2 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

SUPSALV SENDS

In This Issue

FACEPLATE is published by the Supervisor

of Salvage and Diving to make the latest and

most informative news available to the Navy

diving and salvage community. Discussions

or illustrations of commercial products do not

imply endorsement by the Supervisor of

Salvage and Diving or the U.S. Navy.

Articles, letters, queries and comments should

be directed to the Commander, Naval Sea

Systems Command, NAVSEA 00C, 1333

Isaac Hull Ave. SE Stop 1070, Washington

Navy Yard, DC 20376-1070. (Attn:

FACEPLATE). Visit our website at http://

www.supsalv.org. To view an electronic

version of Faceplate in PDF format go to our

website and click on the word “Faceplate”

located in the left hand column. This link will

direct you to our list of Faceplate issues.

Captain Richard Hooper, USN

Director of Ocean Engineering

Supervisor of Salvage and Diving

NAVSEA 00C

richard.hooper@navy.mil

Captain John Gray, USN

Supervisor of Diving

Editor-In-Chief

john.g.gray@navy.mil

NDCM (MDV) Danny Boyd, USN

NDCM (MDV) Fred Orns, USN

NDCM (MDV) Brian Pratschner, USN

Fleet Liaison Editors

danny.boyd@navy.mil

frederick.orns@navy.mil

brian.pratschner@navy.mil

Zoya Gorbunova

Production Manager

SUPSALV Sends ........................................... 2

USS NEWPORT NEWS Repairs ................... 3

SEABEE Divers Train the World .................... 5

PMS Corner ................................................... 7

La Maddalena Cleanup ................................. 8

USS RONALD REAGAN ............................. 10

Minneapolis Bridge Collapse ....................... 12

Centerfold .................................................... 14

ORCA Update .............................................. 16

MDSU ONE Receives U.S. Coast Guard

Meritorious Unit Commendation .................. 17

Deep Submergence Unit Diving Capabilities18

Atmospheric Diving Systems 2000 (ADS) ... 19

Salvage of the “Widow Maker” .................... 20

Captain Rich Hooper

Topside Decompression Monitor Future ...... 21

Command in the Spotlight: MDSU TWO ..... 22

Osborne Artificial Reef Cleanup .................. 24

New Air Decompression Procedures ........... 26

From SUPDIVE............................................ 27

DC Divers Charity Golf Classic .................... 28

Conference Announcements ....................... 28

Cover: MDSU TWO Diver during Minnesota bridge recovery efforts.

Greetings Navy Divers. A quicknote from SUPSALV this issue

focuses on NAVSEA’s efforts

to support Diver safety and

fleet priorities.

First, our team has

logged many weeks away

from homeport since our

last issue supporting the

introduction of diver lock

in/lock out facilities aboard

the SSGN and VIRGINIA

Class submarine programs.

Due to a focused team effort

by the submarine crews, NAVSEA 00C

and a host of stakeholders from both

submarine programs, the Navy and the

warfighting commanders worldwide have

a more robust ability to insert Special

Forces covertly in the war on terror. The

first submarines from both programs are

now certified and are proceeding toward

their first operational deployments.

SUPSALV’s efforts will continue with

the certification of the follow ships from

both programs.

Similarly, SUPSALV direct support

for fleet operations included efforts are

highlighted by a number of articles in

this issue. Salvage efforts associated

with the departure of the USS EMORY S.

LAND from La Maddalena, Italy

presented an excellent opportunity

to utilize the ORCA to support in

water decompression with oxygen.

This high visibility operation dictated

the diving profiles for which the new

air diving decompression tables were

intended. SUPSALV provided direct

training, certification, and material

support that enabled the tremendous

accomplishments of the Emory S. Land

Dive Locker, MDSU TWO detachments,

and other dive lockers to salvage tons of

accumulated debris.

 A number of notable diving missions

are also documented in this issue including salvage efforts on two

submarines. The real world

voyage repairs of the USS

NEWPORT NEWS by Divers

from the numerous Navy

dive lockers including the

USS FRANK CABLE and

NAVSEA’s diving support

contractor Phoenix International show the indispensable

role that Navy Divers played in

returning a severely damaged

submarine to a safe condition that

allowed her submerged return to homeport for permanent repairs. Similarly,

MDSU TWO has accepted a valuable

training event in raising a former

Juliett-Class submarine which foundered

at its moorings in Providence, RI during

an April 2007 nor’easter. Rarely, is the

Navy afforded a major salvage opportunity that can be performed in a

deliberately planned manner like this.

The training opportunity is enormous

and the lessons learned potential even

larger. MDSU TWO leadership has

taken on this significant mission with

support from U.S. Army Divers and

engineering support from the SUPSALV

Williamsburg ESSM Base.

Second, when not deployed supporting fleet operations, your NAVSEA

team is focused on the priorities you

have identified for us. These priorities

included:

Fleet introduction of the Extreme

Lightweight Diving System

(XLDS), which is completing the

Approved for Navy Use (ANU)

process and will be rolled out

at the 2008 Working Diver

Conference.

Otto C. Adams

Graphic Designer

oadams@roh-inc.com

(“SUPSALV ” continued on p. 7)
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 3

I

n January of 2007, USS NEWPORT

NEWS had a collision at sea with a

civilian tanker, Mogamigawa, in the

Straits of Hormuz. The Mogamigawa, a

Japanese owned tanker, was built in 2001

and is classified as a Very Large Crude

Carrier (VLCC). This super tanker

displaces 300,000 tons of water, 3 times

the amount of water of a modern aircraft

carrier. USS NEWPORT NEWS displaces

6,900 tons of water. The tanker’s blade

caused extreme structural damage to

the Main Ballast Tanks (MBT) on the

starboard side of the submarine. Eighteen

damaged areas were found, sixteen

vertical gashes and two large dented areas.

A quick response dive team from

USS FRANK CABLE responded on

scene to begin the damage assessment.

Additional dive teams and personnel from

NAVSEA 00C5, Phoenix International,

USS EMORY S. LAND, and SWRMC

were dispatched to assist with voyage repair.

When USS FRANK CABLE dive

team arrived on site in early January, they

began by mapping out the damaged area

in order to form a complete picture of the

overall damage.

This mapping was to be used to

formalize a repair approach. The entire

Navy dive team, lead by MDV Clouse

of USS FRANK

CABLE began

templating the

entire damaged

area (40 ft. by

17 ft.) with herculite covers.

The use of the

herculite covers

as a template

was a unique

and clever idea.

We were able

to get accurate

measurements

of t he extent of

the damage below the waterline. This new

information was

provided to Newport News Shipbuilding,

the planning yard, so it could be incorporated into a finite element analysis of the

ship’s structure.

Five days were spent performing

videoed inspection dives so all repair

activities stateside could form a complete

picture for structural analysis repair options.

The original repair approach involved

a bolt on plate design for all damaged

MBT area below the waterline. After further analysis this approach

was deemed not structurally

sound. The next plan was to

return a certain percentage

of ballast control by wet

welding doubler plates over

certain areas (Tears 1-4). To

increase the structural support, 5 doubler plates were

welded over tears 9, 12-15.

Additionally stiffeners were

welded below tears 5 and 7.

The wet welding was

performed by Phoenix International Incorporated (PII)

Divers. Phoenix Dive Supervisor, Lance Shupe, was the

lead supervisor for both day and night PII

dive crews. He also was the primary onsite

advisor for the doubler plate configuration. His repair knowledge coupled with

the PII engineering team back in Largo,

MD, and the structural requirement directives from NAVSEA 05P made it possible

to properly design, size, and shape all of

the doubler plates. PII, NAVSEA 00C5,

and NAVSEA 05MP2 determined the appropriate welding procedure and weld size

for strength concerns.

USS FRANK CABLE dive locker,

Phoenix International, USS EMORY S.

LAND dive locker, and the SWRMC delta

crew, worked around the clock removing

special hull treatment (SHT), rigging and

removing metal debris, and grinding and

prepping the damaged area for welding.

Torpedo tubes 1 and 3 shutter doors were

rigged and removed and 300 ft2

 of SHT

was removed.

The U.S. Navy dive team recorded

500 hours of bottom time.

PII recorded 430 hours of bottom time

and 212 pounds of nickel electrode were

consumed for a total of 117.7 linear feet

of weld.

USS FRANK CABLE (AS 40) Divers before in-water damage assesment.

USS FRANK CABLE (AS 40) Diver returns from Ballast Tank

inspection.
4 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

Upon completion of all

welding and initial NDT,

USS NEWPORT NEWS

conducted at-sea tests which

included an emergency blow

to insure the safety and completeness of all repairs. An

additional visual inspection

was conducted upon the

ship’s return to the forward

deployed site. All welds were

sound and all doubler plates

and stiffeners intact. A temporary SUBSAFE certification was given to the ship and

she sailed back to homeport

for permanent repairs.

The total repair time for

USS NEWPORT NEWS was

over 60 days. It was the first

time such a robust repair

was undertaken in such a location with so many teams

involved. All four dive teams

worked and performed as

one team. All teams became

a cohesive unit that worked and performed

off of each other’s work and made the entire evolution an outstanding success.

The fact that we were able to weld

such large doubler plates over a contoured

area was a special feat. This was something that had not been performed

before. Plates A and B (forward two

doubler plates), were the largest doublers

that NAVSEA had installed on a submarine. Most doublers plates are 1 ft by

1 ft. By the end, we had partially or fully

restored M B T’s 1, 2, and 3 functionality. This permitted a successful submerged transit for USS NEWPORT NEWS.

 The damage

assessment, repairs,

and re-certification of USS NEWPORT NEWS was

a combined effort

from entities all

across the globe.

The dive teams were

at the forefront of

the global effort,

providing the onsite

eyes and manpower

to evaluate, repair,

LCDR Carl Parks is an Engineering

Duty Officer/ Diver currently working as

a Project Manager at the Underwater

Ship Husbandry Division at NAVSEA

00C in Washington, DC.

and return the ship to limited service for

transit back to its homeport.

This collision sparked a review of

emergent voyage repairs for our submarine assets. NAVSEA is currently

researching the design of a fly-away

kit for SHT removal, underwater mapping, and underwater metal cutting. This

kit will greatly assist the proper and

efficient assessment of underwater

damage so an accurate and complete

technical review of repair options can be

conducted.

Repair Team; NAVSEA, USS FRANK CABLE, USS EMORY S. LAND, & PII.

ND1 (DSW/SW) Williams work on SHT removal and mapping.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 5

From 9-22 July 2007, Seabee Diversand support personnel from Underwater Construction Team ONE (UCT

ONE), based at Naval Amphibious Base

(NAB) Little Creek, VA deployed to

Odessa, Ukraine to participate in the

multinational training exercise Sea

Breeze 07 as an element of the Maritime

Component Commander of CTF 167.

