2 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

SUPSALV SENDS

SUPSALV Sends ........................................... 2Get off the Bitts and Take Your Hits ............. 3Historical Diving Society ................................ 3The Pressure is On at NEDU ........................... 4Fleet Diving Detailer ....................................... 6USS LASSEN CPP Hub Modification ............. 7

Diving is the Love of Munk’s Life .................. 8Master Diver List ........................................... 9Building a Warship ....................................... 10USS MOMSEN (DDG 92) ............................. 12Vice Admiral Charles “Swede” Momsen ..... 15DDG 51 Class In-water Sonar Installation .. 17

Command in the Spotlight ............................ 18Rapture of the Deep .................................... 20Hard Hat History .......................................... 21The Old Master ............................................ 22Jake’s Corner ............................................... 22Topside; Red Diver...From SUPDIVE ............ 23

FACEPLATE is published by the Supervisorof Salvage and Diving to make the latest andmost informative news available to the Navydiving and salvage community. Discussions orillustrations of commercial products do notimply endorsement by the Supervisor ofSalvage and Diving or the U.S. Navy.

Articles, letters, queries and comments shouldbe directed to the Commander, Naval SeaSystems Command, NAVSEA 00C, 1333Isaac Hull Ave. SE Stop 1070, WashingtonNavy Yard, DC 20376-1070. (Attn:FACEPLATE). Visit our website at http://www.supsalv.org. To view an electronicversion of Faceplate in PDF format go to ourwebsite and click on the word “Faceplate”located in the left hand column. This link willdirect you to our list of Faceplate issues.

Captain Jim Wilkins, USNDirector of Ocean Engineering

Supervisor of Salvage and DivingNAVSEA 00C

wilkinsjr@navsea.navy.mil

Captain Mark Helmkamp, USNSupervisor of Diving

Editor In Chiefhelmkampmt@navsea.navy.mil

LCDR Jim Bladh, USN (Ret.)Managing Editor

jimbladhsr@aol.com

BMCM (MDV) Steve Smith, USNBMCM(SW/MDV) Fred K. Orns, USN

Fleet Liaison Editorssmithss@navsea.navy.milornsfk@navsea.navy.mil

Zoya GorbunovaProduction Editor

zgorbunova@roh-inc.com

Otto C. AdamsGraphic Designer

oadams@roh-inc.com

Forty years ago this month (I’mwriting this in July), the U.S. Navy DivingProgram embarked on an experiment thatliterally changed the world – SEALAB I.As the first of three Man-In-The-Seaexperiments, SEALAB I is renowned forsuccessfully achieving a dream — 4 NavyDivers actually lived and worked in theopen ocean at a depth of 193 feet for 11days continuously before resurfacing. Notonly did it usher in the era of deep (1,000feet or more) military diving capability, butit also provided commercial industry themeans to tap into natural resources(particularly oil!) to support a growingworld economy.

Sadly, over a number of years,though industry capitalized on saturationtechnology, the Navy’s own ability toconduct saturation diving nearlyatrophied to the point of near loss ofcapability. The great news is that ourChief of Naval Operations recentlyauthorized the procurement of a portable(fly-away) saturation diving system foruse by Navy Divers for a mix of deepocean missions, including salvage, objectrecovery, and if necessary, support forsubmarine rescue operations. We expectto bring the system into full capabilityduring late FY06 or FY07. The newsaturation diving system will be stored andmaintained in Panama City (quick accessto Tyndall AFB for emergency airtransport) and manned by a combinationof Divers from NEDU and MDSU. Thefuture is bright for exciting times in ourDiving Navy!

Speaking of exciting times, almostall of you have now heard aboutthe recent effort to develop a new NavyDiver rating as well as a new EODTech rating. This initiative is being ledby the Learning Center for EOD andDiving (CENEODD) in Panama City.Captain Gary Windhorst and his teamat CENEODD reached out to the Fleet,and working with inputs from a broadspectrum of senior members ofboth communities (Fleet Divers andEOD) are pursuing final approval forboth new ratings. As I travel thewaterfront and talk to many of ourdive lockers, I get lots of questionsabout the career impacts of thenew rating…and rightly so. Thoughnothing is yet finally approved, Ican personally attest to the commitmentof all who are working this up throughthe approval chain to make surewe maintain or improve both thewar-fighting strength of the communityas well as viable enlisted career paths. Itis foremost in our mind, and I know itis in yours. We will keep you informed asdecisions are reached.

Also — our April 2004 issue ofFACEPLATE dedicated a lot of spaceto the ARS/T-ARS conversion question.As of the middle of July, no Navydecision on whether or not to transfer thefour ARS 50 Class ships to Military SealiftCommand has been announced, but weexpect one in the next few weeks. Staytuned! Capt Jim Wilkins

The U.S. Navy Salvage Divers Reunion will take place at the Holiday Inn, 2001North Cove Blvd. in Panama City, Florida on August 25 to 29. Please contact BuckBest at (941) 371-5070 to make arrangements or if you have any questions.

In This Issue

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 3

They are out there, the “armchairquarterbacks” of the Navy, the First

Class Divers who sit in the background,critiquing the actions of others, whileamazingly their watch management isalways on the button.

Then, there are others who lead theteam, overcoming the fear of criticism andfailure.

Teddy Roosevelt described such get-it-done leaders when he said: “It’s not thecritic who counts. It’s not the man whopoints out how the strong man stumbles,or where the doer of the deed could havedone it better. The credit belongs to theman in the arena, whose face is marred bydust and sweat and blood, who spendshimself in a worthy cause, who strivesvaliantly, who errs and comes up shortagain and again, who at best knows thehigh achievement of triumph, who at worst,fails while daring greatly for he knows hisplace shall never be with those cold andtimid souls who know neither victory, nordefeat.”

The Master Diver Screening Courseconducted twice yearly at MDSU ONE isdesigned to get aspiring candidates intothe arena and experience the “highachievement of triumph” Rooseveltdescribed so inspirationally.

The MDV Screener emulates asclosely as possible the actual Master Diverevaluation process conducted at NavalDiving Salvage Training Center, PanamaCity, Florida, where a 50 percent attritionrate is the norm.

The two-week course begins with awritten exam on the morning of the firstday to gauge the knowledge the candidatebrings to the course. In the afternoon,SCUBA diving operations begin, the firstof several evolutions to assess thecandidate’s experience, leadership, andtechnical abilities.

During the following nine days,candidates are challenged to lead a diveteam under various scenarios using all rigs,incorporating various procedures andtesting leadership ability to overcomeadversities under stress.

This is a taxing course. It is not theplace for those who fear failure orconstructive criticism. It is home for thosewho want to achieve the coveted title ofU.S. Navy Master Diver.

Here are some tips to prepare you forthe challenge of the MDV Screener:

DO: Keep it real in your mind. You reallyare in the scenario.

DO: Know the procedures for picking thecourse of action available to you.

DO: Properly prepare by running “drydives,” practice your neuro and brief.

DO: During the adverse scenario, placeyourself in the Diver’s situation to assistyou in picking the appropriate course ofaction.

DO: Be “large and in charge.” When youpick a course of action, stick with it andmake it work.

DO: LISTEN TO YOUR PROJECTMASTER DIVER. (He wants you tosucceed.)

DON’T: Be in “drill mode.” You cannotprevent the drill from happening. You planto run a normal dive. You must brief theactual scope of the mission, not just whatcan go wrong.

DON’T: Assume. See what you see, hearwhat you hear, and say what needs to besaid.

DON’T: Arrive unprepared expecting to betrained. The course is tailored for thosewho are ready to perform.

DON’T: Run the dive operations the way“the school house wants to see it.” The

MDV evaluators are scoring you, not theschool house.

DON’T: Blame others for your mistakes.You cannot improve until you admit yourmistake.

DON’T: Be timid and quiet, yet do not talkto hear yourself talk.

DON’T: Take everyone’s advice, especiallythose on the “bits of knowledge.”

Master Diver evaluation attrition ratesshould not trump ambition and discourageaspiring candidates. Instead, it is achallenge and an adventure. The course isthe open door for those who want tobecome a member of the brotherhood ofU.S. Navy Master Divers and leadAmerica’s finest.

MDV Michael E. Moser is currently aMaster Diver at DET 5 of MDSU ONEbased in Pearl Harbor, HI.

U.S. Navy Divingand theHistorical DivingSociety USA

The Historical Diving Society USAis a non-profit educational corporationformed in 1992. It has members in37 countries and publishes theaward-winning quarterly magazineHISTORICAL DIVER, which coversmany aspects of diving history, includingthe U.S. Navy.

Among Society Advisory Boardmembers are distinguished Divers suchas Dr. Christian Lambertsen, Bob Barth,Scott Carpenter, Surgeon Vice AdmiralSir John Rawlins, Bev Morgan, PhilNuytten and Andreas Rechnitzer.

As a part of the HDS EducationalOutreach Program, the Society is offeringa complete set of back issues ofHISTORICAL DIVER, along with acontinuing subscription, free uponrequest to any U.S. Navy diving unit.For more information on this offer, pleasecontact the Society at hds@hds.org.

4 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

It is midnight at Navy ExperimentalDiving Unit (NEDU). Dive Watch

Officer (DWO) HTCS(MDV) Becker andDive Watch Supervisor (DWS)HTCSchlagenhaft are mustering Dive WatchSection TWO in preparation for DeepSaturation Dive 2004 (DD-04). The watchsections include the followingwatchstanders: the Gas King, who isresponsible for running machinery(compressors and the reclaim system),lining up all the gases (helium, oxygen,mixed helium and oxygen [He/O

2], mixed

nitrogen and oxygen [N2/O

2], nitrogen,

and air), mixing gases, and executingemergency procedures (EPs); the ChamberSupport Operator/Life Support Operator(CSO/LSO), who is responsible forcompression and decompression, Diverhot water, chamber temperature,maintenance of proper constant chamberdepth, and execution of EPs; the ControlTechnician (CT), who is responsible forthe operation of all electrical systems, allcommunications systems, and the firesuppression system in the chambercomplex; and the Atmosphere AnalysisOperator (AAO), who is responsible formonitoring all gases in the complex’satmosphere.

