The Official Newsletter for the Divers and Salvors of the United States NavyVolume 3, No. 4 / November 1998

In This Issue

SUPSALV Sends

(continued on page 2)

Change of Command at N

EDU

(see page 2)

Pacific NorthwestRegional Diving Locker

Read more about this issue’s “Command in the Spotlight” on page 9.

RDL prepares to lift the propeller from the USS NEVADA (SSBN-733). Pictured fromleft to right: (in the water) BM1 (DV) David Williams, HT2(DV) David Glidewell,MB2(DV Francis Yaden.

Change of Command at NEDU ......... 2MDSU Two Recovers Propeller .......... 3Anchors & Sonar Domes ................... 7Command in the Spotlight ................. 9Deep Sea to Deep Space ................10Transducer Blanking ........................ 11

Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 ....12Heroes in a Dark Realm ..................13Book Review .....................................14Historical Notes ................................14PMS Corner ......................................14The Old Master .................................15

This issue of FACE-PLATE highlights our com-mon history. In this issue,there is an article concerningthe recovery of the propellerand shaft from USS MONI-TOR. Also, there is a briefexcerpt from a book on thefirst USN Diving School.Navy Divers share a com-mon history, and that historyhas a great effect on who weare and how we approachour profession. The historybegan in the days whenMONITOR was afloat andcontinues today.

We stand on the shoul-ders of those who precededus. From the curriculumtaught at dive school, to thediving protocol developed atNEDU, to the equipment weuse today, are all based onthe efforts of those who pre-ceded us. We owe them agreat deal. The ability to ac-complish our jobs is due inno small part to them.

Likewise, we owe a debtto those following in ourfootsteps. We owe them ourdedicated efforts to improveour diving equipment and

OtherFaceplate

Issues

November 19982

INTERNE T: MCCORD_RAYMOND_S@hq.navsea.navy.mil

FACEPLATE is published by the Supervisor ofSalvage and Diving to bring the latest and mostinformative news available to the Navy diving andsalvage community. Discussions or illustrations ofcommercial products do not imply endorsementby the Supervisor of Salvage and Diving or theU.S. Navy.

Articles, letters, queries and comments should bedirected to the Commander, Naval Sea SystemsCommand, NAVSEA 00C, 2531 Jefferson DavisHighway, Arlington, VA 22242-5160. (Attn:FACEPLATE). Visit our website at http://www.navsea.navy.mil/sea00c.

Captain R. S. McCord, USNDirector of Ocean Engineering

Supervisor of Salvage and DivingNAVSEA 00C

Jim BladhHead, Operations Branch, 00C22

Managing Editorbladh_james_c@ hq.navsea.navy.mil

HTCM(MDV) Michael Washington, USNFleet Liaison Editor

washington_michael_j@hq.navsea.navy.mil

Diane DietrichProduction Editor

ddietrich@roh-inc.com

CAPT R. S. McCordDirector of Ocean Engineering

Supervisor of Salvage and Diving

Captain, will be attending the IndustrialCollege of the Armed Forces, Ft. McNair,VA. The Change of Command was at-tended by VADM George P. Nanos, Jr.,Commander, Naval Sea Systems Com-mand; Captain Raymond S. “Chip”McCord, Supervisor of Salvage and Div-ing, NAVSEA; other diving notables; andfriends and families.

On 11 August 1998, CDR James R.Wilkins was relieved as Commanding Of-ficer, Navy Experimental Diving Unit(NEDU), by CDR Erik N. Christensen.CDR Christensen came to NEDU fromSUPSHIP Portsmouth, VA. A 1979 gradu-ate of the Naval Academy, his first tourof duty was at NEDU. CDR Wilkins, whowas recently selected for promotion to

Change of Command at NEDU

Change ofCommand ceremonyat NEDU, George F.Bond OceanSimulation Facility.CDR Wilkins (left)and CDRChristensen (right).“Wet pot in thebackground.”

procedures. There are lessons tobe learned and incorporated intoour diving practices. This issuedocuments some of those lessonslearned that you should take ad-vantage of, e.g., the difficult les-son that we keep learning aboutdocking plan inaccuracies andthe potential loss to life andequipment damage that can re-sult from these inaccuracies.

Once again, the US Navywas involved in the recovery of

victims and wreckage after a ma-jor civilian air crash. The effortsof the USS GRAPPLE (ARS 53)and MDSU 2 after the crash ofSwissair Flight 111 off NovaScotia did not go unnoticed bythe public, as can be seen fromthe LA Times editorial includedin this issue. We will have moreon this aircraft recovery in thenext issue of FACEPLATE.

It is now fall, and by the timeyou read this issue of FACE-

PLATE, the cold winterweather will be settling in.Check out your winter gear andprocedures. Don’t wait until thelast minute. You never knowwhen you will be responding toan emergency.

Plan your dive and diveyour plan. Dive Safe.

3November 1998

Mobile Diving and Salvage UnitTwo (MDSU TWO) was requested

by the National Oceanographic Atmo-spheric Administration (NOAA) to sur-vey the wreck of the USS MONITOR.The MONITOR sank 136 years ago, six-teen nautical miles south–southeast offCape Hatteras, NC, in 230 feet of saltwa-ter while under tow to Charleston, SC. TheMONITOR is best known for its roundturret, iron sides and the first naval en-gagement between ironclads with the Con-federate States Ship CSS VIRGINIA (for-mally MERRIMAC).

