FACEPLATE FNL (April 2004) - Supervisor of Salvage and Diving

FACEPLATE is published by the Supervisorof Salvage and Diving to make the latest andmost informative news available to the Navydiving and salvage community. Discussions orillustrations of commercial products do notimply endorsement by the Supervisor ofSalvage and Diving or the U.S. Navy.Articles, letters, queries and comments shouldbe directed to the Commander, Naval SeaSystems Command, NAVSEA 00C, 1333Isaac Hull Ave. SE Stop 1070, WashingtonNavy Yard, DC 20376-1070. (Attn:FACEPLATE). Visit our website at http://www.supsalv.org. To view an electronicversion of Faceplate in PDF format go to ourwebsite and click on the word “Faceplate”located in the left hand column. This link willdirect you to our list of Faceplate issues.Captain Jim Wilkins, USNDirector of Ocean EngineeringSupervisor of Salvage and DivingNAVSEA 00Cwilkinsjr@navsea.navy.milCaptain Mark Helmkamp, USNSupervisor of DivingEditor In Chiefhelmkampmt@navsea.navy.milLCDR Jim Bladh, USN (Ret)Managing Editorjimbladhsr@aol.comBMCM (MDV) Steve Smith, USNBMCM(SW/MDV) Fred K. Orns, USNFleet Liaison Editorssmithss@navsea.navy.milornsfk@navsea.navy.milIn This IssueZoya GorbunovaProduction Editorzgorbunova@roh-inc.comOtto C. AdamsGraphic Designeroadams@roh-inc.comSUPSALV Sends ........................................... 2Military Sealift Command ............................... 3From the Editor .............................................. 4Battle Damage Repair at Sea ........................ 5USS Hartford Grounded ................................ 7Navy-Trained Divers Commercial Cards ....... 8SUPSALV SENDS“Are our last salvage ships REALLYgonna get transferred to MSC?”That’s the most frequent question Ihear around the salvage Fleet today. Andit is not surprising. The U.S. Navy salvageforce has continuously included commissionedsalvage ships since before WWII.During the last two decades, however, theNavy has reduced the number of activeduty salvage ships from greater thantwenty ships all the way down to the fourships of the USS SAFEGUARD (ARS 50)Class. As of this writing, CFFC andOPNAV are in the midst of determiningwhether ARS 50s remain commissionedvessels or are converted for Military SealiftCommand (MSC) operations.Those discussions principally involvetwo issues: (1) what are the U.S.Navy’s wartime requirements for afloat salvageplatforms, and (2) what is the mostcost-efficient means to meet that wartimerequirement?WARTIME SALVAGE SHIP RE-QUIREMENTS – Due to the classified natureof this issue, not everything can besummarized in FACEPLATE. What I cansay is that the official campaign analysisused to address future force requirementsfor salvage ships makes assumptionsabout the number of battle-damaged surfaceships in need of salvage/rescue towing.And it omits completely a second criticalrole of salvage ships – harbor clearanceand opening of blocked navigationchannels – an Achilles heel of our relianceon “rapid strategic logistics” supplied byU.S. and allied shipping. Until the SEAPOWER 21 vision is no longer dependenton access to channels, ports, harbors, andberths, a capable salvage force is still required.What’s missing is a quantificationof the near-simultaneous, wartime requirementfor both (a) battle damage recovery/Both Divers Leaving the Bottom! ................. 10“20,000 Jobs Under the Sea” Museum ....... 11Propeller Hub Removal ................................ 12Rapture of the Deep .................................... 14Diving System Certification Corner ............. 15Hard Hat History .......................................... 16rescue towing of surface combatants, and(b) harbor clearance/channel clearancepermitting rapid throughput of strategiclogistics.COST EFFICIENCY – Careful examinationconfirms that converting the SAFE-GUARD Class salvage ships to MilitarySealift Command operations will be lessexpensive to the U.S. Navy than retainingthem as commissioned vessels. And thereis little doubt that if MSC recognizesthese specialty ships are not simplysmaller ships of the logistics force, but arepurpose-designed and built for the hazardsof combat-salvage, then MSC coulddevelop, fund, and implement a “salvageship master” training program to ensurecivilian mariners are trained as professionalsalvors to competently operate oursalvage ships. But the greatest unknownremains determining the critical size of theuniformed salvage force aboard salvageships for actual wartime salvage.For years, our T-ATFs have beenmanned by 16-person Mobile Diving andSalvage Unit detachments. However, therecent experience of USS GRAPPLE (ARS53) supporting the DDX Weapons EffectsTests (WET) on EX-USS PETERSON (seerelated article) revealed that every memberof GRAPPLE’s 100-person crew was required(directly or indirectly) to controland contain fires and flooding on EX-PETERSON after intentionally exploding awarhead – and even with careful limitationson hull damage to keep this testship from severe flooding. The EX-PETERSON operation was a wake-up callto an increasing demand on our afloat salvageforce manning, especially as our warshipcrews become much smaller - evenwith the advanced, autonomous damagecontrol and fire fighting systems demonstratedon EX-PETERSON.(“SUPSALV SENDS” continued on page 13)Command in the Spotlight ............................ 17The Old Master ............................................ 18Jake’s Corner ............................................... 18From the Supervisor of Diving .................... 192 A p r i l 2 0 0 4

Military Sealift Commandin the Future of Shipboard Diving and SalvageBy: CAPT Mike Freeman, Navy Harbor Pilot, and CAPT Mike Herb, USNTowing, salvage, and diving is achallenging profession requiringunique knowledge and an extensive skillset. This business comes with inherentoperational risks that add greatly to thechallenge. Long lists of lost or floodingtows, parted lines and wires, Diveraccidents, etc., can make for entertainingbarroom sea stories or tragic reading ininvestigative reports.There has beenmuch speculation why these types ofaccidents happen, and to what extent theywere attributable to inexperienced officersin executive and command positions. Wecan also debate how much experience andtraining is enough. While experience doesnot guarantee accidents will not occur,data does show a clear correlation betweensafety and experience. Regardlessof the arguments, experience counts, andthe Navy must keep it a manning priority.In this article we will try and stayaway from the debate of “intangibles” andstick to presenting a case for transitioningthe ARS 50 Class salvage ship to MilitarySealift Command as the best way toensure the Navy maintains its organictowing and salvage capability. Simplystated, Military Sealift Command, with theappropriate Mobile Diving and SalvageUnit (MDSU) augmentation, can operatethe ARS at full mission capability with farmore bridge and deck experience whilegreatly increasing the operational availabilityto Fleet Commanders and reducingcosts to the Navy.We , t h eBACKGROUND PERSPECTIVEThroughout the years the experience levelin Navy salvage ships has varied for anumber of reasons. Today our manningpolicy results in the lowest level ofexperience in the primary mission areassince before World War II. The SpecialOperations Community (1140) providedthe experienced diving and salvageofficers to man and command salvageships for the past twenty years.authors, bothcommandedARS 38 andARS 50 Classsalvage ships,and each wasa qualifiedNavy Diverwith 10+ yearsat sea andthree differentsalvage shiptours beforetaking commandof ourrespective ARS 50 Class salvage ship. Wepoint this out not to sell our resume, butrather to show what the typical experiencelevel was for a commanding officer. TheSPECOPS community is no longer willingor able to provide qualified salvageofficers in XO or CO billets. The currentcommand assignment policy provides acommanding officer who is well qualified inthose aspects common to all surfaceships, but who must rely on members ofhis or her crew for knowledge andexperience in the towing, diving, andsalvage business.Another problem that exacerbatesthe lack of experience on salvage ships isthat strong “back-up” is no longerassured. In the eighties, it was notunusual to have a Master Diver who wason his 2 nd , 3 rd, or even 4 th salvage shiptour; a Bos’n with decades of experienceand many other of our senior enlisted hadmultiple salvage ship tours. With onlyfour USN salvage ships throughout thepast 8 to 10 years; this is no longer thecase.In our Navy we strive to assign themost qualified officers to command. Thisqualification is the result of years oftraining and experience. Submarinequalified officers command submarines.Surface warfare officers command surfacecombatants. In the aviation community, itUSS GRASP (ARS 51).gets more specialized. Helicopter qualifiedofficers command helicopter squadrons,P-3 aviators command P-3 squadrons,fighter/attack aviators command VFsquadrons. “Know your stuff” is one ofthe foremost qualities of a leader. Yet, on acyclic basis, we assign officers tocommand salvage ships that have neverperformed an open ocean or rescue tow,never planned and supervised a divingoperation, never retracted a grounded ship– the primary missions of their newcommand.MOVING FORWARD TO FUTUREA best solution for today and into tomorrow– transfer operation of the ARS 50Class ships to Military Sealift Command(MSC).Proven capabilityThis concept is not ground breaking.With the transfer of last AOE 6 this summerand the decommissioning of the lastAOE 1 in FY’06, MSC will be operating theNavy’s entire Combat Logistic Fleet. Othernon-combatants such as submarine tendersand even command ships are understudy. The four ARS 50 Class salvageships are a natural fit. MSC already operatesthe five T-ATF Class ships, with a primarymission of ocean towing and second-A p r i l 2 0 0 4 3