The Watch Section performsapproximately five hours of operatingprocedures (OPs) intended to fully shutdown and restart the Ocean Simulation

Facility (OSF) — the upper portion ofwhich is a dry, five-chamber living complexcomplete with heads, showers, and racksthat is part of the most complex divingsystem in the world. Below the centerchamber is a transfer trunk connecting thefive dry chambers to a 55,000-gallon “wetpot” chamber.

For DD-04, a 14-day saturation diveemploying eight saturation Divers to amaximum depth of 723 feet of seawater(FSW), the goals were to exercise theGASMIZER helium reclaim system and testthe secondary life-support (SLS) MK-IVbackpack (an emergency gas source thatallows a Diver to return to the bell), fittedto the ULTRAJEWEL 601 helium reclaimhelmet.

The saturation dive team includedTeam Leader DC1(DSW) Jorge Guillen,Assistant Team Leader DC1(DSW) JeremyMullis, HMC(DSW) Steve Allain,HT1(DSW) John Valentine, GM1(DSW) JimUrban, BU1(DSW) Josh Ross, DC1(DSW)Buddy King, and HM2(DSW) Tim Kerr.

A safety observer, DC1 Jorge Guillen (blue helmet) keeps a close eye on HMC SteveAllain as he performs the steps of Deep Dive 2004 protocol to collect data points.

GM1 Jim Urban and HM2 Tim Kerr help DC1 Buddy King don the instrumented17C Superlite prior to a dive in the Ocean Simulation Facility wet chamber.

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 5

CWO3 Rick Strynar is a Fleet ProjectOfficer and a Command Diving Officerat NEDU.

After the OSF had been compressedto storage depth of 600 fsw, these Diversperformed repeated wet downwardexcursions to 723 fsw, where their umbilicalgas was secured and they were required togo on their SLS MK-IV backpacks. Duringthese excursions, each Diver pedaled atest cycle at a rate of 60 watts until hereached the termination criteria set for theprotocol. Then, to be recovered into thetrunk, he went back on his umbilical andthe next Diver began to perform the sametest. This testing routine was performed12 times.

NEDU leased two SLS MK-IVbackpacks and one ULTRAJEWEL helmetthat attached to the SLS MK-IV backpackfrom Divex, Ltd. This leased dive apparatusand the Divers were instrumented to recordinhaled and exhaled carbon dioxide (CO

2),

oxygen partial pressure, temperature, andheartbeat. Data from this instrumentationwere read and recorded on the MedicalDeck, which was manned by DivingMedical Officers (DMOs) and DivingMedical Technicians (DMTs) who monitorall readings, collect data, and direct exerciserates and durations.

One of the DMOs, the Dive WatchMedical Officer (DWMO), monitors all datafor Diver safety and conducts twice-daily

Diver sick calls. The DWMOs for DD-04were CAPT David Southerland, LT VicRuterbusch, and LT Fernando Leyva. Theother DMO on watch was the PrincipalInvestigator (PI), LT Jeffrey Chao, whomonitored, collected, and interpreted datato ensure that the equipment wasperforming as designed and/or advertised.The DMTs stand watch as Medical DeckTechnicians and Medical DeckSupervisors: as Supervisors, they directthe Divers and supervise data collection;as technicians, they operate the varieddata collection equipment.

DD-04 involved two commands andone private company besides NEDU:Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit TWOprovided two qualified saturation Divers,NAVSEA 00C provided funding for thedive, and Divex, LTD provided a technicalrepresentative as well as the equipmentfor testing.

DD-04 was a 100% success, bringingNEDU together with outside organizationsto achieve a common goal. This projectwould not have succeeded without TaskLeader ENCS(DSW) Vern Geyman,BMCM(MDV) Kent Johnson, andENCM(MDV) James Carolan, the last twoof whom also provided the benefits of theirwisdom throughout the dive.

As you can see from our latesteditions, FACEPLATE has evolvedinto an attractive and informativepublication. The April 2004 coverphotograph is particularly eye-catching. On that note, I would like toencourage competition for thephotographs to be used on the coversof future editions. The winning coverphotograph will be acknowledged byrecognizing the photographer, Diversdepicted, and the Command or DivingLocker. Photographs must be highresolution with a Windows compatibleformat (TIFF or JPG). Please send thephotographs to our Production Editor,Zoya Gorbunova at zgorbunova@roh-inc.com and our Graphic Designer,Otto C. Adams at oadams@roh-inc.com.

On page 21 is an article by LeeWolford regarding the First ClassDiving School and Experimental DivingUnit, located in Building 214 at theWashington Navy Yard years ago. Onthe same page is a picture of mygraduation certificate from 1st ClassDiving School in 1954. I know thatthere is no one on active duty thatpredates that time. However, there aremany retired Divers who do and haveinteresting stories. FACEPLATE wouldlike to hear from you and perhapspublish some of your experiences in ourHard Hat History section.

Jim BladhManaging Editor

Members of the 2004 Deep Dive Team (left to right): HMC Steve Allain, GM1 JimUrban, DC1 Jorge Guillen, DC1 Jeremy Mullis, HM2 Tim Kerr, HT1 Valentine,DC1 Buddy King, and BU1 Josh Ross.

If you are interested in walking on theocean floor and becoming a saturationDiver, please contact the diving detailer. Ifyou would like additional information aboutthe saturation diving program, please con-tact one of the Master Divers or the Com-mand Diving Officer at NEDU.

FROM MANAGING EDITOR

6 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

Fleet Diving Detailer

Hello from your Fleet Diving Detailer,Millington, Tennessee. First off, for

anybody interested in relieving me, thediving is great up here! The skills used atthis job set you up for a smooth transitioninto CIVLANT, i.e. AT&T operator or onefinger computer ninja. Seriously, there is alot of satisfaction helping each individualDiver and supporting community needs.One big issue at present is our communitymanning. For the Divers in the Fleet thereare a lot of changes coming. Althoughsome may appear to be “not so good” atfirst glance, have faith, stay focused, theend result will benefit us all and carry ourcommunity into the future. For those in-terested in becoming Navy Divers, there isno better time than now. Listed below arethe requirements for becoming a NavyDiver.

The U.S. Navy Diver Program is achallenging and rewarding trainingprogram which requires an individual to beself-motivated and physically fit. Theopportunities offered by the program havenever been greater. As we continue toexpand our quest into the ocean depths,the possibilities are limitless. During thecourse of any given day, Navy Divers areon the job around the world performingunderwater repairs, recoveries, salvagemissions, or research and development,which all fall into the realm of today’s NavyDiver.

The U.S. Navy is the leader in thedevelopment of modern diving andunderwater operations. The generalrequirements of national defense and thespecific requirements of underwaterreconnaissance, demolition, ordnancedisposal, construction, ship maintenance,search, rescue, and salvage operationsrepeatedly give impetus to training anddevelopment.

Entry Requirements

The U.S. Navy Diver program requirestop physical condition and mental attitudethat is found in only a small percentage ofmilitary men and women. The requirements

are outlined in the following documents. Ashort recap of these requirements followsthe references:

References:

a. Navy Military Personnel Manual(NMPC) 1220-100;

b. NAVMEDMAN P-117, Manual of theMedical Department, Ch. 15, Art. 66-Diving Duty;

c. ENLTRANSMAN (NAVPERS 15909E)Art. 4.02.

Requirements:

1. Male or female, 30 years of age or less.

2. Be classified in or a designated strikerfor a source rating for the program.

3. Meet a minimum ASVAB score ofAR+WK*=104**, MC=50. *For ASVABtest numbers 5,6, and 7, use WK score.** All HM NEC applicants must have aminimum score of 110.

4. Meet the minimum obligated service(OBLISERV) of 36 months, as of the classconvening date of initial training.

5. Have a clear record (no NJP or CourtsMartial) for the previous twelve months.

6. Pass the Diving Physical Examination.

7. Successfully complete the PhysicalScreening Test.

8. Complete a personal interview with aDiving Officer or Master Diver.

9. Pass the Hyperbaric Pressure ToleranceTest.

10. Waivers will be considered on a case by case basis.

Course Description - U.S. Navy DiverSecond Class (A-433-0022)

objects. A Second Class Diver performs asan integral member of a diving team and asa hyperbaric chamber operator whentreating diving related casualties.

The Second Class Diver coursedevelops a confident and capable Diver.The course was designed by experiencedFleet Divers for the purpose of providingthe Navy with the best Divers to supportthe various diving communities. Studentsare trained using current procedures andequipment, emphasizing the developmentof skills required to successfully serve theFleet.

The course consists of twenty weeksof intense academic and physical training.Trainees are introduced to basic divingphysics and diving medicine. As trainingprogresses, they find themselves in“confidence training” and a practicalevaluation of SCUBA operations.Confidence training is the practice of ditchand don of scuba equipment with variousproblems imposed upon the student by theinstructor. In addition, trainees receiveinstruction on Surface Supplied Diving,Chamber Operations and Underwater ShipHusbandry (UWSH).

Physical training is conducted daily.Morning PT consists of calisthenics andrunning, with increasing difficulty imposedas the weeks progress.

With the proven ability to overcomethe rigorous mental and physicalchallenges, the end result is a qualifiedSecond Class Diver who is an effectivemember of any diving team.

By: MDV Gordo Westbrook

The mission of a Second Class Diverbrings the Diver to various divingcommands throughout the world, wherethey are expected to perform as underwaterdiving experts in direct support of Fleets a l v a g e o p e r a t i o n s , u n d e r w a t e rmaintenance of ships and submarines, andthe recovery of sunken or submerged

All that sounds pretty easy. It is if youare motivated. Time to cowboy up.Give us a call here at NPC if you haveany questions.

BMCM(SW/MDV) Westbrook, FleetDiving Detailer (901) 874-3561, DSN882-3561.

BMC(SW/DV) Bartholomew, SchoolsCoordinator (901) 874-4261, DSN882-4261.

HMCS(SW/DMT) Whitmire, MedicalOfficer (901) 874-3557, DSN 882-3557.