NOAA’s John Broadwater, Directorof the Monitor Marine Sanctuary, andCommander Christopher Murray, Com-manding Officer of Mobile Diving andSalvage Unit Two, worked together to setup the Monitor Expedition. Both saw theexpedition as a win—win proposition.The Marine Sanctuary and NOAA wouldget the in-depth survey they needed tocomplete planning for future efforts to sta-bilize or recover the MONITOR. MDSUTWO and the Navy would get the firstoperational test of their newly certifiedFMGS and capitalize on extremely valu-able experience and training under a varityof environmental conditions (current andsea state). At the deck plate level, MDSUTWO DET Bravo accomplished the ini-tial leg work and setup on the KELLIECHOUEST, led by CWO3 Hulziser,BMCS(SW/MDV) Dennis, BMC (SW/DV) Leet, MMC (SW/DV) Reindeau,and EM1 (DV) Rusin.

MDSU divers used the MK 21 MOD1 Underwater Breathing Apparatus witha breathing mixture of 14% oxygen and86% helium, from the Navy’s new Fly

Away Mixed Gas Diving System (FMGS).For a dive platform, the expedition usedthe Deep Submergence Elevator SupportShip (DSESS) KELLIE CHOUEST. TheKELLIE CHOUEST is a civilian ownedand operated vessel that is leased by theNavy. She proved to be an excellent plat-form. She had all the necessary require-ments for the expedition, capable of deep

ocean four point moors, an extremelylarge open deck area, and adequateberthing for forty passengers. The largedeck area allowed MDSU TWO room fortwo recompression chambers (FADS IIand TRCS), ample amounts of mixed-gasstorage, four portable air winches, onehydraulic winch, rigging box and toolshelter, hydraulic power unit, LP air com-

MDSU TWO Recovers Propeller and Shaftfrom the USS MONITOR

By BMC (SW/DV) Ruben P. Finger

The MONITOR’s propellerand shaft surfacing fromthe murky depths after 136years on the bottom.Slings, lifting straps, andtending lines were used tobring this historic reliconboard.

Deck area amidships of theM/V DSESS KELLIECHOUEST. Tworectangular conex boxes(on left) stored ourrecompression chambers.Flyaway Mixed Gas Systemand its five racks are shownat the top. Divers’umbilicals are shown in themiddle.

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November 19984

View of the MONITOR’s prop looking forward. The upper blade has a large section missing,possibly related to the night the vessel sank.

Conditions off ofCape Hatterasseem to changedaily. Here, aUS Navy Diverfrom MDSU2climbs up andover theMONITOR’sarmor belt,encounteringpoor visibilityand swiftcurrents.

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pressor, HP air compressors, salvage bas-ket, and other gear. The mooring systemallowed the ship to lay a four point moorin less than five hours from setup to tight-ening up in the moor. The large berthingarea allowed for maximum participation.Onboard were MDSU divers, NOAA per-sonnel, and a television crew from NOVAthat filmed a documentary on the expedi-

tion and Navy Divers that will be aired inthe late spring of 1999.

We learned from previous expedi-tions that the biggest challenge to thedivers was the unpredictable waters sur-rounding Cape Hatteras. “They don’t callit the graveyard of the Atlantic for noth-ing,” said Jeff Johnston, historian with theMonitor National Marine Sanctuary. Af-

ter observing the current the first coupleof days, it was evident that a pattern ofsemi-constant, relatively light current inthe early morning and then increasing cur-rents in the early afternoon would prevail.MDSU TWO divers adjusted their work-days to take full advantage of this cycleby starting their day at 0300. These con-ditions held relatively true for about thefirst week. Mother Nature gave us reason-ably favorable conditions 14 of the 16days on station. Dive operations were se-cured early on just two days as the cur-rent reached speeds in excess of 5 knots.The KELLIE provided a sturdy platformthat allowed diving in seas up to 5–7 feetwith occasional 8 footers. Visibility var-ied from 3 to 120 feet with bottom tem-peratures varying from 62 to 76 degreesF. Any or all of these variables couldchange in just a dive or two since theMONITOR is located on the edge of theGulf Stream.

The initial task was to video the in-verted MONITOR’s gun turret, armorbelt, engine room, and propeller and shaftusing the Divers Underwater Color Tele-vision System (DUCTS). This live foot-age became an invaluable tool to the ar-chaeologist topside, as they were able toguide the divers throughout the wreckage.In addition to videotaping, the divers alsotook measurements, bottom sedimentsamples, core samples of the armor belt,and excavated in and around the turret.Every dive was also fed to the ships SiteTV system for the entire crew to observe.This proved to be a tremendous moralebooster. After several productive days ofdiving, John Broadwater, head of theMonitor National Marine Sanctuary,stated, “I am pleasantly surprised at thedive team’s progress. . . .” The bulk ofthe tasks assigned were completed withinthe first five days.

By then our thoughts were shifting tothe recovery of the corroding propellerbefore it further deteriorated or possiblydestabilized the rest of the MONITOR.MDSU TWO had planned ahead and wasmore then ready for this opportunity. Assalvage divers, we wanted to recover partsof the MONITOR, not just film them. Themission objective was defined:. Clear the

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5November 1998

MONITOR’sshaft lookingforward withthe Wach’sguillotine sawin place aroundthe shaft,ready for thedivers to beginthe cut.

