Uss Monitor Turret Recovery

The Official Newsletter for the Divers and Salvors of the United States Navy Volume 6, No. 2 / November, 2002

USS MONITOR TURRET RECOVERY FACEPLATE is published by the Supervisor SUPSALV SENDS of Salvage and Diving to bring the latest and most informative news available to the Navy t occurred in a location that nobody in commercial salvors and some local Eritrean diving and salvage community. Discussions Ithe U.S. had ever heard of – Massawa, natives for his salvage team. With virtu- or illustrations of commercial products do not Eritrea, (North Africa). The year was 1941. ally no infra-structure other than the sabo- imply endorsement by the Supervisor of Sal- The Italian military, then members of the taged and battle-damaged facilities left by vage and Diving or the U.S. Navy. Nazi axis, were on the run, retreating from the fleeing Italians, Ellsberg rose to the their former naval facility in this small har- challenge, scoped out the situation, devel- Articles, letters, queries and comments bor town on the western bank of the Red oped a plan, and compartment by compart- should be directed to the Commander, Na- Sea after defeat by the British. But inspite ment, ship by ship, drydock by drydock, val Sea Systems Command, NAVSEA 00C, of their hasty retreat, the Italians left an in- accomplished what everyone else declared 1333 Isaac Hull Ave. SE Stop 1070, Wash- capacitating surprise. Advance members impossible – he salvaged Massawa Harbor ington Navy Yard, DC 20376-1070. (Attn: of the Royal Navy (who desperately within weeks, and opened the port for in- FACEPLATE). Visit our website at needed this isolated, protected harbor as a theater depot level repairs. The entire http://www.supsalv.org. depot level repair yard for their Mediterra- story of this miracle of human ingenuity nean Fleet) found twelve scuttled (and in at and persistence is engagingly docu- Captain Jim Wilkins, USN least one case booby-trapped) ships mented in Ellsberg’s book Under the Red Director of Ocean Engineering blockading both entrances to the port, and Sea Sun. Supervisor of Salvage and Diving two former floating drydocks – of almost So why, you’re asking yourself, is the NAVSEA 00C inestimable value to battle-damaged Brit- new SUPSALV starting off his first FACE- [email protected] ish warships – lying on the harbor bot- PLATE article retelling a long-forgotten tom, damaged and sunken. Although the chapter from the dusty old Salvage Captain Chris Murray, USN Italians were retreating in North Africa, the Chronicles? To inspire us to reach deep Supervisor of Diving Japanese were attacking in the Pacific, and within, and be prepared for the certain sal- [email protected] in December of 1941 and early 1942, U.S. vage heroics which will be required of our Navy salvage forces were heroically en- community in the future? Not really – Mark Whitaker gaged and nearly entirely consumed by though that’s not a bad idea. The real pur- Managing Editor effort to recover from Pearl Harbor, a full pose is to lay the backdrop for what I’m [email protected] half-world away from Eritrea. With US thinking about regarding our current pre- forces simultaneously joining the global paredness – or lack of preparedness – for HTCM (MDV) Chuck Young, USN war in both the European and Pacific the- major salvage operations our Nation may BMCM(SW/MDV) Fred K. Orns, USN aters, resources were thin, and only one soon require of us. Fleet Liaison Editors salvage officer was sent to Eritrea to assist Our current war on terrorism started [email protected] in this strategically critical, but little with an attack on one of our warships, and [email protected] known, salvage operation. LCDR Edward by a combination of God’s grace, superb Ellsberg, USNR, engineer and diving of- response by the crew and salvage forces, F. Scott Lassiter ficer of S-51 salvage operations fame, after and extraordinary damage-tolerant design Graphic Designer a death-defying transit to North Africa, features, the ship was saved and is back [email protected] found himself the sole military salvage officer in Massawa, with a small band of (SUPSALV SENDS continued on page 12)

Editor’s Note: The March 2002 issue of FACEPLATE had an editorial error in the Underwater Ship Husbandry Advisory entitled, “Diving Around ICCP Systems”. The error appeared in the caption of the third photo. The term frequently used to describe this discoloration above an ICCP anode is “flaming” vice “floating”. The anode depicted shows the typical flaming pattern found on hull coating directly above an ICCP anode. This is a normal bleaching effect.

In This Issue SUPSALV Sends ...... 2 Ulithi Atoll ...... 13 MDV Pre-Screening ...... 18 USS MONITOR Turret Recovery ...... 3 Change of Command ...... 14 The Old Master ...... 19 Navy Saturation Diving ...... 6 00C Website Update ...... 15 Jake’s Corner ...... 19 Miner Miracle ...... 7 00C Welcomes Brendan Murphy ...... 15 From the Supervisor of Diving ...... 20 Diving Equipment Issues ...... 9 Command in the Spotlight ...... 16 PMS Corner ...... 10 Historical Notes: Sealab ...... 17

Cover: ENCS(DV) Vern Geymon prepares to cut the 7” x 14” pine decking during the USS MONITOR turret recovery. Photo by Fleet Combat Camera, Atlantic. 2 November 2002 By: Chief Warrant Officer Rick Cavey

hite caps dotted the seas and a sions, were appropriated at SUPDIVE’s re- (FMGS), combined with a commercially Wslight swell rocked the huge barge. quest. Commanding Officer MDSU 2 was leased, Navy diver operated Saturation The divers reported 20-foot visibility and a assigned as On Scene Commander (OSC). Diving System would provide the safest 2-knot current. Not ideal conditions to lift Planning teams went to work and soon a and most effective tools for this project. the MONITOR’s 140-year-old turret from salvage plan began to take shape. Unique Lacking a suitable platform, MDSU 2 its resting place 240 feet below. A tropical equipment had to be designed and manu- looked to Phoenix Marine, the Navy’s storm was threatening from the south, factured, manning for the entire 45 day op- prime salvage contractor, to locate a lift promising 50-knot winds and 12-foot seas eration had to been allocated, and diving barge capable of an estimated 300-ton lift that would threaten the eight-point moor procedures had to be identified. and large enough to accommodate the and time was running out. The lift had to Diving offshore to 240 feet in one of salvage and diving equipment. The be today. the most hostile weather locations in the Manson Gulf barge WOTAN used last The USS MONITOR, best known for world to recover a historic artifact buried year during the engine recovery with its its heroic stand against the CSS VIRGINIA (USS MERIMAC) in the battle of the ironclads during the Civil War, sank in a New Year’s Eve storm in 1862. It came to rest upside down on the sandy bottom 14 miles from Cape Hatteras in what is com- monly known as the graveyard of the At- lantic. Since its discovery some 30 years ago, the National Oceanographic and At- mospheric Administration (NOAA) has maintained the site as a historic monument. Recent archeological surveys showed a dramatic increase in the hull’s decay. The recovery of parts of this famous warship fell to US Navy Divers. In recent years NOAA in cooperation with Naval Sea Systems Command 00C3 (SUPDIVE), Mobile Diving and Sal- vage Unit TWO (MDSU 2), and Navy Divers from around the fleet have recovered portions of the ship including the shaft, screw, and steam engine. Once again this successful team prepared for salvage of the MONITOR’s most recogniz- able feature, the 22-foot diameter, nine feet tall, 160-ton cylindrical turret. Unknown was the integrity of the eight inch thick iron turret bulkheads, or the contents re- Surface supplied diver operating hydraulics on turrent lifting system spider. Photo by Fleet maining inside. High hopes envisioned the Combat Camera, Atlantic. entire turret, two Dahlgren cannons and other period artifacts being recovered in beneath 100 tons of wreckage is no job for 500-ton crane capacity, onboard berthing one lift. a conventional Surface Supplied Diving and messing, and spacious 300 x 90 foot DOD Legacy funds, allocated by System. Use of one of only three US Navy deck fit the bill. Since the project’s main Congress for realistic military training mis- certified Fly Away Mixed Gas Systems mission was to train US Navy Divers in (USS MONITOR continued on page 4)

November 2002 3 turbed had to be thoroughly searched for small artifacts. When found, small artifacts had to be “mapped in” to the site by taking precise measurements and video. Large eductors and airlifts, used to remove over 100 cubic yards of sediment and coal, had to be discharged into salvage baskets with an eighth inch mesh to prevent small artifacts, such as coins or buttons, from being scattered around the site. Any human remains found would require specific procedures for removal and shipment to U.S. Army Central Identification Labora- tory in Hawaii. Working side by side, SAT divers and surface supplied divers worked to clear the deck and armor belt from atop the turret. Using a variety of tools, divers cut, sawed, pried, and hydroblasted decking and armor plate, hoisting sections as heavy as 70 tons until the turret was fi- nally exposed for the first time in 140 years. The elation at accomplishing that phase of the operation was short lived. The turret was full of sediment and half-buried in sand and coal. SAT divers went to work removing the sediment inside the turret, while surface supplied divers removed sediment from around the outside. The weather forecast called for calm seas for a short time, so the decision to lower the 25- ton Spider, an eight-legged claw designed

Surface supplied divers going up and over during an average sea state. Photo by Fleet Combat Camera, Atlantic.

