nastyleg
11-06-2009, 03:22 PM
Royal Navy divers to join the hunt for Taliban IEDs
A Military Operations news article
6 Nov 09
Royal Navy clearance divers have deployed to Afghanistan for the first time to add their expertise to the joint Service effort dealing with unexploded ordnance. Report by Ian Carr.
From left: Royal Navy clearance divers Les Cockerton, Ian Higgins, Jay Gardner and Chris Collins
Early in October the first Royal Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team to deploy to Afghanistan set off to Helmand province as part of the joint Service EOD capability.
There are several specialist teams in Helmand providing EOD support to the troops. Most are provided by the Army and now one by the Royal Navy.
The RAF will be sending their first team in March 2010. In addition there are Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) teams to deal with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The Navy teams were created in answer to the joint Service call to enhance the EOD and counter-IED effort beyond what can be provided by the Army alone. Each team of clearance divers is led by a Petty Officer (Diver).
Commander Peter Greenwood, Commanding Officer of the Fleet Diving Squadron, stressed that this was a tremendous step forward for the Royal Navy:
"We've never done this type of work before in Afghanistan and it will be a very difficult and challenging environment for us to get to grips with," he said.
There is an almost limitless amount of EOD work to be done in Afghanistan. So much so that a single Service approach can't crack it alone.
Working on land isn't new for the Navy divers. For the last two-and-a-half years they have been deployed to Iraq to support land-based EOD operations.
Mikey Jacobs practises with the AW50 anti-materiel rifle
But going to Afghanistan will set the teams a whole new set of challenges.
In Iraq they were stationed at the Contingency Operating Base in Basra and were called out to deal with conventional munitions disposal such as unexploded mortars from around the base or incoming rockets that had landed but not exploded.
In Helmand they will spend between six to eight weeks at a time at various forward operating bases on a rotational basis as part of planned and strike operations:
"Make no bones about it, this is really a shooting war and we'll be right in the middle of a two-way shooting range," said Team Leader, Petty Officer (Diver) Jay Gardner. "In effect, we're glorified infantrymen."
The divers will join troops going out on patrol, clear routes for vehicles and deal with whatever comes their way. Wherever possible they will also collect information about any new devices they encounter.
You can't grow an EOD specialist overnight. It makes more sense to train a Royal Navy EOD diver in infantry skills than take infantry and train them to be EOD specialists.
Being divers, their normal place of work is usually cold and wet; either in deep sea dealing with mines and conducting underwater searches of ships and jetties, or close to shore where they clear beaches and shallow waters of threats before troops race across.
Examples of IEDs and other explosive ordnance found in Afghanistan
Preparing them for this new environment meant the divers spending six months training with the Royal Engineers' 49 Field Squadron, learning land skills such as weapons training and ambush drills:
"We really enjoyed it," said Leading Diver Ian Higgins, "learning something new is always good, and it could be life-saving, so it kept us very switched on."
The range of devices that the team will come across will also be a challenge:
"We have had a lot of intelligence briefings on IEDs and EODs out there. There's also a lot of legacy stuff from when the Russians were here," said Petty Officer Gardner.
"There is also a move by the Taliban towards homemade explosives, made from fertiliser, for example."
It is certain that they will encounter plenty of IEDs, and, although they have been trained to deal with them in extremis using remote vehicles, this is a job normally done by the RLC.
That is soon going to change. After completing a six-month tour to Iraq, Chief Petty Officer Willy Sharp was accepted onto the Army's high threat IED disposal course. He's expected to deploy to Afghanistan in 2010.
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/RoyalNavyDiversToJoinTheHuntForTalibanIeds.htm
A Military Operations news article
6 Nov 09
Royal Navy clearance divers have deployed to Afghanistan for the first time to add their expertise to the joint Service effort dealing with unexploded ordnance. Report by Ian Carr.
From left: Royal Navy clearance divers Les Cockerton, Ian Higgins, Jay Gardner and Chris Collins
Early in October the first Royal Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team to deploy to Afghanistan set off to Helmand province as part of the joint Service EOD capability.
There are several specialist teams in Helmand providing EOD support to the troops. Most are provided by the Army and now one by the Royal Navy.
The RAF will be sending their first team in March 2010. In addition there are Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) teams to deal with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The Navy teams were created in answer to the joint Service call to enhance the EOD and counter-IED effort beyond what can be provided by the Army alone. Each team of clearance divers is led by a Petty Officer (Diver).
Commander Peter Greenwood, Commanding Officer of the Fleet Diving Squadron, stressed that this was a tremendous step forward for the Royal Navy:
"We've never done this type of work before in Afghanistan and it will be a very difficult and challenging environment for us to get to grips with," he said.
There is an almost limitless amount of EOD work to be done in Afghanistan. So much so that a single Service approach can't crack it alone.
Working on land isn't new for the Navy divers. For the last two-and-a-half years they have been deployed to Iraq to support land-based EOD operations.
Mikey Jacobs practises with the AW50 anti-materiel rifle
But going to Afghanistan will set the teams a whole new set of challenges.
In Iraq they were stationed at the Contingency Operating Base in Basra and were called out to deal with conventional munitions disposal such as unexploded mortars from around the base or incoming rockets that had landed but not exploded.
In Helmand they will spend between six to eight weeks at a time at various forward operating bases on a rotational basis as part of planned and strike operations:
"Make no bones about it, this is really a shooting war and we'll be right in the middle of a two-way shooting range," said Team Leader, Petty Officer (Diver) Jay Gardner. "In effect, we're glorified infantrymen."
The divers will join troops going out on patrol, clear routes for vehicles and deal with whatever comes their way. Wherever possible they will also collect information about any new devices they encounter.
You can't grow an EOD specialist overnight. It makes more sense to train a Royal Navy EOD diver in infantry skills than take infantry and train them to be EOD specialists.
Being divers, their normal place of work is usually cold and wet; either in deep sea dealing with mines and conducting underwater searches of ships and jetties, or close to shore where they clear beaches and shallow waters of threats before troops race across.
Examples of IEDs and other explosive ordnance found in Afghanistan
Preparing them for this new environment meant the divers spending six months training with the Royal Engineers' 49 Field Squadron, learning land skills such as weapons training and ambush drills:
"We really enjoyed it," said Leading Diver Ian Higgins, "learning something new is always good, and it could be life-saving, so it kept us very switched on."
The range of devices that the team will come across will also be a challenge:
"We have had a lot of intelligence briefings on IEDs and EODs out there. There's also a lot of legacy stuff from when the Russians were here," said Petty Officer Gardner.
"There is also a move by the Taliban towards homemade explosives, made from fertiliser, for example."
It is certain that they will encounter plenty of IEDs, and, although they have been trained to deal with them in extremis using remote vehicles, this is a job normally done by the RLC.
That is soon going to change. After completing a six-month tour to Iraq, Chief Petty Officer Willy Sharp was accepted onto the Army's high threat IED disposal course. He's expected to deploy to Afghanistan in 2010.
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/RoyalNavyDiversToJoinTheHuntForTalibanIeds.htm