KETCHIKAN, Alaska -- Pacific-based Army divers encounter the full spectrum of water temperatures and depths when performing underwater reconnaissance, demolition and salvage missions across the massive theater.
Fifteen troops from 7th Engineer Dive Detachment. 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, are wrapping up a two-month long mission here Oct. 18, in support of U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Alaska, to repair floating breakwaters at Bar Point Harbor, while preparing the divers for cold water, deep water situations.
The project also increased individual and collective unit proficiency in cold water diving and underwater construction tasks, which are similar to the tasks required following tsunami relief and other contingency operations in the Pacific.
Floating breakwaters are coastal defense structures that reduce the intensity of wave action in inshore waters, protecting an anchorage and providing safe harborage especially in the natural disaster prone Pacific waters.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed construction and placement of two concrete breakwaters at Bar Point Harbor in 1980, and the safety of the local community and the many ships anchored in the harbor depends on routine maintenance and repairs like those conducted by the divers.
1st Sgt. David Chebahtah, the detachment's first sergeant, said the 60 days also allowed them to train surface decompression techniques and recompression chamber operations in real time and real conditions.
"Performing some of these tasks at an actual depth of 122 feet below the surface is much different than simulating the same depth profiles in say, 25 or 30 feet of water, where we are normally training at Pearl Harbor [Hawaii]," Chebahtah said.
The divers conducted surface supplied and scuba diving operations while inspecting, removing and replacing anchor frames and chains on the floating breakwaters.
Spc. Anthony Garcia, one of the divers, said the cold water operations were a great learning experience.
"Working in Hawaii obviously limits our ability for this type of training," Garcia said. "I now have a better understanding of waterfront facilities, crane operations, rigging and am better prepared for future missions."
Similar to most of the detachments missions throughout the theater, this one was both a real-world improvement project that will have lasting impact to the community and also a critical readiness training opportunity.
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