In its tenth year, Exercise Sea Breeze

involved 13 different countries with

over 2,400 participants including

nearly 750 U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and

Army personnel. The annual EUCOM

Partnership for Peace exercise focuses

on NATO interoperability of maritime, air,

and ground task forces in addition to

peace support operations for the Black

Sea Nations such as Ukraine, Moldova,

and Turkey.

UCT ONE’s mission was to train

Divers from the Ukraine Mobile Diving

Unit, Latvia Explosive Ordinance Disposal, and Macedonia Combat Diving

Unit in surface supplied diving operations

and underwater cutting/welding techniques.

EO1(SCW/DV) James Igoe of Air

Detachment Charlie,

UCT ONE, was the exercise planner and was

tasked to deploy to the

Western Naval Base in

Ukraine with 20 tons of

gear to include the MKIII Lightweight Diving

System for surface supplied diving, underwater

cutting and welding

equipment, hydraulic

tools, side scan sonar,

and a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). He

ensured that all 47

Divers were trained and

understood the rigorous

safety procedures that had to be followed

in order to have a safe and productive

training exercise. All foreign Divers atSSTG Ivars Kuznecovs (Latvian Diver) entering the water.

tended classroom training covering the

diving and underwater construction techniques that are used by the UCTs. Petty

Officer Igoe stated, “Previously I have

participated in three multinational

DIVEX’s in eastern

Europe, so I was very

excited to be given the

opportunity to plan

and return for a fourth

time. It’s always nice

to see familiar faces

and work with friends

I have made over the

last few years. As always this DIVEX

went off without a

hitch, thanks to the

hard work and true

professionalism of all

the participants.”

The language barrier was eliminated

thanks to the assistance of our translator,

Sergeant Igor Zolotushkin, from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

He interpreted all diving subjects and dive

side terminology which greatly increased

the learning process allowing for more in

water training time for the participants.

When asked about his participation, Sergeant Zolotushkin replied, “Great exercise. Sea Breeze 2007 exercise was a great

experience for me as an interpreter and

as an NCO. I’ve gotten a lot of great

practice and useful experience by working with the U.S. and national dive teams.”

To increase training value and utilize

all diving skills and equipment, several

realistic scenarios were employed, such as

retrieval of a downed helicopter, locating

and recovery of jettisoned ordnance, and

repair of pier side piping system damaged

by exploding ordnance. Once the foreign

Divers completed the classroom phase,

they performed a dive with a qualified

Underwater Construction Technician to

ensure they understood the procedures and

familiarize them with the equipment such

as the MK-21 diving helmet in the water.

During the pier-side operational

phase at the Western Naval Base, the dives

started at 10 feet for gear familiarization,

progressing to underwater cutting and

welding. While some Divers were working pier side in the water, other Divers

were involved with using side scan sonar,

which is used to identify objects on the

sea floor. This training proved even more

valuable when they located a sunken

boat inside the harbor in addition to the

EO1 (SCW/DV) James Igoe exiting water.

(“SEABEES” continued on p. 6)
6 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

training project. The remote operated

vehicle (ROV), which has two cameras on board, was then used to view

ships underwater. Following that

evolution, the bathymetric system

was used to identify the depths and

slopes of the sea floor bottom to

verify contours and bottom profile.

Another test of interoperability

was communications. The UCT

technicians did a fantastic job of

maintaining the mission critical

SATCOM, HF, and VHF nets during the entire exercise to transmit

all reporting requirements to the

CTF 167 headquarters at the Western Naval Base, the Maritime Component Commander embarked

aboard USS DONALD COOK

(DDG 75), and other various U.S.

and foreign units. In addition to

the diving scenarios, we included a

communications related scenario to conduct a contingency related damage

assessment of a pier facility and transmit

data for further engineering analysis. We

successfully accomplished this reach back

capability via INMARSAT transmission

to NAVFACLANT, Contingency Operations Engineer Division in Norfolk, VA

to analyze the data and provide a notional

design for the repair. This reach back capability exercised our ability to communicate across the globe from anywhere

in the world for contingency engineer

support during any hour of the day or

night. We received positive responses

within minutes of transmission. Thanks

to James Gale and his staff at

NAVFACLANT for their assistance

and prompt responses.

LCDR Jurijs

Timofejevs,

Commanding

Officer of the

Latvia Explosive

Ordinance Disp os al Divi n g

Team explained

his goals. “This

is the 5th Dive

Ex we have been

involved with,

three in Baltic,

one in Georgia,

and this one in

Ukraine. Our

goal is to train

to dive in hot

weather environ ment and to train

Ukrainian Divers, with rebreathers.

Also participate in surface supplied

dive training and underwater cutting and

welding with the UCT Divers”.

CPT Fillip

Cvetkoski, Commanding Officer

of the Macedonian

Special Forces

SCUBA diving

team, was very

happy with the

training. “Five

stars for the Sea

Breeze exercise!

This is more than

a great thing for

a l l of us from

the Macedonian

diving team. We,

the Macedonian

“Wolves”, are very

much excited to

be here and work

with all of the

Divers from the USA,Ukraine, and Latvia.

This is a very new way of diving for us,

but with all of the help and teamwork that

we get around here, everything is so easy.

Everything is perfectly organized, safe to

work, and it is just the right place and the

right time for everybody to be here. All of

us working here together, we unselfishly

combine and share to each other the

experience that all of us have, and in this

way we learn more and more every day.

We also do have some fun working and

made a lot of new friends every day. At

the end “Two thumbs up” for everything

and I hope that we will continue the

mutual cooperation in the future!”

As Sea Breeze progressed, so did

the depth and complexity. While at 80

feet of seawater in the Black Sea, embarked aboard Ukraine based ship UPN

KREMENETS, the previous tasks were

performed in addition to light salvage

operations using underwater lifting

gear. As training for the downed

helicopter scenario, the Divers moved

more than 1000 pounds of concrete and

steel along the bottom with lift bags and

used underwater hydraulic tools to drill,

grind, and hammer. This proved challenging but successful. The diving experience

at sea was the pinnacle of the coordination efforts for all four nations involved

and cemented our bonds as diving

EA1 (SCW/DV) Sang Park conducts pre-dive brief to intergrated multinational

dive team.

(“SEABEES” continued from p. 5)

EA1 (SCW/DV) Sang Park instructs Divers from Ukraine, Latvia and

Macedonia while SGT Igor Zolotushkin, U.S. Army, interprets.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 7

professionals. Complete interoperability

was achieved.

“Sea Breeze 07 has been a unique

opportunity for a variety of Sailors, Airmen and Marines from around the globe

to train and operate together. The Divers

were a combination of Ukrainian, Latvian,

Macedonian and U.S. (UCT ONE). They

found that even though their language and

equipment were somewhat different, with

training and a little help from assigned

interpreters, they were able to achieve

interoperability. As it turned out, a Diver

is a Diver, regardless of nationality,” stated

CDR Daniel Daglio, Fleet Diving Liaison

Officer from NAVEUR for CTF 167 during Sea Breeze 07.

In closing, the exercise was a successful mission. LCDR Daniel Stoddard,

Commanding Officer of UCT ONE, was

grateful for the hard work and dedication

by everyone. “Sea Breeze 07 was a resounding success thanks to the unparalleled cooperation and participation by the

Ukrainian, Latvian, and Macedonian

diving units. I would also like to commend

Air Det Charlie for their detailed planning

LCDR Daniel M. Stoddard is currently

Commanding Officer of Underwater Construction

Team ONE located in Little Creek, VA.

U.S. UCT ONE, Ukraine Mobile Diving Unit, Latvia Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team and

Macedonia Combat Diving Unit conducting diving operations on UPN KREMENETC.

leading up to and incredible professionalism during the exercise...a truly fantastic effort by everyone. Additionally, the

amount of knowledge transfer from my

Divers to the other countries involving

new diving techniques, equipment, and

technology was tremendous. Many new

friendships were created along with

previous friendships renewed. In

the spirit of the Partnership for Peace

program, I know the positive impacts

of the enhanced interoperability will

be felt for many years to come. As the

only NCF unit to participate in Sea

Breeze, my Seabees were not only a

shining example of the great things the

UCTs do daily, but also fully demonstrated the Can Do spirit resident in

every Seabee. I am extremely proud of

them,” stated LCDR Stoddard.

If you are interested in Seabee Divers, please visit https://

www.seabee.navy.mil/.

· Contaminated Water Diving.

Numerous developments going

on here. Interim revision to the

USN Contaminated Water Diving

Manual was promulgated earlier

this year and is the precursor to a

complete rewrite of the manual.

NEDU is testing modifications to

the KM37 helmet which will

allow diving in Category I and

Category II contaminated water

conditions.

· Dive Computer. As with the

XLDS, the USN Diving computer is nearing the end of the

ANU process and is proceeding

toward a 2008 Working Diver

Conference roll out.

Air Monitor. Another significant

procurement and fleet outfitting

process will allow deployed units

to effectively test and utilize commercially available diver air

sources. The introduction of the

air monitors will significantly decrease the logistics required for

diving operations in remote areas.

PMS Corner

 The KM-37 Underwater Breathing

Apparatus (UBA) is now authorized for

Navy use. All commands having KM-37

UBAs must submit a PMS Feed Back

Report requesting addition of MIP 5921/

163.

 All commands using the KM-37 and

needing PMS prior to the issue of the next

force revision can contact the Diving Life

Support System ISEA, Mr. Kerry Duffy

to request this MIP. Mr. Duffy can

be contacted at (850) 230-3100 or

kerry.duffy@navy.mil.

(“SUPSALV” continued from p. 2)

Looking forward to seeing many of

you at the 2008 Working Diver Conference to discuss these efforts and solicit

your feedback on your needs.

Until then or until the next issue of

FACEPLATE, dive safe.
8 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

For 35 years the U.S. Navy stationed a

submarine tender at the Italian Navy

base on the island of Santo Stefano in

the La Maddalena Archipelago National

Park, located directly off the north east

coast of Sardinia. In light of the impending base closure it was decided in

December 2005 that prior to the departure

of the last U.S. Navy vessels it would be

appropriate to clean the debris from the sea

floor and leave the harbor floor in a condition befitting a national park. Soon, this

noble, and seemingly modest, idea would

turn into the largest salvage and recovery

operation of underwater debris since World

War II.

Initially, the decision was made to utilize Divers attached to USS EMORY S.

LAND (AS 39) in order to complete the

mission. However, this quickly proved to

be a case of over optimism. The first snag

appeared early in the operation as planners

realized that the primary mission of USS

EMORY S. LAND (AS 39) Dive Locker

was to support submarines and other Sixth

Fleet ship repair, not salvage recovery.

