Clearance Diving Team (RAN)

For other nations' commando frogmen, and information about frogmen in general, see Frogman.

For other nations' naval work divers, see Clearance Diver.

The Clearance Diving Teams (CDT) [1] of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) also act as commando frogmen: they consist of naval personnel who are qualified in diving, demolitions, underwater repairs, and reconnaissance. They fulfil a special forces, maritime counter-terrorism role as part of the waterborne troop of the Tactical Assault Group East (TAG EAST).

History

The RAN has used divers on a regular basis since the 1920s, but it was not until World War II that clearance diving operations came to the fore, with RAN divers working alongside Royal Navy divers to remove naval mines from British waters, and from the waters of captured ports on the European mainland. RAN divers were also used in the commando frogman role, performing duties including reconnaissance of amphibious landing sites. The skills learned in the European theatre were brought back to Australia, and utilised in the war against Japan. After the war, RAN divers were used during the cleanup of Australian and Papua New Guinea waters of defensive mines.

The utility of clearance and commando divers demonstrated during and after World War II prompted the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board to establish a clearance diving branch within the RAN in 1951. Divers were initially attached to the Underwater Research and Development Unit, based at HMAS Rushcutter. In 1956, they were organised into a separate Mobile Clearance Diving Team. In March 1966, the divers underwent further reorganisation, splitting into two Clearance Diving Teams. Clearance Diving Team 1 (initially CDT 1, later styled as AUSCDT 1) was the operational team assigned to mine clearance and commando operations throughout the Australia Station, while Clearance Diving Team 2 (CDT 2/AUSCDT 2) was dedicated to mine warfare in the Sydney area, but was not cleared for operations outside this area.

In late 1966, Clearance Diving Team 3 was established specifically for deployment to the Vietnam War to assist the overworked United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal units, and to give RAN personnel in clearance diving work in an operational environment. Sending CDT 1 or CDT 2, in full or in part, would have impacted on the teams' existing commitments, along with the continuity of training and postings. CDT 3 was formed from available personnel; this was sufficient to keep a six-man team on station in Vietnam from early 1967 until early 1971, with six-month deployments. CDT 3 was disbanded at the end of the Vietnam War, but the designation is reactivated for overseas wartime deployments, including in 1991 for the Gulf War, and again in 2003 for the Iraq War.

Units

Inspecting clandestine naval mines in the Persian Gulf, 2003.

There are two standing units based in Australia;

• Clearance Diving Team One; assigned to the east of Australia and based at HMAS Waterhen [2] in New South Wales
• Clearance Diving Team Four; assigned to the west of Australia and based at HMAS Stirling [3] in Western Australia

A third unit, Clearance Diving Team Three (AUSCDT THREE) is formed when clearance divers are sent into combat. CDT 3 saw extensive service in the Vietnam War, and during the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq War.

There are seven Reserve Diving Teams (RDT) which provide supplementary or surge capability in support of regular CDTs in addition to localised fleet underwater taskings:

• Reserve Diving Team Six – Victoria
• Reserve Diving Team Seven – Western Australia
• Reserve Diving Team Eight – Southern Queensland
• Reserve Diving Team Nine – South Australia
• Reserve Diving Team Ten – Tasmania
• Reserve Diving Team Eleven – Northern Territory
• Reserve Diving Team Twelve – Northern Queensland

Role

Clearance divers speed out to their dive site on a fast insertion boat

Clearance divers during a ship boarding exercise in 2006

The Clearance Diving Teams' roles include:

1. Mine Counter Measures (MCM) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), including:-

• Location and disposal of sea mines in shallow waters
• Rendering safe and recovering enemy mines
• The search for and disposal of ordnance below the high water mark
• Clearance of surface ordnance in port or on naval facilities
• Search for, rendering safe or disposal of all ordnance in RAN ships and facilities, including the removal of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)

2. Maritime Tactical Operations including:-

• Clandestine hydrographic survey of an amphibious beach
• Clandestine clearance or demolition of sea/land mines and/or obstacles
• Clandestine placing of charges, demolitions for the purpose of diversion or demonstration
• Underwater Battle Damage Repair

3.Tactical Assault Group

• Counter Terrorism

Selection

The RAN's diver training program is centred around a 10-day clearance diver acceptance test (CDAT), colloquially known as "hell week". Recruits begin each day at 02:00, and are put through over thirty staged dives designed to test their strength and endurance.

Operations

• In the Vietnam War, Clearance Diving Team 3 was awarded the United States Navy Unit Commendation twice and the United States Meritorious Unit Commendation for its mine clearance work: see Non-U.S. recipients of U.S. gallantry awards.
• Took part in Operation Navy Help
• 1991: Performed mine clearance operations for coalition forces during the Gulf War.
• 1999: In the East Timor conflict, covertly mapping Indonesian harbours and beaches.
• 2003: In the Iraq War, where they supported Naval Special Clearance Team ONE in mine clearance operations in the port of Umm Qasr.
• 2008 – Present: EOD/IEDD Operators assigned to Operation Slipper in Afghanistan.

References

• Grey, Jeffrey (1998). Up Top: the Royal Australian Navy and Southeast Asian conflicts, 1955–1972. The Official History of Australia's Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948–1975. St. Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1864482907. OCLC 39074315. 
• Perryman, John; Mitchell, Brett (2011). "Naval Operations in Vietnam". In Oldham, Charles. 100 Years of the Royal Australian Navy. Bondi Junction, NSW: Faircount Media Group. http://www.nxtbook.com/faircount/RoyalAustralianNavy/RAN100/index.php. Retrieved 20 June 2011. 

External links

• Australian SF Community
• Clearance Diving Teams
• RAN webpage for Clearance Diving Team 1
• RAN webpage for Clearance Diving Team 4