(USS MONITOR continued on from page 3) TOR Turret Recovery 2002 got underway. salvage and diving procedures, MDSU 2 Dive teams from both the saturation side opened enrollment to all fleet diving com- and surface supplied side worked in two mands. One hundred and sixty two Divers shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. from twenty-five separate commands in- While many of the divers rotated through cluding three from the British Royal Navy every two weeks, a core of 12 surface responded to our call. Twenty-one US supplied divers and all the saturation Navy saturation (SAT) Divers responded divers remained for the entire forty-five to provide the commercial saturation sys- day operation. tem with divers and watchstanders. The immense task of raising the tur- Enjoying calm seas and little wind ret to the surface required some “refining” the WOTAN dropped the first anchor of current salvage procedures. NOAA sci- over the site at 0330, 26 June 2002. Surface entists and historians required certain ar- Tenders worked harder than usual during the normally heavy currents encountered off supplied divers splashed the first set of cheological procedures be used through- Cape Hatteras, NC. Photo by Fleet Combat divers exactly six hours later and MONI- out the entire recovery. Any areas dis- Camera, Atlantic.

(USS MONITOR continued on page 5)

4 November 2002 and placed on a platform lying close by. This critical lift was required to contain all the contents left in the turret prior to bringing to the surface. Once attached, the spider, platform, and turret would be raised to the surface and gently placed on deck. The rigging went taut, Navy Divers, spectators, and reporters jockeyed for the best view, the water churned, and for the first time in one hundred and forty years the USS MONITOR’s 160-ton turret rose slowly from the water. Pride, joy, and pa- triotism washed over the crowd as the backslapping and congratulations began. Navy Divers had once again proved their commitment, versatility, and professional- ism in accomplishing one of the most realistic and challenging training exercises ever undertaken. Overall, U.S. Navy Fleet Divers com-

pleted 507 surface supplied HE-O2 dives, accumulating 286 hours of bottom time and 213 man-days in saturation. They MDV Mariano directs side during up and over phase. Photo by Fleet Combat Camera, fought through every adversity and met all Atlantic. challenges to become part of history by recovering what some consider the (USS MONITOR continued from page 4) Mother of the modern naval warship. for lifting the turret, and place it around The human remains had been removed HOO YAH DEEP SEA!!! the turret was made. While internal turret and both Dahlgren cannons were secured excavations continued, divers attempted inside the turret. The weather forecast was to sink the claws in and around the turret. grim. Bottom currents had increased be- Chief Warrant Officer Rick Cavey is the Some of the legs had to sink as much as yond the safe working limits of diving, and Officer in Charge of Detachment DELTA, four feet into the sand, soil, and coal that surface conditions exceeded the crane’s Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit TWO in lay against the turret sides. Divers en- capabilities. It was during this lull that the Little Creek, VA. He was the project diving and salvage officer for USS MONITOR countered iron plating and stanchions, OSC made a crucial decision. CDR Expedition 2002. which had to be cut using 36-inch Scholley ordered the barge to pick up all ultrathermic rods and lifted out by cranes. eight anchors and reposition This work progressed slowly. Hopes were the bow into the forecasted that the turret would be ready to lift ten seas. Hoping bottom cur- days prior to the deadline date to allow a rents would diminish, this cushion for unfavorable weather. These new heading would lessen hopes diminished with the discovery of the movement on the barge human remains in the turret. From the be- and allow the large crane to ginning, plans had been in place to ensure operate safely. Optimism pre- proper procedures were used during the vailed and on 6 August 2002, excavation and removal of sailors trapped with only three days left in inside the turret during her descent to the the schedule and a tropical bottom that stormy night. Progress slowed storm headed in, bottom cur- as divers accomplished the time-honored rents lessened and the first task of removing sailor’s remains from their of two lifts got underway. watery graves for proper identification and First, the spider with the tur- burial. ret safely ensconced within its eight legs, had to be Surface supplied divers, affectionately known as sprint A few short days before the deadline divers, make their way to the turret. Photo by Fleet Combat the turret was ready to lift off the bottom. picked up from the bottom Camera, Atlantic.

November 2002 5 By: CAPT Chris Murray

nce again the US Navy was given a SAT system was manned with 21 satu- Ochance to use a commercial satura- ration divers and a SAT qualified Div- tion diving system on the USS MONITOR. ing Medical Officer. They worked in The system that was used was the Global twelve-hour shifts in concert with the Industries 1504 Saturation Diving System; surface supplied divers. Each 12-hour the same system used to recover the en- shift consisted of launching a team of gine in 2001. After completing the engine two divers in the bell, and each diver recovery in 2001, NAVSEA 00C entered completing a four to seven hour dive into a maintenance contract with Global to during their bell run. Between the two maintain the 1504 SAT system to specifica- divers, they would average 10 hours of tions, as outlined by NAVSEA SUPDIVE bottom time per day. The length of each and Certification, in order to assist in a dive would depend on the task at hand, more rapid mobilization for use with the environmental conditions, and how the MONITOR or emergency use. diver felt. At any one time, there were The SAT system was again thor- at least two 2-man teams in saturation oughly inspected by NAVSEA Certifica- to provide for 24-hour a day operations. tion, SUPDIVE and NEDU. After inspec- Each team would generally work for tion and review, a waiver was submitted to about nine days prior to being relieved OPNAV for conditional use on the MONI- on the bottom and then decompressing TOR. The waiver was contingent on sys- for 66 hours. tem and operational training and a demon- During the MONITOR 2002 mission, stration dive prior to final approval for the the SAT divers completed 80 bell runs MONITOR mission. The Global 1504 SAT and 641 hours of total bottom time. System is a two chamber, 1500-foot system The saturation diving bell was with a two-man bell. Each chamber was launched and diving for all but about capable of handling 6 personnel. However, 48 hours during the entire mission. The for the MONITOR we had it configured missed diving time was attributed to ei- for four personnel. ther excessive current (greater than 3 During the MONITOR mission, the knots) or equipment down time. The BMC(DV) Keith Nelson being launched for a 10-hour bell dive on the USS MONITOR. He will spend 4 to 5 1/2 hours Global 1504 system actually working in the water during this bell run. Photo by wasn’t fancy but it Fleet Combat Camera, Atlantic. proved to be very safe and reliable. The training and operational dives, the MONI- SAT diving increased TOR turret would still be on the bottom of the efficiency of the the ocean. This year’s iron men were diver almost 4 to 1 over Chief Keith Nelson and Senior Chief Vern surface supplied diving, Geyman. Between the two of them, they when considering the almost accounted for 200 hours of bottom consistency of a single time. HOO YAH! dive team, diving every- day for extended peri- Navy Saturation Diving Future ods of time. The three Saturation We have an opportunity here. With- Master Divers that out saturation diving, missions like the made this possible were USS MONITOR recovery would not have MDV Chuck Young, been possible. For the amount of bottom MDV Bryon Van Horn, time and tedious and dangerous work that USS MONITOR Expedition 2002 saturation dive team with the Global and MDV Lyle Becker. was required at 240 feet, it just would not Industries 1504 portable saturation diving system in-transit to the MONITOR site off Hatteras, NC. Photo by Fleet Combat Camera, Without these Master have been possible with surface supplied Atlantic. Divers running the diving alone. A saturation diving system (Saturation Diving continued on page 18)