The propeller was placed ever so delicately in the custom-made cradle, handcrafted by MDSU-2 divers. Even after 19 hours, everyone was too excited at this point to feel the day’s work takeits toll.

damaged strut that was an obstruction andthen recover the propeller and 11 feet ofthe shaft from the ironclad ship at 230 feetof seawater. Keeping the divers safety firstand foremost, a salvage plan was devel-oped. Lead by Master Diver Dennis andBMC (SW/DV) Mark Leet, a rigging, cut-ting, and lifting plan was established andapproved by the MDSU CO, OIC, andJohn Broadwater. Keeping the archaeo-logical goal in mind, not to damage thepropeller or shaft, the green light wasgiven to MDSU TWO divers to proceed.

We determined prior to bringing upthe 4-blade, 9-foot wide propeller andshaft that we needed a place to cradle thishistorical artifact. A framed structure wasdesigned by CWO3 Hulsizer and manu-factured on station by BM1 (DV) ChrisErbe, HT2 (DV) John Coffelt, and HT3(DV) Andrew Cowan.

The diving continued as it took sev-eral attempts to clear the strut, optimiz-ing bottom time as unfavorable bottomand surface conditions arose. Finally, thestrut was cleared and we were ready toproceed as planned.

The cutting technique selected was acommercial, hydraulic-powered,WACH’S guillotine saw, which is de-signed to cut up to 10 inches of solid roundstock. Secured to the shaft by a chain, the125 lb. saw was powered by the Navy’sHydraulic Power Unit Mod 2, delivering10 gpm of hydraulic fluid at 2000 psi,which moved the 2-inch carbine tip hack-saw blade back and forth.

On 5 June 1998, the skies were clear,seas flat, with no apparent current on thesurface or the bottom, and it was obviousto us our day as Salvors was upon us. Thefirst dive of the day left surface at 0455,attaching the lifting sling and hydraulichoses. The next set of divers assisted inrepositioning the KELLIE CHOUESTdirectly over the propeller. This was criti-cal to prevent lines from fouling in theevent of an increase in current. This set ofdivers also verified the Kevlar slings wereproperly rigged, as a light strain wasplaced on the 5/8-inch lifting wire that trav-eled directly to the surface. The 3rd diveof the day was conducted by HT2 Coffeltand HT3 Cowan, who connected the 400

feet of 1-inch hydraulic hose to the guil-lotine saw and started the first cut on theshaft. Several dives passed as the ironcladfought to relinquish its propulsion drive.Not until the eighth mixed-gas dive of theday, a slight strain was taken on the lift-ing wire, and, at 1935, the divers, MDSUCO, and QM3 (DV) Jon Dyer reported,“It ’s free. It’s free and clear of the MONI-

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TOR.” A roar of cheers came from all ofus topside as we had control of the pro-peller and shaft.

Now it was time for the riggers to goto work. The propeller and shaft werelifted to just below the water level in or-der to attach several tag lines and transferthe load to the ship’s crane. With these inplace, the propeller and shaft were safely

November 19986

The author, BMC(SW/DV) Finger, com-pleted Second Class Dive School in 1986and First Class Dive School in 1988. Hehas served at a variety of diving com-mands including, USS RECLAIMER (ARS42), SUB BASE PEARL HARBOR,SUBRON ONE PEARL HARBOR, andUSS BRUNSWICK (ATS 2). Currently,BMC Finger is LCPO of MDSU-2 De-tachment Bravo at NAB Little Creek, VA.Additionally, Chief Finger is the only per-son ever to re-enlist onboard the USSMONITOR, even 136 years after she sankin 230 fsw.

One last photo before turning in for the night. Pictured from left to right, kneeling : HT2 (DV) Adams,LT Scott (MC/UMO), EM1 (SW/DV) Howsman, MMC (SW/DV) Riendeau, TM2 (DV) Ogburn, HT2(DV) Cowan, LT Santos (OPSO), BMC (SW/DV) Mariano, MMC (DV) Cassels; standing : EMC(SW/DV) St. Peter, BMC (DV) Robinson, CDR Murray (CO), EM1 (DV) Rusin, GMG3 (DV)Honsberger, HTCS (SW/MDV) Heineman, EN2 (DV) Golden, BMC (SW/DV) Leet, MMC (SW/SS/DV) Gest, QM3 (DV) Dyer, BMCS (SW/MDV) Dennis, HT2 (DV) Coffelt, BMC (SW/DV) Finger, LTLindsay (MC/UMO).

lifted out of the water at 2223 under theexpert supervision of Master Diver Den-nis. It was then cradled onboard in its cus-tom-made steel frame. This was the firsttime in over 136 years that this largehistorical artifact had been recovered from“. . . the great-great-grandmother of everywarship in America.”

Other important items, besides the pro-peller and shaft, recovered from the depthsof this national marine sanctuary include:steel framing, propeller well deck plate (10'´ 3' ́ ¾") and numerous pieces of coalfrom her bunkers. These items will be pre-served and displayed at their new home atthe Mariners’ Museum in Newport News,VA. Also recovered from the site for fur-ther studies were: wooden core samplefrom the armored belt, a 5-gallon bucket

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of sand, and 3-foot deep bottom sedimentsamples, to assist scientist in preservationand recovery efforts in the future.

At the completion of the expedition,Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two hadcompleted:Dive sets:

55 (2 Divers per set – 110 total dives)Total Bottom Time: 55 Hours 10 minutesTotal Time of Dives: 379 Hours 35 minutesTotal Time of Dives:

500 + Hours (including recompres-sion chamber inside tender)

For additional information andpictures, visit Mobile Diving andSalvage Unit Two’s web site at:

www.cnsl.spear.navy.mil/mdsu2.