ary mission of salvage. During diving andsalvage operations using the T-ATF, theMSC Master retains full responsibility forthe safe navigation and maneuvering ofthe vessel, but a qualified Navy Officer inCharge is responsible for planning and executionof diving and salvage operations.Two of the T-ATFs, USNS MOHAWK andAPACHE, with MDSU TWO detachmentsand fly-away DLSS regularly deploy as thesalvage asset to Sixth Fleet. Like the CombatLogistics ships and T-ATFs, the ARSwould remain Government Owned andGovernment Operated, or GO/GO, andwould be operated by Government ServiceCivilian Mariners or CIVMARs.ExperiencePlacing all towing and salvage platformsunder a single Type Commander createssynergy. Under MSC, crews of professionallicensed and unlicensed mariners,whose experience in towing and salvage isnot measured in months, but in years ordecades, will operate all our salvage ships.Having a sub-critical mass of only the fiveT-ATFs creates a challenge for MSC inmaintaining the optimum experience levelamong their deck officers in towing andsalvage. With the addition of the ARS 50Class, MSC would have nine ships,greatly enhancing the development oftheir cadre of deck officers to optimallyoperate these ships. MSC CIVMARs arelicensed and experienced mariners and T-ATF Masters already carry Coast Guardtowing endorsements on their licenses.MSC wants to improve on this base and isfinalizing a training course for Masters andMates assigned to the tugs. This training,which will be expanded for the ARS, includestowing and salvage uniqueshiphandling, operational planning,MDSU and SUPSALV operations. Thetraining will consist of classroom, simulator,and underway training.Increased OPTEMPOA significant benefit of MSC operation ofthe ARS 50 Class salvage ships is that realoperational availability would more thandouble. MSC guarantees their ships to theFleet for OPCON 270 days a year for taskingas the operational commander desires.Transferring the Diver billets from theARSs to the Mobile Diving and SalvageUnits provides for more deployable detachments,with an increase in flexibility torespond to diving and salvage requirementsworldwide.Providing T-ATF and T-ARS platformson a rotating basis to supportMDSU training requirements will keep thereadiness edge sharp, both for the MDSUdetachments and the T-ATF/T-ARS crews.The really good news is that you get thisincreased operational availability and improvedreadiness at a reduced cost to theNavy.CostAlthough secondary to operational readiness,fiscal realities cannot be overlooked.From the CNO Guidance for 2004, it is clearthat we must pursue smarter ways to optimizereadiness at lower cost. MSC can operatethe ARS 50 Class salvage ships atlower cost and the increased operationalavailability allows us to more effectivelysize the salvage force structure. The Centerfor Naval Analysis (CNA) published apreliminary report in December 2003 thatshows a potential savings of $14M to$24M per year. These saving estimatestake into account the additional manningrequired at MDSUs. They are somewhatconservative in that potential additionalsavings from force reductions resultingfrom increased employability are not accountedfor.BOTTOM LINEAll things considered, it is the right thingto do. Sailors who have spent years sailingon Navy salvage ships feel in theirheart that there should be a Naval Officerin command and dungaree Sailors at thehelm. History and traditions of Navy divingand salvage run long, deep, andproud; however, our first priority must bereadiness. The intangible benefit of havingpure USN salvage ships is not worth therisks associated with the perishing com-mand experience and skills. Transitioningthe ARS 50 Class salvage ships to MSCoperation and the resulting partnershipwith the Mobile Diving and Salvage Unitsis the best way for us to ensure our wartimeand peacetime operational salvage capabilityis preserved for the future.Michael D. Freeman holds a Master, Oceans,Unlimited Tonnage license and is currently aFirst Class Pilot with the U.S. Navy. He retiredfrom the Navy in 1998 with the rank of Commander.CAPT Michael C. Herb is currentlyDeputy Program Manager, Naval Fleet AuxiliaryForce at MSC.Both Freeman and Herb are Naval Academygraduates, qualified Surface Warfare Officers,Special Operations Officers, and Divers.Between the two of them they served on andcommand nine different salvage ships.This article is the opinion of the authors anddoes not represent the position of SEA 00C.From The Managing EditorIt is a true pleasure to be back assisting theSupervisor of Diving, Captain MarkHelmkamp, as the Managing Editor forFACEPLATE. Our purpose is to get theword out about the support and accomplishmentsprovided by Navy Divers. As youread through these pages, bear in mind thatthe stories published in FACEPLATE areonly a fraction of the work completed byNavy Divers. Much of the work will neverbe known due to its classification or the reluctanceto record it. Help us remedy thissituation by sending us articles relating yourexperiences, successes, lessons learned andwhat it takes to get the job done. Faceplate islimited only by the input that we receivefrom you in the Fleet. Let us hear from you.We recently received from Mr. DougHuff, Director of the Museum of Man in theSea, Panama City, Florida, copies of pastFACEPLATEs, dating back to May 1956.We are exploring ways to make them easilyavailable to you. They contain a lot of historyand interesting reading and should proveto be excellent reference material.I wish to thank all of you for yourcontinued interest and support. Remember:When you submit an article, we are lookingfor photos with captions and a brief bio ofthe article’s author.By: LCDR Jim Bladh, USN (Ret)A p r i l 2 0 0 4 4

All Navy ships spend hours training ondefensive systems and response tobattle damage. Damage control efforts arealways manpower intensive, but are particularlyso when faced with damage associatedwith the explosive capability oftoday’s high-powered missile systems.As weapons become more powerful andcrew size is decreased, manpower fordamage control will become a major concernon board Navy ships. Ships will alwaysneed an organic fire fighting anddamage control capability but smallercrews will become more dependent on salvageassets for fire fighting and damagecontrol support and relief. The ability ofan ARS to respond to such a situationwas partially tested during Weapons EffectTest (WET) conducted onboard EX-PETERSON in January. The crew of theUSS GRAPPLE (ARS 53) was tasked withproviding fire boundary monitoring, firefighting, damage control, and salvage effortsto prevent EX-PETERSON from sinkingor failing to meet established return toport criteria during the WET evaluation.Blast and fire damage are severe and unpredictableand a real life salvage and firefighting situation takes even more manpowerand time to get under control thana WET. GRAPPLE had the advantage ofstudying the specifics of the test sce-nario, pre-test damageand fire spreadpredictions conductingfire boundaryteam rehearsals,and pre-stagingsome fire fightingand dewateringequipment.The purpose ofthe WET was to testthe ability of an AutonomicFire SuppressionSystem indevelopment forpossible use in theDD (X) program. Athreat representativeDamage Control and Planning Leaders for the recovery operation.FRONT ROW: LT Matt Rick, ENS Lori Bentzel, LTJG Sean Kido, DCCS (SW) Jeffery Yaun,HTC (DSW/SW) John Coffelt, LCDR Kevin Robinson (CO).BACK ROW: DCCS (DSW/SW) Randy Duncan, BMCS (DSW/SW/MDV) Mark Leet,LCDR Brian Lawrence, DC1 (SW) Steve Rose.sized warhead was placed inside the hullof EX-PETERSON and detonated to simulatean ASCM casualty. EX-PETERSONwas rigged with sophisticated test equipmentto monitor and record the effects ofthe explosion, and corresponding responseof the fire fighting system. A postexplosion survey was also required aspart of the WET. In order to accomplishthis survey all fires would have to be extinguishedand required damage controlactions completed to keep the ship safelyafloat. This challenging task was assignedto the crew of USS GRAPPLE.Providing offshipfire fighting atsea to EX-PETERSONwas no easy matter.Boarding the damagedship from USSGRAPPLE with the requiredsalvage andfire fighting equipmentrequired carefulplanning. Muchof the equipment waspre-staged to maximizepersonnel safety inHull damage from blast. Crack arrestors (external hull stiffeners)were installed previously to limit damage based on pre-testpredictions.conducting the fireboundary monitoring.Still, the salvage crewneeded to be familiarwith small boat operations and transfers atsea, then familiarize themselves with thelayout of the ship and the extent of thedamaged area. Equipment transferred includedfire fighting hoses, de-smokingequipment, Scott Air Packs, Fire FightingEnsembles (FFEs), and life jackets. Lastly,the response team needed to extinguishall fires and patch external hull damage.EX-PETERSON was towed over fiftymiles off the coast of Florida and positionedwhere depths exceeded a thousandfathoms. GRAPPLE was stationed 2 milesfrom EX-PETERSON when the warheadwas detonated. After detonation, the onscenetest conductor waited for test systemsresponse. After this response periodwas over, the GRAPPLE team was calledin. GRAPPLE Commanding Officer LCDRKevin Robinson established commandand control in GRAPPLE. The responseteam was lead by GRAPPLE’s ExecutiveOfficer LT Matt Rick using rigid inflatableboats to ferry the response team to theseverely damaged ship. GRAPPLE deployedthree salvage and rescue teamscomposed of twelve to fifteen personneleach for the fire fighting and damage controlefforts. These teams were composedof personnel from all divisions inGRAPPLE, temporarily assigned personnelfrom MDSU-2, SIMA Mayport, andA p r i l 2 0 0 4 5