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 7

In the past twelve months a number ofDDG 51 Class ships have developed oil

leaks from their CPP hubs. Earlyinvestigations in dry dock identified theBlade Seal Base Ring (BSBR) as theapparent smoking gun. The BSBR sits onthe outer diameter of the hub blade portand is held in place by a large O-ring sealon its outer diameter. Uneven loading ofthe BSBR may cause the ring to move inits recess creating an oil leak path.

The initial “quick fix” on the first shipsidentified with the problem, USS MILUIS(DDG 69) and USS CARNEY (DDG 64),involved the insertion of a stainless steel.025-inch shim between the inner diameterof the BSBR and the outer diameter of thebearing ring on all ten blades. This methodappeared to work on the ships in question,but a more permanent fix was required.

In November 2003 this “quick fix” wasapplied to USS MCCAMPBELL (DDG 85).There was a great deal of interest and, inaddition to the team of Divers from CDU,“A” teams from NAVSEA 00C5, PMS 400,Rolls Royce, and Bath Iron Works were onthe pierside. “Forensic evidence” wasgathered at every juncture of the operation

as part of the ongoinginvestigation into the cause ofthe leaks. This involved acomplete underwater strip downof both hubs (as far as ispossible in the wet), withcomponent analysis on thesurface and was the first timethis type of repair had beenconducted by Navy Divers.The task took 20 days, butmany valuable lessons werelearned and with pierside 00C5support, new tools, procedures,and techniques were deve-loped and applied on the spot.

Since then, a NAVSEAapproved modification hasbeen developed by Rolls RoyceNaval Marine to prevent theBSBR from moving in itsrecess. This involves theinsertion of a second anti-rotation dowel pin into the ring,180 degrees from the original.The anti-rotation dowel pin stops the BSBRfrom rotating as the CPP blade is putthrough its paces during maneuvering. Thesecond pin is intended to stop the BSBRfrom twisting in its recess when load isapplied from the turning blade.

At the beginning of March 2004, CDUwas called into action to effect thismodification to USS LASSEN (DDG 82).The procedure involved the removal of allten blades and the strip down of theassociated blade ports. One at a time theblades were removed and shifted back tothe aft lift tunnels. As there was nothingwrong with the blades there was no needto bring them to the surface. The propellerwas then rotated 180 degrees so that theopen port work could be conducted at the6 o’clock position. Although working inthe overhead made aspects of the taskawkward for the Divers, it was necessaryto ensure that as much CPP oil as possiblewas contained in the hub. Using thetools and procedures developed during theUSS MCCAMPBELL operation, CDU’s

BRAVO Team, under the supervision ofseasoned veteran BM1 Tim Roff, beganthe painstaking and potentially time-consuming task of removing the port cover,BSBR, removing/replacing all the ‘softwear’ and putting it all back together in theright order. Previous experience paid offand the team of Divers soon had thisprocedure down to 30 minutes.

There is always room for improvementduring these types of operations and onceagain, with onsite NAVSEA 00C5 support,tools and procedures were further refinedand applied. As a result, the USS LASSENhub modification evolution took only 9days to complete even with time for aweekend break in the middle.

Consolidated Divers Unit has set thestandard for this type of underwater CPPhub modification operation.

Divers Removing BSBR.

Swimming BSBR to surface.

LCDR David Ince is attached to theUnderwater Ship Husbandry Division atNAVSEA 00C. He is a Clearance DivingOfficer on exchange from the Royal Navy.

8 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

Diving is the Love of Munk’s LifeBy: David Hackett

Venice, Florida — Elmer Munk hasspent so much time under water, it is

amazing he does not have fins.Since becoming one of the first

certified SCUBA Divers in the United Statesmore than a half century ago, Munkestimated that he has spent 5,000 hours(more than 200 days) hanging out withgrouper, sharks, and morays.

He is recognized by SCUBA SchoolsInternational, a training company based inColorado, as one of only 1,300 SCUBADivers in the world to make more than 5,000career dives.

“We call it ‘Platinum Pro,’ and it is aremarkable and rare thing to make the list,”said Gary Clark of SCUBA SchoolsInternational. “Elmer Munk and the Diverslike him have taken the sport to anotherlevel.”

This is just part of the 72-year-oldVenice resident’s story.

As a diving teacher, he claims to havecertified 3,500 students. As an underwaterphotographer, he boasts a collection ofmore than 5,000 photographs, includingone taken inches away from the gaping jawof a 9-foot green moray.

“Diving has been the great love of mylife,” Munk said.

Now he says he is ready to write theclosing chapters of his career. When heretires after ten years as an administrativespecialist at the Venice Fire Department,Munk plans to write a book about his lifeunder water.

”I’ve seen so much,” he said. “Youhave to remember that when I starteddiving it was literally just getting started inthis country. People had been helmet divingfor a long, long time. But SCUBA divingcame out of technology developed in WorldWar II.”

A love of fishing is what first hookedMunk. He was working in Chicago in 1956when he read a column in the ChicagoTribune in which an outdoors reporterconfessed he had learned more about fishin two hours under water than from yearscasting a line.

W h e n M u n kshowed up at theEvanston, Illinois YMCAseeking instruction, hewas asked to developa class. By today’ss t a n d a r d s , S C U B Adiving was primitive, justa steel tank, a canvasstrap, a mask, and fins.

Over the next fewyears Munk cut his ownwet suit and in 1959became one of the firstclass of Divers to benationally certified by theYMCA. He opened adive shop in Chicago in1971.

The sea became hislife. During the winterwhen business was slow,Munk began organizingmore than 300 divingtrips to the Caribbean,including the annualTurkey Dive, held for morethan 30 years on theSaturday after Thanks-giving. He says he evenhas a dive site named afterhim off the island of Bonaire.

In all his time under water, Munk saidthat he never suffered an equipment failureor other life-threatening calamity. Hebrushed against sharks and rubbed thesides of a spotted moray without ever beingbitten. He fed table scraps to grouper “likethey were big, old puppy dogs.”

”I have always felt that if you don’tshow them fear, they’re not going toattack,” he said. “They’re not looking forhuman flesh. We’re not on their menu.”

But increasingly in the late1980s, Munk found himself “breathinglike a steam engine.” Doctors diagnosedsevere asthma. Munk stopped leadingdives “because you can’t take anychances when you are responsiblefor someone’s life.”

In 1991, he made his last dive. “Sure,I miss it. It’s an amazing world down there.”

But these days, Munk said, he is con-tent to live vicariously. He still travels ondiving trips to the Caribbean. He is a re-source for the Venice Fire Department’sdive rescue team. And he is pleased to seehow big diving has become, with half adozen diving schools advertising in thelocal Yellow Pages.

”My only regret is that for somepeople it has become more about sellingequipment than teaching,” he said. “Any-one who wants to dive should be a com-fortable swimmer, find a good instructor,and take at least five lessons.”

Elmer Munk, 72, retires from his job as administrativeassistant with the Venice Fire Department, after more than6,000 dives.

This article was originally published inthe Venice, Florida Herald Tribune.

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 9

MASTER DIVER LIST

1 0 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

On September 19, 2000, Secretary of theNavy Richard Danzig announced the

forty-second Arleigh Burke Class GuidedMissile Destroyer (DDG 92) would benamed MOMSEN, in honor of ViceAdmiral Charles Bowers Momsen.Momsen’s Naval career was highlightedby several technological achievements andan unyielding determination to improvethe safety and survival of Navy Diversand submariners. A pioneer of earlydiving and salvage equipment, a leaderamong the submarine community, and avisionary of future submarine design, itwas fitting to name one of the nation’smost complex and technologicallyadvanced warships in his honor.

The keel was laid for MOMSEN onNovember 16, 2001, at Bath Iron Works inBath, Maine. The Keel Laying Ceremonywas the first of five ceremonies that wouldmark the progress of the ship’sconstruction. At that time, the ship wasreferred to as “Hull 475.” The nameMOMSEN would come later. In recentyears, BIW invested in the most advancedshipbuilding process and built a Land LevelTransfer Facility. Ships are no longer builton an inclined ways and slid into theKennebec River. Instead, large segmentsof hull are assembled inside buildings andthen maneuvered on rails and craned intoposition on the shipway. A ship isassembled entirely on level land and is putinto the water only when a desired level ofcompletion is achieved. This production

technique is more efficient and MOMSENis the second Bath-built ship from this newfacility.

As Charles Momsen challengedtwentieth-century technological barriersand introduced revolutionary equipment,the twenty-first century MOMSENintroduces some of the Navy’s mostadvanced surface combatant technologyand design. MOMSEN is a ship of firstsfor Bath Iron Works - the first vessel with acompletely commercial grade 60hz powerdistribution system and the first Baseline 7Phase 1 AEGIS weapon system that runsentirely on commercial computers. Thereis not a single military specification(MILSPEC) computer on the entire ship.MOMSEN is equipped with the SPY-1D(V)three-dimensional phased array radar thatis a generational leap in capability overprevious SPY radars in the Fleet. Finally,MOMSEN is built with the RemoteMinehunting System (RMS), the surfaceNavy’s first organic mine warfare systemsto reach fleet production. RMS is a longrange, over-the-horizon, semi-submersiblesystem capable of detecting, identifying,and relaying the location of underwatermines.

LT Brad Stallings, the Chief Engineerand first MOMSEN crewmember, reportedto the Pre-Commissioning Unit in Bath,Maine during the summer of 2002. “Hull475” was 61% complete and the shipyardwas focused on completing the con-struction of the segments that would

ultimately be assembled into acomplete hull. The priority for LTStallings was starting the longcomplex task of establishing acommand organization andadministrative architecture.Assisted by a superb NorthropGrumman Pre-Commissioningsupport staff, he “laid the keel”for Pre-Commissioning UnitMOMSEN, or more commonlyreferred to as the PCU. PCUMOMSEN was the name of thecommand the crew belonged tountil the date when the Navy

officially accepted the ship. Crewmembersarrived in four phases throughout the Pre-Commissioning process. Phase One wasthe first 15 crewmembers and the core ofsenior officer and enlisted expertise, whoestablished the priorities that guided theorganization through the remaining phases.Phases Two and Three filled out theorganization with mid-grade officers andenlisted, allowing divisions and workcenters to be formed. PCU MOMSEN’sPhase Three was completed in Decemberof 2003 with just under 100 crewmemberson site in Bath. Phase Four, the largest ofall phases, was the addition of the mostjunior crewmembers, those that hadrecently graduated from Recruit TrainingCenter and follow-on schools. Phase Fourwas completed in May of 2004 withMOMSEN’s crew just short of threehundred personnel. By the time the shipleaves the shipyard and is augmented byan SH-60 helicopter detachment, the crewsize will be 350 personnel.

