The Official Newsletter for the Divers and Salvors of the United States Navy

Volume 6, No.1 / March 2002

THE RECOVERY OF

THE EHIME MARU

COMMAND IN THE SPOTLIGHT

SIMA - NORFOLK, VA
2 March 2002

In This Issue

EHIME MARU Recovery Successful ............. 3

EHIME MARU - Environmental

Considerations .............................................. 6

Story of Mobile Diving and Salvage

Unit ONE’s Efforts in Support of the

Japanese Fishing Vessel EHIME MARU ........ 9

BMCS(SW/MDV) Fred Orns Assumes

Duties as Fleet Master Diver ....................... 11

Underwater Ship Husbandry Advisory,

Diving Around ICCP Systems ...................... 12

ESSM Diving Depot ...................................... 13

The Old Master ............................................ 15

Command in the Spotlight ............................ 16

Historical Notes ........................................... 17

Frank William Crilley ..................................... 18

From the Supervisor of Diving .................... 19

Jim Bladh, Editor of Faceplate Retires

after 58 Years of Service to the Navy ....... 20

Front Cover Photo: Deep sea divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit ONE, Pearl Harbor, descend 115 feet to the ocean floor to begin their

dive on Ehime Maru. Photo by PHC(SW/DV) Andrew McKaskle.

SUPSALV SENDS

To those old salts who went through

school at NSDS here in the Washington

Navy Yard, there is a move to establish either a memorial or at least a plaque along

the water front, where NSDS/EDU stood.

If you are interested in supporting this initiative, contact Lee Wolford Code 00C 22C

here in our Salvage Operations Division.

His phone number is 202-781-0950, or email him at wolfordEL@navsea.navy.mil.

Finally, as the last article in this issue relays , Jim Bladh, our FACEPLATE editor

and a stalwart in Navy salvage, retired after 58 years of outstanding service to his

country, the Navy, and our diving community. We all owe Jim, not only for his

trail blazing in the salvage arena, but also

for his determined efforts to resurrect

FACEPLATE as your magazine.

This issue is full of information thatyou, as a Navy diver can use; everything from how we successfully lifted

EHIME MARU and MDSU One recovered

the remains of eight of the

nine lost in the sinking to

highlighting SIMA Norfolk’s outstanding UWSH

work. I urge you to read

and take pride in what your

community has accomplished. As I mentioned to

the MDSU ONE Divers,

when assigned to determine if raising the EHIME

MARU and recovering the

remains was feasible, I

knew I had an ace-in-thehole with the MDSU located at Alpha docks on

Hickam AF Base. My

confidence was fully justified. They not only succeeded in recovering the remains and personal items, they

became America’s best Ambassadors to

Japan. Through their meticulous awareness of cultural issues and the establishment of an exceptional working relationship with their Japanese counterparts,

they restored trust between our two countries. I urge you to heed the wise advice of

MDV Schlenkerman for we all have a responsibility to evaluate every dive we do.

To my knowledge, we have yet to find a

way to transplant a set of gills onto a diver

and until that happens the oceans will remain an alien environment, one that demands our respect and requires constant

vigilance on everyone’s part.

FACEPLATE is published by the Supervisor

of Salvage and Diving to bring 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.

Captain Bert Marsh, USN

Director of Ocean Engineering

Supervisor of Salvage and Diving

NAVSEA 00C

marshb@navsea.navy.mil

Captain Chris Murray, USN

Supervisor of Diving

murraycc@navsea.navy.mil

Mark Whitaker

Managing Editor

whitakermc@navsea.navy.mil

HTCM (MDV) Chuck Young, USN

BMCS(SW/MDV) Fred K. Orns, USN

Fleet Liaison Editors

youngch@navsea.navy.mil

ornsfk@navsea.navy.mil

F. Scott Lassiter

Graphic Designer

slassiter@roh-inc.com

CAPT Bert Marsh, U.S. Navy Director of Ocean Engineering

and Supervisor of Salvage and Diving at the Naval Sea

Systems Command, describes to the media the plans for the

lifting process of the Ehime Maru. Photo by: PH3 Lolita D.

Swain.
August 2001 March 2002 3 3

EHIME MARU RECOVERY SUCCESSFUL

By: LCDR Gregg Baumann

Several boats and aircraft were

involved during the moving

phase of the EHIME MARU

recovery operation including

the ROCKWATER 2 (left).

Photo by PH2(AW/NAC) Keith

W. Devinney.

March 2002 3

On February 9th, 2001 USS Greenville(SSN 772) was conducting submarine

exercises 13 miles off the coast of Oahu,

Hawaii. While attempting an emergency

main ballast tank blow procedure, the submarine struck and sank the Japanese fishing and high school training vessel

EHIME MARU in 2000 feet of water. The

collision, which took the lives of nine personnel aboard, created tension and at

times strained relations between the Japanese and United States governments. As

a sign of sorrow and good will, the U.S.

Navy promised to locate and recover the

missing remains if it were technically possible. What followed was one of the most

ambitious and technically challenging salvage efforts of its kind.

In the days immediately following the

accident, search and recovery crews

scoured the ocean surface for survivors.

As search efforts showed no signs of any

of the missing

crewmembers,

attention turned

to locating the

sunken vessel

on the sea floor

and searching it

for trapped

crewmembers.

Due to the extreme depth,

divers would

not be able to be

used. The Commander in Chief,

Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) called on the

Supervisor of Salvage and Diving

(SUPSALV), and Submarine Development

Squadron 5 (SUBDEVRON 5) from San Diego to mobilize their Remotely Operated

Vehicles (ROVs) and accomplish a subsurface search. Both activities quickly mobilized and flew their equipment to Honolulu.

SUPSALV used ROV DEEP DRONE and

the Shallow Water Intermediate Search

System (SWISS) side scanning sonar system while SUBDEVRON 5 using the ROV

SCORPIO, quickly located the vessel and

visually searched the exterior and surrounding seafloor. After working around

the clock for over two weeks in adverse

weather, the subsurface search was called

off. None of the missing crewmembers

were located.

With relations between the U.S. and

Japanese governments strained because

of the incident, the U.S. Navy made the

commitment to the surviving family members that if it were technically feasible to

raise EHIME MARU the

U.S. Navy would do so.

Under direction from

CINCPACFLT, Captain

Bert Marsh, Richard

Asher, and Tom Salmon

from NAVSEA 00C assembled a feasibility

study team composed

of NAVSEA 00C,

NAVSEA 05, Japanese

technical and various

contractor personnel.

The salvage firms

SMIT International

from Singapore and SMIT TAK from

Rotterdam functioned as the prime contractor based on pre-existing salvage contracts with NAVSEA 00C.

Due to the depth of EHIME MARU,

the team was limited in the techniques

they could employ for the recovery. Since

saturation divers were out of the question

and other means of gaining entry into the

vessel at depth had very low probabilities

of success, the team had to look at moving the vessel to an area in which personnel could safely search the interior of the

vessel. Before being able to say this was

feasible, a structural analysis of the damaged ship had to be performed.

With information gained from the initial ROV search, Tom Packard and Ed

Kadala led a team of engineers and naval

architects from NAVSEA 05P in developing a structural model of the roughly 850-

ton ship. Using a hull model based on a

beam type finite element of over 200

nodes and the shipbuilder’s lightship

weight distribution, the group generated

(EH Recovery continued on page 4)

The lower lifting rig that will be used to

relocate the sunken Japanese fishing

vessel EHIME MARU is lifted from a barge

off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Photo by

PHC(SW/NAC) Spike Call.

After transporting EHIME MARU to the

final relocation site more than 12 miles

south of Barbers Point, the Crowley 450-

10 barge released the ship in more than

8,500 feet of water. Photo by PH2(AW/

NAC) Keith W. DeVinney.
4 March 2002

numerous bending moment curves for a

number of different lifting arrangements.

Incorporated into each analysis were reduced section moduli in way of the damaged areas which assumed a worst case

damage scenario. The result of the analyses was that EHIME MARU could withstand a static steady state lift but that the

dynamic effect imparted by ocean swells

could be a problem. Concurrent with this

effort, SMIT engineers conducted an independent analysis and came to the same

conclusion.

Based on the detailed structural

analyses and a concept of recovery operations from SMIT, Captain Marsh concluded that that it was technically feasible

to raise EHIME MARU and estimated that

there was an 80 percent chance of success. The results of the feasibility study

and the odds of success were sufficient to

convince CINCPACFLT to pursue recovering the fishing vessel.