A special thanks goes to JeffJohnston, historian for the Monitor Na-tional Marine Sanctuary.

7November 1998

Engineers are meticulous planners, andwe engineers in the underwater ship

husbandry division are more obsessivethan most. Much to a diver’s lament, it isour goal to plan every aspect and everystep of an underwater repair operation andare, shall we say, disappointed when ourprocedures are not followed to the letter.One thing we do not put much time intoplanning, however, is personal leave.Years of experience and observation havebeen distilled down to a simple principle(which can be derived from Murphy’sLaw) which states that the amount of ef-fort put into planning personal leave isdirectly proportional to the probabilitythat a random deploying ship will attempt

to destroy itself just to ruin your plans.So, I can only assume that as soon as USSJARRETT was notified that I was plan-ning to leave town for the weekend, some-one ran to the anchor windlass room andpulled a pin that allowed the anchor todeploy while the ship was underway. Theresulting impact ruptured the dome andmy vacation plans in the same instant.

So, I can’t say that I was surprisedwhen SURFPAC called requesting imme-diate mobilization of sonar dome repairequipment to support the largest water-borne sonar dome rupture repair yet at-tempted. Thirty-six hours later, the equip-ment arrived on the pier, led by a base po-lice escort complete with flashing lights.

The truck was quickly unloaded, and,using an electric impact wrench and asmall crane, the cofferdam was assembledon the pier within three hours. The cof-ferdam was then rigged under the ship andwas on the dome within an hour afterliftoff. Once in place, the inflatable sealwas pressurized, hot water was hookedup, and the habitat was flooded with 90-degree water. The warm water environ-ment allows epoxy application onto aclean dome surface and creates a higherstrength chemical bond in a shorter time.The dome remained in this environmentfor the next 60 hours.

We began preparing the dome forepoxy application using a hydraulicgrinder and a plastic dipped wire brush.The entire repair area was scrubbed cleanand all exposed broken wire plies wereclipped and removed. The anchor impacthad also pushed part of the dome inwardso that the dome surface was offset fromeach other. An elegant and high-tech so-lution was required for this problem: Acrowbar was sent to the diver and he hadit aligned within 5 minutes.

Afterwards, we began mixing theepoxy, a specialized two part syntheticrubber adhesive called HP-2 Elastolock.Mixing HP-2 is an art form in itself, as itis part laboratory procedure (epoxy com-ponents are weighed out on a digital scale)and part taffy pull (the viscosity of the

By Jeff Peters

Don’t Mix

Anchors& Sonar Domes

Some assembly required . . .

Houston, we have lift-off . . .

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November 19988

epoxy does not allow mechanical mixing;it has to be folded and pulled by hand).We started the assembly line process ofsending patches to the repair, marking thedome, retrieving the patch, wire brushingthe patch surfaces, mixing HP-2, apply-ing HP-2 to the dome, applying HP-2 tothe patch, and bolting the patch into place.This was done five times over 17 hours,and after five patches, seven gallons ofHP-2, and over 400 lag bolts, JARRETT’ssonar dome was patched. We started theepoxy curing clock at 2300 Sunday night;we would conduct the pressure test at1200 Tuesday.

After a well-deserved day off, theCDU dive team arrived on the pier at 0700Tuesday, and we entered the water to in-spect the patch installation. Inspectionshowed that the epoxy had cured prop-erly and that the repair was ready for pres-surization. The dome was held at 15 psifor 10 minutes with no leaks, and thenraised to 20 psi. The dome was patchedand holding pressure.

USS JARRETT departed the nextmorning for speed trials to see if she couldshake the repair loose. She was met af-terwards at the fueling pier and underwenta final inspection. Ship personnel statedthat the dome had held pressure and thatthe sonar was fully functional with nonoise spikes. After a satisfactory final in-spection, USS JARRETT began taking onfuel for WESTPAC. Repair personnelwent to McDini’s for the final operationaldebriefing.

USS JARRETT’s sonar dome hadbeen ruptured and then restored to fullyoperational status within seven days. Thissonar dome repair, the largest yet com-pleted waterborne, saved USSJARRETT’s deployment and allowed herto continue on WESTPAC and catch upwith the CVBG within a few days. Con-gratulations to Consolidated Divers UnitSierra Team for a job well done. SemperGumby!

Chemistry 101

Patchpreparation.

CDU CO:CDR Debra Bodenstedt

CDU Sierra Team:ENCS (SW/MDV) RoodBMCS (SW/DV) JamesBM1 (DV) SladeEM1 (SW/DV) KrieseEN1 Hill

Jeff Peters is the Underwater ShipHusbandry Division Program Managerfor submarines, sonar systems, andcomposite structures.

PR2 (AW/DV) FrantzMM2 (DV) WadsworthHT2 (DV) LawsRM2 (DV) GoveBM2 (DV) RiscoEN3 (DV) WillisSMSA (DV) Aviogne

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9November 1998

by CWO4 Don Rogers

The morning dawns over the greatPacific Northwest, and, in the dis-

tance, one can hear birds chirping, deerfrolicking, and Navy divers of the PacificNorthwest Regional Diving Locker (RDL)getting down to business. In March 1994,the first Process ActionTeam was established to in-vestigate forming a regionaldiving activity from thevarious area military divinglockers. From this begin-ning, the Pacific NorthwestRegional Diving Lockerwas formed in October1996 and began combinedoperations in October 1997.

