USA armed forces divers
Encyclopedia
The USA has these types of frogmen and other armed forces diver
s:
Combatant Diver Course
is located at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center, Naval Support Activity Panama City
, Panama City, Florida
.
men were attached to the Office of Strategic Services Maritime Unit Operational Swimmer Groups (OSG). All OSGs had Coast Guard men, and several CG men were attached to UDT 10 in the Pacific after training with the OSS
MU. LT John P. Booth (USCG) was Commanding Officer in the field of OSG 1. He was attached to OSS Detachment 101
and OSS Detachment 404 in the China and Burma and India war area where he and his team conducted reconnaissance
and infiltration
by sea, scouted enemy shoreline, and participated in combat swimmer and covert operations. These OSS Frogmen pioneered the use of unassisted diving techniques to include the Lambertsen Unit (allowing men to swim underwater for up to 3 hours), swimfin
s and the underwater compass
. These men also experimented with underwater delivery systems referred to as the "Sleeping Beauty
". Several of these Coast Guard/OSS Frogmen, including LT Booth, were awarded the Bronze Star for their "service with the Office of Strategic Services" by the Commanding General CBI. Although it is widely thought that the Navy UDT's were the first Frogmen, in fact it was the combined efforts of the OSS Frogmen (Operational/Combat Swimmers), USN Scouts & Raiders, and NCDUs/UDTs, that laid the foundation for what would later become the U.S. Navy SEALS. The first OSS Frogman, according to the Naval Special Warfare Foundation was USN Petty Officer John Spence who trained at OSS Maritime Unit AREA D on the Potomac River
with USN LT Jack Taylor, who is widely considered the first SEAL. Over half of the OSS Frogmen / Combat swimmers were in fact Coast Guard men sought out for their advanced swimming, diving, and boat handing skills.
As of July 2008 Qualified Coast Guard Officers and enlisted Petty Officers are permitted to volunteer for Navy SEAL training. 21 May 2010 two Coast Guard officers graduated BUDS class 277 and moved on to further Naval Special Warfare Training; ultimately to join active Navy SEAL teams. RADM Gary Bonelli, Deputy Commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command stated to the USCG Web journal the following:
“Naval Special Warfare is proud to team with the nation's first U.S. Coast Guard officers qualified as U.S. Navy SEALs...During the past fourteen months, they have proven their mettle and have truly earned the right to be called our teammates. Cooperation among all services is a critical component of the National Maritime Strategy. Today's graduation is just one more example of the many integral ties that bind our maritime services. Congratulations to SQT Class 277!"
Currently, United States Coast Guard
dive teams are assigned to buoy tender
s in the 14th District, polar icebreaker
s, and Maritime Safety and Security Team
s. At these units, divers perform a variety of missions, from buoy tending in the Central Pacific to science support in the polar regions and security diving operations in ports around the country.
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
s:
United States Navy
- Underwater Demolition TeamUnderwater Demolition TeamThe Underwater Demolition Teams were an elite special-purpose force established by the United States Navy during World War II. They also served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War...
s (UDT's) – The first American frogmen (later became SEALs). - United States Navy SEALsUnited States Navy SEALsThe United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
– primarily trained as Combat Swimmers/Divers. - Naval Special Warfare CenterNaval Special Warfare CenterThe United States Phil Bucklew Naval Special Warfare Center is a component command of the Naval Special Warfare Command and is sited within Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California....
trains the SEALs and some of the combat swimmers for the other U.S. military branches. - United States Navy SpecOp (based in Indian Head, MarylandIndian Head, MarylandIndian Head is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,422 at the 2000 census. It has been the site of a naval base specializing in gun and rocket propellants since 1890. Production of nitrocellulose and smokeless powder began at the Indian Head Powder Factory in 1900...
) is a naval unit which trains and supports divers and develops dive equipment for neutralizing minesNaval 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...
and removing submerged unexploded ordnanceUnexploded ordnanceUnexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.While "UXO" is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of...