The concept of operations called for

placing two large lifting straps beneath the

ship and carrying it into shallow water

where divers could safely enter and search

the vessel. This required that a site be

chosen where the ship could be relocated

without causing damage to the environment. To prove this, CINCPACFLT had to

accomplish an Environmental Assessment

before the operation could begin.

CINCPACFLT N45 (Environmental Division) was chosen to head up this effort.

Drawing on assistance from EDAW Inc.

from Irvine, CA, numerous subcontractors, NAVSEA 00C25 pollution engineers,

and SUPSALV Emergency Ship Salvage

Material (ESSM) contractor personnel,

CINCPACFLT N45 conducted the assessment in less than 13 weeks at a cost of

nearly $2 million. The Environmental Assessment culminated with (CINCPACFLT)

signing a “Finding of No Significant Impact” (FONSI) for moving EHIME MARU

from its current location to about a mile off

the Honolulu airport.

While the environmental assessment

progressed, mobilization for the recovery

operation began in earnest. To accomplish the rigging and lifting operations,

specialized offshore equipment was mobilized from Singapore, Europe, Philippines,

Texas, Louisiana, and California. Additionally, the Haliburton Corp. oil field drilling and diving support vessel

ROCKWATER 2 was contracted as the

host work platform. Since the

ROCKWATER 2 was already operating in

eastern Asia, it was outfitted for the operation in Batangas, Philippines and was used

to transport some of the lifting equipment

to Hawaii. Three separate ROV systems, a

coiled tube drilling unit, and rigging equipment were mobilized from the Gulf coast to

Port Hueneme, CA and barged to Honolulu on the Crowley Marine 250-6 barge.

Once the ROCKWATER 2 and remaining support equipment arrived on-station, Pacific Shipyard

was subcontracted to complete

vessel outfitting. This entailed

welding down the ROV equipment, installation of portable generators for the deck equipment,

and welding of additional rigging

equipment for the deep ocean lift.

While the ROCKWATER 2 was in

the process of being mobilized

and outfitted, a separate ROV

support vessel was contracted to

conduct preliminary support operations on EHIME MARU. The

cable laying ship OCEAN HERCULES was brought in to remove

the center mast of EHIME MARU

since it was determined to be an obstruction to the lifting hardware. For the mast

removal, Jet Research Corp. from Texas

was subcontracted to cut the mast off using underwater explosives. OCEAN HERCULES was also used to accomplish

dredging of bottom sediment in way of the

lift straps and to place a constellation of

underwater ROV navigational transponders around the sunken vessel.

After outfitting was complete, the

ROCKWATER 2 immediately transited to

EHIME MARU site to begin recovery operations. The first order of business

was to calibrate the navigational transponder constellation so that the ROV pilots could maneuver the ROVs in limited to

no visibility conditions. Once calibration

was complete, the recovery team went to

work on putting two large lifting straps

beneath the hull. The first attempt at doing so incorporated a technology called

“coiled tube drilling.” This technology is

routinely used for drilling into oil wells. It

had never before been adapted to deep

ocean salvage work nor operated by

ROVs. The general principle of coiled tube

drilling is to pump high pressure water

through 2-inch steel pipe outfitted with a

drilling nozzle on the end to essentially

“drill” with the high pressure water

through the soil. While the modified technology was successful in drilling at 2000

feet, it was not successful in placing the

lift strap messengers under the vessel.

The next attempt at placing the lift

straps beneath EHIME MARU incorporated lifting the vessel via the stern and

slipping the straps beneath it while suspended. The first try at lifting the stern

resulted in the temporary lift strap breaking when it slipped onto and around the

rudder post. On the second try, the team

used a cable reinforced lifting strap. This

time, the team was successful. With the

stern lifted, the ROV pilots pulled a messenger wire underneath the after area of

the hull. The team was unable to install

the forward lifting strap messenger.

After the stern of the vessel was set

back down the ROVs were then used to

rig one end of the aft messenger wire to

the lifting strap and the other end to a

heave compensated crane aboard the

ROCKWATER 2. With this setup, the

crane was successfully used to pull the

after lifting strap underneath the hull.

(EH Recovery continued on page 5)

(EH Recovery continued from page 3)

On the aft deck of the ROCKWATER 2 is equipment

that will be used in the recovery of EHIME MARU.

Photo by PH3 Joshua L. Pritekel.
The forward strap posed a new challenge. With two forward lift strap installation procedures having been attempted

and unsuccessful, the recovery team developed a third technique. With the aft

strap installed, they rigged a temporary lift

wire through the anchor chain hawse

pipes and lifted the bow over and onto

the forward lift strap. This turned out to

be a difficult procedure since the bow had

buried deep into the sediment when the

stern was lifted. The solution to the problem was to dredge the material from around

the anchors. While the procedure was effective, the time it took to conduct the

dredging was considerable.

Once the temporary lift wire was

rigged through the hawse pipes, the recovery team then placed the lower

spreader bar assembly above EHIME

MARU. The spreader assembly was designed to be buoyant so that when it was

placed above the vessel and attached to

the lifting straps, it would keep the lifting

straps tensioned against the ship. Since

they had deviated from the original plan,

they had to reconfigure the rigging. Instead of attaching both the forward and

aft straps to the spreader assembly, only

the aft lift wire was attached. In order to

balance the spreader assembly, one of the

heave compensated cranes aboard

ROCKWATER 2 was attached to the other

end of the assembly. The temporary lift

wire through the hawse pipes was then

rigged directly to the linear winch. With

this configuration, they could now lift the

entire vessel and move it laterally onto the

originally designed forward lift strap. This

procedure was a success as the team now

had both the forward and aft lift straps attached to the lift assembly as originally

designed.

The next step was to lower the upper

lift assembly down from the

ROCKWATER 2 with the hydraulic linear

winches. The two 500-ton linear winches

were installed such that their lift wires and

associated sheaves went over the side of

the ROCKWATER 2 and down to the

lower spreader assembly. Once the sheave

was at depth (approximately 1900 feet) it

was then stabbed and connected into the

lower lift assembly. The entire connection

process was accomplished using the

ROVs, the two heave compensated cranes

on the ROCKWATER 2, and the two linear

winches. With all the rigging hardware

connected, EHIME MARU was ready to

be lifted as soon as favorable weather conditions appeared.

After closely monitoring the weather

forecasts, an acceptable window finally

presented itself. With seas less than 6

feet, the team commenced the relocation

process by raising EHIME MARU approximately 25 feet above the seafloor. With

the vessel lifted, the ROVs maneuvered

beneath the ship so that the area damaged

by the submarine rudder could be inspected. The inspection confirmed that

the structural damage was well within the

estimates made in the feasibility study. All

conditions were “go” for relocating

EHIME MARU to shallow water.

Transiting with an armada of other

support vessels, the ROCKWATER 2 began its slow trek to the shallow water site.

Ensuring there were no undiscovered

problems with the lift, the initial transit

speed was set at 0.2-0.3 knots. Since the

ROCKWATER 2 was outfitted with a dynamic positioning system for navigation

and station keeping, this low speed was

achievable. Once the team was comfortable with the lift arrangement, the speed

was slowly increased to 0.5-0.7 knots.

Speeds were kept under one knot so that

the dynamic loading on the lift system

were kept to a minimum. The speeds were

also kept low so that EHIME MARU

could be slowly raised with the winches as

shallower water was approached. After

completing the 13 mile journey, EHIME

MARU was set down at the 110 foot shallow water site without incident.

The next phase of the operation

called for the Mobile Diving and Salvage

Unit ONE (MDSU ONE) divers to penetrate the sunken vessel and search for the

missing crewmembers. After monitoring

the ship for 48 hours to ensure that it was

stable, the Navy Divers began their difficult task. They dived with surface supplied equipment that was staged aboard a

400-foot work and accommodations barge

that SUPSALV hired from Crowley Marine

Services. Using knuckle cranes with

stages attached, the divers were lowered

to the vessel. Once on the bottom, the

MDSU ONE divers climbed a ladder to

gain entry into the ship. Working under

low to no visibility conditions, they

searched every compartment of the ship

for the missing crew members. After 29

days and 534 dives, MDSU ONE successfully recovered 8 of the 9 missing

crewmembers as well as a significant number of personal effects.

The last phase of the operation was

to place the ship back in deep water. Due

to the cost of leasing the ROCKWATER 2,

it was decided that the diving support

barge provided by Crowley Marine would

be used as the hoist platform. Instead of

using linear winches to lift EHIME MARU

from the shallow water sea floor,

SUPSALV and Crowley opted to use ballast water to accomplish the lift. This was

done by ballasting the barge down to a

draft of 20 feet at the stern and connecting the lower lift frame assembly to four

chains that were suspended from the rear

of the barge. Once connected, the barge

was then deballasted to a draft of 13 feet.