MOMSEN crewmembers first reportedto PCU MOMSEN’s Training Detachmentin San Diego, California. Under thesupervision of the MOMSEN’s CommandMaster Chief, CMDCM(SW)(AW) MarkBaker, they attended rate or job specificschools before reporting to the Pre-

MOMSEN Keel Laying Ceremony.

Land Level Ship Construction.

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 1 1

(Building a Warship... continued on page 14.)

Commissioning Unit in Maine. Bath IronWorks offered many additional courses toprepare crewmembers to work and live ona DDG. Finally, well-trained individualSailors were organized and trained asteams: watch teams, duty section teams,and damage control teams.

Building a command from scratchoffers the unique opportunity to establishpriorities that will endure for the lifetime ofthe vessel. For MOMSEN, those prioritiesare training, innovation, and forceprotection. Training is the backbone ofany successful Navy organization and isthe reason the Pre-Commissioning Unitexists. The PCU ensures crewmembersreceive proper individual training and thenorganizes the crew into a trained teambefore moving aboard the ship. The Pre-

Commissioning process is also a rareopportunity to incorporate innovation intothe command’s organizational structure,policies, and procedures. MOMSENcreated a new department in response tothe proliferation of fiber optic datanetworking technology built into the ship’sweapons and control systems. TheSystems Integration (SI) Department wasformed by consolidating all the rates withresponsibility for equipment that utilizesfiber optic data management. The synergyof consolidating similarly trainedtechnicians, without regard to sourcerating, proved valuable during the systemsstart-up testing phase of construction.Anti-terrorism force protection was

MOMSEN’s third priority and thecommand addressed this mission area bycreating an innovative full-time ForceProtection Division.

By the spring of 2003, all of thefunctional segments of the hull were builtand a complete ship was assembled on theLand Level Transfer Facility. Productionwas 76% complete and it was time tocelebrate the stepping of the mast. TheMast Stepping Ceremony is the second offive ceremonies in the shipbuilding process.Traditionally when a mast is stepped, oraffixed to the keel, coins are placed underthe base of the mast to commemorate theevent. This centuries-old tradition is linkedto mythology. If the ship goes down atsea, the coins are placed to pay theferryman’s toll across the river Styx. The

MOMSEN crew hadgrown to 68 by April 15,2003 when the MastStepping Ceremony washeld. Ninety-two coinswere gathered, one fromeach member of the crewand several from theMomsen family repre-sen t ing s ign i f ican td a t e s i n V A D MMomsen’s life. Thecoins were welded in atime capsule at the baseof the mast and will staywith the ship until theday she is strickenfrom the Navy rolls.

Charles Momsen III, VADM Momsen’sgrandson, spoke on behalf of the Momsenfamily and read a passage aboutMidshipman Momsen from his U.S. NavalAcademy Class of 1920 yearbook. In theshort paragraph, Momsen was referred toas the “Lucky Swede.” Swede was anickname he retained his entire Naval career.Charles Momsen III offered that “LuckySwede” might be a possible nickname forthe ship, an idea that was quickly adoptedby both the crew and the shipyard.

The Land Level Transfer Facility hastwo shipbuilding ways. Two vessels, invarious stages of construction, occupythose ways at all times with completedsegments of additional hulls placed in

holding areas throughout the yard. A largeblue floating dry dock sits moored atthe end of the ways awaiting the deliveryof the next hull ready to be launched inthe Kennebec River. The dry dock haspermanent mooring chains that extendinto the center of the river and surround adeep hole dredged in mid-channel. Thedock can move under its own powerbetween the two building ways and out tothe center of the river. By July of 2003,“Hull 475” was 85% complete and readyto be launched in advance of theChristening Ceremony. The “float off” is aslow and controlled process. The dockdetached from the end of the building waysjust after sunset and the ship floated freefrom the dock structure just after sunrise.A great deal of production work stillremained to be done, but “Hull 475” wasnow in position to be christened.

Five hundred people gathered towatch the ship’s christening on August 19,2003. Evelyn Momsen Hailey, VADMMomsen’s daughter, was the ship’ssponsor. After several speeches includingMomsen’s grandson, Christopher Hailey,and VADM Albert Konetzni as the principalspeaker, Evelyn Hailey proclaimed, “Ichristen thee Momsen, the lucky Swede”,and with the swing of a champagne bottle“Hull 475” officially became USSMOMSEN.

Building and outfitting an ArleighBurke Class destroyer is one of the mostcomplex processes in the industrialized

Charles Momsen III.

USS MOMSEN before undocking.

1 4 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

(Building a Warship... continued from page 11.)

world. Only two shipyards in the UnitedStates have the capacity and workforcecapable of the task. At Bath Iron Works, alarge sign sits over the main entrance tothe shipyard, “Through these gates passthe finest shipbuilders in the world.”It is not just a sign; it is a work ethic evidentin every facet of the company. The ship-building process begins with the 6,200 tonsof steel and 406,000 pounds of welding rods.Forty-eight miles of pipe and 254 miles ofelectrical cable are installed, all by hand!Three hundred and fifty-seven doors/hatches/scuttles, 6,500 light fixtures,8,000 valves, and 69,000 gallons ofpaint complete the process. Eachstep worked with meticulous attention todetail befitting BIW’s other slogan, “Bathbuilt is best built!”

A s t h e s h i p y a r dpressed on with its con-struction schedule, so didthe crew. Well-trainedindividuals were forgedinto efficient teams throughLand Based EngineeringSimulators in Philadelphia,Combat Information CenterTeam Training in WallopsIsland, Virginia andinnovative Fire FightingTeam Training in Newport,Rhode Island and Bath,Maine. By March of2004, MOMSEN was 98%

complete and readyfor sea trials. Justfour days at seawere needed to testevery major system,fire two standardmissiles, the 5-inch62 caliber gun, runt h e e n g i n e e r i n gplant up to fullpower, and completehundreds of othersystem tests. Thes h ip p e r f o r m e dmagnificently ande v e n h a d t h eo p p o r t u n i t y t odisplay good sea-keep ing ab i l i t ywhen some New England weather

rolled through the Gulfof Maine!

In May, the crewhad grown to 290, 70%of whom had neverserved a tour of dutyaboard ship. Productionwas 100% complete andon May 6, 2004, theNavy officially acceptedMOMSEN in a brief butimportant Ship CustodyTransfer Ceremony.The ship now belongedto the Navy and thec r e w w a s c h a r g e dwith its maintenance,training, and upkeep.

This article was written by thePre-Commissioning Crew of USSMOMSEN (DDG 92).

All the functions necessary to support ashipboard routine started that day. Thecrew moved aboard, ate their first galleyprepared meal, and stood the first set ofshipboard watches.

At the end of July, MOMSEN will saildown the Kennebec River and start thetransit to her homeport, Everett,Washington. At the end of August, theCommissioning Ceremony will be held inPanama City, Florida. It is fitting that theship named after the father of Navy divingwill be commissioned in the home of Navydiving and salvage.

In the early part of the twentiethcentury, Charles “Swede” Momsen started

a legacy that lives through Navy Divers -past, present, and future. USS MOMSENwill bring the Momsen legacy to a newgeneration of Sailors not involved withdiving or salvage and well into the twenty-first century.

The life cycle of a warshipis thirty years. During that time, 3,500Sailors will cross the brow andcall MOMSEN “their ship.”

The commissioning crew ofMOMSEN welcomes all Divers into thisnew fraternity and hopes Navy Diverseverywhere consider USS MOMSEN“their ship”, too.

Evelyn Momsen Hailey breaks champagne bottle on thehull of USS MOMSEN.

The Christening Ceremony!

CDR Ed Kenyon, Commanding Officer, and LCDR Bill Bullard,Executive Officer, on an icy bridge wing during sea trials.

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 1 5

V

Vice Admiral Charles Momsen was amajor contributor to diving research,

submarine rescue, diving equipmentdevelopment, deep diving operations, andoperations with military submarines.During his long and distinguished careerin the U.S. Navy, he contributed manydiving innovations, developed some veryadvanced diving techniques, and wasinstrumental in numerous progressive, life-saving operations.

Charles Bowers Momsen was bornon June 21, 1896 in Flushing, Long Island,New York. He attended public schools inWashington, D.C. and St. Paul, Minnesotabefore his appointment in 1916 to the U.S.Naval Academy. He graduated fromAnnapolis with the Class of 1920, wascommissioned an Ensign on June 7, 1920,and served aboard the battleships USSOKLAHOMA and USS MARYLANDbefore reporting for submarine training atthe Navy Submarine Base, New London,Connecticut in 1921. He served asExecutive Officer of the submarine USSO-13 and commanded the submarines USSO-1 and USS R-24.

He was then transferred to the Bureauof Construction and Repair where hehelped develop the famous submarineescape device known as the Momsen Lung.

After the submarine USS S-4 sankoff the coast of Provincetown inDecember of 1927 with the loss of fortylives, the U.S. Congress appropriatedmoney for the Navy to develop effectivesubmarine safety and rescue systems.Just a few months before the USS S-4 sank,LT Momsen had been in command ofher sister ship, the USS S-1.