. - United States Navy DiverUnited States Navy DiverA Navy Diver refers to a member of the community of Unrestricted Line Officer Officers, Medical Corps Officers and enlisted personnel in the United States Navy who are qualified in underwater open/closed circuit breathing apparatus, deep sea type diving apparatus and saturation diving. Personnel...
s (non-combat swimmers) – underwater weldingWeldingWelding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
, ship husbandry, underwater construction, harbor clearing (except for explosive ordnance), and other "underwater work".- Navy Explosive Ordnance DisposalUnited States Navy EODUnited States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians render safe all types of ordnance, including improvised, chemical, biological, and nuclear. They perform land and underwater location, identification, render-safe, and recovery of foreign and domestic ordnance...
(EOD) technicians. - Naval Special Clearance Team (NSCT)
- Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit
- Underwater Construction Team (UCT) – trained primarily in use of surface support equipment ("hard hat") and some SCUBA.
- Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal
United States Army
- Some ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Rangers75th Ranger Regiment (United States)The 75th Ranger Regiment , also known as Rangers, is a Special Operations light infantry unit of the United States Army. The Regiment is headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia with battalions in Fort Benning, Hunter Army Airfield and Joint Base Lewis-McChord...
attend the Special Forces Combat Diver Qualification Course. - Delta ForceDelta Force1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
– all trained in Combat Swimming. - Army EngineerUnited States Army Corps of EngineersThe United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
Divers- Trained in underwater construction, salvage, demolitions, hydrographic survey, hyperbaric chamber operation, beach and river recon, bridge recon, underwater cutting and welding, side scan sonar operations, mine and countermine operations, search and recovery operations and ships husbandry operations. Army divers use both surface supplied "Hard hat" and scuba to perform their missions. - The Special Forces (Green Berets) maintain a robust combat diving capability. One Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA) per Special Forces Company is trained and equipped to conduct open and closed circuit sub-surface maritime infiltration operations. Special Forces combat divers, along with many combat divers from other services, attend the Special Forces Combat Diver Qualification Course, which is held at the Special Forces Underwater Operations School, Naval Air Station Key WestNaval Air Station Key WestNaval Air Station Key West , is a naval air station and military airport located on Boca Chica Key, four miles east of the central business district of Key West, Florida, United States....
, Key West, FloridaKey West, FloridaKey West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
.
United States Marine Corps
The USMCUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Combatant Diver Course
United States Marine Corps Combatant Diver Course
The USMC Combatant Diver Course is taught at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center, Naval Support Activity Panama City, Panama City, Florida. Both of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force reconnaissance assets, FMF Recon and MarDiv Recon, widely use combatant diving...
is located at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center, Naval Support Activity Panama City
Naval Support Activity Panama City
The United States Naval Support Activity Panama City , is located just outside Panama City, Florida and is a United States Navy military base. It is located within Bay County. Among other commands, it houses Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division and the Navy Experimental Diving Unit...
, Panama City, Florida
Panama City, Florida
-Personal income:The median income for a household in the city was $31,572, and the median income for a family was $40,890. Males had a median income of $30,401 versus $21,431 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,830...
.
- Marine Special Operations Battalions
- Marine Force ReconnaissanceUnited States Marine Corps Force ReconnaissanceThe Force Reconnaissance Companies , are one of the United States Marine Corps's special operations "capable" forces that provide essential elements of military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force ; supporting the landing or joint task force commanders, and...
- Marine Reconnaissance BattalionsUnited States Marine Corps Reconnaissance BattalionsThe United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions are the reconnaissance assets of Marine Air-Ground Task Force that provide division-level ground and amphibious reconnaissance to the Ground Combat Element within the United States Marine Corps...
- Maritime Special Purpose ForceMaritime Special Purpose ForceThe United States Marine Corps' Maritime Special Purpose Force, or MSPF, are a unique specialized sub-unit that are drawn from the Marine Expeditionary Units' major subordinate elements. They are special operations capable forces deployed to give the commanders low profile, two-platoon surgical...