The lift went without incident and EHIME

MARU was successfully towed back to

sea and laid to rest in 8500 feet of water

on 25 November 2001.

Despite all of the difficulties presented during this operation, the combined CINCPACFLT, NAVSEA, MDSU

ONE, and contractor team made history in

carrying out this recovery effort. The full

impact of the success of the operation will

probably never be known. What is already

clearly apparent is that eight families of

those nine unfortunate crewmembers have

been able to bring home their loved one

and that the ninth family has been greatly

assisted in their grieving process. Everyone who participated in the recovery has

assisted in accomplishing an act of kindness that will be remembered for a long

time.

LCDR Gregg Baumann is currently the

Assistant for Salvage for NAVSEA 00C.

LCDR Baumann served as a NAVSEA

salvage engineer on EHIME MARU project

from February 2001 to December 2001.

(EH Recovery continued from page 4)

March 2002 5
6 March 2002

I

ntroduction: Navy diving and salvage

professionals know that marine salvage

operations will invariably involve more or

less extensive efforts to protect the environment from oil and hazardous substance

(OHS) spills. The OHS pollution may result from the casualty itself or may arise

during the salvage operation. In some

cases, Navy salvors will be required to coordinate their efforts with other Navy or

commercial teams responsible for environmental protection. In others, as with

EHIME MARU operations, Navy divers

and salvors are directly involved in efforts

to protect the environment against damaging releases of oil and hazardous substances. Whether directly involved in or

simply coordinating with ongoing environmental protection efforts, it is important for

Navy divers and salvors to have a basic

understanding of environmental protection considerations relative to marine salvage operations.

In addition to describing the environmental protection efforts undertaken during EHIME MARU recovery operations,

this article is intended to provide Navy

divers and salvors with useful environmental protection information. This information will make you a more complete Navy

salvage professional and may save you,

your command, and the Navy from embarrassment and even adverse legal action

during future Navy salvage operations.

Navy salvors should have a basic knowledge of applicable environmental laws and

regulations, the National Response System for spills in U.S. waters, applicable U.S.

Navy guidance and organization for environmental protection (worldwide), and

some of the environmental protection resources (tools and services) available to

the Navy salvor. The EHIME MARU recovery operation was certainly not a typical Navy salvage operation in many respects, but since it required the Navy to

operate under the spotlight of intense public and federal and state agency scrutiny,

and because it allowed ample opportunity

for response planning, should prove a

useful example of how environmental considerations can and should be integrated

into Navy salvage operations.

Background:

When USS Greenville collided with

EHIME MARU, the Japanese fishing vessel quickly sank, releasing an oil slick estimated by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to

contain from 500 to 20,000 gallons of oil.

No effort was made to contain or recover

the oil at sea. The priority at the time was

saving lives. In addition, the prevailing

trade winds moved the slick further offshore and caused the relatively light diesel

oil to naturally disperse without threatening any sensitive resources. The Navy

learned that at the time of the collision,

EHIME MARU had approximately 65,000

gallons of fuel (marine diesel) and approximately 1200 gallons of lubricating oil on

board, in addition to very small quantities

of kerosene, paints, solvents, and various

compressed gasses. In planning the recovery operation, salvors addressed a potential “worst case spill” of 45,000 gallons,

but assumed much less oil remained on

board. In terms of potential environmental

impact, it is significant that the Navy intended to move EHIME MARU and re-

(EM Environmental Considerations continued on page 7)

EHIME MARU - Environmental Considerations

By: Bill Walker

SUPSALV V-boom skimmer system

intercepting oil sheen down-wind of dive

barge Crowley 450-10.

Photo by Howard Beecher.
March 2002 7

maining on-board pollutants from a deep

(2000 feet) offshore location (9 miles offshore) to a shallow (115 feet) near shore

location (3/4 mile offshore). The potential

pollution source was to be relocated from

an area of relatively low environmental

sensitivity to an area of relatively high environmental sensitivity virtually on the

shores of Oahu.

Environmental Assessment:

For legal reasons that are beyond the

scope of this article, the EHIME MARU

operation was considered a proposed federal agency action that required the Navy

to prepare an Environmental Assessment

(EA) and to conclude a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) before initiating

the operation. The bottom line of this requirement was that ADM Fargo,

CINCPACFLT, went on record up front by

stating that the Navy salvors would not

significantly affect the environment while

conducting the EHIME MARU operation.

Our environmental protection “mitigation

measures” described in the EA (the use of

helicopter surveillance, oil containment

booms, oil skimmers, dispersants, etc.)

were a rigidly pre-established requirement.

In addition, the ten-week EA process (normally taking up to a year) involved extensive Navy coordination with various federal and state “trustee” agencies (explained

below) and as a result, when the operation

was finally implemented, the salvors were

under much greater trustee scrutiny than

would normally be the case.

National Response System:

Various federal laws and regulations,

including the National Oil and Hazardous

Substance Pollution Contingency Plan,

prescribe how we must respond to OHS

spills in U.S. waters. OPNAVINST

5090.2B assigns responsibilities and provides guidance for Navy compliance with

these federal (and state) laws and regulations. As a minimum, what Navy divers

and salvors need to know is:

1. It’s illegal to spill or release OHS into

U.S. waters (even during salvage

operations).

2. If OHS is released into the water, it

must be reported to federal and state

authorities.

3. The spiller must clean up the spill.

4. Federal and state On-Scene Coordinators (FOSC and SOSC) have

authority to terminate or take over

your salvage (and clean-up) operations if you do not protect the

environment in accordance with

applicable laws and regulations.

5. Other federal and state “Trustee”

agencies (e.g. the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service) have regulatory

authority to protect various sensitive resources and may insist upon

reviewing Navy salvage plans and

overseeing operations (generally

through the FOSC or SOSC).

6. Most federal and state agency

personnel are trained to participate

in joint (multi-agency) operations

under the National Interagency

Incident Management System

(NIIMS) Incident Command System

(ICS) or simply “ICS”. They expect

the Navy to be familiar with the ICS

organizational structure and the ICS

project management process.

7. (Finally, and here’s the good news)

Navy On-Scene Coordinators

(NOSCs) have been pre-assigned for

all Navy operating areas to coordinate Navy environmental protection

efforts and to provide liaison with

federal and state (and foreign

government) authorities on environmental issues.

Navy salvage authorities should coordinate marine salvage planning and operations with the cognizant NOSC. The NOSC

can relieve salvors of most of the headaches associated with items 1 through 6

above and can keep us out of trouble. If

necessary, the NOSC can facilitate salvage

operations by mobilizing spill response resources from Navy, other government

agencies, or commercial sources, as described below for EHIME MARU operations.

Response Organization:

The organizational

structure for EHIME

MARU operations

was a hybrid of the

ICS to address multiagency environmental

concerns and the

standard Navy operational structure for

the overall recovery

operation. Briefly

stated, CINCPACFLT

directed the operation, with the Supervisor of Salvage

(SUPSALV) providing Navy salvage

contractor support for EHIME MARU lift

and relocation, and Mobile Diving and

Salvage Unit One (MDSU ONE) providing

diving services at the shallow water site.

RADM Klemm from the CINCPACFLT staff

directed the overall Navy recovery operation and was the “Incident Commander”

for the ICS organization.

As one of three members of the ICS

“Unified Command”, RADM Klemm coordinated with the USCG FOSC and the

SOSC, from the Hawaii Department of

Health on all decisions affecting environmental protection efforts. The Unified

Command, at the top of the ICS organization, provides a command structure that

recognizes the responsibilities and authorities of all three government officials

under applicable environmental law. Under the standard ICS organizational structure, marine salvage efforts are directed

within ICS two organizational levels below

(EM Environmental Considerations continued from page 6)

(EM Environmental Considerations continued on page 8)

Lift Ship Rockwater 2 with Ehime Maru approaching SWRS

moorings. Note two SUPSALV V-boom skimmer systems

and OSRV ‘Clean Islands’ in foreground and towed

containment boom astern of RW2. Photo by Bill Walker.
8 March 2002

the Unified Command. For EHIME

MARU operations, the USCG FOSC allowed recovery efforts to be managed external to the ICS structure, perhaps because RADM Klemm headed both recovery and environmental protection organizations and ensured close Navy coordination with federal and state agencies. The

control of marine salvage operations under the ICS Unified Command, when

there is significant risk of serious environmental impact, is an open and potentially troubling issue for Navy salvors. It

is important that we understand the issues

and recognize the legal authorities and responsibilities of the FOSC, SOSC, and the

various Trustee agencies. A little cooperation and diplomacy could prevent your

operation from being prematurely terminated or taken out of your hands. And, as

noted above, the pre-designated NOSC

can and should be your liaison in these

matters.