More importantly, following detailed reconnaissance dives of the debris field the

true scope of the job became apparent - a

14-acre industrial-style junk yard was sitting under 135 feet of sea water, and some

serious help was going to be needed to

complete the mission.

Following the resolution of budget

constraints, help finally arrived when a

detachment from Underwater Construction Team ONE and an

Ocean Facilities Program

officer from the Naval Facilities Engineering Service

Center (NFESC) took on

the task of a detailed bottom survey. This team attacked the task of completing a bathometric and side

scan sonar survey of the

harbor area, in addition to

taking video footage along

the seafloor with the use of

remotely operated underwater vehicles. Their efforts

provided a critical visual

picture of the extent of the

debris field, the undersea terrain, and

confirmed that additional help was

needed.

In June 2007, more assistance

arrived from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit

TWO. Eighteen Salvors

in the form of a Mobile

Diving and Salvage

Company led by CWO2

Dale Kasztel and NDCM

(MDV) Arne Phillips

went to work. At this

point, since all were

aware of the scope of

the job, USS EMORY

S. LAND (AS 39) Dive

Locker was assigned the

debris removal operation

as their only mission.

Additionally, a four-man

company from Explosive Ordinance

Disposal Mobile Unit EIGHT assisted

with hyperbaric chamber support and

LCDR Jeff Mathis was assigned as

Officer in Charge of the entire operation.

Fortunately, Poseidon was smiling

down, when CWO3 Ray Schubert and

NDCS (MDV) Rotan joined the team.

With this combined team of diving and

salvage experts the decision was made to

utilize one shore-based and one sea-based

dive side working, simultaneously; the

mission would be completed mid-December 2007. The one problem with the plan

was that there was no platform from which

to set up the deep-water dive side, no asset in La Maddalena, and nothing readily

available in or out of theater. The answer

to this issue was to have the folks at ESSM

Livorno and Cheatham Annex design and

build a suitable platform. The finished

product consisted of a 100 ft. x 30 ft. banana barge with a hyperbaric chamber

(FARC) and Morgan Crane to be used as

the required diver’s davit.

A major constraint to achieving a

quick clean up is that the island of Santo

Stefano is an Italian national park, so no

dredging equipment could be used and

every effort had to be taken to minimize

disturbing the bottom which basically

meant each item had to be picked up by

hand. Simultaneously, the shore-based

dive stations from MDSU TWO had to

be customized by manufacturing ladders

to fit various pier side insertion/extraction

points while lifting points capable of holding 10,000 lbs. (when filled) salvage baskets had to be identified in order to conduct recovery operations. The Divers used

Typical debris field.

MDSU TWO Diver prepares to go to work.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 9

lift bags to move the baskets up and down

the slopes into these identified areas.

Some of the slopes went from 55 fsw to

110 fsw and many times the 5K lift bags

were filled to capacity and debris had to

be removed to facilitate the up and over

phase. A majority of the diving was accomplished using a descent line in depths

down to 120 fsw but there was plenty of

stage diving to be done as well. The dive

supervisors flexed their watches while

using both standard air and SURDO2

 decompression tables while completing the

transition to the VVal-18M tables which

provided much appreciated flexibility for

the supervisors.

Additional forces arrived in midAugust when USNS GRASP (T-ARS 51)

arrived on-site with MDSU DET SIX

embarked. Det SIX quickly commenced

diving operations with a second deep

water dive side from GRASP fantail which

corresponded with a flurry of activity with

the bottom line being the shifting of the

end date by two months. There would now

be 75 Divers working simultaneously on

four dive sides with four separate crane

equipped dive platforms. An LCM was

converted into a garbage scow so it could

rotate between dive sides to pick up and

drop off salvage baskets, two 80-ton pier

cranes and three forklifts were constantly

carrying debris-filled salvage baskets

down the 30 ft. wide pier to properly

dispose of the refuse. As the work tempo

picked up, support personnel from USS

EMORY S. LAND and NSA LaMadd

were utilized and NAVFAC EURSWA

brought in the Crofton Divers and Shaw

Environmental for technical assistance

and additional resources. The three pillars

of the salvage community, MDSU,

NAVSEA and independent contractors

were in full swing.

With everything in place, on 7

September 2007, Operation Catfish lit off

full steam. It was intense. On average, 75

Divers dove to their max

limit everyday to depths of

130 ft. Each available Diver

dove: Second Class, First

Class, DMTs (it’s true),

MDVs, Diving Officers, and

DMOs. The team recovered

an average of 23,000 lbs. of

debris per day; scanned it for

radiation, and the process

continued through mission

completion on 27 September

2007, three days ahead of

schedule.

Operation Catfish was a

truly unique event. The dive

operation had many obstacles to overcome and its

success is attributed to all personnel who

participated. This was also the first time

seven decompression chambers were located on one site in continuous operation.

Almost every community in the diving

Navy was represented: Salvage, OFP,

EOD, UCT, Medical, civilian Navy, and

NEDU. Their combined hard work ensured the largest salvage project since

WW II was a success. Fourteen acres and

1,147,594 lbs. of debris removed, 1,415

incident free dives totaling 1,311 hours of

bottom time and a total of 88,000 man

hours expended during the operation.

Items picked up from the bottom ranged

from Military ID cards from the 1990s to

5,500 pound steel pier structures.

People ask what the most HOOYAH

item found was ...well being DEEPSEA

I have to say the MKV dive boot has that

distinction. Though at the end of the day

it wasn’t what we were picking up that

was impressive but the enthusiasm and

can do spirit of the Navy Divers who accomplished an epic mission!!! Dive Safe.

Grided survey area for LaMadd Harbor cleanup.

Picture of typical bottom.

Submitted by Naval Expeditionary Combat

Command, Public Affairs Office, Norfolk,

VA.
1 0 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

On May 1, 2007, SWRMC Divers(Code 990) commenced waterborne

repairs on USS RONALD REAGAN

(CVN 76) to include installation of 36

(200 lbs. -1000 lbs.) separate large

cofferdams with NAVSEA 00C5 flooding sensors, wet welding zinc anodes

onto sea chests in various location, wet

welding two large rope

guards, single valve repair/

replacement standby dive

team and replacement

of two of four 32-ton

propellers.

The complexities of

safely removing and reinstalling a propeller of this

magnitude while underwater is difficult at best,

and conducting two waterborne simultaneously is

unprecedented on the

West Coast. This repair

work was expertly supervised and manage by

NDCS(MDV) Anthony

Shepard, NDC(DSW)

Grady Morris, and

ND1(DSW/SW) Ken

McCormick of SWRMC dive locker

Code 990, and Mr. Jack Meirs of Puget

Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS). They superbly led a 25-person dive team consisting of SWRMC, PSNS and military

Divers from Yokosuka, Japan, and Everett,

WA, during one of the most complex Underwater Ships Husbandry (UWSH) repairs attempted by West Coast Divers.

NAVSEA 00C5 UWSH on-site representative was Mr. Scott Heineman who provided superb technical oversight during

these arduous and technically difficult propeller replacement evolutions.

Divers first set up various tools and

heavy rigging equipment on a 34-foot by

100-foot YC barge requisitioned from

NAVSTA, San Diego, CA with an assortment of NAVSEA 00C5 UWSH and

rented equipment to support this huge

undertaking, including a small

crane to transport gear from the

barge to the waters edge, a unique

floodable CONEX box and lifting beam used to counter balance

the weight of the propeller as it

was transferred to and from the

shaft to the barge, and pneumatic

tuggers used to transport gear to

and from the work site utilizing

rigging tunnels and snatch blocks.

Divers from SWRMC Code 990

wet weld crew first removed rope

guards utilizing hydraulic grinders. This allowed access to the

gland seal ring. Next SWRMC

Code 990 Alpha and PSNS Dive team

removed fairing plates from the dunce cap

and placed a balance beam and a five ton

chain fall to assist in removing the dunce

cap.

Once the ancillary gear was disconnected, the boss nut (used to secure the

propeller once pressed on) was removed

from the shaft utilizing a mechanical lifting bridle and

the pilgrim nut method (hydraulic press) gear was positioned using the same lifting bridle utilized to remove

the boss nut from the shaft.

The pilgrim nut was threaded

onto the shaft and dual three

foot by four inch studs were

threaded into the propellers

aft hub face. A five-ton backing plate was rigged in conjunction with the studs and

two 20-pound fasteners were

used to secure the plate in

place against the end of the

shaft. The pilgrim nut was

positioned against the backing plate and pressurized in

intervals up to maximum designed pressure to unseat the propeller off

the shaft taper. Numerous attempts by

Divers to unseat the propeller proved

unsuccessful to the point that explosives

became the last option to successfully

remove the propeller.

This endeavor required many meetings with USS RONALD REAGAN,

PSNS, COMAIRPAC, NASNI and

NAVSEA; e-mail exchanges and numerous naval messages written and answered

to ensure the explosive event went off

safely as planned. Navy Divers successfully used less than half a pound of prima

detonation cord in conjunction with the

hydraulic pilgrim nut to unseat the propeller from the tapered shaft (the force

impact from the explosion shocks the

propeller while the pilgrim nut applies

hydraulic pressure on the propeller). After the explosive event, the pilgrim nut

procedure was operated two more times

SWRMC Code 990 Divers along with PSNS dive and NAVSEA 00C5 Underwater

Ships Husbandry representative Scott Heineman take time before Divers enter

the water to commence rigging the new propeller for USS RONALD REAGAN.

ND1 McCormick briefs SWRMC Diver NDCS /MDV Tony

Shepard and PSNS Diver DW Adams prior to the next

waterborne rigging evolution on USS RONALD REAGAN

double propeller change out.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 1 1

the new propellers arrived they were

visually inspected and “Ready for Issue”

(RFI) and installation on USS RONALD

REAGAN’s shafts.

The damaged propeller

was rigged off the barge

and the new one set in

place on the lifting beam

which had a 50-ton chainfall rigging to receive the

32-ton propeller. This allows

to Divers to move the propeller from the barge to the

50-ton chain-falls rigged in

saddles above the shaft

(Yard and stay). The barge

was moved back into place

utilizing NASNI Port Operations Pusher Boats onto

the starboard side of USS RONALD

REAGAN. As the new propeller was

rigged in place the removal process is

reversed as the new propeller was carefully rigged onto the shaft using the 50-

ton chainfalls. This evolution requires

extreme skill by Divers on-site, damage

to a keyway or the threaded shafting

(wrapped with fiber line and lead sheeting) can set back the diving operations

for days if not weeks. The new propeller

was walked up the shaft onto the taper.

