SEA SYSTEMS COMMAND, Captain Jim Wilkins, USN Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, May 2004 [16]
- ^ S0800-AC-RPT-010, 0910-LP-105-8672 U.S. NAVY SALVAGE REPORT HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command Richard Hooper Captain, USN Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, January 2007 [17]
- ^ U.S. Navy Divers Recover Oil from Wrecked WWII Prinz Eugen, Lt. Clyde Shavers, CTF73/Destroyer Squadron 7 Public Affairs, Commander US 7th Fleet web page, Oct. 14, 2018
- ^ Edward C. Raymer: Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Hall of Valor Project, 2021 [18]
- ^ Navy and Marine Corps Medal, All Hands April 1944, Bureau of Naval Personnel Bulletin, U.S.Navy Washington D.C., p.55 [19]
- ^ Navy and Marine Corps Medal, All Hands December 1943, Bureau of Naval Personnel Bulletin, U.S.Navy Washington D.C., p.58 [20]
- ^ a b c d "Diver Training". www.public.navy.mil. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
- ^ "Navy Seabee UCT Diver Challenge Program". www.navycs.com.
- ^ Marcinik, EJ; Hyde, DE; Taylor, WF (1994). "Development of job-related physical selection criteria for U.S. Navy fleet divers". Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine. 21. Archived from the original on November 21, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Staff (6 Jan 2013). "SEAL/EOD/SWCC/DIVER/AIRR Physical Screening Testing Standards and Procedures" (PDF). MILPERSMAN 1220 - 410. BUPERS - 324 ). pp. 1–10. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Chung, J; Brugger, J; Curley, M; Wallick, M; Perkins, R; Regis, D; Latson, G (2011). "Health survey of U.S. Navy divers from 1960 to 1990: A first look". US Navy Experimental Diving Unit Technical Report 2011-11. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c NAVPERSCOM (PERS - 401D H ) ND "A" School Coordinator (30 May 2013). "Navy Diver ( ND ) Rating" (PDF). MILPERSMAN 1220 - 100. BUPERS - 32 4F Enlisted Community Manager. p. 3. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h DIVING OFFICER, MILSPERMAN 1210-140, CNO, 22 Aug 2002, p.1-6
Sources
- Supervisor of Diving, Naval Sea Systems Command, 2007. US Navy Diving Manual .(UK): AquaPress Publishing. ISBN 1-905492-06-5. Revision 5. Hardback. The complete manual for equipment, procedures and operations established by the Department of Navy.
- Supervisor of Diving, Naval Sea Systems Command, 2007. US Navy Diving Manual .(UK): AquaPress Publishing. ISBN 1-905492-00-6. Revision 5. Looseleaf. The complete manual for equipment, procedures and operations established by the Department of Navy.
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