Momsen and his team startedfrom scratch in developing a submarineescape breathing system. Momsen wasgiven a submarine to use as a floatinglaboratory - none other than the salvagedand reconditioned USS S-4, whichserved as a constant reminder of theimportance of success by the researchteam. The result of their hard and dedicatedwork looked like a hot water bottle witha gas mask. It had a capacity equal tothat of the human lungs. One tube carriedair from the mouth to the bag. Anothertube enclosed a container of soda limeto purify the air of carbon dioxide andcarried the air from the bag to the mouth.

On February 5, 1929, the submarineUSS S-4 was submerged in 40 feet ofwater at Smith Shoals, 11 miles off thecoast of Key West, Florida. LieutenantMomsen and Chief TorpedomanEdward Kalinowski were the first tosuccessfully test the Momsen Lung. Thetest team continued to test the MomsenLung, going deeper and makingrefinements. Finally, on March 7, 1929,Momsen and Kalinowski escaped from 204feet. For this development he was awardedthe Distinguished Service Medal.

LCDR Momsen became Officer-In-Charge of the U.S. Navy ExperimentalDiving Unit (NEDU) in Washington, D.C.in August of 1937. He became a qualifieddeep sea Diver himself. Two surgeons fromthe Navy Medical Corps were assigned towork with Momsen to find a substitute fornitrogen in the Diver’s breathing gas fordeep diving. Under Momsen’s leadership,the NEDU Team perfected new helium-oxygen mixtures and new decompressiontables to allow Divers to safely work atdepths over 300 feet.

Crewman A.L. Rosenkotter of USS V-5 (SC 1)demonstrates the use of the submarine's afterescape hatch and the emergency escape "lung"

during V-5's trials in July of 1930.

Vice Admiral Charles B. Momsen, USN (1896 -1967).

On May 23, 1939, the submarineUSS SQUALUS sank off the coast ofPortsmouth, New Hampshire during seatrials. The submarine was stranded on thebottom 243 feet down. Since the submarinewas below the safe limit to use the MomsenLung, the SQUALUS captain decided towait for possible rescue.

Momsen and the NEDU Divers, theirnew mixed-gas diving equipment, and theMcCann Rescue Chamber were quicklyloaded aboard the salvage ship USSFALCON. Some years earlier, Momsen hadworked with CDR Allan McCann indevelopment of the McCann RescueChamber. LCDR Momsen directed theNEDU Divers in descending to the strickensubmarine, making contact with thecrewmen inside, attaching the rescuechamber haul-down line and assisting inthe rescue. The McCann Chambersuccessfully rescued 33 of the 50 crewmenaboard the submarine USS SQUALUS.Following Momsen’s direction, the NEDUDivers made 640 additional mixed-gas divesover the next few months to salvage thesunken SQUALUS, bringing the submarineto the surface under the most severeweather and water conditions. Four of theDivers on the rescue and salvageoperations were awarded the Con-gressional Medal of Honor by PresidentRoosevelt.

VICE ADMIRAL CHARLES “SWEDE” MOMSENU.S. Navy Diving and Submarine Pioneer

1 6 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

LCDR Momsen and 44 ofhis men were awarded the NavyCross. Momsen was promotedto Commander and assumedcommand of the cargo ship USSSIRIUS in September of 1939,where he remained untilOctober of 1941 when he wasdetached for duty in theFourteenth Naval District, PearlHarbor. He remained there inconnection with war operationsafter the Japanese attack onDecember 7, 1941. In July of1942 Momsen was designatedas Assistant Chief of Staff andWar Plans Officer to theCommander Hawaiian SeaFrontier. He was promoted to Captain andserved as Commander of SubmarineSquadron Two, and subsequentlySubmarine Squadron Four. CaptainMomsen personally took over theinvestigation into the alarming number of“dud” torpedoes that were not explodingwhen hitting their target. An improvedexploder was developed which increasedthe effectiveness of American submarineattacks. For his special contributions tosubmarine warfare from February of 1943to June of 1944, he was awarded the NavyCross (his second), the Legion of Merit,and a Gold Star in lieu of a second Legionof Merit, with Combat “V.”

Between June and December of 1944,he had duty in the Office of the Chief ofNaval Operations, Navy Department,before he assumed command of battleshipUSS SOUTH DAKOTA. Under hiscommand, that battleship took part inoperations against Japan, attacking enemyinstallations in the area of Tokyo. He wasawarded a Gold Star in lieu of the thirdLegion of Merit, with Combat “V.” He alsoreceived a letter of commendation from theCommander Fifth Fleet, with authorizationto wear the Commendation Ribbon andCombat “V,” for outstanding service whilein command of USS SOUTH DAKOTAduring the support of the assault operations

on Okinawa from March 14 toMay 14, 1945.

When relieved of thecommand of the USS SOUTHDAKOTA in July of 1945, hewas assigned to Headquarters,Commander in Chief, UnitedStates Fleet, at the NavyDepartment in Washington,D.C. to prepare for the invasionof Japan, scheduled for Aprilof 1946.

After the Japanesesurrender on September 2,1945, Momsen was ordered toduty as Administrator, U.S.Naval Shipping ControlAuthority for JapaneseMerchant Marine, concerned

with repatriation of Japanesecivilian and military personnel.

He was promoted to RearAdmiral and on October 15, 1946,he became Commandant of theNaval Operating Base, Guam,Marianas Islands, continuing toserve as such until January of1947, when he joined the staff ofCommander, Marianas Islands asChief of Staff and Aide.

After his return to theUnited States, he was a memberof the General Board from June1947 to May of 1948 and for threeyears thereafter served asAssistant Chief of NavalOperations for UnderseaWarfare.

On May 21, 1951, he reported asCommander Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet.On June 2, 1953, he became Commandantof the First Naval District, with additionalduty as Commander Naval Base, Boston,and Commander Naval Base, Portsmouth,New Hampshire.

In April of 1955 he was designatedCommander Joint Task Force Seven andcontinued to serve as such until relievedof all active duty upon his retirement onSeptember 1, 1955, when he was advancedto the rank of Vice Admiral.

The U.S. Naval Diving and SalvageTraining Center (NDSTC) in Panama City,Florida named its main building after VADMCharles Bowers Momsen.

In honor of Momsen’s manycontributions to the U.S. Navy, an ArleighBurke Class destroyer was named USSMOMSEN (DDG 92).

VADM Momsen contributed greatlyto the safety of submariners and Diversthrough diving research, and extension ofthe time and depth limits for diving. Hisleadership and bravery in many at-seaoperations are legends in Naval history.

On May 25, 1967, Vice AdmiralCharles B. Momsen died of cancer at theage of 70, in Bay Pine Veterans Hospital inSt. Petersburg, Florida.

This article is from the book, Pioneers InDiving, by Edward C. Cargile. For moreinformation, contact ecargile@cox.net.

USS WANDANK (AT 26) and USS FALCON (ASR 2) moored overthe sunken SQUALUS during rescue operations in May of 1939.The McCann Rescue Chamber is visible on FALCON’s afterdeck.

Several variations of the “Momsen Lung” apparatus.Left to right: TM1(DV) Edward Kalinowski in an ex-perimental metal canister, SF1(DV) John Iben in anexperimental rubber canister, and LT Charles Momsenin a circular tube around shoulders, March 1928.

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 1 7

In an effort to improve the search capa-bilities of the DDG 51 Class against the

submarine threat and reduce costs ofinstallation, PEO IWS asked SEA 00C5whether it would be possible to install anew sonar array pierside on Arleigh BurkeClass guided missile destroyers. TheSparsely Populated Volumetric Array(SPVA) provides surface combatants withsuperior acoustic intercept detection,greatly expanding detection bandwidthand is similar to the unit that is currentlyavailable to the submarine fleet. TwoSpruance Class destroyers werepreviously equipped with a priorgeneration SPVA; all completed in drydockat a significant expense in time and money.

NAVSEA 00C5, in conjunction with itsdiving services contractor, PhoenixInternational Incorporated, was tasked toprovide concept, design, and installationof the SPVA on a DDG 51 Class ship. Itwas immediately apparent that majorhurdles would include establishing twoperfectly aligned hull cuts in which toinstall the SPVA, obtaining access to theworksite, and ensuring double hullprotection at all times when personnel werenot immediately present.

The SPVA was to be installed forwardin the same approximate area as the sonardome rubber window directly beneath thesonar room to where data collected by theSPVA would be transmitted. The area

Creating second of two hull cuts.

provided was the“Banjo,”a structure encompassingthe sonar dome rubberwindow inclusive of acylindrical rotunda in thecenter. Cramped accessto the rotunda wasprovided through sevenframes of lighteningholes, transducer cables,degaussing equipment,and an airlock.

The hull structurenear the “Banjo” consistsof both an internal andexternal ¾-inch hull plate,separated by approximately 30 inches ofacoustic foam and tile. The two hull plateswere rigidly supported by internal stiffenersinstalled 12 inches on center. The bendradius of the fiber optic cable utilized bythe SPVA sensor required that a seachestbe utilized that allowed only a maximum ¼-inch clearance between the forward and aftsides and the respective support member.Precise layout and cutting techniques wererequired to accomplish this.

NAVSEA 00C5 commissionedthe design and development of ahydraulic drill that could both access therotunda through the cramped passage andalso ensure a perfectly aligned cut withrelation to the interior and exterior hullplates. Proper alignment was crucial

in order to preventbinding of the seachest/SPVA assembly as it wasinserted through both hullcuts into the rotunda.The seachest was fabri-cated with a doubler platethat had been pre-fitted to the curvatureof the hull and did notallow alteration due toprevious weld certification.A slight misalignment ofthe two cuts could eitherdamage the seachest and

internal stiffeners or not allow fit uptolerances to be met.

The drill was comprised of the motorassembly, centering shaft, support bridge,alignment guides, cutting arm, and cuttingheads. After layout and drilling of pilotholes, the hydraulic drill arrived in therotunda in ten pieces via a “daisy chain”of personnel. The support bridge waswelded in place ensuring consistentplacement of the drill for both cuts. Thedrill was installed and cut the internal hullplate in 35 minutes. Removal of the drillallowed personnel to excavate largeportions of foam and tile, leaving only outercircumference edges remaining for a closefit between seachest and acoustic foam;easy work for an improvised lawn mowerblade installed on the drill. The centeringshaft was fabricated with a tip inserted intoa bushing drilled into the exterior hull plate.The centering tip ensured precisealignment between interior and exterior hullcuts, the second of which was completedin four hours of cutting. Double hullprotection was ensured during the cuttingprocess by the use of an eductor box onthe exterior and a Tooker patch coveringthe interior hull plate cut.

