is qualified to use. We generally refer to these chaps as "Hard-Hat 

 Divers" . 



The UDT and EOD divers have all sorts of special diving equipment, 

 which in general can be considered as sophisticated or exotic SCUBA gear. 

 Again, the equipment legislates the depth of operation. Closed circuit 

 SCUBA is a pure oxygen apparatus, used only by UDT and SEAL and has a 33 

 foot depth limitation. It is silent and bubble-free for clandestine use. 



Semi-closed circuit SCUBA is mixed gas apparatus, employed by UDT, 

 SEAL and EOD and can be used to considerable depths. The Mark V and Mark 

 VI units are operational and, in fact, the latter is now coming into use 

 by R and D divers -- specifically in the SEALAB Program. This gear is 

 non-magnetic and can be adjusted to operate relatively noise and bubble- 

 free for short periods of time. These features are especially important 

 to the EOD Technician when on a mine disposal job. 



The description of the three basic missions and the variety of tasks 

 performed by Wavy-Man-in-the-Ocean will have given an idea of the magni- 

 tude of our current underwater capability. There are in the Navy today 

 nearly four- thousand billets calling for the NOC's and NEC's listed above. 

 These billets are not all filled, chiefly because we cannot keep up with 

 the recruiting and training. 



It is not generally recognized that this Man-in- the- Ocean corps of 

 the Navy is as extensive as it is. This probably is because the individ- 

 ual Man-in-the-Ocean units are spread so far and wide and because there 

 is no coordinated administration of this arm of the Navy. These 4,000 

 billets are actual man-underwater billets. Unlike Naval Aviation which 

 counts non-flying ground personnel at Air Stations and onboard carriers 

 as a part of that corps of the Navy, the underwater types have not yet 

 gotten around to being able to include surface support people as a part 

 of Navy-Man-in-the-Ocean. 



As an example of the billet strength of Navy-Man-in-the-Ocean, follow- 

 ing is a condensed tabulation of allowances in the Pacific area alone, as 

 of a year ago: 



33 