Due to the nature and scope of the

EHIME MARU operation, CINCPACFLT,

as the Area Environmental Coordinator

over all NOSCs in his Area of Responsibility (AOR), assumed the NOSC responsibilities from the subordinate Regional

Commander NOSC. CINCPACFLT was

fortunate to have a highly experienced

former NOSC representative from Commander Naval Region Hawaii, on his staff.

She became RADM Klemm’s Deputy Incident Commander under the ICS organization and directed day-to-day environmental protection operations and liaised with

the FOSC, SOSC, and trustee agency representatives. Regional NOSC Spill Management Team (SMT) personnel as well as

SUPSALV and contractor personnel

served on the Deputy IC staff.

Environmental Protection Plan:

The greatest risk to the environment

during EHIME MARU recovery was the

potential for release of remaining diesel

fuel. Other environmental concerns are

addressed briefly below. With the ship in

2000 feet of water, there was no practical

way to quantify the actual oil spill risk or

to remove remaining oil prior to moving

the vessel. As noted above, we assumed

a worst-case spill of 45,000 gallons of diesel fuel. The mitigating measures prescribed in the EA for this worst-case spill

included helicopter surveillance, up to

four offshore oil skimmer systems, several

thousand feet of containment boom, and a

dispersant capability. These resources

were kept in ready standby at the pier or

deployed for on-scene standby, depending on anticipated risk during the four key

phases of the recovery operation.

Under OPNAVINST 5090.2B,

SUPSALV is responsible for providing offshore and salvage-related spill response

equipment to Navy operational commanders. At the request of the NOSC,

SUPSALV offshore spill response equipment and contractor personnel from the

Emergency Ship Salvage Material (ESSM)

system were mobilized to implement the

environmental protection plan.

CINCPACFLT contracted for the services

of the local commercial industry oil spill

cooperative, Clean Islands Council, to provide an additional Oil Spill Response Vessel (OSRV) and the necessary dispersant

capability. (Dispersants are chemicals that

may be applied to a floating oil slick to

break up the slick and disperse the oil as

tiny droplets into the water column. Dispersant use in US waters remains controversial, but the USCG FOSC had authority

to approve their use if the booms and

skimmers failed to adequately protect sensitive Hawaiian resources). The photos on

pages 6 and 7 show a SUPSALV V-boom

skimmer system with a pair of towboats

positioned to intercept an oil sheen from

EHIME MARU during Shallow Water Recovery Site (SWRS) diving operations.

Other environmental concerns addressed in the EA and impacting recovery

operations included physical damage to

sea grass and coral at the SWRS due to

vessel anchors and mooring systems, displacement of sea turtles and other endangered or threatened species due to recovery activities at the SWRS, casualty or salvage debris such as cargo nets or fishing

gear left on the bottom that could entrap

marine life, and introduction of “alien”

(non-indigenous) species to Hawaiian waters on hulls or in the ballast waters of

diving and salvage platforms mobilized

from foreign waters. These concerns were

addressed through mitigation measures

prescribed in the EA and through the ongoing coordination of the NOSC with

trustee agencies.

Protection Plan Implementation:

The EHIME MARU environmental

protection plan was implemented as

planned. As expected, very little oil remained on board due to collision damage

and probably also due to partially filled

tanks being crushed as the vessel rapidly

descended to 2000 feet. Very little oil was

released to the environment during recovery operations. Oil that was released

formed very light sheens on the surface

that rapidly dissipated naturally.

The EA specified that prior to final

relocation to deep water from the SWRS,

remaining OHS would be removed from

EHIME MARU, “to the maximum extent

practicable”, with diver safety the overriding concern. SUPSALV ESSM personnel developed an oil removal plan for

EHIME MARU and assembled prototype

systems tailored to the requirement.

MDSU ONE divers operated these systems

with topside support from ESSM personnel. The systems included a “mini-hot

tap” for thru-hull access to fuel tanks, a

diver-held suction wand for over-head removal of oil from vessel spaces, a topside

sampling and distribution manifold, and a

variety of pumps for various applications.

All systems were successfully operated,

but very little oil remained to be removed.

Small quantities of paint, solvents, and

compressed gas cylinders (freon, acetylene, oxygen, and CO2

) were located but

for safety reasons spaces containing

these materials were secured in lieu of removal.

Summary:

It is fortunate that nearly all EHIME

MARU fuel and lube oil were released well

offshore prior to EHIME MARU recovery

operations and likely caused no significant

environmental impact. It is unfortunate

but true that this could not have been predicted with certainty prior to the recovery

operation. Final hot tapping at the SWRS

confirmed that the tanks most likely to

contain fuel were in fact open to the sea

(EM Environmental Considerations continued from page 7)

(EM Environmental Considerations continued on page 14)
March 2002 9

Following the tragic collision which resulted in the sinking of the Japanese

fishing vessel EHIME MARU on 9 February 2001, the Navy accomplished the

monumental task of relocating the EHIME

MARU from 2,000 feet of sea water to a

depth of 110 feet off Reef Runway, near

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Once the ship was

relocated, Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit

ONE (MDSU ONE) was tasked to conduct all diving and salvage operations in

an effort to accomplish five specific mission objectives. Those mission objectives

involved recovery of the nine missing

crewmembers, collection of all personal effects, recovery of unique shipboard items,

performing hazardous liquids and material

mitigation actions, and rigging the lifting

assembly connections to the contracted

barge for EHIME MARU’s movement to

the final relocation site.

To ensure the accomplishment of all

objectives during this international diving

operation, MDSU ONE planned the mission and developed a very detailed Concepts of Operation (CONOPS) guide that

established a road map for accomplishing

the five mission objectives. With the OnScene Commander’s decision to conduct

only day-light diving, CONOPS required

70 divers, divided into two separate dive

stations, working 16 hours a day for 33

days. The team was comprised of our

three Oahu Mobile Diving and Salvage

Detachments and divers from Ship Repair

Facility, Yokosuka, Japan, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Units THREE and

ELEVEN, Naval Submarine Training Center, Pacific, Dive School and USS SALVOR.

On 14 October 2001, the EHIME

MARU was relocated to the Shallow Water Relocation Site (SWRS) off Reef Runway. MDSU ONE, aboard the Crowley

450-10 barge, sailed from Pearl Harbor to

March 2002 9

reposition in a six-point moor over the

EHIME MARU.

Following a twenty-four hour period

to allow EHIME MARU to settle, SCUBA

divers conducted an external inspection to

verify accesses to the ship’s interior

spaces were clear and to place inclinometers on the vessel to monitor ship stability before surface-supplied diving operations could begin for internal work.

(EHIME MARU continued on page 10)

U.S. Navy and Japanese divers prepare to jump from their stage to the deck of EHIME MARU

to salvage personal effects and remains from the vessel off Honolulu International Airport's

Reef Runway. Photo by PHC(SW/DV) Andrew McKaskle.
10 March 2002

Forty-eight hours later, divers donning MK-21 helmets equipped with the

helmet-mounted camera and light system,

wearing dry suits for contaminated diving,

entered the vessel and cleared debris in an

effort to locate and recover the nine missing crew members. Simultaneously operating two dive stations, divers entered the

ship to find total destruction of bulkheads,

overheads, and debris fouling every passageway inside the ship’s four deck levels.

Following extensive debris removal, passageways were cleared and made safe for

deeper excursions. Using approved diver

tending techniques and meticulous

search procedures, divers located and recovered eight of the nine missing

crewmembers.

Following the recovery of crew member remains, divers proceeded to objective

two to collect all personal effects. The

MDSU ONE dive team searched four

decks, clearing 120 compartments of over

2,500 personal items for return to the

EHIME MARU crew and family members.

Objective three was the recovery of

unique shipboard items that would be

used as a memorial artifacts. Items collected included the ship’s helm, bell, and

anchors. Certain family members requested collection of unique items that the

missing crew members would have used in

the performance of their shipboard duties

including radio equipment and engineering control handles.

Objective four shifted diver priorities

to removing hazardous liquid materials

from EHIME MARU. This was a critical

phase in preparing the vessel for removal

to the final relocation. Due to the hull

damage and rupture of fuel tanks, there

was a large amount of diesel fuel and lube

oil in the overheads and spaces which required removal. During preparation for

diving in a contaminated environment,

divers designed and manufactured a firstof-its-kind decontamination shower station for the dive teams. Once topside,

divers proceeded to the shower for scrub

down, then back to their benches for undress prior to entry into the recompression

chamber to complete the Surface Decompression using oxygen requirements.