With the hull cuts ready to receive theseachest from the wet side, the eductor boxand the Tooker patch were replaced with acofferdam and custom designed drybox.

(Sonar Installation....continued on page 20.)

Divers inserting seachest into hull.

1 8 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

By: LT Todd Ochsner

Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit ONE Detachment THREE

In mid-January of 2004, Mobile Divingand Salvage Unit ONE Detachment

THREE (MDSU ONE Det 3), stationed inPearl Harbor, Hawaii, was tasked to pro-vide diving, salvage, and recovery opera-tions for a stranded Torpedo Retriever(TR-73) located in Port Allen, Kauai. In theearly morning of January 14, severeweather had caused TR-73 to break loosefrom her moor, eventually drifting andstranding herself on nearby rocks. MDSUONE was able to rapidly mobilize, deploy,assess, salvage, and recover TR-73 in justtwelve days.

MDSU ONE was notified of the vesselstranding on the afternoon of January 14.Within hours of the notification, Commanddeployed one of its Master Divers toconduct the initial assessment and survey.MMC(SW/MDV) Thomas Perkins arrivedon the island and completed the initialsurvey to determine what support assetsand equipment was required to salvage theTR-73. The storm had not completelypassed Kauai so the weather and roughseas presented a significant challenge, butnot one too difficult for Team MDSU toconquer. The next morning, eight MDSUONE Det 3 personnel, alongwith their SCUBA equipmentand rigging gear, were flownvia H-3 Sea King helicopter tothe Pacific Missile RangeFacility (PMRF) locatedapproximately 30 miles fromPort Allen.

On January 16, MDSUONE Det 3 conducted theinitial in-water survey of TR-73 utilizing their SCUBA gear.The results of the initialsurvey revealed the 65-footaluminum craft to be strandedwith its keel aground in a sandbottom and starboard sidepinned against the rocks.Apparently, the heavy surfhad caused the vessel to surge

off the sand bottomand settle directlyonto the rocks. Oneparticularly large rockpinned the vessel’ssuperstructure againstthe shore. Three of theTR-73’s compartmentswere open to the seaand a hole, measuring4.5’ by 2.5’, wasdiscovered on the portside. The Divers notedthe starboard aft side tobe damaged as well, butcould not conduct athorough assessmentdue to the severe swells and adverseweather. The initial attempt to recover thevessel utilizing bellybands (attached bySCUBA Divers) was unsuccessful becauseof the various metal obstructions locatedon the hull, as well as the challenge posedby the rough seas. Realizing a moreaggressive recovery procedure utilizingsurface supplied diving and lift bags wouldbe required, MDSU ONE Det 3 requested aMK III system with MK20 and EGS. This

equipment was promptly transported fromPearl Harbor to Kauai the next morning viaa U.S. Coast Guard C-130.

The next morning, the Teamcommenced diving with MK 20 and MK IIIsystems. A more thorough survey revealeda 6-inch vertical tear at a forwardcompartment and a 7-foot gash in the keel.With TR-73 stranded in shallow water justoff the shoreline, the Team quickly realizedthe 10-ton lift bags that were intended to

lift the hulk would beuseless if used in thetraditional manner(attached alongside,outside the vessel).Instead, the Team usedsome ingenuity andinserted four of the 10-ton lift bags inside theTR-73 superstructure.Lift bags were placedinside the aft machineryroom, the forward cabin,and two within thecentral internal com-partments of the TR-73.Divers literally stuffedthe lift bags throughhatches into the boat’sinternal compartments.TR-73 beached at high tide.

Storm conditions at Port Allen upon arrival.

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 1 9

LT Todd Ochsner is currently the DMO/PAO at MDSU ONE.

Once inside, the lift bags were inflated.Four mooring buoys were rigged outsidethe TR-73 for added lift. Additionally,cofferdams were placed on various fuelfittings to prevent leakage of an estimated500 gallons of DFM.

On January 19, the TR-73 was success-fully lifted and towed 200 feet from therocks to her safe haven - a mooring buoy.The starboard had massive damage to itsaft portion. Several tons of sand werefound within the aft compartment. TheDivers began removing sand using trashpumps and hand buckets which improvedTR-73’s buoyancy. Although successfullylifted, damage was too extensive to safelytow the craft to Oahu, some 100 miles away.The decision was made by PRMF to use

A view of the damage to the starboard aft engine roomduring the initial grounding.

an excavator for dis-posal once the vesselwas safely retractedashore.

Prior to the arrivalof the excavator, heavyswells and adverseweather continued overthe next several days,breaking over a dozenwire pennants designedto hold the craft inplace.

A d d i t i o n a l l y ,several lift bags werepunctured by hulldamage and eventuallyleaked. The Divers

performed multiple in-water repairson the lift bags inside TR-73 and re-rigged the craft for retraction.

On January 25, the excavator ar-rived on site and the Team set upthe retraction and recovery gear ona ridge near the Port Allen harbor.Though several wire pennants brokeduring the beaching process, the TR-73 was successfully retracted ontoshore on the evening of January 27.The next morning, the Team retrievedlift bags and rigging from TR-73,packed their gear, and prepared forredeployment to Oahu. TR-73, to-tally beyond repair, was eventuallysold for scrap.

“As my first salvage job atMDSU ONE, Iwould say this was avery frustrating andchallenging job becauseit required lots of rethink-ing and looking at differ-ent ways of doing thingsto get that boat out of thewater,” said BM2 JosephTheodorou, a MDSUONE Det 3 Diver. “Ittook a lot to get theTR-73 out of there,but the team work wasgreat and the support wereceived from the PMRFpersonnel was the best.”

Team MDSU displayed the mobilityand flexibility often needed in salvageoperations to successfully recover the TR-73. Being able to deploy a rapid responsedive team and its equipment via helicopterexhibited a new level of mobility previouslyunheard of in the salvage Navy and furthervalidated MDSU’s role in ExpeditionaryDiving and Salvage. Indeed, MDSU ONEDet 3 was able to successfully complete itsmission in spite of short notice of tasking,rough seas, and damaged equipment.

MDSU ONE Det 3 Officer-in-Charge,BMCS(DSW/SS) Wade Bingham,statedthat: “All branches of the dive Navy makeplans and implement them. Usuallythough, if an obstacle presents, theinclination for most is to turn back and re-

think or re-plan. On the salvage side ofthe house though, turning back isnot an option, the job has to get done.Re-thought strategies, onsite ingenuity,and relentless persistence are necessaryto do that job. Obstacles do not showup on the planning board, so wehave to overcome them out there onthe side.”

Team MDSU adds another successfuloperation to their report card. HOO YAH -Go Navy Divers!

BMCS(DSW/SS) Bingham coming up through TR-73’spilothouse after conducting first internal inspection.

After putting in internal flotation devices andwith the amount of sand retained while agroundon rocks, more external flotation devices wererequired for the port aft corner.

2 0 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

“Service to the Fleet”

This page is designed to give the readers the latest “Buzz” on various topics to USN diving and its systems.Compiled and written by MDV Steve Smith (smithss@navsea.navy.mil)

MDV Pratschner was asked tocompare a Miller Board to a non-rigidstretcher. His trial runs indicate that usingthe non-rigid litter offers a few advantagesover using the Miller Board. The flexiblelitter is much easier to use when getting aman out of the water. This litter should notbe used when spinal injury is suspected,but if this is the only stretcher available,slide a boat hook through the handle oneach side to make a somewhat rigidstretcher. In addition, the non-rigid litterfolds up and is easily put into an O

2 kit or

dive supplies briefcase, and takes up a lotless room than a Miller Board.

The wave piercing sealift catamaransHSV-X1 Joint Venture (INCAT hull 60) andHSV-X2 SWIFT (INCAT hull 50) were builtin Hobart-Tasmania, Australia. The 327’length, 87’ beam, and 13’ draft vessels arebased on a commercial ferry designmodified for military operations. Theunderwater hull coating systems on thesevessels pose serious health risks to divingpersonnel and special precautions must betaken to avoid contact with the coatingsystems. For further information, see AIG239 Diving Advisory 04-06.

Several reports indicate the potentialfor the fabric cover to fray and expose theinflation bladder of Zeagle BCsmanufactured from 1996 to 2003. This wascaused by a spring rated at 4 PSID located

in the overpressurization valve and theremote exhaust valve. Zeagle has lessenedthe tension on the spring to 2 PSID toalleviate the potential problem. Please seeAIG 239 Diving Advisory 04-04 for furtherdetails and resolution of problem. MK-11BCD is not affected by this AIG and nofurther action is required.

Hydrostatic testing requirements forcarbon fiber composite flasks do not callfor a 5% permanent expansion asacceptance criteria as is done on the Kevlarflasks. Per the DOT exemption (DOT-E-10945 (SCI) and DOT-E-10915 (Luxfer)),there is a Rejection Elastic Expansion (REE)number stamped on the flask which is theacceptance criteria for these flasks. Carbonfiber flasks must be hydrostatically testedevery five years. There is no documenationof a hydrostatic test when delivered new.Documentation provided lists theautofrettage date, which is effectively theinitial hydrostatic test. This date will alsobe on the label attached to the flask. Thereis no requirement in DOT for the facilityperforming subsequent hydrostatic testingto provide any documentation of the testbeyond the label attached to the flask, buta copy of the test report should berequested for inclusion in the certificationpackage.

The exemptions for the Kevlarwrapped composite flasks used on theLWDS, TRCS, and FADS III are DOT-E-8162 (SCI) and DOT-E-10970 (Luxfer).These flasks still have the 5% permanent

expansion criteria and they still need to behydrostatically tested every three years.