However, after the pilgrim nut (used

to push the propeller onto the shaft and

seat it) was pressed up and retracted, the

propeller followed the hydraulic press

(pilgrim nut) back down the taper. Numerous attempts to press the new propeller

on the shaft proved unsuccessful. After

consulting with NAVSEA and PSNS

engineers, number one propeller was

removed and placed back on NASNI

Kilo pier. Divers then shifted their efforts

to removing the number four propeller,

which was much more cooperative and

came off using the pilgrim nut procedure.

The new number four propeller

was safely rigged onto the shaft and

successfully pressed on after 10 days of

arduous diving in near zero visibility,

with heavy currents and five-foot swells

from passing ships. This evolution was

a testament to the skill and determination of the SWRMC and PSNS Divers

working on USS RONALD REAGAN

bringing the propeller off the shafts taper.

The pilgrim nut assembly was replaced

with heavy rigging (two 50-ton chainfalls)

for the next stage of the evolution, removing the propeller.

Divers positioned the 50-ton chain

falls onto two lifting tunnels built in USS

RONALD REAGAN’s hull design specifically for the purpose of propeller replacement. These heavy rigging pieces

were used to take the weight off the shaft

and yard and stay the 32-ton propeller

slowly the Divers YC barge. The term

“Yard” (to move) the propeller from the

shaft, off the tapered end and onto a prepositioned 50-ton chain fall “STAY”,

which was rigged onto the heavy lifting

beam which was positioned on the YC

barge with the floodable CONEX box

(counterweight). During the transfer of

weight from USS RONALD REAGAN

shaft to the YC, the empty CONEX box

was filled with 80,000 lbs. of water, safely

countering the 32 tons of weight transfer.

Once the weight had been successfully

transferred to the Divers YC barge, the

barge was carefully towed with the old

propeller secured just 10 feet below the

water line to NASNI Kilo pier for

swap out with the new propeller. After

USS RONALD REAGAN damaged propeller

coming out of the water as Divers look on.

to ensure this job was successfully and

safely completed.

In the meantime, number one

propeller was cleaned using pressure

washers and the shaft power washed and

scrubbed as the propeller change out

barge rigged the new propeller onto the

lifting beam and was moved into position

on the starboard side of USS RONALD

REAGAN. The propeller was rigged and

successfully pressed onto the shaft taper

without incident using the heavy rigging

gear and pilgrim nut.

After 37 straight days of working

for 12 to 16 hours with heavy waterborne

rigging and topside personnel conducting

prep work for Divers, this repair evolution encompassed over 340 hours of safe

diver bottom time without accident or injury to personnel. SWRMC and PSNS

Divers completed the task of changing two

32-ton propellers on schedule. These

complex Underwater Ships Husbandry

repair efforts saved the Navy and

COMNAVAIRPAC over 10 Million dollars (conservatively) in limited Fleet

repair funds and returned this national

asset to full duty. The exemplary efforts

of SWRMC and PSNSY Divers were

instrumental in safely and efficiently

completing one of the Fleet Diving Navy’s

toughest underwater rigging intensive

repairs on time and under projected cost.

Divers enter the water to commence rigging the new propeller

for USS RONALD REAGAN.

CWO5 Rick Armstrong is Diving Production

Division Head of SWRMC Divers (Code 990)

located in San Diego, CA.
1 2 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

August 1, 2007, began as just another normal summer day in Minneapolis

- bridge construction, bumper to-bumper

traffic - when the 40-year-old, I-35W

bridge collapsed, cutting the city in half

and dropping the vehicles crossing it 65

feet into the Mississippi River.

The bridge collapse caught the city

and the nation by surprise, triggering rapid

rescue response from the military as well

as bridge inspections across the country.

After the bridge collapsed, commuters driving home from work became

rescue workers, and city police and emergency personnel faced the daunting task

of trying to save people in cars that were

sinking into the river. By the end of the

night, five people lost their lives and 79

were injured. Eight were still missing.

Local officials began working to

recover the missing while looking for

why this disaster occurred.

After a couple days of searching,

officials determined the local SCUBA

Divers were not equipped to dive in

the tight areas around the debris. The

Hennepin County Sheriff in charge of

the recovery operation requested the

assistance of Navy Divers.

“There came a point where we maxed

out our capabilities and had to ask for

additional assistance,” said Hennepin

County Sheriff Richard Stanek. “That’s

when we asked for the Navy Diving

and salvage team. They are performing

beyond our expectations of what they

could do operationally in terms of debris

removal, the equipment they brought

on site and the speed in which they deployed.”

Members of Mobile Diving and

Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2

and Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 1, both

part of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command,

Naval Amphibious Base

Little Creek, Virginia Beach,

Va., arrived August 6, and

by 2 a.m., August 7, the

first Navy Divers entered

the water to survey the area

around the wreckage.

“We’re taking our time to

try to be as safe as possible;

it’s really dangerous down

there,” said Navy Diver 2nd Class Sean

McCann, MDSU TWO. “There were a

lot of hazards in the water; rebar,

cement, automobiles, and sharp metal.

It’s a tough job, but at the end of the

day, I’m really glad to be here helping.”

For the next week, the Divers worked

in two teams, each standing 12-hour shifts.

Their biggest obstacle was visibility. The

murky water of the Mississippi was so

thick they could see only a foot in some

areas and had to feel their way through

the wreckage.

“Underwater there was zero-to-one

foot of visibility; you had to find your

way around by touching,” said Chief

Hospital Corpsman (DSW/SW) Dean

Delfavero of MDSU TWO. “This is what

we do for a living, and these are the conditions we deal with all the time. It’s very

hazardous down there with lots of loose

concrete coming down around you and

scraping your helmet. With these obstacles

it’s very dangerous.”

MDSU TWO has experience working in difficult conditions. As experts in

expeditionary combat salvage, MDSU

TWO has earned its reputation during

combat salvage operations to open the Al

Faw waterway in Iraq and through unique

operations, such as the recovery of TWA

Flight 800, the Challenger and Columbia

Space Shuttles, Swiss Air Flight 111, reNavy Divers prepare to enter the water of the Mississippi River.

The site of the I-35 bridge collapse over the Mississippi River with a diver line visible just

under the surface.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 1 3

floating of YFU-83 in Puerto Rico, the

deep salvage of USS Monitor wreckage,

and recovery of Haitian ferry victims.

MDSU TWO also responded to Hurricane

Katrina.

“When I first saw this site, I thought

this is Hurricane Katrina all over again,”

said Navy Diver 2nd Class (DSW/SW)

Noah Gottesman, MDSU TWO. “There

was devastation, cars, metal, and concrete

everywhere.”

After a few days into the operation,

Divers found some areas more difficult to

navigate than their gear would permit.

“The area we searched on Aug. 8

included under the bridge platforms and

I-beams,” explained Cmdr. Dan Schultz,

Commanding Officer of MDSU TWO. “It

was so restrictive that Divers had to remove their dive gear to crawl into these

areas, some as narrow as 12 inches wide.”

While the Divers were searching the

river, Minnesota’s Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters visited the site for a

third time to meet the Divers and thank

them for responding in the state’s time of

need.

MC2(SW/AW) Elizabeth Merriam is

assigned to Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic in Norfolk, VA.

“I think the

DOD response has

really made the

community appreciate how much

the military ... supports our nation,

not only in a time

of war, but in a

time of human

need and crisis,”

said Peters. “DOD

came in with Soldiers and Sailors to

really help this

community out

immediately.”

Finally, on

Aug. 9, the Divers found the first victim

in the water. During the course of their

search in Minneapolis they would recover

all eight of the missing.

“This is what we are trained to

do,” Delfavero said. “We bring closure to

families, recover things that are lost in

the water, provide humanitarian aid, and

be Navy Divers. This is what it’s all about.

This is our job.”

Even though their task was grim,

the Divers felt it was their duty to

give closure to the families of the

missing.

“Helping the people out in

Minnesota is a privilege for me,

and it’s a privilege for the Navy,”

said NDC(DSW/SW) Justin M.

Scarbourgh, MDSU TWO. “It’s not

a glorious job that we’re doing, but

it’s an honorable job. “I am a Diver

not a hero, but I do what I can for

my country and the community.”

Another Diver, Electrician’s

Mate 1st Class (SS/DV) John Miller,

is not a member of MDSU TWO.

He is stationed on fast attack submarine USS NORFOLK (SSN 714)

but he volunteered to work with the

team because of a personal need to

help his home state.

“It was one of those things that

felt crazy – I must have driven over

that bridge a million times,” Miller said.

“So I called around and learned

that MDSU TWO was coming to Minneapolis. Then I called the XO and told him

I wanted to come and help, too.”

Miller was not trained in hard hat

diving but after his arrival he helped in

every way he could; such as manning the

dive station, charting dive times, tending

to the Divers and their equipment.

“Being in the Navy and from Minnesota, I never thought I’d be coming back

here to work,” Miller said. “This is something that has to be done to help bring

closure to the victims’ families.”

While the Divers worked in the river,

mourners gathered at a nearby bridge

to watch. Some even found ways to

contact the Divers and express their

appreciation. “We had a small container

of baked goods brought down to the

site one morning and there was a note

on it from the mother who made them,”

said Lt. Li Ping Sung, diving officer from

UCT ONE. “Her note said, ‘Please look

out for our loved ones, and expressed

how grateful her family was. For me it

really struck home what we were doing

and the significance of our mission.”

Navy Divers prepare to enter the water of the

Mississippi River.

Automobile being lifted from the river.

1 6 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

With the release of USN DivingManual Rev 6 planned for this

summer, I want to update you on the

ORCA program. To support the requirements of AIG 07-07 (New Air

Decompression Procedures), NAVSEA

00C procured and certified four ORCA

units. These are held at the Emergency

ORCA with MK-III. ORCA-II with FADS-III.

ORCA-II connections.

Ship Salvage Material (ESSM) depot in

Virginia. These original ORCA are sent

to a command for a specific mission that

requires the use of in-water oxygen

decompression. Upon completion of the

specific job they are returned to ESSM.

It was never intended that these units be

issued permanently to Fleet units.

A new design of ORCA, the ORCAII has recently completed the first Fleet

certification at Mobile Diving Salvage

Unit ONE (MDSU ONE). 00C has a

sufficient number of ORCA-II for the

initial delivery to both MDSUs and the

Underwater Construction Teams. These

are historically the commands performing

the majority of the decompression

diving. 00C will procure additional

ORCA-II based upon Fleet demand.

The combined dive teams from

MSDU ONE and Pearl Harbor Naval

Shipyard (PHNSY) all preferred the

ORCA-II over the ORCA for ease of setup and use. In the near future SUPDIVE

will release an AIG 239 detailing the Fleet

implementation plan for both the Dive

Manual Rev 6 and ORCA-II delivery to

the Fleet.

