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Exercise Island Response Focuses on Interoperability

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS061115-13
Release Date: 11/15/2006 5:06:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Kathryn Whittenberger, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs

MAHE ISLAND, Seychelles (NNS) -- Exercise Island Response 2006 continued Nov. 10 with the Seychelles coast guard diving unit and U.S. Navy divers and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians sharing with each other different methods and procedures for applying their trade.

The 14-day exercise began Nov. 2 on Mahe Island, Seychelles. The latest training evolutions included side scan sonar theory, set up, and hands-on training. There was also classroom instruction on the Mk 20 full face mask that the dive teams will be using during a practical exercise later in the exercise.

“It was a great chance to demonstrate a capability that they may want to use in the future,” said Navy Diver 2nd Class Brandon Holt, the instructor for the Mk 20 course. The Mk 20 is a dive mask which enables communication and enhances visibility.

The annual exercise includes both classroom and hands on training. So far, instructors from EOD Mobile Unit (EODMU) 4 Det. 12, out of Manama, Bahrain, and Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 Det. 5, out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, have covered dive medicine, neurological exams, decompression sickness, tagout training, patching, plugging and salvaging, limpet removal, and usage of the hyperbaric chamber.

“It was beneficial seeing the capabilities of the equipment to help us determine what we may need in the future,” said Lt. Ronnie Matatike, diving officer for the Seychelles Coast Guard.