The Pacific NorthwestRegional Diving Locker ishosted by Puget Sound Na-val Shipyard (PSNS). TheRDL actually consists offour diving lockers locatedat Everett, Bremerton,Bangor, and Keyport, WA. All four sitesare under the operational control of theRDL Diving Officer, LCDR Fred Bahrke,and the RDL Assistant Diving Officer,CWO4 Don Rogers. The personnel ad-ministration functions of each site remainwith the parent command.

It must be said up front that withoutthe resounding positive support of Cap-tain Dale Baugh (Commander, PugetSound Naval Shipyard), Captain LarryCarter (Commander, Naval UnderseaWarfare Center, Division Keyport, WA),Commander Benjamin Goslin (Com-manding Officer, Ships Intermediate

“When the individualcapabilities of each siteare combined, it quicklybecomes apparent that

the RDL’s work capacityis tremendous.”

U.S.S. RANGER rudder removal.

Maintenance Activity, Everett), and Cap-tain James Willy (Commanding Officer,Trident Refit Facility, Bangor, WA), theoutstanding successes of the RDL to datewould have been impossible.

RDL site Bangor is managed byBMCM(MDV) Ray Augustin and has bil-lets for 13 military divers. The main fo-cus of site Bangor is submarine repair andUnderwater Ships Husbandry. Capabili-ties include both SCUBA and surface sup-

plied diving operations.Site Keyport is man-

aged by ENCM(MDV)Dan Briggs and has billetsfor 14 military divers.Site Keyport’s work con-sists of underwater weap-ons research and develop-ment support, as well asmaintenance and repair ofKeyport’s assigned ves-sels. Capabilities encom-pass both SCUBA andsurface supplied divingoperations. In addition,site Keyport maintains thearea recompressionchamber. RDL divers

supported four emergency recompressiontreatments and six hyperbaric oxygentherapies at the Keyport location in FY97.

Site Everett is managed byBMCS(MDV) Shawn Fanning and hasbillets for 11 military divers. Surface shiprepair and underwater ships husbandry isthe main job at Site Everett. Diving ca-pabilities include SCUBA and surfacesupplied diving equipment.

Site Bremerton is managed by Gen-eral Foreman Rick Jackson, who manages20 Navy trained civilian divers. The workat site Bremerton includes diving repairs

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November 199810

Welding rope guards on U.S.S. CALIFORNIA. Pictured RDL Site Bremerton Diver DanaHershberger in MK-21 gear.

CWO4 Don Rogers has been a Diver for26 of his 27 years in the Navy. He re-ceived SCUBA training at Naval Under-water Swimmers School, Key West, FL,in 1972; Second Class Diver Training atthe same school in 1973; and First ClassDiver Training at the Naval School ofDiving and Salvage, Washington, DC, in1975. His duty stations include U.S.S.PETREL, U.S.S. HUNLEY, U.S.S. HOL-LAND, U.S.S. GILMORE, U. S. NavalStation Diego Garcia, and Naval Divingand Salvage Training Center, PanamaCity, FL. He currently is serving as thePacific Northwest Regional DivingLocker, Assistant Diving Officer.

on both surface ships and submarines, aswell as preparation and support of all shipsfor dry docking. Capabilities of siteBremerton include SCUBA and surface-supplied diving as well as underwaterwelding.

When the individual capabilities ofeach site are combined, it quickly becomesapparent that the RDL’s work capacity istremendous. With nine certified surface-supplied diving systems, the RDL canfield five, fully equipped dive teams si-multaneously. On any given day, RDL sitemanagers can route divers from a not sobusy site to a very busy site. The flexibil-ity to shift divers from one location toanother based on site work load cuts over-time, more fully utilizes personnel and re-sources, and is the real secret behind thesuccess of the RDL to date. As a testa-ment to the efficiency of this scheme, theFY97 predicted RDL work load was52,080 man hours based on historicalwork accomplishment at each site, whilethe RDL actually accomplish 78,224 man-hours. This represents an increase ofbetter than fifty percent over the predictedworkload.

Future RDL goals include expandingthe scope of work to include all militaryassets in the area including United StatesCoast Guard units and possible installa-tion of a new state-of-the-art recompres-sion chamber.

(continued from page 9)

Heide Piper qualified as a SurfaceWarfare Officer onboard USSGRAPPLE (ARS 53). In Septem-ber 1994, she reported to NavalSea Systems Command as Under-water Ship Husbandry OperationsOfficer for the Supervisor of Sal-vage and Diving (NAVSEA 00C).In that capacity, she coordinatedand planned NAVSEA 00C assis-tance to fleet diving activities toaccomplish repairs to naval ves-sels while waterborne.

In April 1996, LCDR Piperwas selected by NASA as an As-tronaut Mission Specialist. Hav-ing completed two years of train-ing and evaluation, she is quali-fied for flight assignment as amission specialist. Currently,LCDR Piper is assigned to theAstronaut Office Flight SupportBranch where she serves as a member of the Astronaut Support Personnel team at theKennedy Space Center, supporting Space Shuttle launches and landings.

LCDR Piper is married to Glenn Piper, LCDR USN (ret), also a navy diver. Theyhave one son, Michael, age 9. They currently reside in Houston, TX.

From Deep Sea to Deep SpaceLCDR Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, USN

11November 1998

Recently, during what was considereda routine blanking job, the forward

pumproom on a DDG 993 class ship wasflooded to the overhead. The job calledfor diver assistance to install a hard blankover the AN/UQN-4A transducer fortransducer replacement.

