Courtesy Photo | Builder First Class Carlos Hernandez attached to Underwater Construction Team ONE (UCT...... read more read more
BU1 (SCW/DV) Christopher Kelly
Underwater Construction Team ONE
SOUDA BAY, Greece - “At 1118 on the morning of October 12, 2000, as USS COLE (DDG 67) was refueling in Aden Harbor, Yemen, suicide bombers detonated an explosive-laden boat directly against the port side of the ship. The resulting blast killed 17 Sailors, wounded 37 others, and tore a hole 40 by 60 feet in the ship’s hull. In the aftermath of the explosion, the crew of the USS COLE fought tirelessly to free shipmates trapped by the twisted wreckage and limit flooding that threatened to sink their ship.” – USS COLE Memorial, Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
As outlined the House Armed Services Committee report “The Investigation into the Attack on The USS Cole” published in May, 2001, this tragic event provided a new level of awareness when considering anti-terrorism force protection (ATFP) measures against waterborne terrorist threats. U.S. Naval vessels are especially vulnerable to such attacks during resupply and refueling operations. An important force protection measure to ensure unauthorized vessels maintain appropriate stand-off distances is an ATFP Port Security Barrier (PSB), floating fences held in place by fleet mooring buoys designed to shield vessels from waterborne attacks while in port.
In June of 2015, Construction Dive Detachment CHARLIE (CDD/C) of Underwater Construction Team ONE (UCT ONE) carried out an inspection of an ATFP PSB located on Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete. NSA Souda Bay houses a Naval Fueling Station in addition to other facilities and services that keep the Fleet combat ready. Twelve foot drum buoys secured with 2 inch chains and 15 ton anchors hundreds of feet below the surface require periodic inspections to ensure they remain up to the task of protecting U.S. and Allied forces. With a dramatic coastline as the backdrop, divers move to the water’s edge ready to go to work.
Ten divers conducted 60 dives at depths reaching 120 feet of sea water (fsw) totaling 1,500 minutes of bottom time in order to complete the inspection. Use of the MK20 full face mask in SCUBA mode with through-water-communications allowed divers to report measurements, discrepancies, and areas of concern in real time. As a result, dives were more effective and data was collected more efficiently than that which divers would have been able to collect in traditional SCUBA rigs.
“We used non-positive pressure regulators in the masks that supplied air on demand instead of at a constant flow,” Steelworker Second Class Billy Peacey said of the rig CDD/C used on the mission. “This conserved our air which maximized our bottom times allowing us to get more done during each dive.”
Typically, MK20 uses a positive pressure regulator which tends to free flow through the mask’s seal increasing air consumption. Divers descended upon their targets, cleaned marine growth, then measured components of the PSB using specialized tools, calipers and rulers all while digitally documenting with underwater cameras.
Typical inspections begin at the anchor, move along the ground leg chains to sinkers and continue to a ground ring where they connect to a riser chain up to the buoy. The most dangerous point of any fleet mooring inspection is the thrash zone, an area where chains rise and fall on the sea floor as the buoy moves with the sea state. This area generally has significant wear and requires the most attention. Movement can be as gradual as the tidal change or as severe as the weather conditions above. Along with the inherent dangers associated with diving operations, divers must remain ultra-alert to avoid the added hazards when collecting data in the thrash zone.
When anchor legs descend to depths beyond the reach of divers, Builder First Class Carlos Hernandez, Project Supervisor, deployed the Vectored Little Benthic Vehicle (VLBV) Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). This robot facilitated a level one inspection with its mounted underwater camera, on-screen depth gauge and compass all controlled topside by the CDD/C ROV Team. A level one inspection is a swim-by, visual inspection of target components.
“We were lucky to have the ROV on the side. It extended our reach allowing us to get visuals on every component of the PSB,” Hernandez said. Skillful navigation is required to ensure the umbilical (power cord) and ROV do not become fouled on buoy components or obstacles on the seafloor.
“ROVs contribute to our well rounded, fully capable dive unit,” Hernandez continued.
In one of NATOs most strategically beneficial locations, CDD/C’s inspection of this barrier system ensures it maintains operational capabilities and is crucial to the global security of the U.S. Fleet. As the mission comes to a close and as an international fleet moves in and out of port, divers reflect on the completed job. A beautiful landscape, bright blue-green water, and the purpose of the mission.
“It is incredible the impact that a small detachment of ten divers and two support personnel can have on anti-terrorism for the Fleet,” Steelworker First Class Liam O’brien, CDD/C Assistant Officer in Charge, commented with pride. “It really hits home when you dive on a barrier just a few hundred yards from a U.S. ship.”
Nothing can bring back those lost in the attack on the COLE; nothing can make up for the hardship endured by the crew. We can only honor them through preparation and an increased vigilance in hope of preventing a similar attack on the U.S. Navy.
Divers of Underwater Construction Team ONE’s Dive Detachment CHARLIE take great pride in honoring the Sailors of the USS COLE by helping to facilitate a state of readiness at NSA Souda Bay.
UCT-ONE provides responsive inshore and ocean underwater construction, inspection, repair and maintenance to ocean facilities for Navy, Marine Corps and joint forces engaged in military operations.
| Date Taken: | 07.06.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2015 11:42 |
| Story ID: | 171027 |
| Location: | SOUDA BAY, GR |
| Web Views: | 736 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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