6 November 2002 By: LCDR Paul Fleischman

t’s wet, cold and dark…a typical Navy Team and a Naval Re- Idive? No, because it’s 240 feet under- serve Diving Medical ground in a coal mine. This was the situa- Officer, contacted the tion for nine miners, who were trapped in Navy Bureau of the Quecreek Mine, a crosshatch of inter- Medicine and Sur- connecting tunnels approximately four feet gery (BUMED) for high by twenty feet wide, located in west- assistance, in case ern Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh. Late the miners required on the 24th of July, the miners breached an recompression ther- abandoned mine, which was filled with an apy. Following a estimated 150 million gallons of water, conference call be- trapping them underground. tween OPNAV and The water flooded into the mine so SUPSALV, all Navy quickly that the miners were unable to diving commands move the 8,000 feet to the mine entrance with recompression before they were cut off by the rising wa- assets within 18 ter. As the water level in the mine contin- hours of Pittsburgh ued to rise, the miners made a difficult re- were alerted. treat into a captive air pocket at the highest By 1430 all the elevation in the mine. The rest of the rela- available recompres- tively horizontal shaft rapidly flooded and sion chambers were compressed the trapped air pocket expos- notified to deploy ing the miners to an estimated pressure and the first person- equivalent to 40 feet of sea water (FSW). nel arrived on site at It was soon realized they would need re- 2230. The first recompression therapy if removed from their compression cham- pressurized air pocket. bers from the Emer- Topside, the rescue operation had al- gency Ship Salvage ready begun. Mine engineers surmised Material (ESSM) the miners were trapped in the flooded pool at Cheatham section, and that if they were alive, they Annex, Virginia ar- would be forced to the highest ground. rived at midnight. By Accordingly, they started drilling a six- 0600 the next morn- inch air shaft above that point. The mine ing there were eight engineers also speculated that providing chambers on site Graphic provided courtesy of Pittsburg Post Gazette. compressed air down the shaft could pre- with more than 50 vent the water from rising further, while Navy active duty and civilian personnel to TRCS, one Mobile Transfer Lock (MTL), providing oxygen and warmth to the min- operate them. The equipment was staged and a standard Navy two-lock chamber in ers, since the temperature of the mine and in a large machinery barn on the dairy farm, a CONEX box from UCT ONE. In addition water was estimated to be 55 degrees where the rescue operation was underway. there were five Emergency Evacuation Fahrenheit. When the six-inch drill broke The farm owner graciously and unself- Hyperbaric Stretcher (EEHS) units, known through, the miners banged on the pipe to ishly offered the use of his facilities to the commercially as Hyperlites, which are un- let people topside know they were still Navy team. dergoing evaluation and certification for alive. This initial contact motivated the The equipment included three Trans- Navy use. A mobile civilian recompres- rescue effort and provided hope to the portable Recompression Chamber Systems sion chamber had also arrived from Ohio families and friends of the trapped miners. (TRCS) mounted in standard modular and was made available to the Navy team As part of the rescue effort, the Indi- CONEX boxes with air banks and air con- if needed. ana County Special Medical Response ditioning, four free-standing Transportable The Navy personnel represented Team (SMART) responded to the site. Dr. Recompression Chambers (TRC), which eight different commands and included ac- Nick Colovos, a member of the SMART are the single-lock components of the tive duty, reserves, and civilians. The ma- (Miner Miracle continued on page 8)

November 2002 7 (Miner Miracle continued from page 7) the air pocket to contributions including supervised re- one atmosphere hearsals of the evacuation and decontami- and immediate re- nation procedures, provided technical compression guidance and equipment to construct the would not be re- pressure seal used on the rescue shaft, quired. The mine and Navy doctors and corpsmen con- engineers calcu- ducted the initial medical assessment of lated the pressure the miners prior to evacuation to the local had been reduced hospitals. The Navy team’s greatest con- by one to one and tribution was the most intangible. As a half feet sea wa- noted by several members of other rescue ter per hour, almost organizations, the Navy team’s presence, exactly the Navy’s timely response, and demonstrated pro- accepted decom- fessionalism, provided hope to the family pression rate for members and contributed significantly to a saturation diving. sense of confidence throughout the entire Once the drill rescue organization. HM1 Jon Carlson and HM2 Christoper Walker from Underwater Construction Team ONE performing the initial examination of a miner broke through, Equally memorable to the Navy per- prior to evacuation. Photo by CAPT Dale Mole’. workers on the sur- sonnel on site were the skill and dedica- face established tion of all the emergency response person- jority of the personnel and equipment communications with the trapped miners, nel and the generosity of the local people were from the Norfolk, VA area. who reported that one miner had severe and businesses, who provided an abun- As the Navy presence grew the res- shoulder pain. The miner had a history of dance of food, drink, and equipment. It cue effort continued. A 30-inch rescue shoulder pain, but it did not normally in- was a privilege to be a part of such an ef- shaft was started while huge water pumps terfere with his work. He reported the pain fort, and the best reward was the rescue were set up near the mine entrance to be- had increased during the second and third of all nine miners. To borrow a phrase gin dewatering the mine. The rescue plan day of entrapment and he believed he from the SeaBee’s, the Quecreek Mine res- was to maintain the miners under pres- could not use the affected arm. About cue demonstrated again that Navy Divers sure, rapidly decant them on the surface, seven hours after rescue, the decision was CAN DO! and recompress them in the Navy cham- made to give a test to pres- bers. Metalworkers fabricated an air lock sure. The miner was on site. This air lock would be attached to recompressed in MDSU the metal shaft lining the top of the rescue TWO TRCS, which had been hole when the drilling was done. A 22- moved to the hospital in inch rescue capsule would be lowered Johnstown, PA for just such a through the air lock and down the rescue scenario. He experienced sig- shaft to retrieve the miners one at a time. nificant relief on reaching 60 At 0130 on the 26th of July, the 30- FSW and was treated on inch drill bit broke and it took the next 14 USN Treatment Table 6. hours to remove it from the hole. Over the The diagnosis was de- course of the delay, the water pumps con- compression sickness, super- tinued to decrease the water level in the imposed on a preexisting in- mine. The engineers wanted to lower the jury. The increase in pain water level below the elevation of the esti- during the natural decom- mated breakthrough point to ensure the pression through pumping TRCS used on site. Photo by CAPT Dale Mole’. rescue shaft would not fill with water. The down the water, with the con- drilling recommenced with a smaller 26- siderable relief of pain and return to inch drill bit and was stopped approxi- baseline during recompression treatment, LCDR Fleischman is currently the Assistant mately 20 feet before breakthrough to al- supported the diagnosis and treatment. Supervisor of Diving and is the EOD/ SPECWAR liaison officer. His previous low the installation of a metal pressure Fortunately, recompression therapy assignments include tours at Defense Threat seal on top of the rescue shaft. Upon on the scale initially anticipated was not Reduction Agency, EODMU FIVE and USS breakthrough, the pressure gauge on the required. However, this does not minimize ROANOKE (AOR 7). pressure seal showed zero. The dewater- the contribution of the Navy personnel ing efforts had lowered the pressure in on site. The Navy team provided tangible

8 November 2002 By: NAVSEA 00C Staff Writers

STANDARD NAVY DOUBLE LOCK RECOMPRESSION CHAMBER SYSTEM

obile Diving and Salvage Unit TWO BIBS in the inner M(MDSU 2) assisted Naval Sea Sys- lock and air and oxy- tems Command (NAVSEA) personnel in gen BIBS in the testing and certification of the first Stan- outer lock. It also dard Navy Double Lock Recompression has a CO2 scrubber, Chamber System (SNDLRCS) at Cheatham an environmental Annex in Williamsburg, VA. The conditioning sys- SNDLRCS is certified for treatments using tem, communica- the U.S. Navy Diving Manual Treatment tions, and an O2 and