To clear diesel fuel, lube oil and other

hazardous liquids, divers used hand-held

suction wands for removing pocketed fluids trapped in the compartment overheads.

To access fuel tanks that were not compromised, divers utilized a technique

called “Hot Tap” to install two valve

flanges onto the fuel tank side-walls. The

valve flanges provided a connection point

for hoses that led to an oily waste holding

tank on the contractor barge. MDSU ONE

divers accessed a fuel storage tank and

emergency generator service tank to remove fuel. Accessing these tanks was

completed successfully without any loss

of hazardous pollutants to the environment.

To complete objective four, MDSU

ONE divers had to clear all topside materials deemed hazardous to the environment

and marine life. Divers performed this

ship-wide titivation by clearing and removing over 127,680 meters of fishing

long-line and an estimated two tons of

miscellaneous topside debris. All debris

and material was brought to the surface or

secured inside the ship. These efforts ensured there would be no environmental

impact once the vessel was moved from

the SWRS to the final relocation site.

The final objective was to prepare

and rig the EHIME MARU for lift which

required the connection of all lifting wires

March 2002

(EHIME MARU continued on page 11)

Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit

ONE Gold Team Red diver

removing fouled items topside to

support entry inside the EHIME

MARU. Photo by PHC(SW/DV)

Andrew McKaskle of Combat

Camera.

10

(EHIME MARU continued from page 9)
March 2002 1111

That’s right, I have the side. A lot of youalready know me, and if you don’t you

soon will. I have served a fair share of years

in the diving community at a variety of commands including 3 salvage ships, submarine

and ship husbandry, and a training command. With some “big shoes to fill” from the

departure of MDV Dave Davidson, I am committed to improving the diving community

and am always listening and open to new

ideas. Give me a call anytime as I am looking

forward to this challenging job and expect to

be an asset to all of you.

Not to be forgotten, we bid ENCM(SW/

MDV) Dave Davidson a Hoo-yah and great

diving in his return to Guam. As Dave moves

on, we would like to thank him for his tenacious yet humorous personality and immense

contributions to our community during his

tenure. MDV Davidson is moving on to

COMNAVMARIANAS Dive locker.

BMCS(SW/MDV) Fred K. Orns

ornsfk@navsea.navy.mil

com.202-781-0526

dsn.326-0526

MDV Fred Orns

and plates. The contractor barge was

used to perform a ballast lift of the 830 ton

EHIME MARU for the 14-mile transit to

the final relocation site. MDSU ONE

divers connected the lifting plates and

spreader bar assembly to the contractor

barge, connected exothermic cutting devices on the lift wires, and acoustic

“pingers” to enable position fixing once

the EHIME MARU was finally released at

the deepwater relocation site.

Throughout the thirty-three days of

diving, MDSU ONE logged over 650 dives

totaling 625 hours of bottom time without

diver mishap to accomplish a task of a

complexity not seen since the Pearl Harbor

salvage work over 60 years ago. The two

separate dive teams accomplished the five

mission objectives and ensured that Japanese cultural sensitivities were honored.

This is a testimony to the pride and professionalism of the Navy Divers.

As a show of patriotism and specific

remembrance for the September 11th tragedy victims, the MDSU ONE team proudly

displayed a 50-by-30 foot American Flag

from the massive crane on the contractor

barge.

(EHIME MARU continued from page 10)

Chief Warrant Officer Primavera reported to

Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit ONE in

June 1998 and was assigned as Officer in

Charge of Detachment FIVE and SEVEN,

and eventually was assigned as Operations

Officer until February 2001. In February

2001, following the tragic sinking of the

Japanese fishing vessel EHIME MARU,

Chief Warrant Officer Primavera was

relieved as Operations Officer to assume full

time duties as Officer in Charge of diving

for the EHIME MARU.
1212 March 2002 March 2002

UNDERWATER SHIP HUSBANDRY

Advisory Diving Around ICCP Systems

Forward 4-foot long anode and dielectric shield.

Typical ICCP reference

cell (9-Inch Diameter).

Typical anode. The flaming

pattern above the anode is a

normal bleaching on hull

coating systems.

Underwater Ship Husbandry (USWH)plays an important role in maintaining the operational readiness of US Navy

vessels and extending the periods between scheduled drydockings. UWSH

divers should be aware that securing shipboard systems for diving can have adverse

as well as beneficial effects. Securing the

impressed current cathodic protection

(ICCP) system unnecessarily for extended

periods for diving operations can result in

underwater hull corrosion and require

costly repairs.

The ICCP system plays a vital role in

preventing corrosion of underwater portions of a ship’s hull and appendages. Although the underwater coating system

provides the primary barrier to corrosion

on all surface ships, submarines, and aircraft carriers, the ICCP system protects the

hull and appendages when the coating

system is damaged and the underlying

steel is exposed to seawater. The ICCP

system is designed to protect up to 12

percent bare metal. The ICCP system provides insurance that these bare metal areas

are adequately protected until the anti-corrosion coating can be replaced either

waterborne or in drydock. Whenever the

ICCP system is secured, the ship loses the

ability to prevent corrosion in areas where

the coating has been damaged. Corrosion

is most severe when the ICCP system is

de-energized for extended periods. The

frequency and duration of inactivation of

the ICCP system should be minimized.

Securing the ICCP system when diving operations are to be conducted should

be carefully considered and appropriately

incorporated into the tag out process.

The ICCP system should remain on whenever possible. Guidance for turning off the

ICCP system to allow divers to work in the

vicinity of ICCP hull fittings is detailed in

the U.S . Navy Diving Manual section 6-

6.9.2, and quoted below:

• Ship impressed-current cathodic

protection (ICCP) systems must be

secured, tagged out, and confirmed

secured before divers may work on

an ICCP device such as an anode,

dielectric shield, or reference cell.

• When divers are required to work

close to an active ICCP anode and

there is a risk of contact with the

anode, the system must also be

secured.

• In situations other than those

described above, the ICCP is to

remain active.

• Divers working within 15 feet of

active systems must wear a full dry

suit, unisuit, or wet suit with hood

and gloves.

• All other underwater electrical

equipment shall be secured while

divers are working over the side.

For additional information contact Mr.

Tom McCue (NAVSEA 00C55) at (202) 781-

0742, DSN 326-0742, or via email:

mccuetp@navsea.navy.mil.

Mr. McCue has over ten years of experience in corrosion prevention and is the

Hull Cleaning Program Manager in the

Underwater Ship Husbandry Division of

NAVSEA. Mr. McCue has performed extensive underwater hull inspections,

coating evaluations and applications in

the pursuit of improving materials for use

by Underwater Ship Husbandry Divers.

Example of a good shield.

By: Tom McCue
March 2002 13

ESSM Diving Depot

NAVSEA has established a diving depot at their Emergency Ship Salvage

Material (ESSM) facilities at Williamsburg,

VA and Pearl Harbor, HI for intermediate

and depot level maintenance of diver life

support systems (DLSS). These facilities

were established to meet what was perceived as a need for quality, timely maintenance and repair capabilities for DLSS.

Navy system certification imposes very

specific requirements for procedure, quality and documentation for all work performed on equipment identified as within

the scope of certification. Many commands have experienced difficulty in locating local companies with the capability to

perform the work required, while complying with all procedural and documentation

requirements. It needs to be said up front

that it is not the intention of the ESSM

Diving Depot to replace local companies

who provide quality service to the fleet.

The ESSM Diving Depot was established

to give the fleet an option where this service is not readily available locally or

where the local firms cannot provide the

service required in a timely fashion.

HISTORY

The ESSM Diving Depot actually

grew out of a capability originally set up to

maintain specified DLSS for use by the

MDSU Reserve Detachments. This facility

was originally set up at the ESSM warehouse in Stockton, CA. When that facility

was closed, this function was transferred

to the Cheatham Annex (CAX) warehouse

in Williamsburg, VA. Primarily this facility

maintained ready-for-issue FADS I systems and MK 12 sets with comms and umbilicals, which were provided to the Reserve Detachments when required

for training or deployment. Since some maintenance and repair capability was required to perform this function, it was

a small step to provide a

limited amount of maintenance and repair for fleet

DLSS. However, problems encountered both in

Norfolk and Pearl Harbor

resulting in significant operational down time made

it clear that there was a

critical need for reliable depot facilities to provide DLSS maintenance

and repairs. It was decided that we could

provide that service with minimal investment in facilities or manpower by using existing ESSM diving facilities. However, the

demand for this type of support quickly

outgrew what we were able to perform.

