Divers' new role surfaces

[thedrifter]

Divers' new role surfaces

Unit training to do anti-terrorism tasks

By James W. Crawley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

August 15, 2003

Using a light to illuminate the deep shadows beneath the amphibious assault ship Boxer, Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Kinney explored the vessel's steel underbelly.

Kinney, tethered to the surface by air hoses, a rope and an intercom cable, swam cautiously in the dark underwater world.

"There's a lot of sharp things (on a ship's hull)," he said afterward. "The propeller can be as sharp as a knife."

Kinney and 19 other divers from the San Diego-based Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1, Detachment 419, are learning new skills at San Diego Naval Station at 32nd Street this week as the unit changes roles from salvagers to anti-terrorism security and repair divers.

And, like his colleagues, Kinney is a naval reservist.

For two weeks a year and two days per month, he's a diver; the rest of the time he's a college student. Fellow divers have civilian jobs as diverse as police officer, business owner, physician's assistant and engineer, and live in places such as Phoenix, Bakersfield and Modesto.

Previously, the unit has worked on salvage missions ? recovering Navy ships, debris, equipment and weapons that have sunk beneath the waves.

In the future, the reservists will have the dual duty of providing underwater port security patrols and maintaining and repairing vessels ? ship husbandry.

"It's a big shift," said Lt. Cmdr. Richard Rodriguez, the unit's commanding officer.

The heightened threat of terrorism prompted the new security role, while an increased priority on maintenance boosted the repair role, unit members said.

Security swimming ? hunting for underwater saboteurs or explosives attached to ship hulls ? requires a keen eye and patience, Rodriguez added.

"It's not an easy thing," he said. "It's like walking on a football field upside down while looking for a small item."

With the added security role, the Navy needs more divers in the water, and that's why the reservists have been used, he said.

This week, Kinney and other divers put their newly learned skills to work as they probed the aft end of the Boxer's hull.

Compressed air is pumped through the hoses to each diver's face mask. Clad in neck-to-ankle wetsuits and fins, the divers descended a ladder into the water.

A column of white bubbles broke the surface, marking their progress as they headed toward the ship's gray hull.

Working beneath a giant ship can be challenging, even for the most experienced divers. Several of the reservists have 20 or more years' experience ? more than most active-duty divers.

First, they untangled a thick fishing net that had wrapped around part of the hull. The rope could have fouled one of the Boxer's two large propellers.

Next, they scanned the hull for damage, debris and explosive devices. A handheld, waterproof video camera recorded their search.

Although they found nothing dangerous, the work is appreciated, said Chief Petty Officer Garth Sinclair, the unit's training officer.

"We're providing a service that (the active-duty Navy units) are in need of," Sinclair said. "It's a symbiotic relationship.

"And, we're not going to be griping about working weekends."



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James W. Crawley:
(619) 542-4559; jim.crawley@uniontrib.com

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...m15divers.html


Sempers,

Roger