Tables for the maximum time required, and CO2 analyzer. for conducting Pressure Tests and Sur- Air is supplied face Decompression. to the chamber from The SNDLRCS consists of a double an Air Supply Rack lock recompression chamber installed in Assembly (ASRA), an ISO container and an air/oxygen sup- the same that is ply system. The recompression chamber used with the FADS From left to right on the picture; HT3 (DV) Draper McBride, OSSN was designed by Fink Engineering and III. Oxygen is sup- (DV) Andrew Glueck, QM1 (SW/DV) Geoffrey Ives, DC1 (DV) manufactured by Cowan Manufacturing. plied from 4 bottles Jeffrey Poulin, and HT2 (DV) Larry Langdon. Photo by Stuart Yee. It is 54” in diameter and made of stainless stored in the ISO steel. It has air, oxygen, and mixed gas container or can be supplied from an ex- MDSU 2 personnel participating in ternal source (an Oxygen Supply Rack the testing and certification of the first Assembly, for example). SNDLRCS were HT3 (DV) Draper The ISO container is 8’ x 8’ x 20’ and McBride, OSSN (DV) Andrew Glueck, has a vestibule, which can be opened to QM1 (SW/DV) Geoffrey Ives, DC1 (DV) allow more room in front of the chamber Jeffrey Poulin, HT2 (DV) Larry Langdon, console. It has lighting, heating, and air SM1 (SW/DV) Mark Cooper, and HTC (SW/DV) Steve Janek. conditioning, storage for four O2 bottles, and reducing stations for air and oxygen. NAVSEA personnel involved were There is also storage space for an ASRA, HTCM (MDV) Chuck Young (00C36), Rob which is used as the chamber’s air supply. Warren (00C4), Paul McMurtrie (00C46), Rollers are provided to allow easy removal and Stuart Yee (00C37). View of the inner lock of the SNDLRCS. of the ASRA for more working room Photo by Stuart Yee. within the ISO container. UBA MK 21 MOD 1 irby Morgan Diving Systems, Inc. THIS IS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE A it into the fleet inventory. If you do detect K(KMDSI), formerly DSI, has advised SERIOUS PROBLEM. However, KMDSI that you have some of these exhaust us of a potential problem with the regulator has offered to replace these valves at no valves in your inventory, you may contact exhaust valve, PN 510-552. As a result of cost. The valves in question will show the KMDSI for replacements at (805) 965-8538. changing to a different supplier for the ex- part number and a mold cavity number, as Additional information is available on the haust valves, a slight difference in the opposed to the previous parts which have KMDSI web site, www.KMDSI.com. elasticity and stiffness of the valve has no mold cavity number. There have been KMDSI has also issued a safety bul- been detected. This difference has the no reports of problems with leakage due to letin relative to the improper installation of potential to cause a small leakage in the these valves in the Navy. To our knowl- the oral nasal inhalation valve, PN 510-550. helmet when in certain helmet orientations. edge, no parts from this new lot have made These valves can potentially be installed (Diving Equipment Issues continued on page 10)

November 2002 9 (Diving Equipment Issues continued from page 9) backwards leading to serious problems if Another caution issued by KMDSI calls for wetting these valves with water if attempting to breathe using the steady has to do with the use of lubricants on lubrication is needed during installation. flow valve. As long as proper procedures the regulator exhaust valve, PN 510-552. The PMS is being corrected to prohibit lu- are followed as specified in the PMS and Use of such compounds can deteriorate bricating these valves with anything but the UBA MK 21 MOD 1 manual, this will the physical properties of the valves and water. not be a problem. However, this problem can attract and hold debris causing the has been detected by KMDSI on some valve to leak. This caution also applies to diver-maintained (commercial) helmets. the diaphragm. The UBA MK 21 manual

COMPRESSOR PURIFICATION SYSTEMS roblems related to compressor purifi- Life of the cartridges is a function of of moisture or carbon monoxide will auto- Pcation systems continue to plague several factors; amount of air run through matically shut down the compressor. This diving commands. These systems consist the system, humidity of air being com- is a clear sign that the cartridges must be of canisters containing desiccant for mois- pressed, ambient temperature, and system changed. MAKO has the Cartridge Moni- ture removal, charcoal to absorb odors, pressure. It is difficult to predict how long toring System (CMS) which monitors and a catalyst for carbon monoxide ab- a cartridge will last because of these vari- moisture level. They are presently devel- sorption, such as HOPCALITE. These el- ous factors, so it is wise to be very con- oping a carbon monoxide sensor. Bauer ements, when used properly, provide ex- servative when estimating the life of the has the Securus which is a moisture detec- cellent protection to the HP storage flasks. cartridge. When changing one cartridge, tor. They also have a carbon monoxide If these cartridges are not changed at all cartridges in the system should be monitor. Use of these sensors can allow proper intervals, the cartridges become changed. you to greatly extend the life of the car- saturated with moisture, potentially lead- Most, if not all, of these systems tridge. In most cases, these sensors can ing to a catastrophic failure of the car- have an option for an electronic sensor(s) be added to an existing system and will tridge. Ultimately, this leads to contamina- that will detect excessive levels of mois- easily pay for themselves in extended car- tion of the HP air system and a very costly ture and carbon monoxide. On some of tridge life. Check with the manufacturer of clean up. these systems, exceeding the preset levels your purification system to see what is available for your system. POSEIDON REGULATORS he new U.S. Distributor for the T Poseidon regulator is Trelleborg Vi- king, Inc. They can be reached at (800) 344-4458. Their address is 170 West Road, Suite 1, Portsmouth, NH 03801.

PMS Corner

“Service to the Fleet”

• MIP 5921/038, Seatec Life Preserver. contacts the cylinder housing. Also re- changed to perform the maintenance re- The following correction will come out ported has been hairline cracks in the oil quirement before each diving day. The in Force Revision 2-02: MRC 8CEB (R- filter housing. This is an O-ring seal R-6, Rinse Regulator and Air Cylinder 3) NOTE 5: the weight variance of the and is installed hand tight only. Assembly, has changed to accomplish standard should read +/- 4 grams. after each day’s use. • MIP 5921-019, SCUBA. Additional dis- • MIP 5921/036 (MAKO 5409 HPAC) infectant agents have been approved. • Various MIPs. To preserve the functionality of the drying/purification car- now contains maintenance to clean and SaniZide Plus, Advance TBE, Bi-Arrest inspect the final separator semi-annu- 2, and Confidence Plus have been tridges in the MAKO/BAUER filtration ally or in conjunction with filter replace- added. Wescodyne can still be used as systems, upon completion of charging ment. It has been reported that on a substitute, if local hazardous materi- evolutions, bleed down the condensa- some purification systems, the top als policies permit. Also, the R-7, In- tion and leave a minimum of 2000 psi in plugs have been overtightened. Tighten spect Regulator and Gauge Hoses, the system. Periodicities for cartridge the top plugs only until the top cap MRC situation requirement has change-out will be revised as follows:

(PMS Corner continued on page 11)

10 November 2002 (PMS Corner continued from page 10)

PMS Corner

“Service to the Fleet”