A work request was received by thePACNORWEST Regional Dive Locker(RDL). The work request narrative stated,“Diving support required to install coffer-dam for AN/UQN-4A fathometer trans-ducer replacement. Request divers to in-stall cofferdam at frame 152 Stbd. Shiphas cofferdam and required hardware.”

A check of the docking drawing in-dicated that the AN/UQN-4 transducerwas hull item #11 and located it 12 inchesforward of frame 154 stbd. The ship pro-vided a 16-bolt flange to be installed atitem #11. Tags were hung and diving op-erations commenced. The divers notedthat a second transducer was located lessthan 2 feet forward of item #11. This sec-ond transducer was identified as theAUTEX transducer, item #10 on the dock-ing drawing located 16 inches aft of frame150 stbd and required a 12-bolt flange forblanking. The docking plan indicated the16-bolt flange provided by ships force foritem #11 was the correct hull opening toblank.

With the blank installed, ships forcecommenced to verify that the cofferdamwas in place and sealed. This was doneby loosening the nuts on the studs andprying up the transducer head ¼ inch. Itwas reported that a small amount of wa-ter came through the flange, about theamount that could be absorbed with asponge. This was expected, as the pres-sure between the blank and transducer

would have been relieved. Ships forcesigned the work package verifying theblank was in place. The diving supervi-sor proceeded to return to the dive bargeuntil the change out was completed.

Ships force then continued to removethe transducer using a chain fall and prybar. All the nuts were removed from thestuds. The transducer was loosened fur-ther with the aid of the pry bar when wa-ter began to enter the void from aroundthe sealing surface of the transducer. Thevoid was small enough that only one mancould occupy the space at a time. Whenthe water began to enter, the crew mem-ber quickly climbed out of the void. Ashe exited the void, the transducer brokefree, flooding the void and the pump roomabove. The three personnel escaped without injury and closed the hatch to thepumproom. The pumproom flooded to theoverhead in about 30 seconds. A numberof pump motors were wetted as well asthe pump controllers.

The diving supervisor was stillonboard and recalled the divers to installan additional blank and check the installedblank. A second flat patch blank providedby the dive locker was installed over item#10 opening. The blank instantly suckedup to the hull and was secured with astandoff and hogging line. The space waspumped down and the transducer swap outwas completed with the flat patch blankin place.

The root cause of the problem wasthe error in the docking plan indicatingthe wrong hull opening for the AN/UQN-4A transducer. It is advised that all divelockers involved with underwater shipshusbandry take additional precautions andchecks if requested to install ship-pro-

vided cofferdams for the replacement ofeither UQN or AUTEC transducers. In ad-dition, the shipboard stowage locations forthe 12-bolt and 16-bolt cofferdams arelabeled incorrectly. The incorrect label-ing also directs maintenance personnel toinstall the wrong blank on the wrong hole.A request to NAVSEA and the ships plan-ning yard has been made to correct thedocking drawing and the labels on thestowage locations. Until these changes canbe made, this advisory is advance notifi-cation of possible other drawing errors indealing with transducer blanking and re-placement. In this case, following all tech-nical documentation allowed maintenancepersonnel to believe the correct hull open-ing was blanked, when, in actuality, thetransducer was installed in a hull openingother than that indicated by the dockingdrawing.

A second cause of the flooding wasthe removal of all nuts from the transducerstuds. The attempted verification of thetransducer seal was not sufficient to breakthe actual seal between the transducerflange and the hull. Good shop practicewould not allow all nuts to be removedfrom the studs until the flange was fullybroken from the hull. Divers should takeadditional initiative to ensure ship forcemechanics understand this principle.

Transducer Blanking and Replacement

Check and Confirm Those Docking Plans

By BMC(SW/DV) Donald L. Grubbs

Don Grubbs is currently assigned to theRegional Dive Locker, Detachment,Everett, WA, as a Diving Supervisor. Heattended First Class Dive School in1990 at Panama City, FL. He was thenassigned to the USS BRUNSWICK(ATS 3) and served there until hiscurrent assignment in October 1995.

November 199812

Mobile Diving and SalvageUnit Two DetachmentRoosevelt Roads Puerto Rico Supports DD21 Live Fire Testand Evaluation (LFT&E) Weapons Effects Test

By Harold E. Ketcham

On 8 July 1998, the Naval SurfaceWarfare Center Carderock Division

(NSWCCD) Code 67 and the Naval AirWarfare Center Aircraft Division(NAWCAD) Marine Operations and Tar-gets Branch conducted a weapons effecttest against the EX-RICHMOND K.TURNER CG-20 on the southern PuertoRico Operating Area of the Atlantic FleetWeapons Training Facility, Naval StationRoosevelt Roads. The tests were con-ducted in support of the PMS500 DD21LFT&E program. Event number 1 re-sulted in more damage to the ship thanpredicted. The EX-TURNER was towedback to NSRR and berthed at Pier 3. A

35- by 20-foot piece of the port forwardsideshell had been blow out and hadfolded down beneath the third platformof the vessel below the waterline. It hadacted as a large submerged fin on the re-turn tow to NSRR. In order to proceedwith scheduled follow-on tests, the piecewould have to be removed.

MDSU Two Det NSRR was calledin on 10 July 1998 and began operationsat 1100 hours. Divers proceeded to cutthe damaged sideshell from the vessel. Adeadline of 2000 hours had been man-dated by COMSOLANT due to Unitasship movements and limited pier space.The dive team worked nonstop until 1930

hours, when YD251 harbor crane was sig-naled to lift the approximately 16,000-pound piece of sideshell aboard its deck.By 2000 hours, YD251 was being assistedback to its berthing by harbor tugs. By2030 hours, EX-R.K. TURNER was as-sisted to its assigned berthing space onPier 1 with no interference to Unitas shipmovements.

