About this Unit
Navy saturation divers are elite military personnel specially trained to conduct deep-sea diving operations using saturation diving techniques, enabling them to work at great depths for extended durations. The concept emerged during the 1960s, as militaries worldwide recognized the need to support submarine rescue, salvage, and covert underwater missions. Using advanced equipment and living in pressurized chambers, saturation divers can perform complex engineering tasks, explosive ordnance disposal, and clandestine operations beneath the ocean. Their expertise has proven vital in both wartime and peacetime, supporting missions such as submarine rescue, recovery of sensitive materials, and maintenance of underwater military infrastructure.
Historical Facts
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Origins in the Cold War: Navy saturation diving emerged during the Cold War, when the need to recover lost nuclear weapons and conduct covert underwater operations led to the development of advanced diving techniques.
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“Saturation” Explained: The term "saturation" refers to the point at which a diver's body tissues are fully saturated with inert gases (like helium), allowing them to stay at depth for days or weeks without increasing decompression time.
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DSV Alvin Incident: In 1966, Navy divers using saturation techniques helped recover a lost hydrogen bomb off the coast of Spain after a mid-air collision—a top-secret mission known as the Palomares Incident.
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Specialized Equipment: Navy saturation divers use complex diving systems such as the Pressurized Rescue Module and deep diving suits, and live in pressurized chambers for extended periods.
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SEALAB Experiments: In the 1960s, the U.S. Navy conducted the SEALAB projects, placing divers in underwater habitats for weeks to study the effects of long-term saturation diving and perform research.
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Extreme Depths: Navy saturation divers routinely operate at depths exceeding 1,000 feet (over 300 meters), where water pressure is more than 30 times greater than at the surface.
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Helium Voice: Breathing helium-oxygen mixtures causes divers’ voices to become high-pitched and squeaky, requiring special communication equipment to “unscramble” their speech.
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Rescue and Salvage: Navy saturation divers have played key roles in submarine rescues, such as attempts to reach the crew of the sunken USS Thresher and USS Scorpion in the 1960s.
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Hazardous Work: Saturation diving is one of the most dangerous military jobs, with risks including decompression sickness, high-pressure nervous syndrome, fire hazards in pressurized chambers, and psychological stress.
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Legacy and Training: The Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Florida, is the world’s largest diving facility, responsible for training U.S. Navy saturation divers and allied military personnel in advanced underwater operations.
