Canadian armed forces divers
Encyclopedia
Canadian Forces
diving is performed by units of the maritime, land, and air environmental commands (ECs), the Experimental Diving and Undersea Group (EDU Grp), and Special Operations Forces (SOF). Divers can be trained as Clearance Diver
s (CL Diver), Search and Rescue Technicians (SAR), Port Inspection Divers (PID), Ship's Team Divers, and Combat Divers
.
) rebreather
breathing apparatus.
Canada currently has two operational units from which Navy Clearance Diving Officers, Clearance Divers and Port Inspection Divers perform a variety of core capabilities, as outlined in their Naval Diving Operational Concept of Employment (ND OCE) terms of reference. These core capabilities are:
They also perform a number of secondary or support functions to these core capabilities include but are not limited to:
The two operational naval diving units are:
Clearance Divers are considered among the most skilled underwater operators in the world.
Their motto is "Strength in depth".
Clearance Diving Officers and Divers also serve at:-
Clearance Diving Officers and Clearance Divers also serve at D Dive S (Director Diving Safety) at the National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
(See Professional diving.)
General Description. Combat divers provide the Army with the capability of performing combat engineer tasks underwater. They generally conduct tasks as part of the combined arms team; however, if required, they have the ability to execute tasks independently. Combat divers are combat engineers who perform combat diving as a secondary duty. They are grouped into mission-specific teams when a task is identified and ordered, to support operations.
Niche area. Combat divers do the majority of their work on inland waterways, either on the surface or beneath the water with breathing apparatus. They usually work close to shorelines and riverbanks because that is where the rest of the army will be conducting operations. At times the combat divers will work in salt water to support Army operations. In some circumstances, combat divers can be used to conduct reconnaissance in the face of enemy forces. They would be doing this reconnaissance with the support of the manoeuvre forces, which could assist the dive team with observation and suppressive fire.
Canada's Combat Divers are an Occupation Sub-Specialization (OSS) in its Army
Combat Engineer Regiments.
Training. Each of the four dive teams, one located in each of the canadian army engineer regiments, conducts an intense preliminary selection course (typically two weeks in length) to select combat diver candidates for training. Successful candidates then proceed to a Fleet Diving Unit to begin initial dive training, and then proceed to the Army Dive Center at the Combat Training Center to complete the remainder of Combat Diver training. Once this training is completed, combat divers must dive at least once every ninety days in order to maintain their diving currency.
Weapons used include:
Considering their role in the Army (demolition, reconnaissance, etc.), their weapons tend more towards explosives rather than firearms. As such, each diver typically carries about 20 kilograms (44.1 lb) of high explosives. Such explosives include: The entire line of grenade
s, demolition, and pyrotechnics in SNC-TEC, such as Demolition Charge M2A4, Demolition Charge M3A1, Trigran Prills, 40 mm Parachute Rocket Flare C7, Trip Flare C6, High Explosive Fragmentation C13/M67 grenade
s. For heavy fire support, the divers' engineer demolition section uses the C14 Mine Launcher, which can be remotely fired.
Considering their job, their land transport is limited, but they have various watercraft.
Such craft include:
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
diving is performed by units of the maritime, land, and air environmental commands (ECs), the Experimental Diving and Undersea Group (EDU Grp), and Special Operations Forces (SOF). Divers can be trained as Clearance Diver
Clearance Diver
A clearance diver was originally a specialist naval diver who used explosives underwater to remove obstructions to make harbours and shipping channels safe to navigate, but later the term "clearance diver" was used to include other naval underwater work...
s (CL Diver), Search and Rescue Technicians (SAR), Port Inspection Divers (PID), Ship's Team Divers, and Combat Divers
Frogman
A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer....
.
Clearance divers
Clearance divers use the Canadian Underwater Mine Apparatus (CUMACUMA
CUMA is a make of rebreather underwater breathing set designed and made in Canada for the Canadian Forces by Fullerton Sherwood Engineering Ltd to replace the Royal Navy CDBA....
