Fleet Diving Squadron

Since the first military diving operation in 1838, the Clearance Diving branch has provided the Fleet with the means to conduct bomb and mine disposal, underwater engineering and all manner of diving capability both in UK and world-wide. Navy divers have a proud history of service in every military conflict from WW1 to recent operations in Iraq. They have an equally proud reputation of providing a valuable peacetime service both home and abroad by clearing mines from local and international waterways, responding to bomb disposal tasks to reduce the risk to civilian populations and providing a specialist underwater response in the fight against terrorism.

The whole range of capability is embodied within the Fleet Diving Squadron, a 150 strong team that cover a wide number of tasks around the UK and a global reach that is routinely deployed. Directed by the Squadron HQ in Horsea Island, assets are located in Portsmouth, Plymouth and Faslane. The Northern Diving Group (based in Scotland) are primarily responsible for providing bomb disposal teams and underwater engineering capability in the north of the country. Their opposite numbers in the Southern Diving Group (split between Portsmouth and Plymouth) cover the same tasks in the southern half of UK. Both groups are called out on a daily basis to deal with explosive devices (mainly WW2 bombs, shells and mines) that are discovered either inland, washed up on beaches or found underwater. They are also specialists in dealing with modern improvised explosive devices and limpet mines. In addition they provide underwater engineering support to RN ships at home and abroad and have a specialist role within the NATO Submarine Rescue Service.

Another Group within this Squadron is the Fleet Diving Group based in Portsmouth. Consisting of three highly specialised and mobile diving units, they provide a world wide capability to support mine countermeasures and amphibious operations, as well as having a land bomb disposal role for deployment overseas. Specialist skills within this group include mine investigation, parachuting, long range diver insertions, very shallow water mine countermeasures, chemical ordnance disposal and deep diving.

The Squadron continues to benefit from new technology (such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and computer driven mixed gas dive sets) but relies heavily on the high levels of professionalism, dedication and skill of its divers. Recent operations and exercises have seen Squadron clearance divers operating in regions as diverse as Iraq, Norway, USA, Dubai, Malaysia and Cyprus, testament to the Fleet Diving Squadron's role in delivering a wide range of specialist capability at short notice to deploy anywhere in the world.

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