I want to thank the Divers from

MDSU ONE for their work in making

this certification go off without a hitch. I

especially want to thank MDV John

Klukas for his flexibility and efforts in

working to certify the ORCA-II.

MDV Pratschner is Command Master

Diver at NAVSEA 00C.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 1 7

THE COMMANDANT OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

WASHINGTON 20593

11 June 2007

The Commandant of the Coast Guard takes pleasure in presenting the COAST GUARD

MERITORIOUS UNIT COMMENDATION to:

MOBILE DIVING AND SALVAGE UNIT ONE

PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

For meritorious service from 19-26 January 2007 while responding to the damaged Chinese Motor

Vessel (MIV) TONG CHENG. On 17 January, TONG CHENG requested a refuge in Hawaii due to a

fracture in their number two cargo hold. The vessel was taking on water, leaking diesel oil, and in

danger of sinking. The U. S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and the State of Hawaii’s

Department of Health held the vessel offshore for fear of the vessel sinking and polluting Hawaii’s

pristine shores. Demonstrating exceptional adaptability, ingenuity, and perseverance, U. S. Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) ONE executed superb diving and salvage operations on the

TONG CHENG which ultimately prevented the ship from sinking, averted the catastrophic release of

140,000 gallons of fuel, and contributed to the strengthening of goodwill between the U. S. and the

People’s Republic of China. While operating 80 nautical miles (NM) off the southern coast of Oahu,

MDSU ONE performed a critical underwater hull survey that confirmed the vessel’s damage. Despite

the challenging sea conditions, MDSU ONE expertly completed underwater repairs that temporarily

restored the vessel’s water tight integrity. In addition, the team’s follow-on detailed assessments provided important decision-making information to the unified command that ultimately allowed the ship

to anchor 1 NM off Honolulu Harbor. With no other means available to dewater the vessel at anchorage,

MDSU ONE swiftly conducted diving operations to install three underwater flanges outside the flooded

cargo hold which were used to safely remove 210,000 gallons of fuel contaminated water and raise the

vessel’s draft. This allowed TONG CHENG to safely enter Barbers Point Harbor to make permanent

repairs. The pride, professionalism, and devotion to duty displayed by Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit

ONE personnel are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Navy and the United

States Coast Guard.”

The Operational Distinguishing Device is authorized.

For the Commandant,

For the Commandant,

Rear Admiral, U. S. Coast Guard

Commander, Fourteenth Coast Guard District

CAPT Vincent Atkins, Coast Guard

Sector Honolulu Commander presenting the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit

Commendation with Operational Distinguishing Device to Commander Dan

Colman, CO MDSU ONE, CMDCM

(MDV) Rick Bettua, and crew.

Left to Right CMDCM(MDV) Rick

Bettua (MDSU ONE CMDCM), CDR

Roger Laferriere (USCG Sector

Honolulu Deputy Commander), CDR

Dan Colman (CO MDSU ONE), and

CAPT Vincent Atkins (USCG Sector

Honolulu Commander).
1 8 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

Deep Submergence Unit’s (DSU)mission statement is a bold tasking

for the next generation of Navy Divers

in light of changes in manning and

equipment. We are in the process of

certifying the Navy’s newest submarine

rescue asset, the Pressurized Rescue

Module (PRM). The PRM is a tethered,

manned Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV)

that can hold two Internal Attendants

(IAs) and 16 rescuees from a downed

submarine in up to 2000 fsw. In the future,

NAVSEA PMS 394 has plans for a

Transfer Under Pressure (TUP) system that

will consist of two 32-man chambers and

a deck transfer lock along with flexible

manways to allow saturated rescuees to be

evacuated and decompressed from a

submarine. The IAs need to be Divers

because of the disabled submarine’s

pressure. Meanwhile the PRM descends to

the submarine’s watery vault to retrieve

another load from Davy Jones’ Locker.

The transport requires at least two C-5 type

aircraft to get it to the scene of the incident

illustrating its enormity. The entire PRM

and TUP system as well as other parts are

encompassed in the Submarine Rescue

Diving and Recompression System

(SRDRS). This entire system will take five

C-5’s to transport it to a rescue site.

In addition to the PRM, we host the

only two remaining Submarine Rescue

Chambers (SRC) in active service for the

USN. Navy Divers and submariners operate and maintain these systems. Some

of the old salts remember these from the

old Submarine Rescue Ships (ASRs). The

SRC is capable of rescues to a depth of

850 fsw with a capacity of six rescuees.

A large set of air racks and a valve console make this reminiscent of hyperbaric

chamber operations, but on a larger scale.

This system offers a lightweight and

highly portable alternative to other

systems because it can fit on a single plane.

The last remaining active Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV), called

“Mystic”, also resides at DSU and is expected to be relieved by the PRM this year.

Divers are required to support the launch

and recovery in purportedly the most

perilous SCUBA diving evolution that

the US Navy performs. Divers have also

been used for emergency egress of DSRV

personnel when a problem occurred.

DSU also hosts all four of the world’s

only 2000 fsw One Atmosphere Diving

Suits (ADS). This ADS is portrayed in the

picture on page 19. Each piece of the suit

is made of a solid block of aluminum that

is milled out to fit a Diver inside. The multiple pieces allow a Diver to move with

much more dexterity than would normally

be afforded by a ROV. The ADS suit also

allows topside to have “live eyes” on the

project with a person in the suit. The Diver

enters the suit and is sealed inside at one

atmosphere. Oxygen is trickled in for

metabolic make-up and a large scrubber

and fan remove the natural by product of

oxygen metabolism maintaining the pressure at one atmosphere inside the suit. Life

support is monitored and the dive is supervised from the surface. The “pilot” flies

the suit up, down, left and right with the

use of foot controls while the hands remain free to work on projects through the

use of manipulators. Because of the innovative design, the suit affords no-decompression diving to 2000 fsw for up to six

hours. This asset is used for intervention,

defined as surveying the disabled sub,

clearing the escape hatch and connecting

a downhaul cable for the SRC.

If the aforementioned “toys” were not

enough to entice you, we also have

MK 21 and MK 20 UBA’s as well as a

surface-supplied MK 3 Light Weight

Diving System (LWDS) system with the

600-foot umbilicals and the extra air rack

to attain depths of up to 190 fsw. This

asset is used for intervention in the more

shallow depths and for training and proficiency of the Navy Divers who come to

the command. As mentioned before, we

maintain a robust SCUBA locker for emergency procedures as well as Mystic launch

and recovery and to maintain diver proficiency. What command with Navy Divers

would be complete without a recompression chamber? We have a Transportable

Recompression Chamber System (TRCS)

for treatment, practice, and to serve as

a mobile transfer lock for the new TUP

system. Lifting and rigging evolutions are

a plenty and we regularly lay legs of

our lightweight mooring systems. The

sidescan sonar system and small ROVs

are also used in our operations.

DSU is steeped in tradition. Our

building is named after MMC William

Badders who was one of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipients from

the rescue of USS SQUALUS. Our one

atmosphere suits are named after the four

Navy Diver Medal of Honor recipients and

the PRM is aptly named after the salvage

ship USS FALCON from which the rescue was mounted. As you can imagine, we

are very busy with training and maintaining proficiency. There is no shortage of

opportunities to get underwater at DSU.

Divers can earn the Deep Submergence

Insignia for their efforts at the command.

If you are up for a challenge and are looking for a command that has significant

diving with multiple opportunities to excel, DSU may be for you. You will also

have the opportunity to learn and use the

newest diving equipment the world has

to offer. At DSU, beyond all other commands, pride and tradition run VERY

deep!

LDCR Joseph Dituri is the Deep Diving

Detachment OIC at DSU San Diego CA.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 1 9

The following are comments bythe photographer on the above

photo by Eric William Curry. support, but a diving duration of about 6

hours is the norm because of pilot fatigue

and safety. Maneuvered via foot controls,

the pilot “flies” hands free in order to perform the necessary operations under water. There are four suits in the world rated

to that extreme depth, two of them are on

deck of this ship now. Compared to an old

brass diving helmet, or even the far superior modern fiberglass helmets with the

ability to attach cameras, lights, welding

lenses and the benefit of using an oral naThis is a photograph of Deep Submergence Unit of San Diego, CA and the Atmospheric Diving System 2000 (ADS) on

board the vessel “Kellie Chouest.” This

photo is a tribute to the history of Navy

Divers with the old-fashioned brass hard

hat sitting on the left side.

ADS 2000, made by Ocean-Works of

Vancouver, BC, is rated to a depth of 2000

feet. Operational limits are 24 hours of life

sal mask for air, the hard suit gives the

Navy an ability unimagined previously.

One of the interesting visual elements is that the background sky/horizon is super blurry. While photographing all the elements of the suit, Divers,

hardware and ship, we all rocked and

rolled together, camera included, from

the stormy sea. But the very long 15-second exposure needed to capture the darkening sky and sea resulted in a very soft

image.

Pictured in the shot, from left to right are NDCS (DSW/SS) Daniel P. Jackson, NDCS (MDV/SW) David Glidewell, and ND1 (DSW/

SW) Kiwini Turner.

Photo courtesy of Eric William Curry.
2 0 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

They say that April showers bringMay flowers, however, on April 17th

2007 the showers that relentlessly

pounded the state of Rhode Island

proved to be too much for Russian

submarine K-77, more commonly

known as JULIETT 484. In a mere

30 hours, the former cruise missile

submarine went from museum attraction

to a storm casualty.

JULIETT 484 belongs to the Saratoga Museum Foundation. Modified

in Finland, it was transformed into a

museum to help generate funds to secure the procurement of the USS

SARATOGA and establish an “Air, Land

& Sea Heritage and Technology Park in

Rhode Island...with the SARATOGA

being the center piece.” Modifications

included the cutting of the forward

and aft weapon loading hatches to

accommodate tourist access into the

submarine. Though the accesses were

considered to be weather-proof, they

were not water tight. A number of factors

contributed by the storm, such as strong

winds, heavy rain, and an abnormally

high tide, resulting in a torturous thirtyhour sinking of the precious piece of

history.

The sinking progressed slowly enough

that it was not initially thought possible.

It was documented by a series of photographs which can be viewed at the website

http://www.oakhamgraphics.com/K-77/

sinking.html. In fact, it was originally

assessed to be only

swamped. But as the

submarine tilted away

from the pier it was

thought that it could be

stabilized by securing it

to the pier with heavier

lines. In the early morning of 18 April, the duty

officer of the museum

reported hearing a loud

“shotgun” blast as lines

parted and the submarine

rolled over and slipped

deeper into the Providence River. As the

morning sun began to

beat the darkness away,

it revealed what was left to be seen of

JULIETT 484... just a few remaining

antennae and periscopes, peeking above

the waterline.