) rebreather
Rebreather
A rebreather is a type of breathing set that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycled exhaled gas. This recycling reduces the volume of breathing gas used, making a rebreather lighter and more compact than an open-circuit breathing set for the same duration in environments where...
breathing apparatus.
Canada currently has two operational units from which Navy Clearance Diving Officers, Clearance Divers and Port Inspection Divers perform a variety of core capabilities, as outlined in their Naval Diving Operational Concept of Employment (ND OCE) terms of reference. These core capabilities are:
- Battle Damage Repair (BDR)
- Maritme Explosive Ordnance Disposal(MEOD)
- MineNaval mineA naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
Counter-Measures (MCM) - Force Protection Support (FPS)
They also perform a number of secondary or support functions to these core capabilities include but are not limited to:
- Improvised Explosive DeviceImprovised explosive deviceAn improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
Disposal (IEDD) for devices found in military establishments within defined areas of responsibility in Canada; - SubmarineSubmarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
Search and Rescue (SUBSAR) first line response (RCC and light-weight Surface Supplied Diving equipment) - Second line response (ROVs and/or diving);
- Provision of a minimum six-person 45 metre CABA diving team on each coast for emergencies;
- Diving Support Roles (which amplifies Para 13 b.) consist of:
- Underwater ship and infrastructure maintenance
- Light salvage
- Seabed search
- Underwater demolitionUnderwater demolitionUnderwater demolition refers to the deliberate destruction or neutralization of man-made or natural underwater obstacles, both for military and civilian purposes.-John G. Foster:...
s - Inspection, maintenance and repair of critical diver life support equipment
- Operation of Working Class Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) , Inspection Class ROV, ROV Simulator, Diver Evaluation Systems, and side scan sonar (SSS)
- Support for medical treatment in hyperbaric chamber
- Support to JTF2
- Operating the Experimental Diving Unit (EDU) at DRDC TorontoDRDC TorontoDRDC Toronto is a major Canadian military research station located at the former site of CFB Downsview in Toronto, Ontario. It is one of seven centres making up Defence Research and Development Canada .-History:...
in support of R&D efforts related to CF diving activities
The two operational naval diving units are:
- Fleet Diving Unit Pacific based at CFB Esquimalt, British ColumbiaEsquimalt, British ColumbiaThe Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the west by Esquimalt Harbour and Royal Roads, to the northwest by the...
. - Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic based near Halifax in CFB ShearwaterCFB ShearwaterCanadian Forces Base Shearwater , commonly referred to as CFB Shearwater, was a Canadian Forces Base located in Shearwater, Nova Scotia on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour in the Halifax Regional Municipality....
, Nova Scotia.
Clearance Divers are considered among the most skilled underwater operators in the world.
Their motto is "Strength in depth".
Clearance Diving Officers and Divers also serve at:-
- the Experimental Diving Unit (EDU) at Defence Research and Development CanadaDefence Research and Development CanadaDefence Research and Development Canada, also Defence R&D Canada or DRDC , is an agency of the Department of National Defence , whose purpose is to respond to the scientific and technological needs of the Canadian Forces...
- the CFSAL - EOD School in CFB BordenCFB BordenCanadian Forces Base Borden is a Canadian Forces base located in Ontario.The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, CFB Borden is the largest training facility in the Canadian Forces...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Clearance Diving Officers and Clearance Divers also serve at D Dive S (Director Diving Safety) at the National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
(See Professional diving.)
Combat divers
History. Diving in the Canadian Army began in the 1960s when, as a result of the introduction of amphibious vehicles, it was essential to provide a diving capability to the safety organization for the swimming of the vehicles. Amphibious operations also required a better capability for the underwater reconnaissance of crossing sites. Following trials in 1966, diving sections were established in engineer units in 1969. Once the diving capability was established, additional tasks were added to make combat diving an extension of combat engineering into the water. Other tasks such as obstacle construction and breaching, employing and detecting landmines and limited underwater construction were added to the safety standby and reconnaissance tasks.General Description. Combat divers provide the Army with the capability of performing combat engineer tasks underwater. They generally conduct tasks as part of the combined arms team; however, if required, they have the ability to execute tasks independently. Combat divers are combat engineers who perform combat diving as a secondary duty. They are grouped into mission-specific teams when a task is identified and ordered, to support operations.
