- Author
- Linton, E.W. (Jake), BEM, MCD, Commander, RAN (Rtd)
- Subjects
- Biographies and personal histories, RAN operations
- Tags
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- RAN Ships
- HMAS Rushcutter (Shores establishment), HMAS Penguin (Shore Base - Balmoral)
- Publication
- March 2007 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
Qualification
When we qualified I was posted to Rushcutter as ship’s company. I took on the job of assistant diving storeman and remained there until 1956, when I was posted to HMAS Sydney as Diver’s Yeoman. By this time more courses had been conducted and the Hard Hat community was beginning to accept us. More characters appeared from the Hard Hat ranks such as Dixie Foord, Sandy Brennan, Joe Flaherty, Alex Donald and John Dollar. We were beginning to make our name within the Navy and, depending on whom you spoke to, we were either flavour of the month or a pack of rogues. By the early 1960s most (if not all) of the serving Hard Hat or Standard Divers had changed over to Clearance Diver and our numbers got up around 200.
The Branch formed a solid relationship with the Army Engineers from Liverpool Army camp, who got us started in Explosive Demolition and Explosive Ordnance Disposal until we started our own school in these areas. We also trained the Police Divers when their branch was formed in the late 1950s.
A number of diving tasks came the way of the branch, including recovery of crashed aircraft, most notably the Vickers Viscount which crashed in Botany Bay in 1961. My involvement in the recovery of the Viscount and the bodies from it was probably the most disturbing job I ever had and I believe that all those involved were affected one way or another. I remember becoming a vegetarian for around six months and compulsive at washing my hands.
We also assisted the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority, clearing the outlets of Eucumbene Dam. This was perhaps the most mentally taxing in that it required great concentration keeping your mind on the task at 285 feet using air. The recommended safe depth for diving on air is much less than 285 feet. Australian Divers developed a variation of the Demand valve for the job and we used the ‘Cousteau Constant Volume Suit’ with it and a wet suit as an under suit. I remember the water was so cold I wondered why it wasn’t hard.
Sydney Harbour depth charges
We also rendered safe WW II ordnance from just about all areas of Australia, including depth charges from Sydney Harbour and sea mines from the Barrier Reef. Members of the branch spent many months on deployment to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands clearing WW II ordnance, and on Defence Cooperation Programs. In the 1960s Mine Warfare was added to our area of responsibility and Clearance Diving Teams were formed in NSW and WA. These teams are now fully commissioned and integrated into the Fleet. A Clearance Diving Team was maintained in Vietnam from 1965 to 1971, firstly in Vung Tau and later in Da Nang.
Our equipment was the Clearance Diving Apparatus (CDBA) Pattern No. 5561A and could be used to breathe pure oxygen or a variety of mixed gases made from percentages of oxygen and nitrogen. When used with pure oxygen it was designed to allow you to rebreathe the gas after it had been through a soda lime filter, which cleared the gas of carbon dioxide. Thus the equipment had no exhaust gas and allowed you to operate covertly. In the mixed gas mode the equipment allowed you to stay longer at depth than normally the case when breathing compressed air. The gases were mixed to provide the greatest percentage of oxygen in the mixture for the depth of the dive, thus keeping the percentage of nitrogen to a minimum and decreasing the requirement for decompression stoppages.
In 1955 wet suits had yet to be developed and our diving suit, the Underwater Swim Suit Mk. 1 (UWSS), a dry suit, was constructed of rubberised cotton twill and covered us completely with the exception of the hands. Entry was through the neck and then with the aid of a neck ring, clamp and hood we made ourselves watertight. Another suit, nicknamed the ‘Clammy Death’ was a relic of WW II and was even more uncomfortable. Both these suits had the annoying habit of pinching pieces of flesh from parts of your body and at every chance we chose to wear a pair of overalls with a greasy wool jumper when diving.
A hobby for a job
Life was good as a Clearance Diver. Diving pay gave us a bit of a lift in income and the working environment was excellent, it felt as if we had a hobby for a job. There are a million stories about some of the jobs we did and also the antics of some of our characters but in the main our reputation soared, and Clearance Divers were highly sought as members of any ship’s company. One did not seek promotion as it could have a detrimental affect on your diving time and your diving pay as a direct result. Diving Pay was very handy in those days, I remember one pay while diving in Eucumbene, I received £70 or $140 at 10 cents a minute for diving at that depth.