The Ocean Simulation Facility One of the unique tools at the Navy Experimental Diving Unit is the Ocean Simulation Facility, which simu- lates ocean conditions to a maximum pressure equivalent of 2,250 feet. It’s the largest decompression chamber in the U.S. and includes a 55,000-gallon wet chamber and five dry living/working chambers total- ing 3,300 cubic feet. The wet chamber is so large a small submarine can fit inside. The Ocean Simulation Facility also houses a
50,000-gallon experimental test pool and an envi- ronmental chamber, which can simulate tempera- tures from zero to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, humidity up to 95 percent, and wind velocity up to 20 mph.
tection that allow divers to prolong their stay in frigid water and still function effectively. Underwater breathing apparatus testing and evalua- tion. “The NEDU regularly evaluates commercial off-the- shelf units for potential applicability in the Navy diving fleet,” Gerth says. The NEDU also has its own diving units and strives constantly to better understand and ex- pand the capabilities of those units. The NEDU routinely shares with the civilian div- ing community the data it obtains through its research efforts. “Going back through history, [the] NEDU has been at the forefront of most advances in diving,” Lehnhardt says. “We pioneered a lot of the research into mixed gas diving, transitioning from bulky Mark V dive helmets to scuba equipment. We were also involved in the development of various rebreather devices and the treatment tables that go along with hyperbaric treatment for any type of diving disorder. Also, the Navy developed the basic algorithms that went into mak- ing the standard decompression tables for *air diving, *helium diving, and saturation diving.”
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Supporting America’s warfighters Of course, ensuring divers in all branches of the U.S. military are the best-trained and -equipped warfighters of their type remains at the forefront of the NEDU’s mis- sion. According to Lehnhardt, the unit supports a broad
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array of specialty operations, including fleet divers in charge of salvage, explosive ordnance disposal personnel, and special warfare communities like the Navy SEALs. “We work intimately with the special forces guys,”
Air diving is a type of diving in which the diver’s
breathing medium is a normal at- mospheric mixture of oxygen and nitrogen. It typically is limited to depths of 190 feet or less. Helium diving is a type of diving in which divers breath a combination of helium and oxygen, known as Heliox, to prevent nitrogen narcosis during deep dives.
says Gerth. “Their mission is evolving all the time. Our job is to enable them to do that mission and expand what that might be so they can do more damage to the enemy at less risk to themselves. This is a very valuable part of the overall diving enterprise for the Navy.” The NEDU has supported the special forces through- out its history by increasing their depth capability and also by increasing the duration they can stay down, adds Lehnhardt. “We have done this through exploration of new and traditional diving mixes, new and unique ways to use those mixes, and also through the methods by which they are doing the diving. We have helped them push the en- velope, make them successful, and to conduct their operations safely.” The NEDU currently is assist-
ing NAVSEA 00C in certifying the Navy’s only 1,000-foot saturation- capable system, the Saturation Fly-Away Diving System. “This system will significantly enhance the Navy’s ability to perform
deepwater recovery, adding another capability to the Navy’s diving armamentarium,” Lehnhardt says.
MO
— Don Vaughan is a freelance writer from North Carolina. His last feature article for Military Officer was “Combating Skin Cancer,” June 2012.
JULY 2012 MILITARY OFFICER 55
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