Strong, steely, steady and stealthy. These are some of the qualities of the naval divers in the Naval Diving Unit (NDU), who are specially trained in underwater mine disposal, search and rescue missions and underwater maintenance and repairs of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) ships. Increasingly, tactical training is being emphasised to sharpen the divers’ proficiency in handling maritime crisis situations.

Diving into the unknown

“It was very dark. Visibility was zero. The current was quite strong at that point in time. You couldn’t have known what you would be bumping into. The conditions were worse than what you would have encountered in Singapore.

“Slowly, you would come across bits and pieces of the wreckage. You could only feel for clothing, identity cards and wallets, because you couldn’t even see anything. If you felt something sharp, it would probably be part of the aircraft. You just had to bring everything up.”

SSG Frankie Chong was describing his first-hand experience in Palembang during the SilkAir crash in Dec 97, when he was involved in the 24-hour search and recovery operations in the Musi River. A veteran diver, SSG Wong is currently a training wing instructor in NDU.

The only unit in the SAF that specialises in diving, the bulk of NDU’s responsibilities lie in search and rescue (SAR), explosives ordnance disposal (EOD) and general salvage work.

Readily responsive to calls for assistance, our naval divers are also involved in less critical situations, such as “evidence recovery.”

MSG Norris Charles, another veteran instructor, said: “There was once in 1994 when we spent five hours below Anderson Bridge recovering a gun which was accidentally dropped by a robber!”

Underwater demolition man

One of the most challenging tasks for the EOD divers took place in 1990 when a team of 60 divers worked around the clock for three days to clear 21 World War Two bombs in the waters off Pulau Brani.

Said MSG Charles who specialises in EOD: “Mine clearance is a very long process, as it can take days, weeks or months. All EOD divers have to attend a specialised course before they qualify as mine clearance divers.”

He emphasised: “Of course, safety is top priority. We inspect every single diver before diving to ensure that his equipment is fully demagnetised to prevent any explosions when approaching underwater mines.

“On top of that, every mine clearance diver goes through currency drills under close supervision every quarter so that he is thoroughly familiar with all the standard operating procedures.”

Similarly for SAR divers, currency drills are held every quarter. For example, drills are carried out in tandem with the Air Force for the SAR stand-by team stationed in NDU 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

SSG Alvin Chia, a salvage specialist, explained: “When we are activated, we will put on the required diving gear. A chopper will land on the parade square at NDU to bring us to the site, where we will carry out SAR operations. The first team to be deployed to Palembang was actually this stand-by force.”

Versatile frogmen

Although naval divers operate primarily underwater, they are certainly not “fishes out of water” and will surface in times of need.

NDU’s combat capabilities include shipboarding, force swimming (groups of divers swimming in formation) and close quarter combat. Such capabilities are necessary when hostages have to be rescued from hijacked ships or when ships suspected of carrying contraband cargo have to be boarded and searched.

Said SSG Eric Tay, a combat-trained NDU diver: “Compared to normal salvage jobs, combat diving is a different ball game altogether. There are special tactics that you need to learn. In order to be a good combat diver, you must also possess situational awareness and survival instincts.”

He added: “Fitness also plays a part, because you are not just diving. You also have equipment and weapons, and you will have to swim fast. The diver’s mental state is also very important, as in how much you can motivate yourself to achieve your objectives.”

Pushing to the limits

A firm grounding in physical fitness and mental agility is provided to all trainee divers during the training process at NDU. As in all cases, training builds the competence required to perform the job. However, it is a little different in the NDU, where every trainee diver knows that the training will either “make or break” him, depending on his determination to persevere through the rigorous training.

It takes about six months for a trainee diver coming straight from Basic Military Training to complete his Class 2 Diving Course, where theoretical and practical knowledge on diving is imparted.

To build up the trainees’ water confidence level and their knowledge of how their equipment would perform underwater, a pool competency course is conducted in the first half of the course. Under the watchful eyes of the safety officer, trainee divers are subjected to simulated stress akin to actual underwater conditions.

Each diver’s performance is closely monitored to ensure that he is competent in managing potential underwater problems. During these drills, all trainees must maintain a cool composure and alert mind to be able to extricate themselves from the problems that they face underwater.

After he clears this stage, a week of sweat and toil awaits him. Popularly known as ‘hell week’, the old adage - the survival of the fittest - certainly applies here. Hell week means a gruelling 120 hours of non-stop physical exertion both on land and in water, with trainees allowed three hours of sleep only on the third day. Only the best will make it.

SSG Tay said: “The aim of hell week is to let each individual know that he can be pushed beyond his limits. There is a saying that the human brain is about 10 times stronger than the body. There’s no way you can test a person’s psychological strength until you break his physical strength first.

“So the first three days of hell week are very physical. However, you must keep on going if you want to succeed. Those who quit will be deemed unsuitable to be naval divers. You have to be a team player to survive. There’s no ‘Rambo’ in the Navy.”

If you thought that hell week would be the culmination of training, guess again. Naval divers have to brace themselves for another three months of basic combat training before they can graduate from the course.

In this last phase, trainees are taught the rudiments of combat tactics. In an exercise called drown-proofing, trainee divers are dumped unceremoniously into the pool with their hands and legs tied. They are then required to bob up and down in the pool, swim for about 100 metres and perform manoeuvres like somersaults underwater.

Navigating overseas

Of course, being a naval diver is not just sweat and toil - it also comes with its perks. Said SSG Alvin Chia: “The good thing about being in the Navy is that we get to travel a lot and get exposed to different cultures.

“Many of us have been on overseas training and exercises. Each attachment can last at least half a year. You seldom get an opportunity to stay overseas that long. We also venture overseas regularly on our training exercises.”

Some of the courses regular naval divers attend include the Basic Underwater Demolition Course (BUDS) conducted in the United States, the EOD course, deep diving course and the diving supervisor course.

So far, the overseas exposure has paid off. SSG Chia emphasised: “Through observing how other navies operate, we have been able to improve on our own operations. For example, the concept of hell week came from the US. So did the pool competency training course.”

A fighting force

The unit, which also boasts some of the youngest warrant officers in the SAF, relies heavily on its warrant officers and specialist ratings (WOSRs) for its operations and routine training activities. In fact, it is the professionalism of the specialists, rather than the new training facilities in Sembawang, which has created a greater impression with visitors to the unit.

Said Commanding Officer, LTC Chng Ho Kiat: “The greatest assets of the unit are not the equipment and weapons, but the personnel who are carefully and painstakingly nurtured with many years of intensive training.”

Without a doubt, our naval divers are all set to create a deep impact in the new millennium. “Nothing stands in our way” was the motto adopted by NDU in 1995 to reflect the daring and “can-do” attitude of the divers. You can be sure that with the tenacity, grit and determination of our naval divers, nothing will stand in their way.