Domestic Stories

Pacific Dive Unit: to Chile we go!

By: LS Paul trimble, Fleet Diving Unit, Pacific

IQUIQUE, CHILE -- June 18 marked the culmination of another successful exercise involving Fleet Diving Unit Pacific (FDU) Mine Countermeasures (MCM) team.   

Exercise Teamwork South, hosted by the Chilean Navy, served to promote the interoperability of nations over a wide spectrum of naval warfare and operations. From June 1 – 18, the Canadian Mine Counter Measures (MCM) team, working closely with Chilean Special Forces, the Buzos Tacticos, underwent training that ranged from mine countermeasures to shipboard explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), including improvised explosive disposal (IED).

Upon arrival at Iquique International Airport, we admired a mountainous and desert landscape. After a short transit to the town of Iquique, we embarked into a zodiac that took us to our home for the next nine days, the supply ship Galvarino. Within hours of arrival, the MCM team was busy unloading and organizing equipment in preparation for the days of training ahead.           

Credit:  Galvarino crew Members of the Fleet Diving Unit Pacific (in blue) stand with their new friends from the Chilean Military Special Forces, the Buzos Tacticos. The Canadian divers from left to right are PO1 Hesjedahl CD, LT(N) Kappel CDO, LS Trimble CD - Bottom Row, LS Landry CD, LS Kusinskis CD, MS Elson.

In a very short period of time, a rapport had been established with the crew and even more so with the members of the Buzos Tacticos. The friendship that grew daily was essential to effective communication and training productivity throughout the exercise. Most importantly, our mutual respect set the groundwork for effective training, which was to come in the days ahead.

The first few days consisted of “dry runs,” where we demonstrated our dive procedures and use of associated dive equipment. We then demonstrated our pre-dive procedures and explained the operation of our nitrous-oxide re-breather, CCDA (Canadian Clearance Diver Apparatus). CCDA is a closed/semi-closed circuit re-breather apparatus we use when we dive to a maximum depth of 140 feet seawater (fsw).

In turn, they demonstrated their re-breather, the Drager SMT and its functioning and operation. It was advantageous for both parties to observe different dive procedures, as the purpose for exercises such as this is to create a system that will inherently promote increased safety and effectiveness in the operational and training setting.

The first phase of the exercise involved the laying of mine shapes on the ocean floor to set the scenario of a minefield. Our task was to localize and identify four mines in the area using our hand-held sonar equipment. The Canadian MCM team was successful in finding and identifying all mine shapes. Both countries were able to compare procedures relative to dive safety, operating in a mined area, identification methods, mine exploitation and search and neutralization techniques.

The second phase of the exercise had us embarked on the Flag Ship Almirante Cochrane. On the destroyer, we were tasked to participate in the exercise from a Maritime Explosive Ordnance Disposal (MEOD) standpoint. Over the next week, working once again with the Buzos Tacticos, we gave lectures and demonstrated our methods in MEOD and render safe procedures. We gave demonstrations of our equipment such as the bomb suit, X-ray machine, how we render safe weapons and other related EOD equipment. As part of the exercise schedule, an MCM EOD team successfully identified and rendered safe a tank mine and a rocket grenade, which had been discovered, armed, on the ship.

Upon completion of the exercise, and arriving in Valparaiso, Chile, we prepared our equipment for its return to Canada. Exercise TEAMWORK SOUTH had come to its conclusion, having been successful in all areas. We then said goodbye to a great many friends who, over the past few weeks, had earned our respect. We had developed a camaraderie found only among dive professionals. 

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