NAVSEA made a commitment to expand

the ESSM capability to meet this need.

With that decision was born the ESSM

Diving Depot. This depot was established

at the Cheatham Annex facility. As word

of this capability spread, it became apparent that a facility such as this might be of

some value in the Pearl Harbor area as well.

This past year, NAVSEA established a

similar depot at the ESSM facility at

Bishop Point in Pearl Harbor. This facility

is less capable than the Williamsburg facility, but as demand at the Pearl Harbor facility grows, this will be re-evaluated. At this

time, functions that are not within the capability of the Pearl Harbor facility are

handled through the Williamsburg Depot.

CAPABILITIES

The ESSM CAX facility has the ability to perform almost all functions required

for maintenance and repair of DLSS equipment. Where this facility does not have a

needed capability, they have the ability to

contract out for the needed work. One of

the first capabilities that we added to

ESSM CAX was the ability to perform hydrostatic testing of cylinders, flasks, volume tanks and filter housings. With the

advent of the portable systems like the

Lightweight Dive System (LWDS) and the

Flyaway Dive System (FADS) III that use

composite flasks, this has been an important part of what we do. Another important capability established was the ability

to clean DLSS systems and components

to MIL-STD 1330D. No complete depot

capability was possible without this ability. ESSM Diving Depot personnel have

also been trained to perform many of the

repairs associated with the MK 21 helmet,

including regulator repair and adjustment,

and helmet shell repairs. The Depot also

has the ability to perform gauge calibration for both air and O2

 gauges and can set

relief valves as required. Compressor repair and maintenance are also among the

capabilities at ESSM CAX. Another capability that is not actually part of the Depot,

but uses ESSM personnel outside of the

Depot is that of repairing HYDROCOM

diver communication boxes. This was a

capability that was missing within the

Navy for a long time. Within the ESSM

CAX facility there are many other capabilities that are used from time to time such as

welding, and umbilical assembly pull or

strength tests. While the facility at Pearl

Harbor does not have all of these capabilities, it does have the ability to perform hydrostatic testing, O2

 cleaning, gauge calibration, and MK 21 helmet repairs.

Most of the personnel in the ESSM

Diving Depot are retired Navy divers who

are very familiar with the requirements of

System Certification and re-entry control.

Retired MDV Paul Schadon and Jeff

Washburn head up the ESSM CAX DivBy: Bob Kilpatrick

(ESSM Diving Depot continued on page 14)

FADS III flasks being hydrostatic tested.
14 March 2002

(ESSM Diving Depot continued on page 15)

and contained only seawater. Despite frequent Navy and USCG surveillance overflights, only very low-volume (though frequent) oil sheening was observed

throughout Navy operations. The Navy’s

extensive, and expensive, standby spill response forces recovered virtually no significant volume of oil. Never the less, all

mitigation measures required under the EA

were successfully implemented, and had a

large spill occurred, the Navy would have

been fully prepared.

The value of EHIME MARU

standby spill response operations in terms

of Navy preparedness for future marine

casualties cannot be overstated. The

Navy’s next major spill response will likely

be a true emergency response requiring

mobilization in minutes and hours rather

than months. For Region Hawaii’s AOR,

all elements of a successful major spill response have been properly exercised. Regional Spill Management Team (planning

and response) personnel have now

worked with and are familiar with most lo-

(EM Environmental Considerations continued from page 8)

cal/regional spill response resources, including SUPSALV’s Pearl Harbor ESSM

base, the local industry spill cooperative,

and the largest regional spill response

contractor, as well as several commercial

work boat, tow boat, and other marine operations contractors. Valuable, positive

working relationships have been forged

within the National Response System –

with the USCG FOSC, the SOSC, and the

key trustee agencies.

The environmental message for the

Navy diving and salvage community is

that:

1. There are rigid prohibitions against

releasing OHS into the environment.

2. There is an elaborate National

Response System that will be

activated should a spill occur during

salvage operations in US waters.

(The situation is similar in most

foreign waters).

3. There is a worldwide Navy organization for dealing with Navy environmental issues, and regional Navy

On-Scene Coordinators (NOSCs)

should be involved early in salvage

operations planning and should be

notified immediately should a spill

occur during salvage operations.

4. There are spill prevention and

response tools available to the Navy

salvor, including some SUPSALV

ESSM systems (such as hot taps)

available for operation by Navy

divers and salvors.

Future issues of FACEPLATE will profile

some of the ESSM environmental protection tools available to the Navy diving and

salvage community.

Bill Walker is a former Navy Diving and

Salvage Officer on USS Deliver (ARS 23)

and USS Grapple (ARS 7) during the Viet

Nam war. He is also a former SUPSALV

civilian employee of 16 years who has

recently returned to SUPSALV as a Salvage

and Environmental Operations Specialist

after 11 years of marine operations

experience in the private sector.

(ESSM Diving Depot continued from page 13)

ing Depot. Retired MDV Jimmy Johnson

heads up the Pearl Harbor Diving Depot.

HOW DO I USE IT?

One of the biggest mysteries concerning the ESSM Diving Depot is “How

do I use it?” ESSM was established many

years ago to maintain a capability to respond to and support ship salvage and oil

spill emergencies. Contractors staff ESSM

facilities all over the world including the

ones at Williamsburg and Pearl Harbor.

GPC is the current holder of the ESSM

contract. Because this is a NAVSEA 00C

contract, all direction to perform work at

the ESSM facility must come from designated 00C personnel. The textbook way

to use the ESSM Diving Depot is to contact Bob Kilpatrick, SEA 00C33, with a

clearly defined description of the work to

be performed. E-mail has worked very well

for this purpose. He works with ESSM

Diving Depot personnel to develop a cost

estimate that is then provided to the requesting command, usually within a day or

two. The command must then provide the

necessary funds in the form of a

NAVCOMPT form 2276, Request for Contractual Procurement. In some cases a

Form 1149 is used to transfer funding.

The funding document is directed to Naval Sea Systems Command, ATTN: Bob

Kilpatrick, SEA 00C33, 1333 Isaac Hull Avenue, SE, Stop 1073, Washington Navy

Yard, DC 20376-1073. Funding documents

are usually faxed to SEA 00C at (202) 781-

4588. Once funding is received, it is

placed on the contract and work is begun.

It is expected that the command requesting the work will provide the proper re-entry control forms for the work to be performed.

Note that cost estimate provided is

just that, an estimate, and although the

work is usually completed within the estimate, it is possible that additional problems may be discovered while performing

the requested work requiring additional

funding. An example of this would be discovery of damage to a flask that requires

replacement of the flask. Sometimes it is

necessary to look at a piece of equipment

before providing an estimate. These

kinds of issues are dealt with on a case-bycase basis.

One of the most useful variations to

this process is establishing an “account”

on the ESSM contract. Commands that

anticipate a lot of work during the course

of a fiscal year can provide a block of

funding which is placed on the contract,

effectively establishing an account. Once

the funds are on the contract, all that is required to get some work done is to provide a statement of work. This has worked

very well for several commands.

One area where this Depot has

proven to be very effective is serving commands that are located in remote locations
March 2002 15

These are thoughts that might gothrough your head while attempting

to make the “right decision”. Should we

make this dive?

During a diver’s career, he or she

might have to make the decision of

whether we should dive or not to dive.

The U.S. Navy Diving Manual gives us

guidance on how to plan a dive and what

to look for in making that decision. But,

are there other indicators that might help

us in making the right call? What are

those indicators and how will they help

us? Some of those indicators are: the

weather, the sea state, the proper equipment for the job, the divers, and the list

goes on.

Recently, the dive Navy lost a diver.

After reading the message from the Safety

Center that described the events that led

up to the loss, I personally asked myself,

“Why was this dive even attempted, what

was so important that it had to happen

NOW!”? I don’t have those answers but it

stirred up some past experiences when I

had to make a decision of “to dive or not

to dive”.

The Navy has changed in the 28

years that I have been in. We went from

ignoring any rules (if we had any) to increasing the requirements. In the past, we

(divers) would ask the Engineer if the ship

was tagged out, and if the answer were

yes, we would dive. Currently, we physically have one of our divers go and verify

the red tags, see if it’s signed, and if it’s in

the correct location. There are required

pre-dive checklists that ensure our equipment is set up properly and that it will perform as required. We also have to do Operational Risk Management (ORM). This

is another tool we have to make sure we

are doing the right thing. We figure out

what risk are associated with the evolution, diving in our case, and determine if

it’s high, medium, or low. Once that is done

we conduct a dive brief or hold training

prior to making the dive to discuss the

risks involved and how to minimize those

risks and what to do should something

happen.