Mayport fire fighting school. LTJG SeanKido, MDV Mark Leet, DCCS (SW) JeffreyYaun, DCCS (DSW/SW) RandyDuncan, and DC1 (SW) Steven Rose ledfire fighting and assessment parties.Once on-board, the teams immediatelyestablished smoke and fire boundariesand established a command post.Next the response team deployed investigatorsto conduct damage and fire surveys.Despite the ship being offloaded offuel and equipment that would normallyignite under explosive conditions, numerousfire hazards existed including threehundred forty-five gallons of heptane tosimulate onboard fuels and unspentrocket fuel. Investigators encountered severefires, dense smoke, and a significantamount of debris blocking passages andladder wells. In addition, investigatorshad to overcome bowed and jammed watertight doors and hatches, damaged anddestroyed decks along with a dangerousamount of sharp metal debris scatteredthroughout the detonation area. Once initialinvestigations were complete, theGRAPPLE response team spent the nexttwelve hours putting out residual fires,overhauling the fires, and setting re-flashwatches. Two teams combated the fires.These teams alternated efforts every twohours until all fires were extinguished.The third team rotated boundary watchesand conducted routine investigations tomonitor flooding and damage. Some membersof the fire fighting teams expendedup to fifteen forty-five minute SCBAbottles in their efforts.While fire fighting efforts were underway,a fourth team in GRAPPLE beganplanning efforts on how the external hulldamage would be patched. While the fireparties and repair team tended to EX-PETERSON, a fifth team of eight personnelmaintained a continuous ferry of suppliesto the damage control party. Thisteam transferred SCBA bottles to andfrom EX-PETERSON along with food,fresh water, and other supplies packagedand prepared by GRAPPLE’s Supply Department.Remaining GRAPPLE crewmemberswere employed on at-sea watch stations.Before all fires were extinguished,USS GRAPPLE along side EX-PETERSON while moving hull plating into place.GRAPPLE tied up alongside the driftingvessel and used her Monitor fire fightingsystem to cool the blast area. This eventwas not over when the fires were out.The explosion blew a sizeable holethrough the exterior hull above the waterline,as predicted. After the area wascooled, the fourth team led by HTC(DSW/SW) John Coffelt patched the holeusing GRAPPLE’s boom to position 4’ x 8’sheets of 3/8” thick mild steel over thehole in the side shell for welding. Thiswelding event was necessary to provideenough freeboard to bring the damagedship safely back to port. Upon completingpatching operations, the response teamsand crew were noticeably fatigued, butresponse operations were still required.Stability calculations and a below waterlinehull survey remained. After taking ona significant amount of water from hulldamage and fire fighting efforts, stabilityof the ship was in question.Stability calculations were conductedby NAVSEA 00C Salvage EngineerLCDR Brian Lawrence. The Programof Ship Salvage Engineering (POSSE) softwarewas used to develop a dewateringand stability plan. After meeting stabilityrequirements, GRAPPLE safely towed EX-PETERSON back to port.The GRAPPLE crew executed thishigh-risk exercise flawlessly; completingnumerous personnel transfers, live firefighting and damage control efforts, andmajor repairs with no injuries or equipmentdamage; all in an uncontrolled openoceanenvironment. The DD (X) WETgave the GRAPPLE crew the opportunityto do what it was designed to do — conductat-sea combat salvage operations ona stricken vessel. LCDR Kevin Robinsonapproached the operation as a USS COLEtype scenario with the additional complexityof dealing with open-ocean conditionsin 2 to 4 foot swells.Only necessary accommodationswere made for safety purposes to distinguishthis evolution from a real worldincident yet the most important lessonlearned from this operation was clear: in acombat damage scenario, this evolutionrequires all hands for an intensive andsustained period of time. This wassummed up by USS GRAPPLE’s CommandSenior Chief BMCS (DSW/SW/MDV) Mark Leet: “When we get the callto execute, there are no individual ratings.We are all Salvors until the vessel is inport.”As the next generation of Navy shipsget smarter and crew size decreases, theFleet will benefit from a mobile and highlyskilled response force to enter the combattheater and provide casualty assistance.This force will require ships with theresponse capabilities and dedicated crewsuch as that aboard USS GRAPPLE.LCDR Onofrio Anastasio is the Diving andSalvage Officer at CLF/CNSL.6 A p r i l 2 0 0 4

By: Mr. Tom McCue (00C55)In October, USS HARTFORD (SSN 768)sustained damage while operating nearCaprera, Sardegna, Italy and returned tothe Naval Support Activity La Maddalenawhere Divers stationed on USS EMORY S.LAND (AS 39) were called to inspect thecondition of the boat. Divers discovereddamage to the lower rudder, hull coatings,openings, and appendages. It was clearthat the extensive damage would requirehelp from many areas of expertise.Damage to bottom of rudder.NAVSEA 00C immediately mobilizedunderwater cutting and welding equipmentfrom the Emergency Ship Salvage Materials(ESSM) bases located in Livorno, Italy,Cheatham Annex, Virginia, and Bahrain.In addition NAVSEA mobilized technicalpersonnel from Washington, DC, Norfolk,VA, and Bayou Vista, Louisiana to coordinate,direct, and assist in repairs.While specialized equipment and personnelwere in transit, E. S. LAND Diverscompleted a detailed damage inspection.The results were submitted to the Squadron,SUBLANT, and NAVSEA. Back atNAVSEA headquarters in the WashingtonNavy Yard, a team of over 30 engineers responsiblefor the affected ship systemsgathered to evaluate the damage and developrepair requirements to make the boatready for a safe transit to Norfolk, whereextensive drydock repairs would be accomplished.FTSCLANT assisted E. S. LANDDivers and ships force to conduct athorough evaluation of the steering gearand its operation. NAVSEA 00C providedon-scene technical direction and coordinationto the team of 14 Navy Divers and 14contract Diver/welders in this rareopportunity for Fleet Divers to work inconcert withcommercialDivers. Theexperienceof both resourcescomplementedeach other andgreatly contributedto the rapidsuccess of thiscomplex repair.Working roundthe-clockunderintense pressure,the cohesiveteam of Diversconducted 213dives and over466 hours of bottom time inspecting andrepairing the boat in a two-week period.All work was done under the close surveillanceof NAVSEA’s technical directorfor submarines who, uponcompletion of the repairs,granted permission for the shipto return to CONUS with only afew operational restrictions.Damage forward includedmain ballast tank grates missingfasteners and hinges, a circumferentialcrack in the nonpressurehull adjacent to theforward ballast tanks, and damagedhydrophones. Damagecontinued aft with over 600square feet of tile damage andended with a twisted and tornrudder, which was hard up on the hull andinoperable.E. S. LAND Divers were responsiblefor a multitude of tasks includinginspection and documentation of alldamage, repair, and replacement ofhydrophones, removal of damaged tile,removal of a large area of the damagedrudder plating, and the removal of the topsection of the rudder to allow the rudder tooperate without contacting the hull.Phoenix welder/Divers were responsiblefor the trimming and fairing of the damageon the bottom of the lower rudder, thenon-destructive testing of numerouscracks in the proximity of the main ballasttanks, and the welding of the ballast tankgrates.The lower rudder had the mostcatastrophic damage. E. S. LAND Diversdiscovered that approximately 25 percentof the lower rudder was twisted, torn, anddented. There were multiple areas of platedeformation on the sides of the rudder andthe top of the rudder was contacting withthe hull. Based on these inspectionresults, NAVSEA on-scene technicalrepresentatives developed a repair planconsisting of removal of the top of therudder to increase the clearance betweenthe rudder and the hull, and to remove thedamaged section of the bottom of therudder.USS EMORY S. LAND Diver burning top of rudder toincrease clearance from hull.(USS HARTFORD GROUNDED continued on page 9)A p r i l 2 0 0 4 7

Navy-Trained Divers Commercial Certification CardsBy: Ross Saxon, Ph.D., LCDR, USN (Ret.)The commercial diving industry of theUnited States is well and prospering.It is an industry in which the vast majorityof participants has committed to assuringthe highest levels of safety, but is alsocontinually seeking the input of properlytrained and experienced personnel to fillboth operational and managerial positions.In reality, many commercial divingcompanies owe their longevity to the effortsof former U.S. Navy trained Divers –personnel who, while on active duty,served in all the various diving positionsincluding those of Master Diver and DivingOfficer. That fact is a testimonial to thetraining received, to their can-do attitude,and to their leadership abilities.In 1999 the Association of DivingContractors International initiated a CommercialDiver Certification Card program toserve as documented evidence that holdersof such a card had received properformal training, on-the-job training,and had gained the necessary experienceto “fleet up” from Entry-LevelTender/Diver (a new graduate of aschool) through Diver and to DivingSupervisor. Further; that process providedfor each of the categories of Air,Mixed Gas, and Bell/Saturation diving.These cards are recognized internationallyand are referenced in U.S.Army Corps of Engineers Diving Procedures,in theOSHA definition ofwhat constitutes aproperly trainedand experiencedcommercial Diver,and also insertedinto bid documentsas a required proofthat Divers employedon the jobwill be properlytrained and experienced.Beginning in2000 ADCI discussed with U.S. Navy officialimplementation of a system wherebyNavy Divers, or other Divers trained atU.S. Navy diving schools, could also becomecertified under the system and thushave a “leg up” when separating or retiringfrom active duty. That “leg up” wouldbe by the fact that these individuals couldthen seek direct entry into the commercialdiving industry to hold a position appropriateto their training and experience.The Commanding Officer of NavalDiving and Training Center at the time(now SUPDIVE) Captain Helmkamp wasextremely helpful and enthusiastic in movingto initiate the cooperative relationshipbetween NDTC and ADCI.As a result of discussions, a letter tothe Navy Diving & Salvage Training Centeron 30 March 2001 stated in part, “bytransmittal of this letter I invite any and allqualified U.S. Navy Divers to make applicationfor the appropriate certificationcards in accordance with ADCI Standards.If appropriate, ADCI would also acceptapplication for issuance of the appropriatecards by the U.S. Navy Diving and SalvageTraining Center prior to graduationof the students so as to facilitate bulk shipmentof the appropriate cards for issuanceat graduation.”Unfortunately, as we all know, it wasnot too many months after that letter thatwe experienced an attack on our nationwith emphasis then shifting to the requirementof further protecting our nation andour way of life. As a result of thataction,coupled with other significantprojects assigned to the U.S. Navy divingcommunity, implementation of the programdiscussed was somewhat overlooked. Afterrecently discussing this with CaptainWilkins, Captain Murray, and CaptainHelmkamp we all agree that now is the timeto correct this oversight and to move forwardin a positive direction.Notice of the program has spread itsway across the diving communities ofthe Navy and Army. Since initiation cardshave been issued in response to applications,however, not in great quantity. It isfor that reason that this information isnow being made available in a better-publicizedmanner.The ProgramIt was originally envisioned thatupon graduation from Naval Divingand Salvage Training Center eachgraduate would be furnished a formwith the graduation certificate in orderthat he or she might apply for an ADCICertification Card at the level of EntryLevel Tender/Diver. That form wouldbe submitted to ADCI together with a$25.00 fee, photograph in hard or digitalform, application, and copy of thegraduation certificate.A p r i l 2 0 0 4 8

