June 2011 - Supervisor of Salvage and Diving

NDSTC Stands Up its New
ATF Named in Honor of
CWO Robert (Bob) A. Barth
By: Dave Sullivan, Ed Delanoy, and Jim Halwachs
On October 1, 2009, the Naval
Diving and Salvage Training
Center completed the final System Certification
of its new Aquatic Training
Facility (ATF). The ATF was a project
almost ten years in the making. The original
plan initiated in 1999 was to acquire
a second training pool to help break the
frequent training log jams resulting from
the limited capacity of the existing pool.
From early 1999 thru late 2006 the need
to dramatically increase student throughput
at NDSTC produced headway on the
planning for the new pool facility and the
funding was finally approved.
The new ATF pool is 40 ft wide, 75
ft long, 40 ft deep, and contains 900,000
gallons of fresh water. The pool can be
heated for year-round operations and
has a large gantry crane which can travel
the length of the pool to lift
projects in and out of the
water. The cranes large hook
(60 ton Safe Working Load)
and Small Hook (5 ton Safe
Working Load) capably handle
even the largest project
loads for use in diver training.
The pool has a 15,000
gallon surge tank to accommodate
overflow water when
large objects are placed in
the pool. The ATF also has a
new Lock-out Trunk (LOT)
located at the west end with
the ability to lock-out 9 divers
into the pool at the 35 ft
depth level. Additionally,
there are four Divers Life
Support System (DLSS)
Pool Panels, one located at
each corner of the pool. Each
panel can be flex-hose connected to a
FADS III Air Control Console Assembly
(ACCA) to support concurrent training
missions involving up to 12 divers.
There is also a new MK-16 classroom/
lab co-located on the pool deck which
is fully equipped and certified to maintain
and set up MK-16 UBA training
for up to 25 students at the same time.
Construction of the ATF Pool was
performed by Harry Pepper & Associates;
the DLSS panels and LOT were designed
by Mr. Alin Schmutz, NAVFAC
Diving System Design Engineer, built
by the Panama City TECNICO office
and certified by Mr. Rob Smith, NAV-
FAC Dive System Certification Authority
(SCA).
NDSTC flexed their in-house facility
management and dive system operations
Left: CWO Robert (Bob) A. Barth addresses attendees at the
NDSTC dedication ceremony. Right: CDR Tim Richardt, CO
of NDSTC at the time of dedication ceremony.
and maintenance expertise to closely coordinate
the complex design, fabrication,
testing, and delivery of this nearly $18
million project. The NDSTC engineering
effort was and still is orchestrated
by the Engineering Department Head,
Mr. Dave Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan was
capably supported by his “hand picked”
civilian staff of former Navy members
to ensure the successful outcome of the
project. Sullivan’s staff include: Mr. Ray
Davis (Facilities Manager), Mr. Ed Delanoy
(Hyperbaric’s Division Officer), Mr.
Dave Thompson (QA Officer), Mr. P.T.
Moore (Crane/Weight Handling Division
Officer) and a host of other staff members.
The certification dive for the LOT
was performed by NDSTC Commanding
Officer, CDR Tim Richardt and CWO3
Donovan Motley, NDSTC
Assistant Engineering Department
Head. The dive was
supervised by a lock-out qualified
Master Diver, NDCM
Tim Hall, NDSTC Training
Department. CDR Richardt
and Master Diver Hall both
remarked that the certification
of this new training facility
will provide a wide range of
training possibilities and capabilities
for the both the near
and distant future.
On September 15, 2010,
NDSTC officially dedicated/
christened this remarkable
new facility as the CWO Robert
A. Barth Aquatic Training
Facility. This event represented
the successful culmination
of nearly three years of
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June 2011