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Capabilities Surface During Navy Diver-Southern Partnership Station 2009

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090630-20
Release Date: 6/30/2009 5:01:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Chris Lussier, Navy Diver-Southern Partnership Station Public Affairs

BRIDGETOWN HARBOR, Barbados (NNS) -- Members of Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 Company 23 participated in a capabilities demonstration aboard Barbados Coast Guard Station June 26.

The event is part of a Navy Dive Southern Partnership Station (ND-SPS) 2009, a monthlong U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) directed engagement between U.S. and partner nations. It is designed to showcase the skills of Regional Security System (RSS) divers from Antigua/Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, the Commonwealth of Dominica, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent/Grenadines, learned through cooperative training with U.S. Navy divers.

"Today we got to interact with the leaders from various departments who actually control the funding for us to acquire equipment," said Barbados Coast Guard Chief Austin Rickey Howell. "We had a good response from the leaders and we are hopeful that later on we are able to purchase some of the equipment we trained on."

Howell also added that MDSU 2 has helped highlight the importance of military diving and that he is hopeful that continued engagements and events like this demonstration help propel RSS diving to new levels.

RSS divers demonstrated skills and diving techniques built upon the more basic dive training they received last year during ND-SPS 2008.

These skills included; lift-bag operations, hull inspections utilizing the DP-2 bottle-on-surface self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, through-water communications, MK-21 full-face mask diving system, diver propulsion vehicles (DPV), and underwater photography.

"I was here last year during ND-SPS 2008 and so were 16 of the 33 RSS divers participating this year," said MDSU 2 Company Commander Warrant Officer James Dertilis. "I've noticed a lot of those guys taking the lead when diving, and really utilizing the skills we taught."

In addition to highlighting skills, the event also demonstrated the seamless integration of U.S. and RSS forces.

"One of the things we really love is to get hands on, make sure our teams come down here, build relationships and then should, later on, something come up, when our teams need to come down they are able to integrate with the country teams and get the job done," said Maj. Saint Lehtinen, U.S. military liaison officer in Barbados.