An individual that completes the 1 stClass Diver Course would, upon graduation,be eligible for immediate applicationfor the Surface Supplied Mixed Gas DiverCard (if not already in possession by actualperformance) based on his or her prior2 nd Class Diver training and experiencehaving satisfied the Entry Level Tender/Diver requirement.Active duty Divers who have gainedexperience in a work environment wouldbe eligible to apply for a Surface SuppliedAir Diver, or Surface Supplied Mixed GasDiver, or Bell/Saturation Diver card bysubmission of the ADCI application form,photograph, $25.00 fee, and a documentedrecord that they had the requisitefield time and actual working dives tomove into the higher level category.Active duty Divers who have gainedexperience in a work environment whereoperations are of a nature that they couldbe considered equivalent to the conductof commercial activity – such as underwaterships husbandry, salvage, or relatedactivities could make application for anADCI Surface Supplied Air, Mixed Gas, orBell/Saturation Supervisor card in thesame manner as above.Information and ApplicationDetailed information on this programis available at http://www.adc-int.org byclicking on the ADCI home page and thenclicking on “Certification Card InformationApplication” link on the left side ofthe page.In closing, the commercial divingcommunity believes that our active dutycounterparts should be given every opportunityto become a part of our communitywhen they separate or retire from activeduty. To that end, it is our responsibilityto aid and assist each individual totake that course of action, should they sodesire. Not only are you a highly trainedand experienced Diver but also an individualwith a demonstrated ability to manageand to lead - important qualities manycompanies seek as primary. Please realizethat your abilities or willingness to be inthe water may at some time decrease butmanagerial and leadership abilities willcontinue. It is therefore important whenseeking civilian employment to stressboth.Ross Saxon is the Vice Chairman ofthe Association of Diving ContractorsInternational.Photos provided by:Epic Divers of Harvey, Louisiana.(USS HARTFORD GROUNDED continued from page 7)In order to increase the clearancebetween the rudder and thehull, a fairing plate had to be trimmedoff the top of the rudder. Divers cutapproximately 13 feet of the fairingplate off the top of the rudder.Divers descended towards thebottom of the rudder and preparedto remove the extensive damage tothe plating and internal structure ofthat section of the rudder. E. S.LAND Divers installed an elaboratestage to work from while theyburned off the projected and foldedsections of plate and removed anycoating in way of the repairs. Thisproved to be a labor-intensive task.Divers peeled off the coating and cleanedthe base metal to a white finish to facilitatearc gouging the plate and internal members.With the damaged section of the rudderprepared, Phoenix welder/Divers proceededto cut off the plating and internalstructure with an arc gouger. Phoenixwelder/Divers then installed internalDivers arc gouging damaged stiffener from lower sectionof rudder.stiffeners and backing plates to theexisting structure, templated the profile ofthe rudder and installed the new bottomplate with the NAVSEA approved underwaterwet welding procedure utilizing theSanvek Aquasan 5A nickel electrode andOxy-Lance underwater coating.Upon completion of all repairs theship conducted a short sea trial, reportedno significant problems, and returnedto the site so E. S. LANDDivers could perform a quick rudderclearance inspection. With satisfactoryresults, the ship immediatelydeparted for transit back toCONUS and is currently in drydockundergoing extensive repairs.The success of this underwatership husbandry operation wasgreatly attributed to the professionalismand talents of these twounique diving organizations andtheir ability to work side-by-side toimplement a well engineered repairplan. The future of underwater shiphusbandry can benefit as we bringsimilar expertise together in future operations.Mr. McCue is the hull cleaning programmanager within the UWSH Division ofNAVSEA 00C.Photos provided by: CWO3 Frank Perna(USS Emory S. Land)A p r i l 2 0 0 4 9

We will soon mark departure from 300feet on mixed gas here at NDSTC.This capability, dormant since the early90’s, is only one of the initiatives theschoolhouse is undertaking to improvediver training in support of the Revolutionin Training. The changes we are in theprocess of implementing will build on analready strong program and perfectly alignour training methodology and contentwith the intentions of Sea Warrior.Under the aegis of the Center forExplosive Ordnance Disposal and Diving,NDSTC is now free to concentrate fully onthe business of providing an underwatereducation in diving. We are theDepartment of Defense’s primary sourcefor entry level, apprentice, journeyman,and master level training in work beneaththe sea. As such, we will continue toprovide training to all the armed forcesand civilians in their employ. In order tomeet the needs of our varied customers,we are working towards several changesto the way we do business.One of the initiatives we are going toexploit is termed “a la carte” or“modularized” training. This trainingprocess builds on the common trainingelements in most of our courses, and willallow us to tailor training to the specificbillet or job description of the prospectiveSCUBA confidence training.Technical regulator maintenance training at NDSTC.Diver. As an example, we may offer nearlycontinuous SCUBA training, classing upas minimum class size is obtained.Upon graduation the newly qualifiedSCUBA Diver either goes to the Fleet orcontinues on to more extensive training insurface supplied diving, EOD, or somecom-bination suiting the graduate’sprospective orders. This method oftraining will reduce the delay for Diversset-back for minor academic or physicalproblems, and to some extent will allowfor variations in the pace at which thestudent can absorb the material; no longerwill a strong prospect need to be droppedfor academic or similar minor deficiencies.Our training policies emphasize thevalue of time underwater, and we’reexpanding the opportunities to learn viarealistic training environments. Studentsin the near future will experience morebottom time doing a wider variety ofprojects in an expanded range ofenvironments. Weather permitting, we willconduct all open sea diving, includingsurface supplied, over one of the manywrecks available in the nearby Gulf ofMexico. We are exploring several means ofincreasing student bottom time overallwithout increasing the time to train andmaking that time underwater moreeffective with a wider variety of assignmentsincluding port security dives,ship’s husbandry, and surveys.These are exciting changes we areimplementing to reinvigorate Divertraining. Regaining the capability toconduct deep mixed gas dives after a tenyear hiatus will enable us to provide a“proof” test for all our graduates. Byreturning this evolution to the Divercurriculum we can ensure that Divers canattain their maximum depth of qualification,and all qualified Divers canobtain the confidence borne of having“been there, done that.” This processperfectly complements our renewedemphasis on training Divers, and is onlythe first of many positive changes beingpursued by the crew at NDSTC. I invite allto come down and see what we are up toat the Home of Navy Diving.CDR Dave Davis is currently the CommandingOfficer of Naval Diving and SalvageTraining Center.1 0 A p r i l 2 0 0 4

Divers and historical diving enthusiastshave a new destination in theLos Angeles Maritime Museum in SanPedro, California — this classic streamlinemodernbuilding holds an archive ofSouthern California’s commercial divinghistory, the brainchild of Diver-historianTorrance Parker. Drawing upon his extensiveknowledge and collection of divinghistory, materials and equipment, and assistedby former Navy Divers RigdonCrawford, Jr. and Ed White, Parker hascreated a permanent display documentingthe history of commercial and fisherydiving in Southern California. Along withCrawford, Kenneth Knott, and Dan Booneare the many ex-Navy Divers mentioned inthe exhibit who helped build the infrastructureof Southern California.20,000 Jobs Under the Sea tracescommercial diving from the developmentof the Deanes’ first practical helmet to usecompressed air up until present time,including oil exploration, pipelaying, rigging,and other marine construction.Theports of Los Angeles and Long Beach areresponsible for eight percent of thenational economy; Divers’ contribution tobuilding the harbor together withSouthern California’s major powerplants, marine outfalls, bridges, anddams cannot be overstated. Between1947 and 1985, Parker worked on morethan a thousand ships and along withhis employees set a record in the twoports by servicing more than 2,500merchant and Naval vessels.This exhibit is a natural extensionof Parker’s life work. The Dive Lockerwindow is a recreation of a typicallocker: suits, helmets, tools and equipmentwere actually used to constructand maintain the harbor and the SouthBay’s underwater infrastructures. Oneitem of particular interest is a Schraderhelmet dating from the late 1800s. Thelocker also features a pre-1933 MARK Vwith single-spring exhaust valve and acirca 1911 Morse No. 3 air pump, Diver’sdress, gas-driven compressor, comboxes,underwater lights, and othertools of the trade. Another displaywindow features a 1901 Japaneseabalone Diver — one of the originalgroup who emigrated from Japan tooperate the White Point abalone process-Torrance Parker and Dr. William “Pete” Lee,the former Director of the Los Angeles MaritimeMuseum. Dr. Lee championed the 20,000 JobsUnder the Sea exhibit before he retired last year.ing facility. The manikin wears a Japanese3-light helmet dating from the early 1900s,with rare 90-degree inlet. Local artistGuillermo Avalos painted the spectacularbackground mural. Eerie black-light andlifelike abalone sculpture recreate abrilliantly realistic view of the ab Diver’sworld.The Los Angeles Maritime Museumis located on the main shipping channelin the Port of Los Angeles and isopen Tuesday through Sunday. Forinformation, call (310) 548-7618.The Fishery Diving Exhibit.Leslie Jacobs is a freelance writer andphotographer from Redondo Beach, CA.She has written a series of interviews withveteran hardhat divers called “Voices of theDeep” for the HDS Magazine.A p r i l 2 0 0 4 1 1

