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DEFENCE INSTRUCTIONS(NAVY)

Department of Defence (Navy Headquarters)CANBERRA ACT 2600

19 March 2004

Amendments to Defence Instruction (Navy) OPS 162 are issued pursuant to sections 9(2) and 9A(3)of the Defence Act 1903.

C.A. RITCHIEVice Admiral, RANChief of Navy

ISSUE NO OPS 2/2004

Amendment 1

Cancellations 2

DI(N) OPS 162 ISSUE NO OPS 9/94 of 14 DEC 94 is cancelled.

DI(N) OPS 106 ISSUE NO OPS 5/2000 of 26 JUL 2000 is cancelled (information contained inABR 1834, volumes 1 to 4).

DI(N) OPS 532 ISSUE NO OPS 16/96 of 7 AUG 96 (incorporated into AMTP 10). Holders of the CONFIDENTIAL instruction are to carry out appropriate disposal action in accordancewith the Defence Security Manual(DSM).

DI(N) OPS 821 ISSUE NO OPS 9/96 of 2 APR 96 (information obsolete).

OPS 162AMDT NO 1

(Complete Revision)

Diving in the Royal Australian Navy

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DI(N) OPS 162(Complete Revision)

OPS 2/200419 MAR 2004

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DIVING IN THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY 1

INTRODUCTION 1

1. This instruction has been revised to detail the organisation and roles of the

Royal Australian Navy (RAN) general service ships diver, which were last promulgated in 1 June 1989.

2. Naval divers perform a wide range of underwater tasks in support of the Australian DefenceForce (ADF) directives. Clearance Divers (CD) are the ADFs specialist divers, who undertakeunderwater disposal and demolition of enemy ordnance and maritime assets. DefenceInstruction (Navy) OPS 161Australian Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Force Element Groupdetails the roles and tasks of the Mine Warfare Clearance Diving Group.

3. Naval Reserve (NR) personnel may specialise as NR divers within the NR Seaman Branch.

4. Personnel from other branches may acquire a supplementary diving qualification(general service non-category) that enables them to perform specific diving tasks to support their parentunits. General service divers are formed into ships diving teams and are able to conduct hull andsub-surface searches. They are also able to carry out routine underwater planned hull maintenance,

utilising Self-Contained Underwater Breathing ApparatusAir (SCUBA AIR) diving equipment.

ORGANISATION 5

Royal Australian Navy Diver Categories 5

5. RAN Divers are divided into the following categories:

a. CD.CD is a full specialist qualification within the Seaman Branch.

b. SCUBA AIR Diver (SAD).SAD is a supplementary qualification open to all brancheswithin the RAN, enabling officers and sailors to conduct routine underwater hull planned

maintenance and searches to a depth as detailed in Australian Book ofReference (ABR) 155RAN Diving Manual, volume 2.

c. NR Diver.NR diver is a full specialist qualification within the Seaman Branch of the NRenabling personnel to supplement the Underwater Battle Damage Repair and FleetSupport activities of the Australian Clearance Diving Teams (AUSCDT) to depths asdetailed in ABR 155.

Royal Australian Navy Diving Supervisor Categories 6

6. RAN diving supervisors are divided into five categories:

a. Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Officer (MCDO). MCDO is a specialistqualification within the Seaman Branch that enables officers who have completed the

MCDOs Course to supervise all RAN diving within the limits detailed in ABR 155.

b. Advanced CD.Advanced CD are Senior Sailors of the CD Branch who are qualified tosupervise diving within the limits detailed in ABR 155.

c. Intermediate CD. Intermediate CD are Leading Seaman CD who are qualified tosupervise diving within the limits detailed in ABR 155.

d. SCUBA AIR Supervisor.SCUBA AIR supervisor is a supplementary qualification opento all branches within the RAN. The qualification enables an officer or Senior Sailor tosupervise diving within the limits detailed in ABR 155.

e. NR Diving Supervisor.NR diving supervisor is a sub-specialist qualification within theNR enabling Senior Sailors to supervise diving in accordance with ABR 155.

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Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diving School 7

7. The RAN Diving School at HMAS PENGUIN conducts the following training:

a. CD category training for officers and sailors;

b. General service (non-category) training for ships diving and demolition teams;

c. NR diver category training and underwater tool technicians;

d. Defence Cooperation Program category diving training;

e. demolition training; and

f. Army work divers and dive supervisors.

SelfContained Underwater Breathing ApparatusAir Diving in the Maritime Command 8

8. The Maritime Commander Australia (MCAUST) directs appropriate units to have ships divingteams trained to:

a. defend ships and installations against swimmer attack, by conducting underwatersearches as part of an Operation AWKWARD organisation/Force Protection;

b. perform general underwater searches and recovery operations;

c. carry out limited underwater clearing, maintenance and ships husbandry tasks;

d. assist AUSCDT in the conduct of more complex underwater maintenance tasks; and

e. examine the ships hull and underwater fittings.

9. Ships diving teams consist of members of the Ships Company who are qualified asSCUBA AIR divers. The required strength of these teams is promulgated in Australian Fleet TacticalPublication 1Maritime Command Orders(MARORDS).

SPONSORSHIP AND POLICY 10

Sponsorship 10

10. Commander Australian Navy Mine Warfare and Clearance DivingGroup (COMAUSNAVMCDGRP) is the general service diving sponsor and is responsible to the DeputyChief of Navy (DCN) and MCAUST for coordinating diving issues, including changes to regulations andallowances. All diving submissions with respect to diving regulations and allowances are to be staffedthrough Staff Officer Policy Development (SO POLDEV).

Operational policy 11

11. COMAUSNAVMCDGRP (SO POLDEV in consultation with COMMCDTG) is responsible toMCAUST and DCN for developing MCD and general service diving operational policy for this instruction.

Contact details 12

12. Comments/inquiries on the content of this instruction should be directed to Staff Officer Policyand Development, Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Group, HMAS WATERHEN, Balls Head Road,WAVERTON NSW 2060, telephone (02) 9926 2151 or facsimile (02) 9926 2166.

Sponsor: COMAUSNAVMCDGRP