1. Purification systems without elec- 3. For all filter housings, volume tanks/ easiest is to submit an automatic tronic moisture monitoring require receivers, and purification system hous- feedback report using the FTSCPAC cartridge change-out at 250 hours for ings, conduct external and internal vi- web site, www.ftscpac.navy.mil. Bauer and 64 hours for Mako. sual inspection at periodicity on MIP/ Once on the web site, select Inte- MRC. Contact NAVSEA 00C36 for in- grated Logistics (PMS), then select 2. Purification systems with electronic terim inspection criteria for these com- Code 401 PMS. Under Services, se- moisture monitoring, either Bauer ponents. lect Automated TFBR Form. This Securus or Mako CMS, require car- works for the 5921, 5971, and H012 tridge change-out annually or when NAVFAC certified systems: series MIP’s. Feedback for EOD indicated by the moisture monitor, MIP’s can be submitted through the whichever comes first. 1. All shore based unfired pressure vessels, specifically ASME and MIL-F- FTSCLANT web site. 3. Purification systems with electronic 22606 HP flasks and ASME LP volume Points of contact: CO and moisture monitoring require tanks/receivers, must use MIL-HDBK- change-out whenever one of the moni- 1152, Inspection And Certification of Mr. Kerry Duffy/ISEA 059 commercial: tors indicates. Boilers and Unfired Pressure Vessels. 850-230-3100, DSN 436-4351 or email: [email protected]. Also, the shelf life of these cartridges is 2. DOT kevlar composite flasks require now 3 years. hydrostatic testing every 3 years, with exception of the new carbon fiber com- HTCM(MDV) Chuck Young, NAVSEA • MIP 5921/162, MK 21 MOD 1UBA. As posite flasks which is tested every 5 00C36, commercial: (202) 781-0960, mentioned in the Diving Equipment Is- years. Steel flasks and aluminum cylin- DSN: 326-0960, or email: sues article, the oral nasal exhaust, water ders are still hydrostatically tested ev- [email protected]. dump assembly, and installation valves, ery 5 years. should only be wetted with water prior Mr. Rob Smith, Code 07FH, commercial: to installation. Do not lubricate these 3. For all filter housings and purification (202) 433-8772, DSN: 288-8772, or email: valves with grease. system housings, conduct external and [email protected]. internal visual inspection at periodicity • MIP 5921/034 and other miscellaneous on MIP/MRC. Contact Mr. Rob Smith Dave DeAngelis, NFESC ECDET Code MIPs: Guidance for the recertification for interim inspection criteria for these 55DD Shore Based Design/Acquisition and inspection of flasks, moisture sepa- components. rators, filter housings, volume tanks/re- commercial: (202)433-5480, DSN:288- ceivers, and purification system hous- • Upon receipt of Force Revision 2-02, all 5480, or email: [email protected] ings is being incorporated into a joint commands should review their LOP and process instruction NAVSEA-00C3-PI- equipment configuration and update ac- Technical questions, logistics prob- 005. Until approval and promulgation of cordingly. lems, supply requests, personnel is- this process instruction use the follow- sue? Call or contact ANCHOR DESK 1- ing inspection criteria: • NAVSEA strives to keep the maintenance 877-4-1-TOUCH (86824) or requirements for all DLSS accurate and on the internet at http:// NAVSEA certified systems: limited to that necessary to keep the equip- www.AnchorDesk.navy.mil. ment safe and working well. When prob- 1. MIL-F-22606 flasks and moisture lems are found with the PMS, it is almost separators use NSTM CH 551. always the sailor performing the mainte- Military Handbook 1152, Inspection And Certification of Boilers and 2. DOT kevlar composite flasks require nance on the equipment that finds them Unfired Pressure Vessels, can be found hydrostatic testing every 3 years with and it is only when the commands using on the internet at http:// exception of the new carbon fiber this equipment provide feedback to edlant.navfac.navy.mil/criteria/docu- composite flask which is tested ev- NAVSEA that these problems get re- ments/MH/1152.pdf. ery 5 years. Steel flasks and alumi- solved. This is accomplished through the num cylinders are still hydrostatically submission of feedback reports. There are tested every 5 years. several ways to do this, but probably the

November 2002 11 (SUPSALV SENDS continued from page 2) in our Nation’s service. But stop and think know. Our commissioned fleet has lost ing? In 1969, the ex-USS HAKE (diesel for a minute of how many close calls two thirds of its capability in the past de- submarine) was intentionally scuttled for we’ve had – USS STARK, USS SAMUEL cade, now with just four “junk boats”, the sole purpose of a submarine salvage B. ROBERTS, USS PRINCETON, USS TRI- down from twelve not long ago. Our Spe- exercise – and it was successful! With the POLI, and now USS COLE. Whether by cial Operations (1140) community is focus- reduction in salvage operations experience declared acts of war or cowardly terrorism, ing on the critical expertise of Explosive from the Special Operations community, we are a Navy at constant risk. The recent Ordnance Disposal (EOD) as their princi- should we relook at the purpose of the attack on the commercial tanker LIMBURG pal professional capability, with a subordi- Diving Warrant community and shape it to is another reminder that our vulnerability nate focus on salvage operations. This is retain the USN’s corporate salvage opera- goes beyond just our warships, but also to a double blow to our four remaining ARS- tions experience? Or as a Warrant recently the lifeblood of our economy — commer- 50s as their wardrooms are no longer proposed, maybe we should consider the cial shipping — ninety percent of our “grown” up into salvage, but are learning advent of Diving/Salvage Limited Duty nation’s commerce is transported by ships. multiple point mooring, towing, and Officers. Since major commercial ship sal- We could conceivably find ourselves not heavy-rigging ship handling skills when vage occurs more frequently than USN just fighting to keep a single ship afloat, they step aboard. The junior ranks of our ship salvage, why not “TAD” some of our but simultaneously engaged in several dif- Engineering Duty (1440) divers are greatly MDVs and Diving Warrants and JOs out ferent ports thousands of miles from one undermanned, bringing a near term deficit to some commercial heavy lift or surf- another, in the US and abroad, in a desper- of both engineering talent and experience stranding removal using beach-gear or ate battle to recover shipping lanes and to our salvage community. Our Master parbuckling operations so that we lever- navigable waterways, raising warships Divers and Warrant Officers are the age that experience into our own salvage and commercial ships, and battling the en- world’s best, but the few recent major ship corps? vironmental pollution that ensues wher- salvage operations and the limited scope As I step into this job, and look out ever ships are sunk — all the while poten- of salvage training exercises give all of us to the horizon, it is not hard to mentally tially under enemy fire. a false sense of confidence. Our Fleet imagine what until only recently was un- This is our salvage heritage – the an- Divers are the professional heart and soul imaginable. I solicit your inputs and ideas nals of World War II and Vietnam are re- of our salvage community, engrained with for how we can be better prepared for the plete with combat salvage and harbor a never-say-die attitude that gives us the foreseeable. As we stand as a Navy, both clearance operations. upper hand against adversity, but they, in war and ready to go to war, get started Are we prepared for this call? I will too, suffer from the same limited experi- now…review your notes from salvage argue no – not sufficiently. Though re- ence base in major ship salvage opera- training, hold some special training recent past FACEPLATE issues highlighted tions. We have a tremendous resource in freshers, forward your good ideas, visit the exceptional success of individual sal- our Emergency Ship Salvage Material the ESSM bases to get familiar with our vage operations (USS LAMOURE (ESSM) bases, but most of our divers are equipment inventory. Don’t wait for COUNTY, USS COLE, Japanese Marine not as familiar with the ESSM inventory as someone else to do it for you…take action Fisheries Vessel EHIME MARU opera- they should be, and even fewer have real to improve our salvage readiness posture. tion, and this issue heralds the MONITOR operational experience with much more Take a lesson from LCDR Ellsberg’s experi- Turret recovery), our ability to success- than ESSM’s compressors and pumps. ence. We must be ready when our Nation fully engage in two or more concurrent The picture is not all bleak…we have and our Navy calls. major salvage operations (each with two somehow always been able to dig deep or more ships) could place us much in the and find a way to get the job done, and Dive safe and smart, position of LCDR Ellsberg in Eritrea… with that salvage persistence and ingenuity a small salvage team of limited resource at- that kept LCDR Ellsberg going 60 years Captain Jim Wilkins tempting to accomplish the impossible. ago is in a sense in our DNA. But we can SUPSALV Our people – the strength of our commu- be better prepared; we need not rely on nity – are not broadly experienced in major miracles and heroism alone. For instance, “Experience is the toughest teacher. She ship salvage operations. Our planned sal- when is the last time we tried to find a way gives the exam first, and the lesson later.” vage training exercises are so minor in to “exercise” a broader inventory of scope that we don’t know what we don’t ESSM equipment, even if “just” for train-