The need for a new underwaterrepair procedure may present itselfat any moment. In one such case, a foreignNavy FFG had run aground, creating anurgent requirement for a new propellerhub. A dry dock was not readily availablefor the decommissioned ship identified asthe source of the hub. Mr. Michael Dean,head of the Underwater Ship HusbandryDivision Naval Sea Systems Command(NAVSEA 00C5), saw the need to developa procedure and put together a team todetermine the feasibility of an in-water hubremoval. While the plans for the hub removalwere being formulated, the necessityfor immediately supplying a hub wasalleviated. However, the in-water hub removalprocedure was still worth developingand testing on an inactive ship. If theconcept of in-water propeller hub removalcould be proven on an inactive ship, thenthe procedure could be developed for activeships. The in-water hub removal procedurewould give the Navy an option fora hub replacement other than a costly drydocking.NAVSEA 00C5 pulled togeth a team ofexperts in the various areas required to developthis new procedure while providingoversight and final approval. Naval SurfaceWarfare Center (NSWC) Panama Citydesigned, built, and tested the cofferdamUpper part of Cofferdam structure coming out of the water.and equipment associated with the hubremoval. Naval Surface Warfare CenterCarderock Division/Naval Ship SystemsEngineering Station Philadelphia(NAVSSES) reviewed and provided expertguidance in propeller hub mechanics andremoval procedures. Hull integrity wasscrutinized by NAVSEA 05 to ensure thecofferdam would not damage the ship.NAVSEA Inactive ShipOn-Site MaintenanceOffice (NISMO) Philadelphiaprovided the facilitiesand inside mechanicsfor work on thedecommissioned ship.Phoenix International,Inc. provided diving,welding, and designsupport for the hub removal.Global PCCI- AJoint Venture (GPC) onsitesupport includedboth tools and personnelwhile design andCofferdam being lowered into place.manufacturing services were suppliedfrom GPC’s Cheatham Annex location.Ship Intermediate Maintenance Facility(SIMA) Norfolk’s critical review of riggingprocedures for the cofferdam and ByrdJohnson’s synopsis of dry-dock hub removaland installation procedures were ofinvaluable assistance.The underlying requirement for thein water hub removal was to establish adry environment to protect the internalsof the hub and the shaft from water intrusionduring the procedure.NSWC Panama City engineers, machinists,and welders had the lion’s shareof the work in designing, fabricating, andtesting the cofferdam that would providethis dry environment. The hub removalfollowed the dry-dock procedure with theexception that all work was performed in acofferdam pressurized to the pressure attwenty feet below the water line.The worst combinations of riggingloads, hull shape irregularities, and waterpressure that could act upon the coffer-1 2 A p r i l 2 0 04

Hub port view.dam were modeled to create a robust cofferdamand provide a safe working environmentfor the divers. The cofferdam designedwould approximate the work areathat is used by mechanics in dry-dock.Keeping the cofferdam to this relativelycompact size meant it could be installed asa one piece unit around the hub. Thecofferdam’s height left a gap between thetop of the cofferdam and the ship’s hull.The dewatered cofferdam would havenothing to hold it down except the sealaround the strut barrel. An upper structurewith a jack stand at each corner was installedon top of the cofferdam to make upfor the gap between the cofferdam and theships hull. When bolted to the top of thecofferdam the upper structure’s four jackswould extend to make contact with thehull. The upper structure, the seal aroundthe strut barrel, and rigging made the cofferdamand the ship react as one systemwhile the hub was being removed from theshaft. NSWC Panama City’s single-pointrigging design used a trolley hoist to removethe hub from the propeller shaft andgreatly simplified what the divers had tomonitor and operate.A decommissioned ship presented aunique set of conditions in preparing forhub removal. Piping missing, systemsopen, and equipment removed was part ofthe complication of working on an inactiveship. A great deal of patience, perseverance,and system knowledge was shownby NISMO mechanics in preparing theship for the hub removal.With the ship ready on the inside andthe blades removed, Phoenix Diversstarted the work everyone had come for -hub removal. A 170-ton crane was used topick up the cofferdam from the pier. Thecofferdam was yard and stayed over thepropeller hub using the starboard liftingtunnel’s rigging and the crane. Riggingfrom port side lifting tunnels was used torotate the cofferdam to the upright positionwhile the crane and starboard side riggingwere used to control the rotation andact as hold backs. Moving a nine-ton cofferdaminto place with less than one inchclearance on multiple sides in water withvisibility less than one foot is anything buteasy. The Phoenix crew handled the cofferdamas if it were a routine operation.With cofferdam in place, the hub wasconnected to the lifting trolley, propellerhub bolts were removed and the hubwas then easily pushed away from theshaft. The trolley and beam methodworked very well and proved an easy andeffective way to move the hub within thecofferdam.The blanked hub was lowered out ofthe cofferdam and sent to the pier. At thecompletion of the work, all five blades andthe propeller hub had been removed fromthe FFG. The ship sits lighter with the ab-sence of 52,000 pounds of weight; otherwise,the ship was left as it was found.The removal of the propeller hub was agreat success. The efforts by all membersof the team performing this operation wereexemplary. The in-water hub procedure isfaster and less expensive than the equivalentdry-dock procedure. No extensive shippreparation for and recovery fromdry-docking is required. The ship can staypier-side with no disruption to its normalin-port routine. The development of an inwaterhub replacement procedure foractive ships will be of great value to theUnited States Navy, once again provingthe worth of underwater ship repair.LCDR Bruce Hamilton is currently assignedas part of the Underwater Ship HusbandryDivision, NAVSEA 00C5.SUPSALV SENDS(...continued from page 2)In summary, a careful determinationis still required to understand: (1)the number of salvage ships required toconduct wartime harbor clearance andchannel clearance to permit rapid offloadof strategic logistics ships in additionto the salvage ships engaged elsewherein battle-damage recovery andrescue towing missions, and (2) the increaseddemands on salvage ship manningresulting from diminishing surfacecombatantcrew sizes. Our drive forpeacetime efficiency must not overwhelmour requirement for war-fightingeffectiveness.During the last two Gulf wars, ourNaval losses (and therefore our requirementsfor salvage ships) were extremelylimited due in part to the enemy’s ineptand ineffectual use of mines. And therewas virtually no effort by enemy forcesto scuttle ships to block channels andharbors. Our next enemy will not likelybe so foolish. Our biggest issue is notwhether we’re aboard ARSs or T-ARSs,but whether our Navy’s salvage forces(both ships and Salvors) must be properlysized and properly trained.Captain Jim WilkinsA p r i l 2 0 0 4 1 3

“Service to the Fleet”This page is designed to give the readers the latest “Buzz” on various topics to USN diving and its systems.Compiled and written by MDV Steve Smith (smithss@navsea.navy.mil)Standard Dive Systems: Standard lifesupport dive systems such as the LWDS,FARCC, SNDL, TRCS, EEHS, and FADSare just that, “standard”. NAVSEA has agood and sound policy that keeps thesystem configurations and OPs/EPs thesame. So regardless of where you getstationed, your system configuration andOPs/EPs should be the same. If a“standard” system configuration or OPs/EPs is substandard in your eyes, thenplease submit a change request to MDVFred Orns or myself and we will test andevaluate. If it is a change that will benefitthe Fleet or has substantial cost savings,we will generate the change for all theaffected systems so that all can benefit.Process Instruction 006: PI 006“Viewports in Hyperbaric Systems” is nowsigned and approved. It is applicable to allmanned hyperbaric chambers that are builtIAW ASME and PVHO standards. This PIcovers chambers with flat, conical frustum,and double bevel disc windows for allpressures. This PI cancels AIG 03-05 andis available on our web page at http://www.supsalv.org/.Compressors: Recently there have been anumber of problems with the purificationsystems of MAKO and Bauer compressors.We have found that one of theproblems is not maintaining pressure inthe purification system at all times. We aremaking a change to 5921/063 5921/36 PMSthat will reflect a bi-monthly check, tocheck and maintain appropriate pressurein the purification system when not in use.Some other steps to help avoid theseproblems are: don’t count on the automaticdrain alone, manually bleed downperiodically, remove filters whencompressor is not going to be used for anextended period of time, maintain pressureon the purification system at all times,keep a compressor log, and change filtersregularly.Superlite 17/MK-21 MOD 1 helmet.MK-21 MOD 1: It has come to ourattention that over the years KirbyMorgan has made three different lengthsof neck clamp adjustment stud on theSuperlite 17/MK-21 MOD 1 helmets, someas short as 2-1/2 in. If too short, this canpossibly create an “over tightening” effecton the shell of the MK-21 MOD 1 helmet.If the neck clamp handle on the neckclamp/yoke assembly requires excessiveforce when donning a MK-21 MOD1helmet, then it requires attention. It couldbe a simple matter of adjusting the nut.However, in at least one case, the nut wasbacked all the way out and enough forcewas applied to crack the helmet shell.During normal MK-21 diving this shouldnever be a problem, but when using thehelmet with dry suits with the integral neckdam that are approved for contaminatedwater diving, this could become a problem.MK-21 EGS: When diving with an EGSthat has a J-Valve, ensure that it is in thedown position prior to starting the dive.This requirement will be reflected in thenext Dive Manual revision.Choices: NAVSEA has recently approvedthe use of CPV valves and TESCOMregulators as alternatives for the LWDSand the FADS III systems. Reviseddrawings reflecting these changes havebeen issued for the FADS III. Reviseddrawings reflecting these changes for theLWDS will be issued soon. The LWDSmanual has been changed to reflect this.Changes to the FADS III manual are inprocess and revised manuals will be issuedwhen ready.Mishap Reporting: Everybody is familiarwith Appendix A6-M (Diving Mishap withHyperbaric Treatment) of OPNAVINST5100.19D, but what about Appendix A6-Nof the same instruction? Appendix A6-Nrequires reporting of all Class B or Class Cdiving mishaps that don’t require hyperbarictreatment. Class B mishap is identifiedas: The total cost of reportable propertydamage is $200,000 or more, but less than$1,000,000; an injury or work-related illnessresulting in permanent partial disability;or a mishap resulting in the hospitalizationof three or more people. A Class C mishapis identified as: The total cost of reportableproperty damage is $20,000 or more, butless than $200,000; or an injury preventingan individual from performing regularlyscheduled duty or work beyond the dayor shift on which it occurred; or a nonfatalillness or disability causing loss of timefrom work or disability at any time (losttime case). For more information, pleasesee the instruction.Future: We are in the process of securingfunds, designing, and eventually buildinga portable O 2suitcase console that willhave the capability to be hooked up toany existing dive system. We have talkedabout actually converting existingsystems, but our analysis is that it wouldbe too cost prohibitive. The suitcaseconsole gives us a flexible and affordablealternative. This will enable us to supply100% O 2to the Diver in the water column,helping us to minimize the chances of DCS.Once built, we will provide O 2suitcaseconsoles to select commands to evaluateand obtain data on new procedures andtables that are designed to decrease theprobability of diving related illnesses.1 4 A p r i l 2 0 0 4

