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CARAT Brings Advanced Diving Training to Southeast Asian Nations

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080709-12
Release Date: 7/9/2008 5:51:00 PM

By Cmdr. Daryl Borgquist, Commander Task Force 73 Public Affairs

MALAYSIA (NNS) -- Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1, based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is in Southeast Asia to provide general and advanced instruction to Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) participants.

The Malaysia phase of this year's exercises began July 8.

The training is conducted in a joint training environment. It helps prepare U.S. and Southeast Asian national forces in case they are called upon to work together in response to natural disasters or terrorist attacks.

Most Southeast Asian military diving teams are tasked with the full spectrum of diving responsibilities including ordnance disposal, ship husbandry, rescue, recovery and salvage. Their catchall responsibilities stand in contrast with those of U.S. divers, whose positions are more specialized.

During the first phase of CARAT, in the Philippines, for example, the host nation diving teams saw advanced technologies for salvage that they will be able to implement in the future.

"The salvage project in the Philippines was a training exercise designed to simulate management after a terrorist attack on a Philippine Armed Forces ship," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark Thomas. "The goal was to show how to raise the PG-115 in Cavite Bay and clear the pier" with "combined Philippine and U.S. integrated forces."

U.S. divers -— with Philippine divers, carpenters, and hull technicians —- manufactured metal and wooden patches to restore watertight integrity to a sunken vessel in order to raise it.

During the second phase of CARAT, in Thailand, senior Thai divers received their annual advanced training, and junior divers received training in the use of the KM-37 dive helmet.

"The Thai divers are always very enthusiastic about the training," said Senior Chief Navy Diver Paul C. Adams, the master diver aboard USS Safeguard (T-ARS 50) for CARAT. "They use the U.S. dive manual translated into Thai."

During the third phase, in Singapore, Vietnamese military officers visited Safeguard as observers for a briefing on salvage and recovery operations.

Safeguard is part of the five-ship task force for CARAT 2008, which also includes USS Tortuga (LSD 46), USS Jarrett (FFG 33), USS Ford (FFG 54), and USCG cutter Morgenthau (WHEC 722).

CARAT is an annual series of bilateral military exercises between the United States and several Southeast Asian nations.

For more news from Commander Task Force 73, visit www.news.navy.mil/local/clwp/.