I’m sure that we have all either seen

or been in a situation where we thought

that a dive does not need to happen.

Someone was putting pressure on to make

it happen without looking at the overall

picture or didn’t have the big picture.

When do we say “NO”, who is responsible

to make that call? WE ALL ARE! The

diver, the Diving Supervisor, the Master

Diver, the Diving Officer, the XO and the

CO all are responsible.

What is the right answer? Conduct

an ORM Assessment, check the tags, and

listen to what’s going on around you.

What are your divers saying? Are they

asking why the rush? Are they enthusiastic about the dive or are they questioning

the need for the dive? Look and listen.

Make the best decision you can and stand

your ground.

Navy diving is voluntary. Let’s make

the right decisions. HOOYAH, DEEP

SEA.

By: EMCM(DSW/MDV) E. Schlenkerman

MDV Schlenkerman

(ESSM Diving Depot continued from

page 14)

like Guam, Bahrain, Puerto Rico,

Guantanamo Bay and the Mediterranean arena. ESSM is very effective at

shipping equipment all over the world

and we have used this capability to

serve commands in these areas.

CONTACTING US

We are very interested in your

feedback on how we are doing in

meeting your needs for DLSS maintenance and repairs. On the NAVSEA

00C Web Site http://www.supsalv.org

under 00C3 Diving there is a Customer Feedback form that automatically sends your feedback to us. We

encourage you to take advantage of

this survey to encourage us when we

are doing well and to help us serve

you better when we can improve our

service. Any questions concerning

the ESSM Diving Depot should be

directed to Bob Kilpatrick, SEA

00C33, (202) 781-4359, e-mail

kilpatrickrd@navsea.navy.mil. Questions specific to anticipated work may

be directed to Paul Schadow or Jeff

Washburn at (757) 887-7402.

Bob Kilpatrick is a Program Manager

in the Diving Programs Division,

Office of the Supervisor of Salvage and

Diving.

He is the senior engineer for surface

supplied diver life support systems

and serves as the principal POC for the

ESSM Diving Depot.
16 March 2002

Located in the heart of the US AtlanticFleet, Shore Intermediate Maintenance

Activity (SIMA), Norfolk, VA is home to

the largest dive locker in the United States

Navy. The dive locker has 75 military billets and employs 29 DOD civilian divers

who are all dedicated to providing Underwater Ship Husbandry (UWSH) repairs to

surface ships and submarines in the MidAtlantic Region as well as forward deployed units.

With the decommissioning of the destroyer and submarine tenders at Norfolk

Naval Base, intermediate level maintenance

required by the ships homeported at Norfolk Naval Base became the responsibility

of SIMA, Norfolk. In 1999, responsibilities

were further expanded into a regional repair

concept. This increased the original 18

diving billets to the current 75 military and

29 civilian employees. This took care of

manpower requirements to accomplish the

volume of underwater work requested by

the Mid-Atlantic region. There were

many other issues that needed tending

such as platforms, facilities, job processing, Material Readiness Management System (MRMS) data, and a hyperbaric facility. All were major undertakings during

the evolution of the locker.

Many individuals have had a part in

building this dive locker. Master Divers

(MDV) Tom Stock and Jeff Royce put their

stamp on the way dive requests are processed from start to finish. None of their

successors have chosen to change the

process. MDV Frank Perna and MDV

John Spires were instrumental in both the

administration of personnel and the building of the state of the art facility we now

occupy. While the MDVs were putting

their pieces of the puzzle together, the

Chief Petty Officers and Diving Supervisors took over the responsibility of accomplishing the work, which is now in excess of 10,000 production hours per

month.

At present there are five active waterfront teams of approximately 15 people,

each of which has a Master Diver and is

headed by a Leading Chief Petty Officer or

Civilian Work Foreman. There is also a

production/administration and hyperbaric

detachment. Each team and detachment

operate independently during normal day

to day operations or work as one large

team when the situation dictates. We

have relocated to an 8,000 square foot waterfront building and a 3,000 square foot

hyperbaric facility. There are 7 diving platforms consisting of five boats and two

mobile vehicles, including the $750,000

Dive and Drive.

Divers fresh out of second class

school and others with limited ship husbandry experience are quickly exposed to

the knowledge of seasoned professionals

in the company of civilian divers with experience that dates back to the days of

hardhat, MARK V diving. This mixture of

youth and experience keeps the old young

and gives the young a chance to learn

from the UWSH experts. One such mentor

is Ronnie “Frenchie” Le Bude. “Frenchie”

attended dive school in 1966 as a First

Class Petty Officer and is still diving deep

with a true affection for his profession. A

pair of beneficiaries from the SIMA experience are ENC(DSW/PJ) Kevin Jones and

ITC(SW/DV) Rob Leos. Both divers

checked into SIMA, Norfolk from Second

class training as First Class Petty Officers,

became Underwater Ship Husbandry Specialists, Diving Supervisors and are now

Chief/First Class Divers running their own

Old screw being

removed from USS

SUPPLY AOE 6

Left to right:

BM1(DV) Lafever

and Mr. Tony By: CWO2 Dan Mikulski Kriedler.

(SIMA continued on page 17)

Preparing to install

new propeller on

USS SUPPLY AOE

6. Left to right:

BM1(DV) Lafever

and Mr. Tony

Kriedler.
March 2002 17

teams preparing for MDV evaluations.

The types of jobs SIMA Norfolk accomplishes range from everyday cofferdams and inspections to propeller and auxiliary propulsion motor replacements. The

recent 40-ton propeller replacement we

successfully accomplished while TAD at

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard has been one

of the most exciting and rewarding jobs to

date of the Diving Regional Repair Center.

SIMA is a command that ushers a

person into a successful career as a Navy

Diver. From UWSH operations, to hyperbaric chamber sessions, SIMA, Norfolk is

the platform every Navy Diver needs to

become a success in the water. Our command motto is a simple one that sums up

our daily efforts - “We fix ships, underwater.”

CWO2 “Diver Dan” Mikulski is currently

the Diving Officer at Shore Intermediate

Maintenance Activity, Norfolk, Virginia.

He was Senior Chief Hull Technician,

commissioned in March of 1999 and will

transfer to SUBLANT for staff duty in July

2002.

SPM change out on USS SCRANTON. Left to right: HT2(DV) Bennet, BM2(DV) Woods,

GM2(DV) Simon, and GMG2 Stradling.

Twenty years ago on January 20, 1982Washington D.C. was cold and heavy

snow was falling. The Potomac River was

frozen and most of the D.C. Metro was

shutting down. Around 3:59 PM, Air

Florida flight 90 taxied out toward the runway to take off to the North in the direction of the Nation’s Capitol. The Boeing

737 jet powered up, headed down the runway and lifted into the air. Shortly after

takeoff, the jet descended rapidly and

crashed into the Potomac River. Five

people survived the crash.

The following day, salvage crews arrived at the scene of the accident to begin

the work of retrieving the plane and its

passengers. Army, Navy , and Coast Guard

Divers worked in murky water with surface

wind chills down to –47o F. Frozen gear

plagued the team. Ice was broken on a

daily basis. Divers also had to contend

with high stress and low visibility. The

mission was successfully completed with

95 percent of the aircraft, all critical parts of

the wreckage, and 68 bodies recovered,

thanks to the dedication, team work, and

courage of the Divers.

CINCLANTFLT stated, “ The performance you demonstrated in Washington

is a classic example of what is meant by

professionalism. Because of the high interest, you all were virtually operating under a

microscope... and yet you came through

with flying colors and you made the entire

Navy and the Nation proud of you.”

(SIMA continued from page 16)
18 March 2002

By: CWO4 Rick Armstrong

On March 22nd 2002, ConsolidatedDivers Unit located on Naval Station, San Diego, will sponsor a building

dedication for Congressional Medal Of

Honor recipient, GMC(MDV) Frank W.