The exemptions for carbon fiberflasks, which we use on the LWDS,TRCS,and FADS III must be carried withthe system any time they are in transit. Themanufacturer renews these exemptionsevery three years, so it is necessary to goto the DOT website periodically to get themost recent update of exemption. Thesecan be found at http://hazmat.dot.gov/exemptions_index.htm.

Biodegradable hydraulic fluid isauthorized for use in all Hydraulic PowerUnits. Envirologic 132 manufactured byTerresolve Technologies, LTD may beused in lieu of Houghton PR1192 MilSpec-C-81309 TY2 CLII. The fluids shallnot be mixed together. You mustthoroughly clean power unit and alltools when switching from one fluid to theother. MIPS 5921/013, 5971/004, 5971/005,and 5971/068 will reflect the use of this fluidor the PR 1192.

If interested, you can contactTerresolve Technologies, LTD at(800) 661-3558.

Recently the phone numbers atESSM have changed. Diving Manager,Paul Schadow can be reached at(757) 637-9044. Diving Coordinator,Jeff Washburn can be reached at(757) 637-9061. Quality Assurance, EricCress can be reached at (757) 637-9060.

The prefabricated seachest with doublerplate was modeled from Bath Iron Worksstructural drawings and inserted into thehull openings, allowing Divers to performa dry chamber weld on the hull of the“Banjo.”

All that remained of the operation wasthe running of the fiber optic cable fromthe rotunda along the same route utilized

by the existing transducer cables to atermination in Sonar Room 3. Diagnosticsconducted by Advanced AcousticConcepts, the SPVA’s manufacturer,demonstrated complete operationalcapability.

The full capabilities of the SPVAsystem will not be known for many months.Testing at this year’s RIMPAC exercise will

(Sonar Installation... continued from page 17.)

start to show the capabilities of the system.Once again the Underwater Ship Husbandryprogram has demonstrated its value to theNavy by reducing costs and increasingship operational availability.

LT Mark B. Williamson is currently aProgram Manager at the UnderwaterShip Husbandry Division of 00C.

Stretchers

U/W Paint

Zeagle BCs

Carbon Fiber Flasks

If You Did Not Know

ESSM Phone Numbers

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 2 1

Dive School at the Washington Navy Yard

By: Lee Wolford

Dive School History provided byMr. Jim Dolph (dolphje@mail.ports.navy.mil).

An Experimental Diving Organizationwas established at the New York

Naval Shipyard in 1913 under theCommand of Chief Gunner George D.Stillson. The organization was formallydesignated as the Navy ExperimentalDiving Unit (NEDU) in 1927 and wasrelocated to the Washington Navy Yard(WNY) to centralize all Navy research thatrelated to diving. Relocating NEDU toclose proximity with the Navy DivingSchool ensured that the latest NEDUtechnology could be rapidly incorporatedinto the training procedures.

The first Navy Diving School wasestablished in 1926 in Building 146 at theWashington Navy Yard. The name waschanged to Deep Sea Diving School(DSDS) in 1928. The Navy Salvage Schoolwas moved to the WNY from Bayonne, NJin 1957 and combined with the DSDS.NEDU and DSDS were a joint commanduntil 1966 when they were separated, withNEDU commanded by an Engineering DutyOfficer and DSDS under a Diving andSalvage Officer. In 1970, Deep Sea DivingSchool’s name was changed to the NavalSchool of Diving and Salvage (NSDS) toreflect its combined mission.

The records indicate that Building 214was constructed in 1943 as the “U.S. NavyExperimental Diving Unit and Deep Sea

Divers School.” Thebuilding was outfitted withmultiple air and gassystems, four pressurecomplexes, and two opentanks to support NEDU andDSDS. The diving bargeTOM O’MALLEY andvarious support craft weremoored to the quay wall onthe Anacostia River in frontof the school. NEDUrelocated to the NavalCoastal Systems Center inPanama City, Florida in 1975 and the DivingSchool followed in 1980.

During the 37 years of operation inBuilding 214 at the Washington Navy Yard,the school trained the Navy’s helium-oxygen mixed gas Diving Officers, SalvageOfficers, Diving Engineering Duty Officers,Diving Medical Officers, Master Divers,First Class Divers, and Diving MedicalTechnicians. The school also trainedDivers from other branches of the AmericanArmed Forces, numerous foreign countries,Department of Defense civilians, andcivilian law enforcement agencies.

The school side of Building 214contained two pressure complexes for deepair and mixed-gas dives, and the open tanksfor other underwater projects. The majority

Lee Wolford was until recently a SalvageOperations Specialist at NAVSEA 00C.

of the training projects were accomplishedin the Anacostia River diving from thebarge TOM O’MALLEY. The river bottommud varied in depth from mid-thigh tohelmet, and visibility was nonexistent. Thesaying was: “If you can dive in theAnacostia, you can dive anywhere in theworld.” This was especially true inFebruary. The practical portion of theSalvage Course consisted of surveying,patching, pumping, and raising a sunkenship located near the Woodrow WilsonBridge in Oxon Cove. Open water air andmixed-gas dives were supported by an YDTmoored over a 110-foot deep hole in thePotomac River off Popes Creek, Maryland.

After NSDS moved to Panama City,Building 214 was demolished and replacedwith a parking lot. The quayside where theTOM O’MALLEY was moored wasrefurbished and now has a railing, trees,and benches, but nothing acknowledgingNSDS or NEDU on this site.

In recognition of the accomplishmentsof all those who worked and trained atNSDS and the numerous advancements indiving that were perfected at NEDU, it isfitting that a suitable marker be erected here.The Commandant Naval DistrictWashington is agreeable to this, if certainconditions are met. A design would haveto be developed and submitted forapproval and the project would have to becompleted at no cost to the Navy.

Barge TOM O’MALLEY at NEDU/NSDS at “The Yard.”

2 2 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

Let me tell you a little story about howthe Master Diver Evaluation process

began. Legend tells us it has been in exist-ence for many moons, as far back as the1930’s, and even today the core principlesare intact and well preserved. The talegoes like this. In the 1930’s a First ClassDiver, First Class Petty Officer was incharge of some major salvage projects andwas being recognized by the CNO at thetime. CNO asked the Sailor why he wasnot a Master Diver yet? The young manreplied: “Because I’ve not been selectedfor Chief yet.” That very day, this Sailorwas spot-promoted to Chief and MasterDiver by the CNO. Soon after, the MasterDiver Evalution process was born.

Today’s Master Diver community stillcovets hungry Chiefs and Senior Chief

Petty Officers who have the skills anddrive to be in charge. The process hasbeen massaged over the years to what wehave now. Retired MDV Don Curtis lovedto tell about the time he was goingthrough Master evaluations. Don’s sto-ries were always funny and entertaining,and got better as the years passed. Some35 MDVs and Diving Officers evaluatedMDV Curtis throughout the week. Theywould watch one or two days of theevaluation process and leave, somewould leave their vote with the ProjectMaster, thumbs up or thumbs down. Itwas the class of ‘87 that began the trans-formation to what we have today.

Today’s process if tough but fair.Most Candidates spend a career preparingfor the gut-wrenching two weeks to prove

they are the man. The Candidate isevaluated on his ability to correct a seriesof problems that could quickly unravel andparalyze most diving supervisors. I callthese problems “bears” and “rabbits.”Most Candidates come hunting the big“bear”, they do not worry about or evennotice the “rabbits” that leave them withlimited options that produce poor results.

When the dive is debriefed,Candidates are asked a series of questionssuch as: “What were your options at thispoint in the dive?”, “Did you consider thisor that?”, “Why did you choose thisoption?”, “What does the dive manualsay?”, “Can you justify your actions andstand on firm ground?” Then we talkabout “the good, better, best rule.” Itstarts to become clear what is expected ofthem and the level of accountability andresponsibility they will take on. TheMaster Candidate must be prepared tohunt both “bears” and “rabbits.”

Many that came before me set myfoundation. I have learned something fromeach one that is part of my daily routine.The recipe is not a secret nor do we hide it,it is within the one that will seek it. LikeMDV Kyle Gaillard would say: “Can’tscore if you don’t shoot.”

I would like to thank all theevaluators for 04-40-MDV and saycongratulations to the newest MDVs: ENCBroduer, BMC Costin, and BMC Shank.

MDV Bryon Van Horn.

JAKE’S CORNERBy: CWO4 Rick Armstrong

The Real Reason NAVSEA Brought Back Saturation Diving Bells...

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 2 3

Topside; Red Diver...From the Supervisor of Diving Captain Mark Helmkamp, USN

In the last issue of FACEPLATE, I dis-cussed our efforts to bring computer-baseddiving into the U.S. Navy diving program.At the Working Divers Conference in LittleCreek, a group of Master Divers was se-lected to act as “change agents” and toprovide developmental and implementationguidance for Fleet introduction. Recall thatour plan is to maximize diving efficiency byusing computers to control decompression.Accurate tracking of the Diver’s exactdepth/time profile will reduce unwarranteddecompression obligation that accruesfrom assuming that all dives are “square”dives. In addition, we plan to introduce acapability for oxygen decompression in thewater for air dives. Prototype computerand oxygen delivery systems will be evalu-ated at sea this summer. A plan of actionsand milestones for the full developmentprogram has been signed out. We expectfull capability by October of 2007.

I introduced those at NEDU and 00Cwho are responsible for development in thelast issue. The following Master Divers,or “elders”, are responsible to me for imple-mentation guidance: BMCM(MDV) FredOrns, BMCM(MDV) Ken Brown, ENCM(MDV) Dave Davidson, ENCS(MDV) BrianPratschner, and HTCM(MDV) Bryon VanHorn.