12 November 2002 By: HTCS (MDV) Bob Barker

n February 4, 2002, U.S. Navy Divers Ofrom Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit ONE (MDSU 1) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit FIVE (EODMU 5) headed for Ulithi Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia, where they spent 10 days as- sessing an oil leak and the condition of the Ex -USS MISSISSINEWA (AO-59). The 553-foot MISSISSINEWA, commissioned in May of 1944, was an ASHTABULA Class auxiliary oiler, dis- placed 25,440 tons, and had a capacity to carry 146,000 barrels of fuel oil. On the early morning of November 20, 1944, the ship was torpedoed by a Japanese Kaiten suicide submarine, becoming the first and only documented sinking of a U.S. Navy ship by this weapon. The ship burst into flames and quickly sank taking with it 3 officers and 47 enlisted men. Today, the ship Diver going over side. lies inverted at a depth of 130 ft. in the Ulithi Atoll. Ulithi Atoll, 330 miles southwest of dreds of Pacific Fleet ships throughout Today, the lifeless twisted ship is Guam, was a secret anchorage for hun- WWII. The U.S Naval Base at Ulithi was home to large schools of fish and other for a time the world’s largest and sea life. The remainder of the ship lies up- most active naval facility in the side down with its bow section separated world and was a major staging area and lying on its port side 50 feet forward Collecting sand on uninhabited for the campaigns at Leyte Gulf, island for cement. Ulitihi Atoll. of the hull. Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Its reef The first oil leak occurred when a runs roughly twenty miles north to storm jarred the wreck on August 6, 2001. south by ten miles across, enclos- Later that month, a mission was funded by ing a vast anchorage with an aver- Chief of Naval Operations Environmental age depth of 80 to 100 feet – the Protection, Safety and Occupational only suitable anchorage within 800 Health Division (CNO N45) for divers con- miles. tracted through the Navy Supervisor of About 700 people live on the Salvage (SUPSALV) to stop the leak with a atoll, which is made up of 49 is- temporary concrete patch over a deterio- lands. It has a land area of 1.79 rated 4-inch gate valve. The National square miles wrapped around the Oceanographic and Atmospheric Admin- fourth largest lagoon in the world istration (NOAA) reported that the envi- and engulfs 183 square miles. ronmental impact from the leak was mini- Since WWII, the mal. MISSISSINEWA’s exact position The leak reappeared on 23 December had been in question, despite nu- 2001. In early February, a 12-member dive merous attempts by both American team from MDSU 1, EODMU 5, along with and Japanese dive groups to find four SUPSALV technicians, were deployed the wreck. On April 6, 2001, an in- on a contracted salvage ship to again sur- dependent dive team from San vey the source of the leak. Francisco located the wreck and The Navy dive team, led by MMCM was the first to dive on the vessel (MDV) Jim Nickels (MDSU 1) and HTCS in nearly 57 years. (MDV) Bob Barker (EODMU 5), quickly (Ulithi Atoll continued on page 14)

November 2002 13 CHANGE OF COMMAND By: CAPT Jim Wilkins or over thirty-five years, the Office of including Egypt Air Fthe Supervisor of Salvage, USN 990, Alaska Airlines (NAVSEA 00C) has quietly transferred the Flight 261, EHIME helm of responsibility for Navy diving and MARU, USS COLE salvage from one officer to another. Au- (DDG 67), USS gust 8, 2002 was just such a transfer, but RADFORD (DD 968), this time, for the first time, it occurred with USS LAMOURE the full formality of an official Change of COUNTY (LST 1194), Command, as SUPSALV is now formally and MONITOR Recov- designated a Major Shore Command, re- ery Operations (2001 porting directly to Commander, Naval Sea and 2002). Upon relief Systems Command. On the 8th of August and detachment, Cap- during the inaugural SUPSALV Change of tain Marsh is now serv- Command, Captain James R. Wilkins III, ing as the Pacific Fleet NEMAIS Program USN, relieved Captain Bert Marsh, USN, RADM Denny Dwyer salutes as CAPT Jim Wilkins relieves during a ceremony conducted at the Navy Manager with Navy CAPT Bert Marsh as the Supervisor of Salvage and Diving. Historical Museum, Washington Navy Enterprise Team Ships Yard. RADM Denny Dwyer, Program Ex- and SUPSHIP San Diego. This is Captain tion career path and three previous tours ecutive Officer for Aircraft Carriers (PEO Jim Wilkins’ third command assignment, in diving and salvage including Com- Carriers) was the guest speaker and offici- having recently detached as Major Pro- manding Officer of the Navy Experimental ating officer. Captain Marsh received his gram Manager of the Amphibious Warfare Diving Unit and SEVENTH FLEET Diving second Legion of Merit for operations Program Office. His previous tours and Salvage Officer. conducted during his tour as SUPSALV, spanned both a ship design and acquisi-

presence of fuel for the island residents of Ulithi, who rely Dive Station oil contamination heavily on the lagoon for their food and on the water sur- income. Accordingly, the U.S. Navy has face caused the made plans to remove the remaining oil. divers to decom- Representatives from the FSM and Yap press in the water State governments, as well as U.S. State using the U.S. Department and appropriate embassy per- Navy Standard sonnel, were advised that the optimal time Air Decompres- frame for the oil offload is between No- sion Tables and vember and May. The oil removal opera- procedures. tion is moving forward as planned, with the actual oil removal operation scheduled The Navy Divers to begin in February 2003. The oil offload from EODMU 5 is expected to take approximately six and MDSU 1 weeks. logged over 86 dives totaling HTCS(MDV/SW) Barker is currently (Ulithi Atoll continued from page 13) more than 139 hours of dive time, and re- assigned as Command Master Diver at Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit found two leaks, one coming from the claimed 3470 gallons of fuel oil. FIVE. HTCS Barker served as on site Master ships port wing tank and the other from The Ex -USS MISSISSINEWA was Diver during the Ulithi Atoll pollution the previously patched 4-inch gate valve. nearly full at the time of the attack and an abatement operation 4-16 February 2002. Divers, using surface supplied MK-21, estimated 3 million gallons of fuel oil still sealed the leaks using expandable plugs, remain in the vessel. This oil represents a epoxy cement and blank flanges. The potential economic and ecological disaster

14 November 2002 By: Mac Alnakari

he goal for the re-design of the page is designed to T SUPSALV web page fit the widely used (www.supsalv.org) was simply to add as 800 by 600 resolu- much functionality as possible from the tion which elimi- user’s point of view while maintaining a nates any left-right clean, well-organized, and friendly inter- scrolling. For those face. The various 00C departments and who may get lost, a their functions are listed at the top of each “you are here” at page, making them easily accessible from the top of each page all the main pages of the site. The drop- indicates the user’s down menu adds to the “one-click away” precise where- functionality and the ease of use guide- abouts. lines that we have followed from the beginning. Headed by the search engine, im- Mac Alnakari is the mediately visible in the upper left corner, Webmaster for the 00C website and the left section lists more general options, works as the Web as well as FTP access and Calendar. Fi- Design Manager for nally a “New on our Pages” section flanks ROH Incorporated. the right section of the page. The main

00C Welcomes Brendan Murphy

We would like to take this oppor- Hawaii, NRL, USS RECOVERY (ARS 43), tunity to welcome Brendan MDSU TWO, USS GRAPPLE (ARS 53), Murphy to the 00C4 Certification and COMLOGGRU TWO. He retired in Division. Brendan was hired in 1999 as a QMCM (MDV/SW) after 22 July as a System Certification years of Naval service. Brendan’s consid- Manager. Prior to his employment erable experience, both in the military and at NAVSEA, Brendan was the Divi- commercial environments, can only serve sion Manager of the Diving and to complement our Certification Team. Marine Construction Group of J. F. White Contracting Company, a Welcome aboard! major heavy civil construction company located in Boston, MA. He was in charge of estimating, bidding, and executing offshore and inshore projects throughout the United States and Canada. Murphy began his diving career in 1980 completing Second Class Dive training in Little Creek, VA. Subsequently he completed tours at a variety of commands including Instructor duty at the Second Class Dive School in Pearl Harbor,