The President of the Saratoga

Museum Foundation, Mr. Frank Lennon,

began the daunting task of figuring out

how to rescue the famous JULIETT 484

which had shared a leading role in

the movie “K-19: The Widow Maker”

with actor Harrison Ford. Contractors

were hired using both Divers and ROVs

to survey the sunken submarine and

the river bottom on which it lies. In

the meantime, NAVSEA 00C informed

Commanding Officer MDSU TWO of the

scenario and CDR Shultz elected to “jump

on the opportunity to conduct some unique

training.” So, in April MDSU TWO MDS

Company TWO conducted a Leadership

Reconnaissance of the submarine and

site in preparation for the possibility of

follow-on tasking through the Office

of the Secretary of Defence (OSD)

Innovative Readiness Training (IRT)

program. IRT, a program established in

1993 by the Clinton administration, is

designed to help build and improve civilmilitary readiness through the execution

of joint military training ventures which

support civil community efforts. Once IRT

assistance is established it allows the

military to help in civil matters based on

the amount of training opportunities and

joint inter-operability that can be utilized Diver surveying JULIETT 484.

JULIETT 484 after storm.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 2 1

by the individual commands who can

accomplish certain tasking – a by-product

of the training is the end product for the

customer.

In August of 2007, MDSU TWO and

Army Divers combined forces to conduct

their own joint initial assessment of the

JULIETT 484 and to further stabilize her

hull. Results of the survey indicated she

was firmly planted in the mud at a 48

degree angle, listing to her port side.

Decisions were made to further stabilize

JULIETT 484 for additional safety prior

to commencing future salvage operations

which would prevent additional rolling to

the port side. This was accomplished by

burying 7,000 lb. Stato anchors into the

east bank and attaching wire rope from the

anchors to strong points along the unit.

MDS Companies TWO-FIVE and

TWO-SIX (formerly Dets Six and Eight)

of MDSU TWO conducted several dives

around the exterior and eventually into

the sunken submarine to assess the

condition of the submarine. The information acquired from those dive sets

will be the basis of the salvage plan

which will ultimately be used when

floating the submarine. Traditional

resources that would normally be readily

available for this undertaking have been

difficult to gather. Technical drawings or

docking plans have been impossible to

obtain from the Soviet Union since they

are still deemed to be confidential by the

Russian government. Information that

has proven to be helpful has been preproduction movie pictures, videos and

drawings that were developed for the

movie “K-19” when the submarine was

slightly modified to accommodate

filming.

Currently plans are underway to

return during the summer of 2008 and

continue the salvage of the JULIETT 484.

Raising sunken vessels traditionally has

been the hallmark of Navy Divers but

as years have gone by, opportunities to

practice the fine “art” of salvage of this

magnitude have become a rare occurrence.

It is one thing to retrieve pieces of aircraft

off the bottom of the ocean but to raise

an entire vessel like a submarine is another

– it is going to be a great summer!!

“Bottom time is a premium” has been

a tenet of U.S. Navy Diving since its

inception. From July to October 2007,

HM1 Daniel Stevens and HM1 Shannon

Johnson from Mobile Diving and Salvage

Unit TWO Companies TWO-ONE and

TWO-FIVE worked with HMC Mike

Lewis from NEDU to bring Navy Diving into the new millennium. The Topside

Decompression Monitor system (TDM)

was tested providing Divers with realtime decompression obligations in the

waters of Sardinia, Italy. The data gathered from the hundreds of dives was a

critical element in bringing the TDM to

full integration into Navy Diving. The

TDM consists of a pressure-sensitive

transmitter attached to a cable, which is

married into a standard surface-supplied

diving umbilical. The sensor and cable

feeds information back to a laptop computer providing the diving supervisor

real-time information as to the Divers

decompression obligation.

Current decompression tables use the

maximum depth and time to calculate a

decompression table and schedule. This

has been to the exclusion of how long the

Diver was actually at that deepest depth.

The sea story of a Diver working on the

underside of a ship who drops a tool

illustrates this perfectly. The Diver initially on a “No D” dive at relatively shallow depth drops his tool to the bottom

which is at 62 ft. he would now owe

decompression on a 70 ft. table for the

entire bottom time. Logic naturally says

that with an excursion of one minute to

the deeper depth the Diver would not ongas enough nitrogen to justify the deeper

By: ???? table and schedule. Until now supervisors

had no other choice but to go with the

deepest table and schedule.

Giving Divers even more flexibility

with how to contend with their decompression time are the VVal-18 tables. The

Divers of MDSU TWO performed over

400 dives with an average depth of 100

fsw on the new tables without a single incident. These tables are an integration of

standard air tables, in-water on oxygen

tables and SURDO2

 tables into one single

operational table. The integration is possible only because of the Oxygen Regulator Console Assembly (ORCA), and

now the lighter and more capable ORCAII, which provides the capability of

switching to in-water on O2 by simply

turning a few valves. This is especially

useful for contaminated water diving

where Divers can now drastically cut their

in-water decompression time then come

up and over for decontamination. This

gives diving supervisors flexibility from

having to obligate to one type of decompression and to make a seamless transition between the three types of decompression.

In the near future Navy Divers will

be able to integrate both the TDM and

VVal-18 tables into a single system. The

VVal tables will provide greater safety and

flexibility while diving supervisors monitor their Divers in real time on the TDM.

Together these two systems will safely

maximize the bottom time while minimizing decompression to only what is necessary, because as we all know “bottom time

is a premium.”

MDSU TWO Diver operates ORCA.

MDSU TWO Dive team.

Submitted by Naval Expeditionary Combat

Command, Public Affairs Office, Norfolk, VA. Ross Garcia is Command Master Chief of

MDSU TWO.
2 2 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

LEAD, TEAM, TRAIN, FIGHT. What do those four words

mean? Sound like a mission statement to you (the reader)? That is

certainly what it sounded like to

me when I first heard them spoken

by Commander Daniel Shultz,

Commanding Officer of Mobile

Diving and Salvage Unit TWO.

Senior Leadership quickly realized

that this was not a mission

statement but a roadmap, literally,

taken from RADM Bullard’s

leadership at Naval Expeditionary

Combat Command (NECC) to

how we were going to build the

Expeditionary Combat Diver without losing the long standing skill

sets of our mission to be the best at

Diving and Salvage Operations.

With the CO’s “Four Words” at the

forefront, the command set forth with the

daunting task of achieving the true essence

of their meaning which has culminated in

ground breaking opportunities for Navy

Divers that were non-existent until now.

Building Expeditionary Combat Salvage

skill sets is what NECC leadership charged

commanders with in order to effectively

use the diving community in present and

future mission sets. Land navigation,

skilled marksmanship, communications,

anti-terrorism force protection, and

Mobile Diving & Salvage Unit TWO

By: CDR Daniel Shultz

Tactical Combat Casualty Care are

just a few of the training disciplines

Navy Divers were introduced to, and

mastered during recent training cycles.

With the addition of these capabilities the

MDSU’s now have highly skilled,

fully trained Expeditionary Combat

Salvage Companies and Platoons

deployed to every sector of the

middle-east theater.

 At present there are seven

companies (formerly Detachments)

consisting of approximately 15

personnel, each of which has an

OIC, a Master Diver and two

Leading Chief Petty Officers. Each

Navy Diver LCPO, or

Platoon Chief, has

personnel to manage

through the day-to-day

training in required diving,

salvage, and expeditionary

warfare disciplines. The

command also consists of

various departments to

manage operations, readiness and training, administrative and medical issues,

and additional technicians to

direct and assist the

companies. Each

company operates

independently during

normal operations or

while deployed and

can obviously combine

assets for larger missions such as the

I-35 Bridge Recovery.

Processes developed

by our predecessors

have paved the way

we operate and have

been refined to ensure

“Big Navy” receives the

required support and is

fully cognizant of our

newly acquired capabilities. Diving and Diving support

systems range from Light Weight and

Mixed Gas DLSS to Emergency

Hyperbaric Stretchers and Standard

Navy Double Lock chambers.

“The primary focus of the CWO/

MDV Community is forward progress in

Navy Diving while preserving the Salvage

Pedigree,” stated Command Master Chief

Ross Garcia. This was accomplished

through the myriad of real-world salvage

work accomplished by the separate

companies. CWO2 Tim Axline and

NDCS(MDV) John Coffelt took Company

22 to Panama for a MINEX and were

quickly diverted to supply humanitarian

MDSU TWO Dive team.

Divers reach surface, T-ARS in background.

Diver preparing lift bag.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 2 3

relief for those affected by Hurricane Felix and at the completion

of the relief support, deployed to

the Gulf. NDCM(MDV) Arnie

Phillips and NDC(MDV) Billy

T. Gilbert transported companies

to La Maddalena, Italy to conduct

light salvage operations in support

of the San Stefano site cleanup operation. CWO2 Donovan

Motley and NDCS(MDV) Dave

Schophoerster (Shep) took Company 24 to Broward County, Florida

and removed over 10,000 potentially

toxic tires from Osborne reef.

Personnel led by ND1(DSW)

Sawyer completed a successful

Carrier Strike Group deployment

aboard USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65)

while NDC(DSW) Michael Woods led

four Divers during Deep Dive 2008 to a

depth of 1000 feet.

While all of these successful missions

and the accumulation of over ten thousand

hours of bottom time is extraordinary, the

greatest opportunities at the command are

gaining war fighting knowledge and

superior level diving qualifications. Air

Diving Supervisors, Mixed Gas Diving

Supervisors, DSWS, and Expeditionary

Warfare Specialist are just a few of the

qualifications attainable at MDSU.

A pair of beneficiaries from the MDSU

experience are NDC(MDV) Billy Gilbert

and NDCS(MDV) Michael Sonnenburg.

Both checked into MDSU as First Class

Divers, hit the deck running, completed

their individual qualifications, refined

their diving knowledge attended and

passed MDV evaluations – we now call

them Master Diver.

Another milestone for

a pair of MDSU sailors

is the promotion of

NDC Michael Woods

and NDC Justin Scarbrough to Chief Petty

Officer. A very special

congratulations goes to

ND1(DSW) Jason Potts

for his selection as

MDSU TWO Sea Sailor

of the Year from an

outstanding, competitive group of First Class

Petty Officers.

