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U.S., Thai Navy Divers Test Knowledge, Skills During CARAT

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070626-17
Release Date: 6/26/2007 5:09:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jessica M. Bailey, Commander, Task Force 73 Public Affairs

SATTAHIP, Thailand (NNS) -- U.S. Navy and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) divers participated in manned chamber operations training June 22 using the Cowan Transportable Recompression Chamber System (TRCS) -- a valuable tool that could save a diver’s life.

The Navy divers from Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 Det. 11, based in Pearl Harbor, are embarked aboard USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) as part of the task group for the 13th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series.

The TRCS is used primarily as an emergency hyperbaric facility and operates as a total life support system that can be transported to remote locations where diving operations are underway or an emergency rescue is in progress. The system makes it possible to treat divers suffering from a variety of ailments.

Those ailments include arterial gas embolism, which is usually the result of an injury to the lungs that causes bubbles to leak into the bloodstream, or decompression illness, which can occur when there is a decrease in the ambient pressure to which a body is exposed. Both are fairly common diving ailments.

“This medical treatment training will teach us how to respond to underwater emergencies when a diver has been under [the water] for a long time,” said Royal Thai Navy Lt. Mongkol Podang, a diver who serves as an English translator. “It is the most important and valuable training to us.”

The TRCS consists of two components connected by a NASA-style “O” ring for leak-tight integrity and easy removal. There is the Transportable Recompression Chamber (TRC), which is used as the emergency evacuation chamber, and the Transfer Lock, which is used to transfer medical personnel in and out of the TRC. The TRC is equipped with a stretcher and stretcher slide ease to expedite patient removal and transfer. Both units are equipped with oxygen/air support racks that supply and control air or oxygen to the personnel being transported.

In any training situation, the student’s understanding of the material has to go beyond the classroom setting and be tested in real-time application. According to Chief Warrant Officer Dave Davidson, officer in charge of operations for MDSU, doing “dry runs” on the class material allows for hands-on training in preparation for the real thing.

“Training is competency-based with emphasis on doing dry runs to test the divers on what they’ve learned in the classroom and if they can demonstrate what they’ve learned,” Davidson said. “We have to make sure that what is being taught is understood and can be demonstrated once we get out of the classroom. This is the only effective way to gauge if they really have a grasp of the material and an understanding of the procedures.”

Since saving lives is the primary focus of manned chamber operations training, having a qualified medical technician involved in the sessions is crucial in ensuring the proper training on administering treatment and evaluation of the patient’s condition.

“The medical person stays with the patient in the pressure chamber, making sure that the illness is being treated correctly and that their vitals are steady,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (DSW/FMF/PJ) Jeremiah Oh, who is the MDSU’s certified deep sea diving independent duty corpsman and assists in medical related training in the TRCS. “In the training, I teach how treatment is administered and the correct procedure in doing so. They are taught what to do if any diver suffers from decompression sickness or any other condition that requires immediate attention.”

Podang believes this training is vital in that it allows both navies to share techniques, experiences and skill, while also creating a sense of unity and camaraderie between U.S. Navy and RTN divers at the same time.

“We are happy and honored for this opportunity,” Podang said. “We are learning how to save lives and this medical treatment training will take care of the diver and will teach us what to do to make diving safer. We will find the problem and know how to treat the diver correctly.”

For CARAT’s Thailand phase, the training is primarily chamber-medicine based, with the MDSU diving team spending up to 16 hours in the classroom and 40 hours in dry runs with the Thai divers.

CARAT is a sequential series of bilateral military exercises the U.S. Navy performs annually with the armed forces of six Southeast Asia nations. The exercise continues with scheduled visits to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.