Niche area. Combat divers do the majority of their work on inland waterways, either on the surface or beneath the water with breathing apparatus. They usually work close to shorelines and riverbanks because that is where the rest of the army will be conducting operations. At times the combat divers will work in salt water to support Army operations. In some circumstances, combat divers can be used to conduct reconnaissance in the face of enemy forces. They would be doing this reconnaissance with the support of the manoeuvre forces, which could assist the dive team with observation and suppressive fire.
Canada's Combat Divers are an Occupation Sub-Specialization (OSS) in its Army
Canadian Forces Land Force Command
The Canadian Army , previously called Land Force Command, is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces. The current size of the Army is 19,500 regular soldiers and 16,000 reserve soldiers, for a total of around 35,500 soldiers...
Combat Engineer Regiments.
Training. Each of the four dive teams, one located in each of the canadian army engineer regiments, conducts an intense preliminary selection course (typically two weeks in length) to select combat diver candidates for training. Successful candidates then proceed to a Fleet Diving Unit to begin initial dive training, and then proceed to the Army Dive Center at the Combat Training Center to complete the remainder of Combat Diver training. Once this training is completed, combat divers must dive at least once every ninety days in order to maintain their diving currency.
Weapons used include:
- C6 medium machine gunFN MAGThe FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...
. - Colt Canada C7 rifle (C7A1, C7A2, C7A3, etc.)
- Colt Canada C8 carbine and PDW (personal defense weaponPersonal defense weaponA personal defense weapon is a compact semi-automatic or fully automatic firearm similar in most respects to a submachine gun, but firing an armor-piercing rifle round, giving a PDW better range, accuracy and armor-penetrating capability than submachine guns, which fire pistol-caliber cartridges...
)
Considering their role in the Army (demolition, reconnaissance, etc.), their weapons tend more towards explosives rather than firearms. As such, each diver typically carries about 20 kilograms (44.1 lb) of high explosives. Such explosives include: The entire line of grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s, demolition, and pyrotechnics in SNC-TEC, such as Demolition Charge M2A4, Demolition Charge M3A1, Trigran Prills, 40 mm Parachute Rocket Flare C7, Trip Flare C6, High Explosive Fragmentation C13/M67 grenade
M67 grenade
The M67 grenade is a fragmentation hand grenade used by the United States Military and Canadian Forces, where it is referred to as the C13. The M67 is a replacement for the M61 grenade used during Vietnam and the older Mk 2 "pineapple" grenade used since World War II.-Composition:The M67 Grenade...
s. For heavy fire support, the divers' engineer demolition section uses the C14 Mine Launcher, which can be remotely fired.
Considering their job, their land transport is limited, but they have various watercraft.
Such craft include:
- Phantom remotely operated underwater vehicles
- Sea-Doo Sea Scooter, TAYUT, a Diver Propulsion VehicleDiver Propulsion VehicleA diver propulsion vehicle is an item of diving equipment used by scuba and rebreather divers to increase range underwater...
- General Purpose Boat FDU(P)
- Yard Diving Tender (YDT) Sooke
- YDT 11 FDU(P)
- Nuytco submersibleSubmersibleA submersible is a small vehicle designed to operate underwater. The term submersible is often used to differentiate from other underwater vehicles known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully autonomous craft, capable of renewing its own power and breathing air, whereas a submersible is...
s - Medium Floating Bridge (MFB) / Medium Raft (MR), which is transported by a heavily modified Actros Armoured Heavy Support Vehicle SystemMercedes-Benz ActrosThe Mercedes-Benz Actros is a heavy duty truck introduced by Mercedes-Benz in 1995. It is normally used for long-distance haulage, heavy duty distribution haulage and construction haulage. It is available in weights starting at 18 tonnes and is powered by a V6 or V8 cylinder diesel engine with...
.