“LEA D, TEAM,

TRAIN, FIGHT”; MDSU

is a command that cultivates sailors

into successful Navy Divers and war

fighters. From light, expeditionary salvage

operations to weapon skills required to

shoot, move and communicate in a

warfighting environment, to lifting a

submarine off the sea floor, MDSU is the

place for sailors to test their leadership

abilities, gain advanced watch station

qualification and ultimately make a

difference in the Diving Community. If

you’re interested in new challenges and

testing your leadership abilities give

one of the Master Divers a ring, they

will answer all your

questions.

As CMDCM(MDV)

Ross Garcia likes to

advise Navy Divers, “At

MDSU TWO everyone

learns the expeditionary

weapons, communications and mobility

skills required for the

shoot, move, and communicate environment

of expeditionary warfighting. Everyone gets

demolition training,

small craft and Tactical

Combat Casualty Care

training. Divers routinely

achieve HeO2

 Mixed Gas Supervisor,

MK-16 Supervisor, Surface Supplied

Air and SCUBA Supervisor, Range

Safety and Demolition Operations Supervisor qualifications; and I mean ALL

OF THE ABOVE. Our Coxswain and

Craft Master Qualification Programs is

alive and kicking, and we are adding

voluntary language training for Arabic,

German and Latin American Spanish.

Here you have the opportunity to

qualify Diving Warfare Specialists

(DSW), Expeditionary Warfare Specialists (EXW), and Enlisted Surface Warfare

Specialists (ESWS). Come to MDSU

TWO and take on the Complete Diver

Challenge. Hope we have the opportunity

to serve together – Dive Safe!”

MDSU TWO Detachment conducting field exercise.

MDSU TWO Detachment conducting field exercise.

CDR Shultz is Commanding Officer,

MDSU TWO.

Excerpt from the President of

the United States’ letters to the men

operating in Minneapolis, MN upon

completion of the I35 Bridge Recovery.

“It was good to be with you in

Minneapolis. Your heroic efforts in the

face of terrible devastation represent

the best of our Nation. I am grateful

for your hard work and dedicated service,

and I am honored to be your Commander

in Chief. Best wishes, and may God bless

you.”
2 4 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

The crystal blue water and extensivebeaches of Fort Lauderdale, FL seem

like an unlikely spot for old tires. Over

the years tires from a failed artificial reef

have been washing up on Florida beaches.

But thanks to the cooperative efforts of

Coastal America, the U.S. Navy Mobile

Diving and Salvage Unit 2 (MDSU

TWO), and other federal and state

partners, the Osborne Reef is finally

evolving from an unsuccessful artificial

reef venture to a training opportunity for

military salvage teams and a recycled fuel

source for Georgia and Florida.

The Osborne Reef, or as it may be

better known, the Tire Reef, 1.3 miles off

the coast of Fort Lauderdale, was

conceived in 1972 in an effort to resolve

an overabundance of old tires that was

choking landfills and creating potential

health risks in southern Florida. A group

of local interests, including fisherman,

boaters, Divers and politicians received

the blessing of the Army Corps of Engineers to gather nearly two million old tires,

lash them together and anchor them to the

ocean floor as an artificial reef.

The concept of artificial reefs has

been around nearly as long as man has

gone to sea. Artificial reefs have been

created by ships, army tanks, oil rigs

and washing machines. What most

intentionally placed materials have

in common is a hard and

varied surface that can provide shelter for fish and a

substrate to which corals,

sponges, algae and mollusks

can attach.

Tires as reefs were

appealing for two reasons.

First, during the 1960s and

1970s used tires were accumulating in landfills after

restrictions on other disposal methods were imposed.

Second, by grouping large

numbers of tires together, the openings

provide shelter for fish and other species.

But tires have a certain amount of

buoyancy, causing them to move and

eventually break loose of their restraints.

And their slick surfaces appear to be

more attractive to a limited range of algae

than coral and other more beneficial reef

organisms.

As hurricanes moved through each

hurricane season, and other storms and

currents pulled at the Osborne Reef tires,

their nylon and steel lashings eventually

gave way. Within three years of their

placement, tires had been moved by

regional storms. Eventually, the tires

spread over roughly 34 acres, began

washing up on beaches and, more

critically, damaging nearby natural reefs.

As the tire reef’s failure became

apparent, scientists and conservationists

pondered how to get the Osborne Reef

tires out of the ocean. In the simplest

terms, the solution comes down to three

issues: Who has the legal authority to

manage the project? Who has the technical expertise to perform the task? Who

will pay for it?

Projects on this scale easily run into

the millions of dollars and no one single

agency or government could finance the

operation.

In 2001, Robin Sherman of NOVA

Southeastern University initiated a smallscale tire retrieval pilot program after receiving a $30,000 grant from the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA). Approximately 1,600 tires were

retrieved at a cost of $17 per tire. That

cost made a full project cost-prohibitive.

Two federal programs that have cooperated on other projects seemed to

offer a possible answer. The Coastal

America program is a federal program that

coordinates resources from various

federal agencies to help address needs

in coastal communities. The Department

of Defense Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) provides the military with a way

to gain hands-on training while providing benefits to communities.

In 2006, Coastal America project

coordinator William Nuckols contacted

the Broward County Department of

Environmental Protection (DEP). He suggested that Coastal America coordinate

with Broward County DEP on a major

project to remove the tires and in August

2006 the NOAA Marine Debris Program

funded a reconnaissance project for developing a tire removal and disposal strategy. The project removed only 30 tires,

but it enabled the participants to determine

processing suitability, handling, staging,

transportation methods and end uses for

Members of the Osborne Reef salvage training mission.

Navy Diver retrieves tires.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 2 5

the reef tires. It also made clear that a

project of this magnitude can’t just be

done as a volunteer effort and that removing a few tires wouldn’t alleviate the problem.

Nuckols suggested that this type of

project might fall within IRT guidelines

and proposed contacting the military

about the project as a training exercise.

He recognized that Navy Divers from

MDSU TWO, located at the Naval

Amphibious Base Little Creek in Norfolk,

VA, had the qualifications and experience

to handle a job of this size and scope.

He contacted the MDSU TWO Operations

Officer to determine whether the tire

reclamation project would have value

from a real-world training mission point

of view.

The tire reef project offered multiple

training components, including salvage

diving at depths of 60 feet or more.

More importantly, it offered experience

in logistics and communication coordination (i.e., interoperability) with multiple

federal, state and county agencies involving the Navy, Army, Coast Guard, the

State of Florida and Broward County.

Each has its own policies, procedures

and terminology, all of which had to

be coordinated for safety and project

success. The ability to develop a coordinated approach quickly is critical in

emergency situations, such as natural

disasters.

“By aligning

military salvage

training exercises

with this real

world problem we

accomplish a coral

protection project

that government

natural resource

agencies would

not have been

able to accomplish

on their own,”

Nuckols said.

Having determined suitability, secured funding for travel and completed

required applications, CWO4 Dan

Mikulski lead a team of six MDSU TWO

Divers to Fort Lauderdale. Mikulski,

along with the other Divers from his

unit, dove the reef and performed a site

survey.

“Once we completed the site survey,

we came up with a plan to complete the

mission and determine the number of tires

we could bring up per day,” Mikulski said.

Fort Lauderdale residents have seen

tires wash up on their shores for almost

30 years – not realizing that they were

coming from a reef a little more than a

mile off shore. Once word spread that

a cleanup effort was underway, community volunteers and supporters came to

help.

“In Broward County where the

reef is located, most people including

the dive shops, didn’t

know it existed even

though it covers almost 34 acres,”

Nuckols stated.

 A photographer

and local reporters

covered the site

survey, resulting in

widespread reporting

of the clean-up beginning with a Miami

Herald article in

August 2006 and

continuing through September 2007,

every major news outlet in the country had

picked up on the story.

After the State of Florida committed

two million dollars to transport and recycle

the tires, MDSU TWO support was approved and the Army and Coast Guard

were onboard. Beginning 1 July 2007,

MDSU TWO led a salvage mission to

remove nearly 1,000 tires a day. Supporting the effort were diving and watercraft

assets from the Army’s 7th Transportation Group, two Coast Guard detachments

from Homestead, Florida, the Broward

County DEP and the State of Florida.

Coastal America provided guidance

through the initial stage

of the project.

 During the retrieval

process, Divers worked

in approximately 60-70

feet of water and have

to place 50-70 tires in

4,000 pound cargo lift

nets under water. Then,

using inflatable airbags, floated the tires to

the surface where a

crane mounted on an

Army Landing Craft

Unit lifted them out of

the water onto two 48-

foot trailers.

The Navy Dive team leader Mikulski

pointed out that the rigorous work Divers

are performing limits the amount of time

they can stay under water. The heat is also

a factor, as summer ocean water temperatures in Florida reaches 80 degrees.

This tedious cleanup of between

500,000 and one million tires from a 34

acre area, equivalent to about 31 football

fields, is expected to take nearly seven

years. Each year, work is slated to begin

on 15 May and continue for 90 days to

minimize conflicts with the end of

Florida’s tourist season and avoid

working in rough seas at the beginning

of hurricane season. So far, the cooperation among the groups has resulted in a

seamless project that can continue as

planned at a cost of $2/tire, a significant

savings from the previous $17/tire estimate.

An important part of the operation is

not only getting the tires to the surface

but then being able to dispose of them.

The tires are transported to Port EverA MDSU TWO Diver receives instructions and

a safety check before submerging to the reef.

(“REEF” continued on p. 26)

The crew observes a bundle of tires emerging from the reef.
2 6 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

I

 want to take a moment to touch on a

 topic that will affect all of us very soon

– the release of the U.S. Navy Diving

Manual Rev 6, which will contain the

New Air Decompression Procedures. I

routinely receive phone call asking when

Rev 6 will be out. I understand why you

are calling – it is later than advertised, but

for good reason. Here’s why.

In May 2007, Diving Advisory AIG

07-07 authorized the use of VVal-18M,

New Air Decompression Procedures. This

is new Chapter 9 in the Diving Manual.

Additionally, it directed these tables be

used for any dives with greater than 15

minutes of decompression time. Within

months of releasing AIG 07-07 the salvage effort in La Maddalena was beginning to take shape. (See article on page

8.) This was the ideal opportunity to give

the new Air Diving Chapter 9 a Fleet

evaluation. It was decided that Rev 6

would benefit from the feedback from this

operation. In order to capture the lessons

learned, a revision to the procedures in

AIG 07-07 was planned for.

All necessary equipment, Oxygen

Regulator Console Assemblies (ORCA)

was delivered to USS EMORY S. LAND

(AS-39) and MDSU TWO Divers. Training was conducted and system certification was granted to modify their PSOBs

for VVal-18M. Working with the Master

Divers running the operations in Italy, 00C

kept in constant communication, some

times answering questions but more often taking their suggestions for inclusion

into Rev 6. This did slow down delivery

of Rev 6, but I believe that this resulted in

a much better, Diver-tested, Chapter 9. I

want to thank all of the Divers involved

in the La Maddalena effort for their

patience and hard work in helping “fix”

Chapter 9. Especially, MDV Sam Mata,

MDV Mat Rotan, MDV Arne Phillips, and

MDV Billy Gillbert. They made all of this

come together.