Control of decompression will remaintopside - as it should be - the Diver’s onlyconcern will remain focused only on get-ting the job completed, thus making devel-opment of a topside computer a priority.We will modify the current Cochran Navydive computer by disabling the shift to aconstant 0.7 ata PPO

2 mix at 77fsw for

SCUBA.The POA&M calls for initial program-

ming of the topside computer with theVVAL-18 algorithm until NEDU developsthe next generation probabilistic model –our desired end-state for this effort. Ver-sion 1.0 of the computer will support twoDivers and one standby Diver, both in ano-decompression and a decompressionmode to 190 fsw on air, giving the decom-

pression requirements for the three Diversindependently. The display will show cur-rent depth, maximum depth, remaining no-decompression time (for no-stop dives),depth and required time at decompressionstops on air and oxygen (for decompres-sion dives), and the number of Sur-D O

2

periods. An alarm will be included in thedisplay to notify Supervisors of ascentrates faster than 30 fsw/min and the sys-tem will support repetitive diving. A depthsensor to support extremely accurate digi-tized input to the topside computer is indevelopment. Technicians recently visitedMDSU TWO to observe how we work andabuse our equipment. For those of youwho enjoy ballast tank work, the sensorwill work in a dry environment. These cri-teria were suggested, discussed, andagreed to by the MDV “elders” at the con-clusion of the Working Divers Conference.

BMCM(MDV) Ken Brown of SIMA,Norfolk will test the prototype computerover a 3-month period and provide detailedfeedback to NEDU. The output of the pro-totype computer will be used only for in-formation during this period; current USNdecompression procedures will be used forthe dives. I expect they will see they havelost BT as the USN-57 tables/procedurescannot account for multi-level diving.

Captain Chris Murray, Deputy Direc-tor Deep Submergence Systems and Sub-marine Rescue and Diving Programs, re-ports that at the request of NAVSEA PMS395, OPNAV N773 is working with BUMEDand 00C to conduct an evaluation anddocumentation of the effects of saturationdiving. The goal is to better understandthe long term effects of saturation divingand how to best document and care for ourDivers. In some cases, a medical re-evalu-ation may be required of retired saturationDivers with physical ailments that couldbe attributed to saturation diving. Ulti-mately, we hope to work with the VeteransAdministration to have these documented

ailments covered as service related disabili-ties. We are just getting started, but thereis strong support within the Navy to dothe right thing and take care of our Divers.

Our Salvage Division Director, Mr. TomSalmon, reports that we lost a couple ofgreat Salvors last spring. In April, EarlLawrence (better known as Curly) passedaway. Curly was a Diver at Puget SoundNaval Shipyard from 1941 to 1966 andjoined SUPSALV as a Salvage Master from1966 to 1974. Curly had a great successrecord, completing seemingly impossibleoperations in a way that made them looklike a walk in the park. When the SIDNEYSMITH went down blocking the St.Lawrence Seaway, Curly came up with aningenious plan that allowed Divers to workin the heavy currents. Large cofferdamswere installed on the side of the hull, al-lowing the Divers access to the bottomunfettered by the swift current where theycould enter the hull to do their work. Thisproved to be crucial to the successful sal-vage and re-opening of this critical sea-way. Another notable operation was therescue of Pisces III, a manned submers-ible, entangled on the seafloor off the coastof Ireland. Mobilizing the CURV III fromSan Diego and installing it on a commercialship, Curly directed the operation and suc-cessfully rescued the two-man crew 74hours into their 72-hour life support sys-tem.

In May, Robert Hamilton, CWO4(Ret.), passed away. Bob was one of thoseold school Boatswains who could rig any-thing. (Tom tells me Bob could rig lemon-meringue pie and yard, and stay it betweentwo lightly loaded ships 100 feet apart upto sea state six, really.) He graduated fromthe Dive School in Bayonne as a SalvageDiver in 1956. Although Bob was no longeractively diving when he retired, his knowl-edge of rigging and salvage made him oneof the best ARS Boatswains ever withinour community. Bob had a way with his

Long Term Effects ofSaturation Diving...

Curley Lawrence and Bob Hamilton,4-4-4...

Computer-Based Air Diving...

2 4 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4

Topside; Red Diver... (continued)

crew, training a host of salvage Divers andBoatswain Mates to do it the right way thefirst time. After retirement, Bob worked forAlcoa Marine Corp, supporting theNAVSEA search and recovery contract. Asthe first project manager for the ROV DEEPDRONE, Bob led the way for the Navy’sentry into the use of Remotely OperatedVehicles for deep ocean salvage work.

The senior active duty MDV“Old Copperhead” is ENCM(MDV) JimmyEvans. MDV Evans was born in Novemberof 1954 in Queens, NY. He enlisted inthe Navy on November 5, 1974 andwas promptly assigned to USS HUNLEY(AS 31). In 1976, MDV Evans attended2/C Dive School followed by 1/C DiveSchool in 1978 and Saturation Schoolin 1980. MDV Evans successfullyconquered the formidable MDV evaluationin 1986. He has 18 years of sea duty,including a tour in the great submarinerescue ship USS PETREL (ASR 14), andwill conclude his 30 years of serviceon August 27, at the base marina inPanama City. All are invited to attend.

Since MDV Evans is one of the lastMK V trained MDVs on active duty, a newname for the senior active MDV will haveto be coined (unless you all like to keep itas it is). I await your suggestions. “OldTupperware Head” will NOT be selected…so don’t bother.

Lacking a good reason to support theHistorical Diving Society? Here is one. Aswe prepare to celebrate the commissioningof USS MOMSEN, a warship named for agreat leader in the development of our craftVADM “Swede” Momsen, we receivedfrom the Society’s President, Mr. LeslieLeaney, a Momsen Lung for presentationto the ship. The “Lung” will be presentedto the ship’s Commanding Officer, CDR EdKenyon, on behalf of all USN Divers, ac-tive and retired, the evening before com-missioning. I encourge you to look intoLeslie’s offer on page 3. CDR Kenyon hastold me that MOMSEN commemorates notonly the Admiral but also “…all Divers – Iwant it to be thought of as your [Divers’]ship…” Note the hard hat on the ship’sseal in this issue’s centerfold. WhileMOMSEN does not have an air system,stage, or chamber, we at FACEPLATE/00Cwish this warship and crew the very bestas they enter the Fleet and engage in thebusiness of this Nation’s defense.

the oceans were filled. One of them, thethird “Sir Father Time” - the earliest soqualified retired MDV - passed away lastspring. MDV Daniel Boone Crawfordentered the Navy in 1933 and was aninstructor at Pier 88, died on May 22, 2003.With MDV Boone’s passing, the fourth“Sir Father Time” was designated and isnow in receipt and has custody of theperpetual “Sir Father Time” timepiece. Hisname is CDR Arthur “Art” Webb, USN (Ret.)and he is now the earliest qualified (NOTthe oldest) MDV amongst us ambient air

breathers still living.Art’s first Navy dive inMK V dress was in 1937and, for kicks, he claimshe helped establish theSalvage Divers School atPier 88 in New York City by helping to sinkSS NORMANDIE there. He contributedto the firefighting effort in February of 1942.For those of you that do not know, thefirefighting water collected high in thevessel causing NORMANDIE to capsizeat the pier. Here is his letter:

Good morning. I received the “Sir Father Time” clock in yesterday’s mail. Thanks to all that were involved with this project. It just goes to showyou there are some advantages to just being “old.” It also shows that if you drink the right stuff, breath enough compressed air, and turn your divingdress inside out to dry after a “wet dress” dive, you too will live to a ripe old age and can hang the clock in your house.

It seems to me that you should know a little bit about me. For your information, my first dives were made as a GM 3/C to qualify as a Diver 2/C in 1937. As a GM 2/C, I went to Diving School in D.C. and qualified as Diver 1/C in 1939. In 1942 - from Sub Base Pearl to EDU in D.C. for upgradeto helium. Dove on the wrecks in Pearl until late ’42, (Kenny Ploof was frequently my dive partner), made CGM in ’43, then to ARS 35. I wasdesignated Master while I was on her. A long trip to Africa/Italy - diving on scuttled ships in Africa and Italy. My gang did a lot of diving - damn shortdives - between air raids during the invasion at Anzio - we used a LCI, diving off the infantry landing ramps so we could work on the landing craft thatwere beached and had fouled their screws. We also placed a temporary patch on a mined British DD, placed a couple of pumps on her, were their“guests”, and kept her afloat during the slow tow to Leghorn repair facilities. I was transferred in ’44 to be an instructor at DSDS in D.C. where Ireluctantly (4 months after selection) accepted the rank of Ensign. I say “reluctantly” because I was a Chief Petty Officer and a Master Diver - the topof the heap - and all the 90-day wonder Ensigns were 20 or 21 - and here I was - a grizzled “old” 26 years of age. I was a plank owner on the HOISTand X/O on the CABLE, SAFEGUARD, CONSERVER, all ARS vessels. Finally, as LCDR, CO of the USS DELIVER, ARS 23. I left her in March of 1957for shore duty, was selected for CDR, and finally retired due to loss of an eye while on duty at the Naval Weapons Laboratory, Dahlgren, VA. I now haveleukemia - I believe a result of diving on and working in the Bikini Atomic Fleet.

I hope I haven’t bored you with my spiel - just thought you should know a little bit about me. My family knows how to contact you and return“Father Time” when my faceplate is closed for the last time and I give two tugs on my life-line. Take care, all of you.

Respectfully, Art.

A great letter, yes? Thanks for writing, Art.

Sir Father Time...

In the last issue of FACEPLATE,I mentioned the idea of erecting abronze “Jake” to mark the location ofthe NSDS. A recent letter from retiredDiver Edson Whitaker of Fairhope,Alabama (who spent 6 of his 27 Navyyears at the Yard) points out mynot mentioning EDU along with NSDSbeing memorialized by the bonze “Jake.”Sorry Ed, and thanks, while it was part ofthe plan, I failed to mention the “Jake”was intended to commemorate bothcommands.

Meanwhile, Bob Barth at NEDU hasbeen circulating e-mails among the retireddiving community regarding the monumentand has received uniformly positiveresponses. There is much more to followon this project, but in the meantime,see Lee Wolford’s “Hard Hat History”article about the School and EDUat “The Yard.”

CAPT Mike Herb reports that NDW“...enthusiastically embraces...” the idea.

Retired Master Diver MRCM(MDV/PJ) Dennis Morse, related to me that someUSN Master Divers were qualified before

Old Copperhead... WNY EDU & Dive School Memorial... Historical Diving Society...