Well done, Mobile Diving and Sal-vage Unit Two Det! Roosevelt Roads,Puerto Rico.

(continued on page 13)

Harold E. KetchamNAWCAD Patuxent River MDDD21 LFT&E Test Conductor

Personnel: HT1 (SW/DV) Roland Green (left), EN1 (SW/DV) Robert McCaulley (center), HT2 (DV) RyanWuethrich (right).

13November 1998

HT2 (DV) Ryan Wuethrich

Port forward section of bow of EX-CG-20.

Personnel from left to right: HT1 (SW/DV) Roland Green, HT2(DV) Ryan Wuethrich (seated), HTC (SW/DV) George Wilken,BM2 (DV) Tim Moles (seated).

(continued from page 12)Reprinted with permission from the Los AngelesTimes–Friday, September 11, 1998 (copyright, 1998).

Heroes in a Dark Realm

They are most often referred to simply as Navydivers, as in “the Navy divers continued the pains-taking search for bodies amid the sunken wreck-age.” Their collective anonymity is an element inthe news again, this time in connection with thecrash of Swissair Flight 111, which went down offthe Canadian coast last week, killing all 229 aboard.

During a major recovery effort, there will bestories on the victims and their families and onevery detail of the plane that went down. You’llhear plausible and even wildly speculative explana-tions for the tragedy, over and over again. The facesand voices of the federal investigators will becomefamiliar. But you’ll probably never know the namesof the men and women who must take on thegruesome underwater task.

The divers are rigorously trained at the NavyDiving and Salvage Training Center in PanamaCity, Fla. More than half are based on the shipGrapple. The rest come from Mobile Diving andSalvage Unit Two, Detachment Charlie. Theirclassroom training includes physics lessons. Theymust be able to swim 500 yards in 14 minutes orless. Their usual duty is military aircraft salvage,and they stand ready to clear harbors and chokepoints of sunken debris in times of war.

But there is nothing comparable to the searchfor hundreds of bodies from a huge civilian airliner,not when visibility is low and the rough water sodeep that divers must spend more than an hour in adecompression chamber after every dive. “It’s by farthe hardest work we do,” said one diver who wentdown four times in the search for bodies from TWAFlight 800, which blew apart over the Atlantic in1996.

At the end of all of it, it’s the divers whom thefamilies of crash victims want and sometimes needto meet, to show pictures and share stories abouttheir lost loved ones. That need to meet is usuallyshared by the divers as well. These men and womendeserve great praise. Who among us could do suchwork, so well, so modestly?

November 199814

Book Review

20,000 JOBS UNDER THE SEAA History of Diving and Underwater Engineering

BY TORRANCE R. PARKER

Edito r’s Note:

A historical record of U.S. Navy and commer-cial diving. The early years of Navy Salvage Div-ing and the U.S. Navy’s close association withMerritt-Chapman and Scott for salvage support andthe origin of their “Black Horse Flag.” An excellentreference, well illustrated and indexed. There is awealth of information for you divers who are con-sidering the private sector.

—Jim Bladh

Ordering Information

20,000 Jobs Under the Sea is available from:

Sub-Sea ArchivesPO Box 2471

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275-6298

Tel: 1-800-383-2334Fax: (310) 377-0704

e-mail: subseaarch@aol.com

This book can also be ordered fromAmazon.com.

“THE FIRST NAVY DIVING SCHOOL

Since each torpedo cost about $2,000, it was important that all ofthem be recovered and the causes for failure be determined. In orderfor the Navy to have sufficient trained divers for this work a divingschool was planned for Newport. So, in 1882, the Navy started it firsttraining program for divers. The Navy’s first diving instructor wasJake Anderson,* a civilian employee. Anderson had previously retiredfrom the Navy as a chief gunner’s mate, and then had become a civil-ian commercial diver. Now, as a civilian, he was back with the Navyas their diving instructor.

The divers’ training took place at the Newport Torpedo Station.To qualify, applicants needed four years previous service in the Navy,and to hold the rank of seaman gunner. Students trained for two weeks(later increased to six months), and their qualifying dive called for aone hour bottom time at 60 feet before graduating. Remarkably, it was23 years later, in 1905, that the Navy published its first Manual forDivers.

With America’s entry into World War I, the U.S. civilian salvagecontractors T. A. Scott, Yankee Salvage, and Merritt-Chapman Der-rick and Wrecking Company went overseas to help our allies in sal-vage operations along the French Coast. Divers and staff from theNewport Torpedo Station joined the salvage forces, and this endeddiver training at the station after about 35 years service to the fleet.”

The following excerpt is from Chapter 15 of 20,000 Jobs Under theSea, by Torrance R. Parker. See review (left) for more information.

This new section of Faceplate will fea-ture topics of historical interest to diversand salvors. In the next issue: “The Sec-ond Navy Diving School.”

HistoricalNotes

* This may be the origin of the name “Jake,” used for the diving dress andMK V helmet that adorns most Navy Diving lockers.

PMS Corner“Service to the Fleet”

1. MIP 5921/033 Flex hoses. The subsequent hydrostatic test is nolonger required. The only hydro required is prior to initial instal-lation. The R-4 is for installed shipboard systems only.