November 2002 15 Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit ONE By: CDR Rob Fink

he FACEPLATE Staff has provided me ing mobility, reducing footprint, and refin- Detachment ONE in San Diego Twith plenty of slack on literary license ing synergistic operations with preparing to launch divers during pier for this spotlight article, so I would like to CINCPACFLT ARSs, T-ATFs, NAVSEA repair operations. Photo by Combat offer readers, unfamiliar with Mobile Div- ESSMs, and EOD units. Camera, Atlantic. ing and Salvage Unit (MDSU) ONE, an MDSU ONE is currently authorized opportunity to see inside the 88 diver billets. MDSU ONE has Mobile CINCPACFLT unit. First, let me give you Diving and Salvage Detachments (MDSD) the quick history lesson. MDSU ONE that provide a multitude of services as de- evolved from Harbor Clearance Unit fined by OPNAVINST 3501.133D, Re- (HCU) ONE. HCU ONE was commis- quired Operational Capabilities and Pro- sioned in 1966 to provide rapid, highly effi- jected Operational Environment for cient clearance work in Vietnamese rivers, MDSU. MDSU ONE has one active and harbors, and coastal areas to support con- one reserve detachment in San Diego, flict requirements. HCU ONE received five three active detachments in Pearl Harbor, Navy Unit Commendations and one Meri- and one reserve detachment in San Fran- torious Unit Commendation during the cisco and Galveston. These detachments conflict period. In 1979, the unit took on rotate through an Inter-Deployment Train- the responsibility of providing diving ser- ing Cycle (IDTC) with the ultimate goal of vices for Pearl Harbor based surface rapid, efficient, and effective response to ships; in 1982 the unit had a name change CINCPACFLT diving and salvage require- to better reflect the scope of missions actu- ments. In an effort to provide mission- clude exercise minefield maintenance, un- ally performed. In the mid 1990’s, the unit ready MDSDs to supported commanders derwater-sensor range maintenance, har- continued its evolution into an organiza- throughout the PACOM AOR, MDSU bor clearance and salvage services for tion that now had to fill the void left be- ONE conducts exercises, deployments, hazards to navigation within Pearl Harbor hind when the older ARS, ATF and ATS and peacetime diving and salvage mis- and adjacent waters. The Fleet Mainte- ship classes were decommissioned. As the sions. Throughout Exercises NORTHERN nance Dive Detachment (FMDD) teams evolution continues, MDSU ONE, in an EDGE, FOAL EAGLE, SEA HAWK, and provide Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and effort to fill this void, has pursued enhanc- RIMPAC, seven MDSDs provide Under- Intermediate Maintenance Facility repair water Ship Husbandry (UWSH), diving organizations with two-thirds of their diver and salvage services and respond to div- work force for surface ship and submarine ing and salvage scenarios which might be UWSH and inspection work. FMDD uses anticipated in the Naval Coastal Warfare, dive team rotation to provide a 24/7 re- Harbor Defense, and Port Security arena. sponse and around-the-clock UWSH to During the deployment with Task Force ensure fleet maintenance requirements are COOPERATION AFLOAT READINESS satisfied. FMDD is also deployable to re- AND TRAINING (CARAT), MDSD divers mote locations for the emergent UWSH share knowledge and expertise with divers voyage repair. and salvors throughout Southeast Asia, In closing, if you are interested in a including Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, challenging billet working with other Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. highly motivated sailors, then Several MDSU ONE divers, as operators in visit the MDSU ONE website at One Japanese and two U.S. Navy divers JOINT TASK FORCE-FULL ACCOUNT- www.mdsu1.navy.mil and learn more about hold on to a diving stage that will lower ING, have had the honor of contributing our team. Aloha! them to the Japanese fishing vessel to the repatriation of Vietnam era MIAs. Ehime Maru. U.S. Navy and Japanese CDR Fink is currently the Commanding divers are working together to recover When MDSDs are not deployed, they missing crew member remains and remain actively engaged in training or in Officer of MDSU ONE. He has a Master of Education Degree in Education and personal effects from the ship. Photo by the execution of peacetime diving and sal- Combat Camera, Atlantic. Training Management from the University vage missions. Some of the missions in- of Florida.

16 November 2002 By: Scott Lassiter

n the late 50s there were many different With the success of Iprograms in the US exploring new areas SEALAB I, the next in science and technology. The space pro- year, 1965, SEALAB gram was beginning to take off, aircraft II was built and design was quickly expanding into the jet placed in 205 fsw age, ship design was exploring nuclear ca- near La Jolla, Califor- pabilities, and the world beneath the sea nia. There were 3 was becoming more interesting to the sci- teams of ten men ence community. In 1957 Dr. George Bond sent for 15-day inter- and Captain Jaques Cousteau began a co- vals in the habitat. operative effort to develop a method of This test demon- sending people under the ocean for long strated a method of periods of time. The two did not have the transferring in a bell present knowledge of helium and oxygen or Personnel Transfer breathing in a saturated state, so they be- Capsule (PTC) for gan to draw up plans that would test and decompression and develop such a concept. changing out team In the initial testing to send humans members. SEALAB II underwater for long periods, Bond (who utilized a wealth of SEALAB II would conduct the physiological testing, concepts from under- Cousteau would continue with underwater water weather sta- habitats with his “Conshelf” program) tions, oceanographic studies, and salvage teaches young and old the art of underwa- chose to use laboratory animals, instead to testing of equipment designed to assist ter living. of humans. He chose to use animals be- the Navy Saturation Diver. In 1969 This past summer, the gun turret of cause the dangers posed to people in SEALAB III was created. The new habitat the historic Ironclad USS MONITOR was saturation diving were unknown. At the was made ready for occupation at deep recovered in deep water off the coast of time, there was not enough research done depths and placed on the bottom near San Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. This re- to put people down on the bottom for Clemente Island. In February of 1969, the quired several weeks of saturation and very long, so the U.S. Navy continued the first team was pressurized to 610 feet and deep helium and oxygen diving. This sal- study of helium and oxygen for several two Navy divers left the PTC in an attempt vage was successful largely due to con- more years. This project was called Gen- to occupy the habitat. Equipment failures cepts developed in the SEALAB program. esis and after extensive laboratory testing and the loss of life of one of the two Navy The future of diving is still plunging into with various animals, permission was Divers terminated the program. new depths with new equipment thanks to given to conduct these tests on humans. Many of today’s diving programs, the Navy’s experimental diving programs The first tests were done in late 1962 with techniques, concepts, or diving systems, conducted at the Navy Experimental Div- no pressure so that divers could exit owe their existence to the achievements of ing Unit (NEDU), where some of the earlier quickly if there were any bad side effects. the Navy SEALAB program. One of the SEALAB concepts were established. After success in zero pressure, tests were most recent projects based on the These studies continue to place man and done in 100 fsw and then 200 fsw. These SEALAB concept is the NOAA Aquarius his equipment in places that was once for- three tests proved that humans could, in habitat located near Key Largo, Florida. bidden. Thanks to the Navy SEALAB fact, withstand deep exposure using he- Aquarius sits at a depth of 47 fsw and has saturation diving program we can under- lium. been a notable place for further study in stand the effects of long periods of time In 1964, the first SEALAB was built the field of oceanology. NASA uses underwater. Divers may now go into the and was ready for occupation in July. The Aquarius for the training of their astro- deep with greater confidence, knowing chosen site was Bermuda in a depth of 193 nauts for future space flight programs. that deep sea diving is not only an art sci- fsw next to the Navy structure “Argus Is- Also in Key Largo is a small habitat, oper- ence, but also a science. land”. Four Navy divers occupied ated by Marine Resources Development SEALAB I for 11 days with no ill effects. Foundation (MRDF), a foundation that