United States Coast Guard
According to Record Group 226 at the National Archive over 45 United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
men were attached to the Office of Strategic Services Maritime Unit Operational Swimmer Groups (OSG). All OSGs had Coast Guard men, and several CG men were attached to UDT 10 in the Pacific after training with the OSS
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
MU. LT John P. Booth (USCG) was Commanding Officer in the field of OSG 1. He was attached to OSS Detachment 101
OSS Detachment 101
Detachment 101 of the Office of Strategic Services operated in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. On January 17, 1946, it was awarded a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation by Dwight Eisenhower, who wrote, "The courage and fighting spirit displayed by its officers and men in...
and OSS Detachment 404 in the China and Burma and India war area where he and his team conducted reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
and infiltration
Infiltration tactics
In warfare, infiltration tactics involve small, lightly equipped infantry forces attacking enemy rear areas while bypassing enemy front line strongpoints and isolating them for attack by follow-up troops with heavier weapons.-Development during World War I:...
by sea, scouted enemy shoreline, and participated in combat swimmer and covert operations. These OSS Frogmen pioneered the use of unassisted diving techniques to include the Lambertsen Unit (allowing men to swim underwater for up to 3 hours), swimfin
Swimfin
Swimfins, swim fins, fins or flippers are worn on the foot or leg and made from finlike rubber or plastic, to aid movement through the water in water sports activities such as swimming, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, kneeboarding, riverboarding, and various types of underwater diving.Scuba divers use...
s and the underwater compass
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
. These men also experimented with underwater delivery systems referred to as the "Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty (canoe)
The Motorised Submersible Canoe , nicknamed Sleeping Beauty, was built by British Special Operations Executive during World War II as an underwater vehicle for a single frogman to perform clandestine reconnaissance or attacks against enemy vessels.-Design:The MSC was designed by Major Hugh Quentin...
". Several of these Coast Guard/OSS Frogmen, including LT Booth, were awarded the Bronze Star for their "service with the Office of Strategic Services" by the Commanding General CBI. Although it is widely thought that the Navy UDT's were the first Frogmen, in fact it was the combined efforts of the OSS Frogmen (Operational/Combat Swimmers), USN Scouts & Raiders, and NCDUs/UDTs, that laid the foundation for what would later become the U.S. Navy SEALS. The first OSS Frogman, according to the Naval Special Warfare Foundation was USN Petty Officer John Spence who trained at OSS Maritime Unit AREA D on the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
with USN LT Jack Taylor, who is widely considered the first SEAL. Over half of the OSS Frogmen / Combat swimmers were in fact Coast Guard men sought out for their advanced swimming, diving, and boat handing skills.
As of July 2008 Qualified Coast Guard Officers and enlisted Petty Officers are permitted to volunteer for Navy SEAL training. 21 May 2010 two Coast Guard officers graduated BUDS class 277 and moved on to further Naval Special Warfare Training; ultimately to join active Navy SEAL teams. RADM Gary Bonelli, Deputy Commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command stated to the USCG Web journal the following:
“Naval Special Warfare is proud to team with the nation's first U.S. Coast Guard officers qualified as U.S. Navy SEALs...During the past fourteen months, they have proven their mettle and have truly earned the right to be called our teammates. Cooperation among all services is a critical component of the National Maritime Strategy. Today's graduation is just one more example of the many integral ties that bind our maritime services. Congratulations to SQT Class 277!"
Currently, United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
dive teams are assigned to buoy tender
Buoy tender
A buoy tender is a type of vessel used to maintain and replace navigational buoys. The name is also used for someone who works on such a vessel and maintains buoys....
s in the 14th District, polar icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
s, and Maritime Safety and Security Team
Maritime Safety and Security Team
A Maritime Safety and Security Team or MSST is a United States Coast Guard anti-terrorism team established to protect local maritime assets...
s. At these units, divers perform a variety of missions, from buoy tending in the Central Pacific to science support in the polar regions and security diving operations in ports around the country.
United States Air Force
- Pararescue (PJ) and Combat Control (CCT) personnel of the USAFUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
are trained in both open and closed-circuit diving. They attend the Air Force Combat Dive Course during their training.
- Some Tactical Air Control PartyTactical Air Control PartyThe Tactical Air Control Party, commonly abbreviated TACP, is a small team of Army, Marine or Air Force personnel who provide airspace deconfliction and terminal control of Close Air Support at battle group level or below...
(TACP) members and some Special Operations Weather TeamAir Force Special Operations Weather TechnicianSpecial Operations Weather Team specialists are tactical observer/forecasters with ground combat capabilities and fall under the 720th Special Tactics Group within the Air Force Special Operations Command...
(SOWT) members are SCUBA or Combat Diver qualified. Both they and PJ/CCT personnel are able to operate as members of Special Forces ODAs (see above) and Navy SEAL teams on diving operations, on missions requiring subsurface infiltration, and in other waterborne operations.