Coast Guard rolling deep
You may not know this, but one of the nation’s oldest sea services, the U.S. Coast Guard, which traces its lineage back to the old Revenue Cutter Service of 1790, doesn’t officially have any divers.
Well, until now anyway.
That’s not to say that they didn’t have any dive-trained personnel, as each large cutter, buoy tender and icebreaker had a dive locker with a smattering of on board officers and enlisted men who were given dive training as a collateral assignment to perform hull checks and the like.
However in recent years, well publicized accidents including a couple of tragic deaths has lead to a more dedicated program.
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On April 1, 2015, 48 Coast Guard members began their journey towards proficiency in an entirely new career field by becoming the first Coast Guard men and women to be formally recognized by the Coast Guard’s 22nd rating.
Each new Coast Guard diver has undergone a 45-week training program to ensure they are well prepared for the challenging and dangerous missions that lie ahead.
The diving rating, which will commonly be known as DV for enlisted members and DIV for chief warrant officers, was implemented following years of research, analysis and training by the Diver Career Management Working Group following a diving accident that occurred aboard Coast Guard Cutter Healy in 2006.
“We revalidated the need for an organic diving capability,” said Ken Andersen, chief of subsurface capabilities. “The only solution that we could come up with was ‘How do we keep someone diving the rest of their career?’ Well it needs to be an occupation – and that means a rating.”
Further, they have completed decompression dive training this week
Petty Officer 1st Class Manuel Severino, a Coast Guard diver (DV) assigned to Coast Guard Dive Locker West, prepares for a dive from the Coast Guard Cutter George Cobb in the waters off San Pedro, California. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class Andrea L. Anderson.
Bravo Zulu, Coast Guard.