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Navy Divers, Local Deputies Dive Together During Ardent Sentry 2013

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS130517-13
5/17/2013

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Randy Savarese

Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Randy Savarese (NNS) -- Navy Divers assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 and Beaufort County Sheriff's Department SWAT Team divers worked together to increase hurricane and disaster response preparedness during exercise Ardent Sentry 13, May 13-17.

Exercise Ardent Sentry is an annual NORAD and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) exercise focused on Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) scenarios to support civil authorities with military capabilities to save lives, prevent human suffering, and mitigate great property damage.

Navy and SWAT divers' goals this week were centered on increasing the effective response of dive teams to natural disasters, such as surveying a damaged bridge due to a hurricane. This week's dives were also in coordination with the Beaufort County Emergency Management Division.

Senior Chief Navy Diver Russ Ciardello, a master diver assigned to MDSU 2, believes exercises like these are a great opportunity for divers on both sides to observe how different dive teams operate through this week's scenarios.

It's a chance for both agencies to interact and exchange valuable information, said Ciardello. "We can always learn from each other."

In turn, SWAT divers gained valuable insight on Navy dive equipment and SCUBA diving procedures.

"Any tips we could get on how to make our diving safer and more effective to help better serve the county here and the sheriff's officers, that's our main goal and I definitely think that was met," said Corporal Mark Cobb, Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

MDSU 2 is homeported at Joint Expeditionary Base, Little Creek-Ft. Story in Virginia Beach, Va. and has successfully conducted salvage operations to support TWA Flight 800, Swiss Air Flight 111, the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse in Minnesota, the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, and recovery of a downed F-16 Fighting Falcon off the coast of Italy.