Crilley, USN. This ceremony will take place

at the CDU compound. The Navy diving

communities “Working Divers Conference” (WDC 2002) will be taking place that

week in San Diego and all attendees are

cordially welcomed at the ceremony and

reception to follow. A sign up list will be

routed at the conference

Frank William Crilley was born in

Trenton, New Jersey, on 13 September

1883. Following enlistment in the Navy in

March 1900, he became a Gunners Mate

and received training as a diver. One of the

original members of Gunner Stillson’s experimental dive team, he was instrumental

in bringing hard hat diving to the Navy

and played a pivotal part in developing

submarine rescue procedures that are still

utilized today. In 1915, while a Chief Gunners Mate, he made dives to over 300 feet

during salvage operations on the sunken

submarine F-4 (SS 23) off Honolulu, Hawaii. On 17 April 1915, he rescued a fellow

diver who had become entangled at a

depth of 250 feet. However, his heroic efforts were not actually brought to light

until 1929, 14 years later, at which time he

was awarded the Congressional Medal of

Honor. His citation reads:

“For display of extraordinary heroism

in the line of his profession above and beyond the call of duty during diving operations in connection with the sinking in a

depth of water 304 feet, of the F-4 with all

onboard, as a result of loss of depth control, which occurred off Honolulu, (Territory Hawaii), on March 25 1915. On 17

April 1915, William F. Loughman, Chief

Gunners Mate, United States Navy, who

had descended to the wreck and had examined one of the wire hawsers attached to

it, upon starting his ascent, and when at a

depth of 250 feet beneath the surface of

the water, had his lifeline and air hose so

badly fouled by this hawser

that he was unable to free himself; he could neither ascend

nor descend. On account of

the length of time that

Loughman had already been

subjected to the great pressure

due to the depth of water, and

the uncertainty of the additional time he would have to be

subjected to this pressure before he could be brought to the

surface, it was imperative that

steps be taken at once to clear

him. Instantly, realizing the desperate case of his comrade,

CRILLEY volunteered to go to

his aid, immediately donned a

diving suit and descended. After a lapse of time of 2 hours

and 11 minutes, CRILLEY was

brought to the surface, having by a superb

exhibition of skill, coolness, endurance and

fortitude, untangled the snarl of lines and

cleared his imperiled comrade, so that he

was brought, still alive, to the surface.”

In 1917, Crilley was appointed to the

rank of Chief Warrant Officer (Gunner(T),

and in February 1918 became an Ensign in

the Naval Reserve. He commanded the

USS Salvor in 1919 and left active duty in

July of that year. In the mid-1920’s, he was

involved with salvaging USS S-51 (SS

162), and returned to active Naval service

in 1927-28 to work on the recovery of USS

S-4 (SS 109). He was awarded the Navy

Cross for his actions as a diver during that

operation, the citation reads as follows:

“For extraordinary heroism and fearless devotion to duty during the diving

operations in connection with the salvage

of the USS S-4, sunk as a result of a collision off Provincetown Massachusetts, 17

December 1927. During the period 17 December 1927 to 17 March 1928, on which

latter date the ill-fated vessel was raised,

Crilley, under the most adverse weather

conditions, at risk of his life, descended

many times into the icy waters and displayed throughout that period fortitude,

skill, determination and courage which

characterizes conduct above and beyond

the call of duty.”

In 1931, Frank Crilley served as Second Officer and Master Diver during the

Arctic expedition of the civilian submarine

Nautilus. Also in 1931, he assisted with

the salvage of USS Mayflower (PY 1).

Transferred to the retired list in May 1932,

he was again employed on Navy work in

1939, during the salvage of USS Squalus

(SS 192). Ensign Frank W. Crilley died at

the Naval Hospital, Brooklyn, New York,

on 23 November 1947. One of the true pioneers of Navy diving, the Officers and Enlisted men and woman of Consolidated

Divers Unit take great pride in dedicating

their new diving facility in Honor of

GMC(MDV) Frank W. Crilley a true American hero.

CWO4 Rick Armstrong served as the R-6

Division Officer, Ship’s Diving Officer, and

Decommissioning Officer on USS DIXON

(AS 37) and USS MCKEE (AS 41). In

December 1999, he reported to CDU as the

Repair Officer. He is currently serving as the

Executive Officer of CDU.

Frank William Crilley.

18

Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient

Frank W. Crilley
March 2002 19

This issue of FACEPLATE contains articles covering the raising, victim recovery, and then re-sinking of the Japanese training vessel EHIME MARU. This

whole operation was very complex from

the deep ocean recovery (2000 feet), the

diving and search phase, environmental

protection, to the final transport and resinking of this vessel. Several articles

have been written to try to cover all aspects of this tremendous job. CAPT

Marsh and LCDR Greg Baumann from this

office were intimately involved in the planning, deep ocean recovery, environmental

protection, and relocation to the final resting place. Mobile Diving and Salvage

Unit One (CDR Rob Fink) did a magnificent job under an intense spotlight every

inch of the way during the diving phase. I

was extremely impressed by the whole

MDSU ONE team and the divers from

SIMA Yokosuka that dove with MDSU

ONE.

Working Divers Conference (WDC

2002) March 19-21

 Time to make your reservations and get

in your point papers for WDC 2002. This

year’s WDC will be at the Admiral Kidd

Conference Center in San Diego. Room

reservations should be made using

SUPSALV web site. A block of rooms are

being held until 1 March and will be coordinated by signing up for the conference

via our web site. This year’s SUPSALV

POC is MDV Fred Orns. He will gladly

handle any questions you might have on

point papers or reservations. MDV Orns

can be contacted via e-mail at

(Ornsfk@navsea.navy.mil). Point papers,

sign up and reservations can be handled

by going to www.supsalv.org and going to

WDC2002.

 Conference fee will be $40.00 that will

cover admin, coffee, continental breakfast,

and Wednesday evening social at CDU.

On March 22, 2002 CDU will hold a

building dedication for Medal of Honor

By: CAPTAIN Chris Murray

Recipient Frank W. Crilley. All divers are

invited.

USS MONITOR Expedition 2002

 The USS MONITOR expedition gives

the Navy an excellent opportunity to perform operational Surface Supplied Mixed

Gas Diving under some pretty aggressive

conditions. This year we will again be using a civilian Saturation diving system as a

proof of concept by Navy divers. Mobile

Diving and Salvage Unit Two will again be

heading up this year’s mission with MDSU

ONE providing a detachment for the op.

The current plan has the loadout in June

on a derrick barge for mid June to late July

operation. This year’s goal is to recovery

the cannons and turret.

Jim Bladh Retires

Jim Bladh has retired from government

service after 58 years of active duty and

civilian service. This issue of FACEPLATE has an article on the last page that

gives a short synopsis of his fantastic career. I would like to wish Jim the best of

luck and fair winds and following seas.

Working Divers Conference

When: March 19-21

Where: Admiral Kidd Conference Center

in San Diego

How Much: $40.00

Point of Contact: MDV Fred Orns

Ornsfk@navsea.navy.mil

 Daylight runs out as U.S. Navy

and Japanese divers are

lowered. Photo by PH3 Joshua

L. Pritekel. to the sea floor

Signalman 1st Class (Diver)

Ronald Fontes stationed with

Mobile Diving and Salvage

Unit One, surfaces after a

dive on the EHIME MARU.

Photo by PHC(SW/DV)

Andrew McKaskle.
20

I

 wish to take this opportunity to thank

all of you for the outstanding support

that I have received since re-introducing

“FACEPLATE” in the spring of 1995. This

issue will be the 18th that we have published. It was Captain Chip McCord who

asked for FACEPLATE to be re-introduced, particularly to the “Diving Community”. It has been truly a labor of love. It

has allowed me to stay current and renew

old acquantences. I believe each issue

has been an improvement. This is due primarily to your input. I have tried to focus

on publishing articles from the NAVY

DIVER that will tell your story at the “deck

plate level” showing photos with captions

in order for our readers to know and appreciate what you are all doing. I particularly like “The Old Master” article. It has

been a vehicle to introduce and show you

what our most senior divers have accomplished and put a face to the name and

hopefully encourage you in that direction.

I have initiated the paper work to retire effective 3 January, 2002. This will culminate over 58 years of service to the U.S.

NAVY, 30 years active duty followed by 28

years here at NAVSEA working for the Supervisor of Salvage.

 I was first introduced to diving when I

completed EOD School at Indian Head,

Maryland in 1952 and First Class Diver

School in 1954 at the Washington Navy

Yard as Chief Gunners Mate. After serving in several EOD billets, I was commissioned Warrant Officer and subsequently

LDO retiring in 1973 as a LCDR. Since retirement from active duty I have been employed in the Office of the Supervisor of

Salvage until my retirement on 3 January

2002.

I hope through FACEPLATE we

have brought your successes to the attention of many. Although there have been

occasions during my years of association

with the Diving community that we have

been put on the back burner until needed

in one crisis or another, you all have responded magnificently to every challenge.

I am proud to have been a part of it. I will

continue to track your progress through

FACEPLATE.

DIVE SAFE

Jim Bladh

March 2002

Jim Bladh, former Faceplate Managing Editor with “Jake”.