2. MIP 5921/177 TRCS. MRC 24M-1 (58 9FRY Y). Review MRCand ensure that torque is 10-ft lbs. vice 90-ft lbs.

3. SPECWAR and all users of SECUMAR Life vest: Major revi-sion completed and will be included in upcoming SFR.

4. MIP 5921/034 Relief valves. An A-1R has been added requiringthe maintenance person to lift either manually or with system pres-sure. This change will be reflected in upcoming SFR.

Point of Contact:BMCM (MDV) McMurtrie NAVSEA OOC36Comm: 703-607-2766BMCS (SW/DV) Duffy NEDU O3F1Comm: 850-230-3100

15November 1998

The number of U.S. Navy Diving billets is steadily decreasing. Junkboats

and tenders are becoming a thing of thepast. There is a decreasing number ofcommands for divers to earn their War-fare Specialty Insignias. Diver advance-ment results from recent exam cycles showthat advancements are slow in coming.Just when we thought the storm was at itspeak, we are told that there is a manningshortage for second class divers, whilecuts in proficiency pay are expected. ForMaster Divers, listening to the concernsof our divers and planning for day-to-daydiving operations is just a normal part ofthe work day.

Even with all of the issue’s facingtoday’s U.S. Navy Diver, we still main-tain that “can do” attitude. There is nobetter feeling than watching television orreading the newspaper and seeing U.S.Navy Divers on the scene, conducting div-ing operations in a salvage/rescue mission.If that doesn’t give you a sense of pride,then maybe you are in the wrong business.It’s about being in a profession that onlya fraction of the world’s population willever get to experience. It’s about being apart of a team overcoming the challengeswe divers face on the bottom.

As U.S. Navy Divers, we always haveplanned, improvised, and overcome anyand all obstacles placed before us. TheNavy of the ‘90s offers many challengesfor the diving community, and every divermust make a personal commitment to en-sure that the Navy diving community re-mains strong.

How do we do this? First, we mustall adopt the motto, “Each one. Teachone.” Find that young sailor who says, “Iwant to be a deep-sea diver” and spendthe time not only telling him your sea sto-ries, but also about how to enter the NavyDiving Program. Then, make the commit-ment to follow up with him, assuring himthat you will assist in his efforts to get todive school. (Remember, someone as-sisted you when you were a “wannabe.”)If each diver did this, we could fill up ourdiving ranks and end our manning short-ages.

We all know that advancement is be-coming harder to achieve, but it is not im-possible. First and foremost, each indi-vidual is responsible for his or her ad-vancement. The key is to study, not onemonth prior to the exam, but consistently,and to prepare yourself for the next goal.If only 12 billets are available for advance-ment, only worry about the other 11people. Plan on making one of those ad-vancement billets yours. If you are a youngdiver, find a senior diver that you feel hasthe right stuff to make him your rolemodel. Never be too proud to ask for ad-vice. If you are a senior diver, find thatyoung sailor and be a mentor to him. Weall have a responsibility to train our re-liefs. Let’s get away from our little “ricebowls” and share the wealth of informa-tion we all have. Each diver’s goal shouldbe to make a difference in our commu-nity. No diver is so important that whenhe leaves a command, it will cease to ex-ist. So, pass on that knowledge and give

up that rice bowl.Today’s Navy Diver must be versa-

tile, skilled, and highly trained to meet fu-ture naval needs. Throughout our careers,we must choose assignments that we maynot like, or that don’t allow us maximumliberty—or the time to attend night col-lege courses. But, the fact of the matter isthat those billets allow us to develop pro-fessionally and give us versatility. This isa requirement to advance. We can com-plain about it, or we can do what we mustto meet this prerequisite: plan, improvise,and overcome. That always has been theNavy Diver’s code and we must continueto live up to it.

U.S. Navy Divers have a rich and col-orful history in naval service to our coun-try. It is up to each and every one of us tocarry on this proud tradition, our dedica-tion to duty, and the ability to meet thechallenges of the next millennium. Just asthe Navy Divers of the past laid thegroundwork for the present, we have aresponsibility to ensure the future oftomorrow’s U.S. Navy Deep Sea Diver.

by HTCM (SS/MDV) Jeffrey “Lamont” King

HTCM (SS/MDV) Jeffrey “Lamont”King is Master Diver, Seal DeliveryVehicle Team One.

HTCM (SS/MDV) KingThis article is dedicated to HTCM MDV/SS Sam Huss U.S.N. RET., my mentor and sea dad.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVYSEA 00CNAVAL SEA SYSTEMS COMMAND2531 JEFFERSON DAVIS HIGHWAYARLINGTON VA 22242-5160

Official Business

CWO Bob Barth, 1970

Bob Barth writes:

The Navy Experimental DivingUnit (NEDU) has been looking fordiving artifacts for some time now.We hope to acquire a few that havebeen an important part of diving his-tory and put them on display in our“front yard.” Recently, a PersonnelTransfer Capsule (PTC), originally

installed aboard USS Ortalon (ASR-22) was received on along-term loan from the Man in The Sea Museum here inPanama City. The PTC has been installed in a prominentlocation in front of the George F. Bond Ocean SimulationFacility. We are still on the lookout for artifacts that mightjoin this PTC. If you can assist with the quest for displayitems, please contact me at NEDU, 321 Bullfinch Rd.,Panama City, FL, 32407, or call (850) 230-3100 or DSN436-4351. Your assistance is requested and and certainlywill be appreciated.

Personnel Transfer Capsule from the USS ORTALON, now on displayin front of the George F. Bond Ocean Simulation Facility.