Together with divers from the US, Royal Australian, Royal Canadian, Chilean, Japanese, Royal Netherlands and Royal New Zealand Navies they have been operating in, and around, San Diego Harbour, enhancing their skills in disposing of ordnance in the sea at night.

Heading up the British dive team is Lieutenant Sean “Central” Heaton, he said: “RIMPAC has been a truly unique experience as we’ve had so many diverse nations come together and jointly tackle a task. It is particularly challenging working in the dark but all British Divers are training to be able to do all operations with no visibility at all. Using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles to find mines discreetly by day, we then use diver placed charges to neutralise them by night.”