Salvage divers from nine Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) nations removed submerged wreckage around Guam, June 12-15, during the biennial disaster response-focused Diving Exercise (DIVEX) 2017.
The team removed two submerged sailboats from the waters of Apra Harbor near the Port Authority of Guam (PAG), which sank more than a decade ago in the Harbor of Safe Refuge. Later in the week the team also removed underwater wreckage of an automobile from the waters around Merizo Pier.
“This effort was a One Guam initiative to apply Navy salvage training to compliantly remove unwanted items from nearshore locations,” said Bill Kavanagh , regional environmental coordinator, Joint Region Marianas (JRM)/NAVFAC Marianas. “The combined efforts of all involved represent a win-win for the environment and the Navy divers who are working to improve their operational capabilities.”
Kavanagh added that underwater wreckage was removed from Guam waters, improving navigation and aesthetics, while Navy divers enhanced their skills by salvaging actual submerged objects under variable sea conditions.
The seven-member dive team from the Navy’s Mobile Salvage Diving Unit (MSDU) 1 led the recovery of the derelict sailboats and vehicle, while members of the Royal Canadian Fleet Diving Unit took part in the initial stages of the efforts.
“The Canadian divers were very helpful,” said Senior Chief Navy Master Diver Kevin Parsons, of MSDU 1. “We utilized some of their gear with the first sailboat that we brought up. They helped out and jointly added their lift bags.”
After floating the boats off the bottom, the team towed them more than a mile across the harbor to a seaplane ramp where they were removed from the water and taken to an approved hard-fill site for disposal.
DIVEX 2017, a biennial disaster response-focused exercise, is intended to enhance cooperation, interoperability, and tactical proficiency in diving operations. The exercise included approximately 70 members from Australia, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.