Topside Tech Notes:There are four recently updated TopsideTech Notes on the 00C4 webpage:• Filters – Vol IX, Issue 2 (Jan 2004)• Moisture Separators – Vol V, Issue 3(Jan 2004)• Relief Valves – Vol I, Issue 2 (Jan 2004)• Flasks – Vol IV, Issue 3 (Feb 2004)All diving commands should periodicallycheck the 00C4 webpage and downloadthe most recent issue of all applicable technicalpublications. We strongly encouragedive lockers to use these Topside TechNotes to assist in Division training.Standard PSOBs:The 00C4 webpage also contains sixstandard PSOBs:• LWDS (15 Nov 2003)• SNDL (17 Apr 2003)• TRCS with OL scrubber (15 Mar 2002)• TRCS without OL scrubber(15 Mar 2002)• Standard SSDS (1 Nov 2001)• Standard Chamber (15 May 2000)Additionally, we are in the process of developingstandard PSOBs for FADS III andFARC systems. Until these standardPSOBs are completed and put on the00C4 webpage, continue to use the StandardSSDS or Standard Chamber PSOB forthese systems.The standard PSOBs on the 00C4webpage are the only ones authorized forsystem certification. Each command is responsiblefor downloading the most recentversion of the applicable PSOB andfilling it out prior to the System CertificationSite Survey. We continually updatethese PSOBs to reflect the latest technicalrequirements and system certification pro-cedures. So the PSOB youused for your last certificationmay not be the mostcurrent version.SystemCertificationStatus Report:The System CertificationStatus Report is nowupdated quarterly, and isavailable on the 00C4website.System CertificationManual (MAN-010):The first major revision to the MAN-010 isin for final Fleet review. We are hoping toissue the revised MAN-010 by the WorkingDivers Conference (or shortly thereafter).We will issue an AIG 239 to inform theFleet when the MAN-010 revision is issued.A limited number of manual CDs will bemailed out to Dive Commands. The manualwill be available for download from the 00C4webpage.Certification ManualRevision:The revision of the Safety CertificationManual or “Orange Book”, as it has becometo be known, was completed in February2004. Hopefully you will find this versionis easier to use with clear and up-todatecertification procedures and technicalrequirements. The responsibilities and requirementsof certification are clearlyspelled out and the searchable CD formatmakes it easy to find answers to yourquestions. Currently it is a stand-alone CD,Standard Navy Double Lock Chamber (SNDL).but will be added to the 00C TechnicalPublications CD at the earliest opportunity.Read the manual, paying particularattention to Chapters 2 (AdministrativeProcedures of the System Certification Process),3 (Initial Certification), and 5 (Repairand Overhaul), as these pertain tothe Fleet certification process. Also, AppendicesA (Categorization of Scope ofCertification Materials and Components),H (Divers Handling Systems), and I (RECprocedures) provide required proceduresfor the Fleet user.On a bigger picture, most of the currentAppendices will be taken out ofthis manual for incorporation into aNAVSEA Diving Life Support SystemsGeneral Design Manual. Currently theREC, OQE, Diver Handling Systems,and those appendices that apply only tocertification, will be kept in the CertificationManual.Over the next year we ask for yourcomments and suggestions to improvethe manual. We look forward to your feedbackon the revised manual, as this is yourguide to successful certification. Withoutyour input, we cannot respond to Fleetneeds.A p r i l 2 0 0 4 1 5

The Navy’s Contribution to DivingThis is an excerpt from “20,000 Jobs Under the Sea, A History of Diving and Underwater Engineering” by Torrance R. ParkerLike underwater burning, much ofAmerica’s early diving developmentwas the result of U.S. Naval divingoperations. An example of Naval Diversand their contributions to diving is thework of Master Diver Frank W. Crilley.Crilley made record air dives to depthsover 300 feet during the 1915 salvageoperations on the sunken submarine F-4.President Calvin Coolidge awarded Crilleythe Congressional Medal of Honor for hisheroism in rescuing fellow Diver William F.Loughman when he became entangled inthe steel sweep wires during operations tosalvage the F-4. Loughman survived, butsuffered permanent paralysis from thebends.Master Diver Garland Suggs.Master Diver Frank W. Crilley.Another Navy Diver who helpeddevelop modern diving methods wasGarland Suggs. Suggs, designated aMaster Diver in 1928, participated in theNavy’s early oxy-helium diving test work,and eventually served as chief instructor atthe Navy’s Diving and Salvage School inWashington, D.C. Once, on specialassignment by the Navy, Suggs salvagedHoward Hughes’ record-breaking aircraftfrom Lake Mead’s deep water. Impressedwith Suggs, Hughes offered him a job uponretirement from the service. Suggsaccepted, and worked the remainder of hislife for Hughes after retiring from diving.1 6 A u g u s t 2 0 0 3

Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit TWO Det AlphaBy: HMC(DSW) Kenneth R. MelerThe sun was shining, the seas werecalm and crystal blue on the island ofCrete. Detachment Alpha of Mobile Divingand Salvage Unit Two (MDSU TWO)was hosting the 2003 Joint U.S./HellenicDiving Exercise, better known as theGreek DIVEX. This was a continuation ofa joint NATO diving and salvage exercisesMDSU TWO has been conductingwith Hellenic Special Forces and FleetDivers for a number of Mediterranean deployments.With Master Diver Mike Babinrunning the dive site, Detachment Alphawas ready to show Hellenic Navy andSpecial Forces Divers the U.S. Navy surfacesupplied diving protocol.Topics such as MK-21 familiarizationand underwater cutting and welding werethoroughly covered in a classroom settingand then put to use within the clear watersof Souda Bay.This team of 15 U.S. Navy Divers,stationed TAD aboard USNS Mohawk(T-ATF 170), were in the final stages of aMediterranean deployment in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom andCOMSIXTHFLT, when they were requestedby the Hellenic Navy to givetraining to their Greek counterparts.LT Col Mataras going “up and over”.The Greek Diverswere impressed withthe ease of set up anddeployability that wasafforded to U.S. NavyDivers using theFADS 3 SSDS. Somuch so that they inquiredabout the possibilityof buying one.Of course, when toldthe sticker price, theywere a little less eagerto make the purchase.The Greeks quicklymastered the MK-21SSDS rig and were eagerto pursue underwater cutting andwelding. They were taught waterbornecutting techniques with the Broco oxygensystem and wet welding with a Millerwelder fortified with a power converter. Apiece of quarter inch thick plate steel wastaken down on the stage and clamped to ahome-made work bench previously fabricatedby Det Alpha Divers.The Hellenic Divers then attempted tocut the practice plate utilizing the methodspreviously taught to them by MDSU TWODivers. There were varying degrees ofsuccess, as with any Diver thathas attempted to use this systemfor the first time. The cuttingtorch was pulled up and thewelding stinger was lowered tothe Divers and they attempted tofill in holes and run beads onwhat was left of the steel plate.During the DIVEX, a callcame from COMNAVEUR forNavy Divers to evaluate a potentialsalvage of a sunken cargoship in the main port of war tornMonrovia, Liberia. The DetachmentOIC CWO4 Armstrongand MDV Babin were quicklydispatched by COMSIXTHFLT for thismission.This left Detachment Alpha and theGreek Divers in the capable hands of DetachmentLCPO, MMC(DSW) AndyDegitz. Dive training was resumed withunbridled enthusiasm.For ten days the Divers of Det Alphaand their Greek counterparts continuedplunging to the bone-crushing depth of 30feet beneath the sleek hull of the USNSMohawk to train. The result was 22 successfuldives with over 870 minutes ofbottom time safely accomplished.At the conclusion of the exercise, DetAlpha hosted a Bar-B-Q for their Greekcounterparts and in return the GreekDivers invited the U.S. Navy Divers to acelebratory dinner of traditional Greekfoods. Det Alpha enjoyed the octopus andsquid and learned a greater appreciation ofGreek cuisine and hospitality. The eveningconcluded with the presentation of certificatesand trading of dive pins by all participants.It was mutually agreed that the exercisewas a great success and that futurediving and salvage exercises should beplanned to further the cooperation andtraining between the two countries.WO (MDV) Kantzios and HT1 (DSW) Valentine posingfor the camera.A u g u s t 2 0 0 3 1 7