This operation provided another

potentially more valuable opportunity, a

real world application of VVal-18M. I

know there are people that don’t think

we should change our 50 year old decompression tables. Some believe that these

tables have worked fine for years. To you

I say, never mind the experimental DATA,

never mind what the

statistics say, compare the results of

real world operations

and it’s obvious we

have made the right

decision.

The dives performed on the La

Maddalena operation

are very similar to those during the salvage of TWA flight 800. Using the

SURDO2

 tables, as written in US Diving

Manual, Rev 5 we experienced a high rate

of DCS, most were serious Type-2,

chokes, paralysis, ect. The operation continued by modifying the Rev 5 tables, adding up to three “jumps” into the

schedule until an acceptable margin of

safety was reached. The New Air Decompression procedures (Rev 6) tables were

used as written with no cases of DCS.

See the table for a comparison of dives

performed and incidents of DCS. The

chart lists all dives between 110 fsw and

130 fsw, for both TWA 800 and the La

Maddalena site jobs.

Tell the youngest Diver in your locker

you used to dive MK-12 (or Jack Browne

if you’re old enough) then show them

one, and they’ll say “What were you

thinking?” In five years if you tell the

new Diver you used to decompress without oxygen they will say “What were you

thinking?”

glades and ultimately shipped to Georgia,

typically for processing into either an energy resource for cement kilns or municipal solid waste facilities. The tires can also

be chipped and used as light weight fillin aggregate for highways or turned into

tire-derived fuel, displacing fossil fuels

providing energy for power plants and

paper mills.

The Miami Herald actually prints its

newspaper on recycled paper from one of

the mills to which cut up Osborne Reef

tires have been shipped for use as TDF.

“The weirdest connection is that I’m

reading a story in Miami, a story produced

by the Herald, written on recycled paper

produced by a plant in Georgia where we

send the tires,” Nuckols notes. “It shows

how things can come around full circle.”

For decades, tire reefs have been created near coastal states and around the

world. And though well-intentioned,

people now realize the negative effects

those tires can have on the marine environment. Fortunately, technology now

allows old tires to be recycled, providing

needed energy sources, reducing waste

disposal issues, and minimizing the

potential for those tires to harm the ocean.

With the cooperative efforts of Coastal

America, the Navy, and other federal and

state partners, the Osborne Reef is finally

evolving from an unsuccessful artificial

reef venture to a training opportunity for

military salvage teams and a recycled fuel

source for Georgia and Florida.

(“REEF” continued from p. 25)

DISCLAIMER

"Reprinted with permission from Currents – the

Navy’s environmental magazine. To subscribe to the

magazine or browse the Currents archives, visit the

Naval Air Systems Command’s environmental web

site at www.enviro-navair.navy.mil. Currents is also

available on the Defense Environmental Network &

Information eXchange at www.denix.osd.mil through

the “Public Menu” and the “Publications> Navy”

link.”

This tiny fish represents one of the few specimens of marine life one can find along the reef.

CWO2 Motley is currently assigned to

MDSU TWO as OIC Company TWO SIX.

MDV Pratschner is Command Master Diver

at NAVSEA 00C.
A p r i l 2 0 0 8 2 7

From SUPDIVE... CAPT John Gray

(“SUPDIVE” continued on p. 27)

The best argument against the 130

foot rule is that has no scientific basis. I

spend a lot of time with a lot of smart

people and I get to look at dive data

that many in our community don’t have

access too. Despite our experience with

TWA 800, I can tell you that based on

38,000 dives or so that there is no significant increase in the likelihood of DCS

between say a 120 foot dive and a 140 foot

dive. We bend most folks on no decompression dives. There are a couple of reasons for that. First, most of our dives are

no decompression. Second, there is nothing magical about a 60/60. Two percent

risk is built into the equation. Dive 60 feet

for 59 minutes enough times and you will

get bent. So, in summary, no decompression scientist can look you in the eye and

say that there is anything special about 130

feet.

Far and away the number one reason

for having a chamber requirement at 130

feet is omitted decompression. Specifically, as we go deeper the odds of accidentally getting into a decompression

profile (for whatever reason: entrapment,

poorly executed dive) increases. We all

agree that it’s better to have a chamber

around if you are dealing with omitted

decompression.

A case can also be made that if no

specific requirement is articulated, in a

world of limited assets, that we put both

billets and equipment (chambers) in

jeopardy. Likewise, I think we all can

agree that this could be an issue but are

we defining the requirement correctly?

Finally, many have pointed out

that if no “Top Cover” is given in the dive

manual, that many Master Divers and

OICs will be prevented from bringing a

chamber to an operation by their Commanding Officer. This concern is based on

the assumption that the Commanding

Officer, who may not be a Diver, will not

understand the safety issues at hand and

opt to save the cost associated with transport and so forth.

So Fleet, in the end, we are left with a

few options.

Maintain the Status Quo – If it isn’t

broke don’t fix it. I personally have a hard

time with that one but it’s an option.

Require chambers for shallower

dives, perhaps 100 feet, perhaps for any

dive. A good argument can certainly be

made for this course of action. Aligning

with OSHA would be looked upon by most

as a good thing. If no risk is acceptable

than a chamber on-site all of the time is

the way to go.

The final option would be to link

the requirement to actual risk of DCS.

NAVSEA can develop a simple chart of

say five percent DCS risk (in practice,

most DCS models estimate high, for example our tables are primarily based on

two percent DCS and we actually observe

about POINT two percent). Dives above

the five percent risk would require a chamber, those below; it’s up to the command.

This is the option I am currently in favor

of. I do my best to define the risk, the commands actually making the dives decide

weather to take the risk or not.

We have been inconsistent for

many years. The current dive manual does

not require a chamber for MK 16 unless

you are diving greater than 200 feet. The

new dive manual will suggest 130 feet but,

in the end, leaves the decision up to the

operational commander.

Managing the Risk.

AGE. Outside of the School House,

Ascent Training, and NEDU, AGE simply doesn’t happen much. It is a very very

rare occasion. When I went to dive school

they taught me that you could embolize

in four feet of water. Again, nothing special about 130 feet.

As far as DCS is concerned, you are

at higher risk for DCS on a 100 foot dive

with a long bottom time then say a 140

foot dive for 20 minutes. Again, nothing

As you know, the current Dive special about 130 feet.

Manual, and even Revision Six, requires

a chamber on-site whenever conducting

Air decompression dives to a depth of

greater than 130 feet. My question to

the fleet is why? Because, honestly,

SUPDIVE hasn’t a clue as to the reasoning behind that number. Why not 129

feet? Why not 131? The British have a

similar requirement at 42 meters (roughly

136 feet). OSHA requirements are set at

100 feet. Some folks, maybe even me,

might say that this rule needs to be

changed and let the smart folks in the fleet

apply a little ORM vice some staff guy in

Washington (me) trying to pretend he is

an operator. Stick with me as we walk

through the history and some arguments

on both sides.

Despite a complete search of all the

tons of paper work that lines the halls of

00C and interviews with folks that have

served here in excess of 25 years, we can

not find documentation as to why 130

feet was chosen. Our best guess is that it

aligned nicely with the various SCUBA

requirements that are implemented at 130

feet. In short, we wanted to draw the line

in the sand somewhere and 130 feet

seemed like a reasonable depth to do that.

There are multiple arguments that can be

made on both sides of this issue. I’ll outline the top three.

Fellow Divers: I am writing you from Portsmouth

England where we are actively working

with the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to improve our integration. In addition, we are discovering

what our allies do best and learning from

it. More on that in a future edition of Faceplate. I would like to take on two issues

for which I hope you have a strong opinion one way or another. Every time I bring

them up a passionate response follows

sometimes to the point where I feel physically threatened but that’s my problem.
2 8 A p r i l 2 0 0 8

From SUPDIVE... CAPT John Gray

The 2008 Working Diver Conference will be held at the Undersea Museum in Keyport, WA on April 21-25.

For more information please visit www.supsalv.org or contact MDV Danny Boyd or MDV Brian Pratschner

(see p. 2 for contact information).

The NEDU Change of Command Ceremony will be held on 30 May.

(“SUPDIVE” continued from p. 27)

The 6th Annual DC Diver Charity GolfClassic was successful in raising

over $4000 for The Navy Marine Corps

Relief Society. The tournament was

again held at the Andrews Air Force

Base West Course on Friday, October 5th

2007. This year the weather cooperated

with us and we had a mighty fine day for

golf.

Again this year’s sponsors were

extremely generous, and were instrumental in the success of the tournament.

After play was completed all the golfers

assembled in the clubhouse to enjoy

lunch and some socializing. This year’s

“Captains Cup” trophy, the MK-V

Helmet that resides in the Office of

the Director of Ocean Engineering and

Supervisor of Diving and Salvage, will

go to the team lead by 00C’s very own

“The Dr. Jim Ruth” and his crew of

ringers who shot a score so unbelievably

low that it is unfit to print.

After all our earnings were counted

out, we were honored to present the

$4,000 check to Mr. John Alexander Vice

President of the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society. Mr. Alexander gave a very

Tournament Check-in Table.

Our culture will slowly

change. The Belgium’s, for example, use

computers and do almost no topside management. Now that’s not us but the way in

which we alter our routines on the side

with the advent of dive computers will be

determined by you and will likely take a

generation.

SUPDIVE.

probabilistic algorithm. Now that’s three

to five years out but the first two steps

(VVal-18 and the computers themselves)

will happen on my watch. Dive computers running the VVal-18 algorithm, which

is more conservative than the VVal-18M

algorithm in the new dive manual will be

available in the near term.

moving speech to all of those assembled,

on the accomplishments of the Navy

Marine Corps Relief Society past year,

and assured us our efforts were for a truly

noble cause.

The 2008 DC Divers Charity Golf

Classic will again be held at the courses

at Andrews Air Force Base during the

first week of October. In the next issue of

FACEPLATE you will find a flyer, signup sheet and sponsorship form enclosed.

Mark your calendars and join us for a

round of golf to raise money for the Sailors, Marines, and their families in need.

If you know of any potential sponsors,

we would appreciate all the help we can

get to increase our donation to the

NMRCS.

Dive Computers are currently in field

testing. They are coming. Please be mentally prepared for their arrival as they will

challenge the way we do business.

The NAVSEA vision for diving in the

out years is dive computers running on a