November 2002 17 Master Diver Pre-Screening Puts Wannabe’s to the Test By LCDR Joe Navratil Atlantic Fleet Public Affairs

aster Diver. It is one of the most ery day is a learning day.” And Thomas was a teenager. “I joined the Navy to be a Mtreasured titles in the United States has been a Navy Diver for 20 years. Diver and knew early on that I wanted to Navy. Diving professionals from around Master Diver Russell Mallet, Com- be a Master Diver. It’s the culmination of the world honor the title deeply. They are mand Master Chief of MDSU TWO, said your career as a Diver.” But not the end. the Navy’s technical experts on supervis- the pre-screening for Master Diver candi- Master Diver Mallet has been a Diver for ing dives, divers, and equipment. First dates is “not just about procedures and 20 years and a Master Diver for the last 10 Class Navy Divers, who aspire to the diving medicine, but we evaluate their years. Master Diver (MDV) designation not only leadership qualities, supervisory skills and Master Diver candidate Jeff Moxley, have to prove themselves to their fellow management of the dive team.” The MDV a Senior Chief Engineering Aide (1st Class divers but also in a pre-screening program candidates are debriefed after every sce- Diver) from Underwater Construction administered by Mobile Diving and Sal- nario to determine why they made certain Team ONE, did not become a diver until he vage Unit (MDSU) TWO, based in Little decisions and offered feedback on how had already been a working Seabee for Creek, VA, are put to the test by estab- they managed the problem. Divers from nine years. The Baltimore native is now at lished Master Divers to determine if they various commands perform as role-players his first pre-screening for MDV after being have what it takes to join their ranks. in situation-driven scenarios that chal- a Navy Diver for 10 years. “My Dad Four experienced First Class Divers lenge the candidates’ experience and taught me that if I was going to be a recently went through the two-week pre- knowledge. One scenario at Pax River fea- trashman, to be the best trashman out screening at Naval Amphibious Base, tured a diver losing consciousness under- there. My occupation is diving and the Little Creek, and at Patuxent River Naval water (later determined to be a heart at- pinnacle of that is MDV.” Air Station. Five Master Divers ran the tack) and having to be brought to the sur- First Class Damage Controlman candidates through intense wet, or under- face, evaluated and receive medical treat- (Diver) Jeff Poulin from MDSU TWO trav- water, scenarios that identified strengths ment. The MDV candidate had to manage eled to Pax River to be one of the role play- and weaknesses of each candidate before that while keeping an eye on the challeng- ers for the scenarios testing the Master their official Master Diver screening later ing ship repair scenario he had been di- Diver candidates, knowing that someday this year in Panama City, FL. recting. “In that scenario, we evaluated he hopes to be one of the MDV candi- “This pre-screening is ten-fold the how they delegate tasks, their reaction time dates. “This is my third time doing a Mas- intensity of anything I’ve done before, and the overall safety of the dive team. ter Diver pre-screening (as a role player). but the intensity is self-imposed,” said Se- Also, we see if they are thinking one step It’s a good thing to see and a great training nior Chief Engineman (1st Class Diver) ahead.” experience.” Barry Thomas of Abington, Mass., who is Becoming a Master Diver has been a one of the Master Diver candidates. “Ev- dream of Senior Chief Thomas since he

(Saturation Diving continued from page 6) should be considered another tool in the NEDU could provide the nucleus of the In a world where we must maximize re- salvor’s toolbox as is SCUBA and surface Navy’s SAT diving expertise. An annual sources and increase proficiency, SAT div- supplied air and mixed gas systems. budget should include funding for mobili- ing is a cost-effective method for conduct- In order to maintain a saturation div- zation and SAT training proficiency and ing underwater salvage and rescue from ing capability, the Navy must acquire a maintenance in order to maintain opera- 100 fsw to 1000 fsw. SAT system. Two options exist; one is to tional readiness. When tasked, a MDSU build a Navy owned-system and the other detachment could augment the manning of is to lease a civilian system built to accept- the system. able commercial standards that will be cer- Without a validated Fleet require- tifiable for use by Navy Divers. A 6-man ment to keep an organic deepwater sal- portable SAT system with a three-man bell vage capability, the existing infrastructure could be operated and maintained by a that provides the training pipeline, person- core group of SAT divers based at NEDU. nel, and RDT&E support will soon be lost.

18 November 2002 By: BMCM(SW/MDV) Fred Orns, Fleet Master Diver

ld? I don’t think so! Wise and good sion, anytime, anywhere, re- Olooking, definitely. Isn’t that what all gardless of the danger. Navy Divers see when they look in the mir- Let’s face it, things hap- ror? We in the diving community are a pen, and no one expects ev- proud bunch and we have every right to erything to be perfect all the be. If it was easy, anybody could do it! As time. We should always we look back over the last couple of years, strive for it. Whether at a it is easy to see that we have accomplished training command, EOD, IMF, numerous high visibility jobs having an or on a salvage ship, we need enormous impact on our Navy as well as to maintain our superior our nation. CNN, the evening news, in the readiness. Be the sought af- movie theaters... we are looking good. ter, recognized expert by im- Since the first terrorist attack in his- proving on all aspects of tory on a U.S. Navy ship (USS COLE), the your job. Share your knowl- condition of readiness within our military edge and teach those new has been increased accordingly. We’ve all divers how to do the job been involved in one way or another. The right. If you see something workload on the waterfront as well as that needs a round turn, fix it throughout the entire diving community before it bites you. To con- has increased and it seems as though we tinue to be the best, we must are doing much more with less. This work harder for it. More than MDV Orns, “I’m going to the Gym!” Photo by Fleet Combat Camera, Atlantic. clearly indicates a need to be even more likely we’ll hit a few bumps squared away than ever. We will not cut on the road to success, but it is how you BMCM(SW/MDV) Fred K. Orns corners or compromise equipment and per- react to those bumps that really makes a [email protected] sonnel safety. We will answer the call with difference. com.202-781-0526 an unwavering commitment to any mis- dsn.326-0526

Jake’s Corner By: MDV Chuck Young

November 2002 19 By: CAPT Chris Murray he past few months have been very face Supplied Mixed Gas Diving under LCDR Paul Fleischman, MDV Fred Orns, Tbusy for the various diving communi- some very aggressive environmental con- MDV Chuck Young or Mike Leese. ties. With the numerous aircraft recoveries, ditions cannot be understated. Saturation security swims, emergent ship repairs, diving also proved its worth with what LCDR Paul Fleischman USS MONITOR, USS MISSISSINEWA, seemed to be unlimited bottom time to [email protected] and deployments, it’s hard to think of complete the complex tasks called for in (202) 781-3821 much else. With all this going on, we must this mission. I would especially like to MDV Chuck Young also fully engage in Task Force Excel. It is thank the three Saturation Master Divers [email protected] coming, or should I say, it is here and it is that ran the SAT dives during this mission (202) 781-0960 here to stay. We all need to fully support non-stop, MDV Bryon Van Horn, MDV MDV Fred Orns all efforts in this endeavor whenever Chuck Young and MDV Lyle Becker. With- ornsfk@ navsea.navy.mil asked to support. Task Forces Excel will out their total dedication throughout the (202) 781-0526 ensure our success as divers if we fully SAT work-ups and the operation, the USS Mike Leese support and get it right so it works for MONITOR’s turret would not have been leesemp@ navsea.navy.mil YOU! on deck at the end of this mission, HOO (202) 781-0705 YAH! USS MONITOR Expedition 2002 Navy Standard Chamber The USS MONITOR expedition was Authorized for Navy Use (ANU) Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit a tremendous success thanks to Mobile There seems to be some confusion in TWO used the first of the new chambers Diving and Salvage Unit TWO, and the a few of the dive lockers as to the ANU on the USS MONITOR. It proved to be a numerous commands that supported this and how something gets placed on the pretty good chamber and received some year’s work. CAPT Bobbie Scholley and ANU. There will be an article dedicated to good reviews. There were some minor im- CWO Rick Cavey did an outstanding job the ANU process and what is required to provements that will be incorporated in leading the efforts of this tremendous un- be on the ANU in the next issue of FACE- the follow-on chambers where practical. dertaking. The operational experience PLATE. In the meantime, please refer any The next chamber should be undergoing gained while performing operational Sur- questions to my office and talk or email to outfitting for delivery later this year.

MDV/CWO Conference MDV Reunion

The MDV/CWO Conference is tentatively scheduled for 14- The MDV Reunion will be held on Saturday, 17 May 2003, at 16 May 2003 and will be hosted by the Naval Diving and Sal- the Coastal Systems Station Marina, Panama City, FL start- vage Training Center. The conference provides an opportu- ing at 1000. The point of contact for the reunion is ENCM/ nity for senior enlisted and Chief Warrant Officer leadership MDV(ret) Joe Gray at (850) 230-9217. throughout the various diving commands to collectively review and discuss current and future community issues. A diving advisory will be released later this year providing more details.

20 November 2002