First of all, in response to BMCM(MDV)Fred Orns’ (Faceplate Vol. 6, Number 2,November 2002) claim that he’s good looking.Have any of you seen Fred when hegets up in the morning? Where did he getthat mirror? Just kidding Fred!Well shipmates, I have given fourline-pulls and I’m coming up and over. It’stime to step down and let the talent thatWE have been cultivating and allow themto take the side. Myemphasis for this articleis the future, notthe past. I, as muchas anyone in theFleet, spend a lot oftime looking backfondly at the “GoodOle’ Days” and tellingsea stories thatget better and betterwith each passingyear. But I will tellyou all this - I havenever been moreproud of Fleet Diversof today and theiraccomplishments.Why? Becausethe Divers of todayare just as motivated and dedicated as weever were, but their level of knowledge andhunger for more is exponentially higher.When I was a young Diver, the MDV hadthe one and only copy of the DivingManual under lock and key in his office.We were too proud to show our shipmatesthat we didn’t have the manual memorizedand we “needed” it to get smarter. Today,there are more manuals in print, on CD, orwebsite than can be held by Barnes andNoble. The numbers of 2 nd Class Diversthat are Diving Supervisor qualified isamazing. As a DORA inspector, I get outquite a bit to see it first hand. In fact, lastyear I witnessed (along with others) thebest neurological exam I have ever seen,and it was done by a first term 5343!MDV Scott Heineman prepares to enter thewater for a dive on USS MONITOR.So, how do we take this hunger, talent,motivation, and expertise, and apply it toSea Warrior (you need to read up onthis)? It will not be easy, my friends. Muchof what the senior enlisted diving leadershiphas been wrestling with these pastmonths has been trying breakdown whatwe do into its smallest parts, so we candetermine the best way to train our Divers.No salvage job or ship repair evolution Ihave ever done cancompare to this taskin terms of planningfor the unknownand the absolutenecessity to wipethe slate clean andnot hang onto the“that’s the way wehave always doneit” mentality. But Iliken this to a salvageor UWSH job.Our job is not tocomplain that wecan’t do it, or that itwon’t work! Ourjob, our forte thesepast 120 or soyears, has been accomplishingthe impossible. We are theultimate problem solvers! Yes, this task isuncomfortable and mind numbing on itsbest day, but we must prevail.It has been an honor and a privilegeserving with you and for you these 20 orso years. Rest assured I will continue tosupport the Fleet diving community in anycapacity I can in the years to come. I amcomforted in the fact that the watch willbe relieved, and relieved well. Theprocess of Sailors moving on and othersstepping up to fill the void is tried andtrue.In closing, I would like to recognizethe Master Divers that helped “make” me:ENCM(MDV) Ray Straining,MDV Scott Heineman.HTCM(MDV) Donnie Laurin,HTCM(MDV) Rudy Watts,BMCM(MDV) Mike Einhellig,ENCS(MDV) Clifford Ellis,HTCM(MDV) Rick Armstrong,BMCM(MDV) Oly Olson,MMCM(MDV) Rusty Hunt,HTCM(MDV) Lino Matteoni.These men have had the greatest impacton my career. I hope in some way thatI have had the same effect on some ofyou.JAKE’SCORNERBy: Otto AdamsDrawing was created by CWO4 Rick Armstrong.1 8 A p r i l 2 0 0 4

Topside; Red Diver...From the Supervisor of DivingCaptain Mark Helmkamp, USNTwenty-four years ago, the currentSupervisor of Salvage, Captain JimWilkins, the former Supervisor of Diving,Captain Chris Murray and I were allengaged in training at the new Naval Divingand Salvage Training Center inPanama City, Florida. We trained in thevenerable MK V, MK I, MK-12, JackBrowne, and of course, SCUBA.In SCUBA, we dove with ModifiedUDT or Fenzy life preservers; state of theart, we were told. We always thought weshould wrap our arms through the strapsand hoist the doubles over our head, thenslide them down our backs into positionwhen donning the gear. We learned thistechnique from our hero, the great MikeNelson, played by Lloyd Bridges in thetelevision series Sea Hunt. We assumedeverything we learned at the school inthose days was cutting edge technology,and if Nelson donned his bottles in thatfashion, so should we. MDV Wes Gummelhad a different opinion, but nevercorrected us, quietly smiling as heallowed us to break our backs. MDVGummel knew Divers had to learn somethings on their own, and he enjoyed theentertainment brought by successiveclasses of mud puppies.Twenty years later, while I was incommand of the Dive School, we determinedto celebrate the 20th anniversary ofNDSTC in Panama City. We dedicated theschool to VADM “Swede” Momsen withthe assistance of our guest speaker,former USMC Commandant, General AlGray, sponsored a BBQ, street rod and bigbike show, equipped and dedicated the“Hall of Heroes” for our Medal of HonorDivers, and built a Master Diver “Wall ofFame.” We also sponsored, with theassistance of one our great diving predecessors– GENESIS and SEALAB DiverBob Barth – a fish fry for former SEALABand Deep Submergence Sailors. It was agreat party.It was during that festive occasionthat Bob introduced me to Bev Morgan, ofKirby-Morgan fame. Bev cut LloydBridges his wet suits for the Sea Huntseries. It was during that conversationwith Bev that he laughingly mentionedhow they had made a set of balsa woodSCUBA cylinders (doubles) for Lloyd sohe could easily throw them over his headin the fashion we desperately tried to copywhile at NDSTC.A valuable lesson was recorded thatday...Now we are in a fairly critical time inour Navy diving history. Captain Wilkins,Captain Murray and I never expected 24years ago that we would be so positioned,and through our collaborative effortscould advance Navy Diving-we justwanted to survive and graduate. But herewe are and we understand completely ourobligation to our Navy Diving community.It’s payback time. We cannot afford tomake assumptions regarding our futureDivers and the equipment they will employ.Our underwater capabilities are atstake, and it is up to us, Navy Divers, topreserve our valuable diving skill-set forour Fleet.Captain Gary Windhorst, commandingthe Center for EOD and Diving, and CommanderDave Davis, commanding NDSTCin Panama City, heavily engaged throughthe Revolution in Training, are completingthe analysis leading to formation of FleetDiver and EOD Diver ratings. Training efficiencyis a paramount consideration forthem and that means that Fleet Diving requirementsmust be explicitly detailed andcatalogued. Fleet involvement is integralto this process, and must be supported byexperienced Fleet Master Divers. Onlythrough quality Master Diver input canCaptain Windhorst and Commander Davishope to complete this monumental taskand provide dive training that is efficientand responsive to Fleet requirements.Neither Captain Windhorst nor CommanderDavis can rely on mere assumptionsto execute their training plan... as fellowDivers, we are all obliged to supportthem, and without emotion.We at 00C3 understand a need to reviewour Fleet diving program. We havetargeted four areas for review where weexpect to (1) improve efficiency, (2) improveresponsiveness and enhanceinteroperability, (3) advance technology,and (4) better engage with the Fleet.In future issues of FACEPLATE I willshare more detail in each of these areas,but I do want give you a brief example ofone initiative for your consideration.Under the heading of improve efficiencywe will replace our current air decompressiontables with tables and proceduresbased on the VVAL-18 decompressionalgorithm. Bob Kilpatrick of our officeand MDV (Ret.) Paul Schadow have developedthe concept for the required hardwareto give our Divers in-water O 2. Wehope to prove the concept, including certification,by July. Captain (Dr.) JohnMurray and Dr. Ed Flynn are preparing aplan for implementation of the new AirTables.Some advantages of the new tablesinclude SurDO 2capability to 190 fsw,longer No-D times between 120 and 190fsw, and fully integrating a single table formatfor air/O 2, and AirSurDO 2dives.I view the VVAL-18 tables as an intermediatestep toward our ultimate goal offielding a “probabilistic” model vice ourcurrent “deterministic” dive tables in oureffort to “optimize” bottom time and decompressionobligation. After we havegathered sufficient data, using computerscoupled with digital depth measurementsystems, Drs. Flynn, Murray and Drs.Gerth and Southerland at the ExperimentalDive Unit will expand our diving capabilitywherein we maximize our allowable BottomTime and minimize a correspondingamount of safe Decompression Time. Weshouldn’t be penalized in decompressionfor “square” dives we do not make. Remember:time is money, and we can not affordto spend unwarranted time “cooking”in the round house, nor can we afford tocut short, in aggregate, our TBT.There has been concern over theloss of bottom time at 40 fsw on the VVAL-18 Table. I believe we will eventually increaseour available bottom time at thatdepth when we “drive the dive” by com-A p r i l 2 0 0 4 1 9

35272540 42 46 48 3012A73 74 75 7630 49 44 42 4140 42 45 48 505221211617186201312148REVISIONSREV. DATEDESCRIPTION APPROVEDABCD11144111144412144472947APPROVED BY CAPT MARK V. HELMKAMPU.S. NAVY SUPERVISOR OF DIVING“NOT A CERTIFIED DIVING APARATUS”LOCKING DEVICE AND GEN. NOTES NO.’S. 1, 3, 4. AND 8 ADDED.ALTERED LEGEND ON NAME PLATE ALSO ON NOTE NO. 1 TO 11ADDITION OF NEW SHEETS NO.’S 2 AND 10 TO SET. PAGE NUMBERSCHANGED FROM 007 TO 008. TITLE ALTERED TO COVER ADDITIONALSHEETS. CORRECTIONS MADE TO DRAWING, ADDED PCS 13, 74, 76, & 78.PC 77 ADDED TO GENERAL NOTE NO. 1PLAN NUMBER CHANGED FROM BU.NO. 417976 TO BU.NO.S9400-921583.A2122545726987105914131220612256511232446476667A45722ASEE GEN.NOTE NO. 2A531825274334353637615121320 551817164361514685622191213202629303132334647385339636465A53A 61627101826451146475654512141 7342 7444 7349 765010481134353637562439235251AEN121556PLAN NUMBER CHANGED FROM “STANDARD PLAN” TO “HULL STANDARD PLAN.”BU.NO.S9400-921583GENERAL NOTES1. PC. NO. 1 & 68 SHOWN ON SHEET NO. 2 BU.NO.S9400-921591“ “ 2 & 3 “ “ 3 “ “ “ -921584“ “ 4 TO 11 INCL. “ “ 4 “ “ “ -921585“ “ 12 20 “ “ “ 5 “ “ “ -921586“ “ 21 39 “ “ “ 6 “ “ “ -921587“ “ 40 50 “ “ “ 7 “ “ “ -921588“ “ 51 55 “ “ “ 8 “ “ “ -921589“ “ 56 59 “ “ “ 9 “ “ “ -921590“ “ 60 “ “ “ 7 “ “ “ -921588“ “ 61 65 “ “ “ 6 “ “ “ -921587“ “ 66 67 “ “ “ 9 “ “ “ -921590“ “ 68 70 “ “ “ 10 “ “ “ -921593“ “ 71 72 “ “ “ 8 “ “ “ -921589“ “ 73 77 “ “ “ 7 “ “ “ -9215882. DIVERS AIR AND EXHAUST VALVES SHOWN ON BU.NO.S9400-921580 SHALL BE FURNISHEDAS PART OF HELMET CONTRACT.3. WELDING LENS FACE PLATE SHOWN ON BUREAU NO S9400-921582 SHALL NOT BE FURNISHEDAS PART OF HELMET CONTRACT.4. FOR DIVERS DRESS SEE BUREAU PLAN NO’S. 583407 AND 583408.5. METHOD OF FASTENING ATTACHMENTS TO HELMET SHELL AND COLLAR:THE HELMET PC.1 AND THE COLLAR PC.56 ARE TINNED IN WAY OF THE FAYING SURFACESOF ALL PARTS INTENDED FOR ATTACHMENT.THE WINDOW FRAMES PCS. 6, 21, AND 16; THE AIR DUCT PC.2; THE TELEPHONE CUP PC. 43;THE PAD FOR WELDING CLIP PC. 68 AND THE SCREW RING (FEMALE) PC.4 ARE SECURED TOTHE HELMET SHELL PC. 1 BY TINNING AND SWEATING TIGHT. THE SCREW RING (MALE) PC. 5IS SECURED TO COLLAR PC 56 IN THE SAME MANNER.THE GOOSENECKS PCS. 40 AND 41 TOGETHER WITH THEIR WASHERS PC. 42 ARE FIRSTTINNED AND AFTER SECURELY FASTENING THEM TO THE HELMET PC. 1 BY COPPER RIVETS,THEY ARE SWEATED TIGHT.THE COLLAR RING PC. 51 IS FIRST FORMED TO FIT THE COLLAR SHELL PC. 56 AND BOTHARE TINNED. THE SKIRT OF THE COLLAR SHELL IS THEN WORKED NEATLY AROUND THE OUTEREDGE OF THE RING AND THE TWO SURFACES SWEATED TOGETHER. BEAD PC. 71 SOLDEREDON TOP OF RING.THE OUTLET EXHAUST BODY PC.25 AND ITS THREADED WASHER PC. 27 ARE FIRST TINNED.THE AFTER END OF THE VALVE BODY IS SECURELY COPPER RIVETED TO THE HELMET SHELLPC. 1 AND THE THREADED WASHER PC. 27 IS SCREWED ON AND SWEATED TIGHT. THE WHOLEBODY THEN SWEATED TIGHT.THE BALL SPIT COCK PC. 28 AND ITS THREADED WASHER PC 32 SHALL BE SECURED IN THESAME MANNER.THE SAFETY LOCK BRACKET PC. 34 AND THE WASHER PC. 37 ALSO, THE EYELETS PC. 46 WITHTHEIR WASHERS PC. 47 SHALL BE FIRST TINNED, THEN RIVETED UP AND SWEATED TIGHT.THE STUDS PCS. 36 AND 39 SHALL PASS THROUGH THE COLLAR RING PC. 51 AND THE HEADSSHALL BE SOLDERED TIGHT ON THE INSIDE OF THE COLLAR SHELL PC. 56.THE NAME PLATE SHALL BE SECURED BY BRASS RIVETS MADE WATER TIGHT BY SOLDERINGON THE INSIDE.THE SOLDER USED CONSISTS OF MIXTURE OF EQUAL QUANTITIES OF LEAD AND TIN.THIS PLAN SUPERSEDES BU. NO.417976.IN CHARGE OF: _______________________HULL STANDARD PLANNAVY STANDARD DIVING HELMETMARK V MOD. IGENERAL ARRANGEMENT10 SHEETS SCALE 6” = 1 FOOT SHEET IWASHINGTON, D.C.DRAWN BY: ___________________________EXAMINED BY: ________________________NAVY DEPARTMENTBUREAU OF SHIPS__________________________________PRINCIPLE ENGINEER__________________________________FOR CHIEF OF BUREAUREV DDATE:APRIL 6, 1948___________________________

Topside; Red Diver...(continued)puter. “Table-jumping” is becoming morecommon and clearly indicates a faulty process;we must forge ahead and update ourair decompression procedures.The intervening period using theVVAL-18 tables will require the dedicationof all Master Divers to ensure data is consistentlyand accurately collected. If wehave any hope of advancing our profession,we need to collect this data accurately.As always, I am counting on you,the Fleet Master Diver, as your supportand personal involvement is critical to thesuccess of this endeavor. You are kiddingyourself if you are comfortable with thestatus quo; a visit to DEMA or ADC willquickly reveal that Navy Diving has roomto improve, both in safety AND efficiency.Let’s do it.In future issues, I will discuss ourother initiatives, including our Fly-AwaySat System, Dive Manual changes, interagencydiving, advanced air quality monitoring,diving computers and data loggers,contaminated water diving, and future EODand NSW diving systems.As your “Supervisor Topside” Iam very interested in hearing your “bottomreports” – from the working Diver.LCDR Paul Fleishman, MDVs Smith andOrns are standing by to hear your adviceand concerns and are eager to serve. So farI’ve heard from MDVs Balesi, Furr,Stogdale, Westbrook, Wiggins, Bradford(MDV Brick always provides interestingfeedback) and Van Horn and am alwaysinterested in hearing and learning from ourFleet Master Divers. Don’t be shy aboutcalling and giving me your bottom report!OK, Red?Letters to the Editor…Feel a burning desire to sound off andwant to be heard by our diving community?Square your shoulders and sendme a letter or email and tell me about it.And if I deem them appropriate for thispublication, I will publish them and providea response where warranted. Controversialissues are acceptable, but don’tbother me with anything offensive.Here’s my address:Captain Mark Helmkamp, USNSupervisor of DivingCode 00C3B1333 Isaac Hull Ave, SE Stop 1073Washington Navy Yard, DC 20376If you’re the impatient sort, my emailaddress is helmkampmt@navsea.navy.milOK, Red?WNY Dive School Memorial…How many of you out there served in orgraduated from the Naval School ofDiving and Salvage at the WashingtonNavy Yard? How many of you choked onexhaust fumes and dodged DC traffic duringmorning PT, experienced AnacostiaRiver muck, and recall the ThomasO’Malley? The school is gone of course,but there is nothing to mark the site wheremany great Navy Deep-Sea Divers earnedthe right to wear the hard-hat. CaptainMike Herb and I discussed a bronzed“Jake” to mark this hallowed ground. Isthis a worthy project? I think so, and I willinquire with Chuck Micele of the ARS/ASR Society to see if there is interest theretoo. Let me know what you think. More tofollow…. OK, Red?Old Copperhead…It seems to me that we should recognizeour senior active duty Officer and EnlistedHard Hat Divers. In our next issue, Iwill introduce our “Old Copperhead” -both officer and enlisted. Do you knowwho they are? OK, Red?Faceplate Centerfold…Centerfold? Now don’t have an embolism…calmdown; take a vent. Occasionally,we’ll provide something that willgive you a little insight into our fabulousUSN Diving history. In this issue, the MKV print was prepared by Mr. Brian Deitz ofNDSTC. I’m told Brian worked over aweekend to meet my admittedly inflexibleand unreasonable demands. ThanksBrian… and great job! Our centerfold for afuture issue is already in the works andwill give a glimpse into the inner workingsof one of Navy’s greatest contributionsto the science of diving…Any guesses?OK, Red?The Age of Aquarius…Aquarius is an underwater ocean laboratorylocated in the Florida Keys nationalMarine Sanctuary. The laboratory isdeployed three and half miles offshore, ata depth of 60 feet, next to spectacular coralreefs. Scientists live in Aquarius duringten-day missions using saturation divingto study and explore our coastal ocean.Aquarius is owned by NOAA and is operatedby the National Undersea ResearchCenter at the University of North Carolinaat Wilmington. Our Undersea Medical Officershave been supporting Aquariusmissions since 2000. These diving doctorsreceive valuable real-world saturationdive training and Aquarius receives topnotchmedical assistance. This symbioticrelationship will be expanded this year toinclude 1 st and 2 nd Class Divers acting insupport roles. UMO’s are coordinatedthrough CDR (Dr.) Ross Levine atNDSTC. 1 st and 2 nd Class Divers will bescheduled through MDV Steve Smith ofour office. I have dove Aquarius and wasin sat there in December – a fantastic experience– an experience I would like asmany of our Divers as possible to takeadvantage of as we look ahead to ourown fly-away saturation diving system.Want to know more? Go to: http://www.uncw.edu/aquarius/ OK, Red?The Underwater Swim School Reunion is scheduled for 7 - 9 May, 2004 in Coronado.Contact Don Stone for more information at stonefish7@cs.com or call (561) 391-6727.This year’s Sealab/Man-In-The-Sea Reunion will be held in San Diego, CA on May 9-11,2004. A special invitation is extended to all of our friends from the various Deep Submergencecommunities. This year’s festivities will be held at the Holiday Inn Bayside. For reservationscall (800) 662-8899 and ask for the “Reunion 2004” rate.2 0 A p r i l 2 0 0 4