When based on one of the fleet diving support units, the average day would always start with an hour of fitness, whether that is 5-a-side, running, or weight training it is a must for all divers to maintain the level of fitness required to do the job.

 

After exercise, all the diving kit for the day's operations will be prepared and tested. The landrover will be prepared and the explosives readied for the day's work.

 

A call comes into the operations room. A suspected WW 2 bomb has been pulled up in the fishing nets of a trawler 2 miles of the Brighton coast. The team are scrambled and the bomb disposal landrover complete with diving equipment and explosives leaves the base on its hour drive to Brighton. 

 

On arrival at Brighton, a harbourmaster boat is ready to take the team the Trawler, but first, all the equipment is loaded onto the boat. During the transit, the divers are dressed and the breathing apparatus tested and readied to dive. Explosives are carefully prepared in case they are needed and the team go through a thorough brief.

 

Once onboard the trawler we inspect the bomb. Its confirmed that it is an WW2 German 1000lb bomb packed with high explosives. The bomb is lower back to the sea bed and the divers follow the nets down and cut the bomb free, it is then rigged with a 4lb pack of semtex and the detonator attached. The dives leave the sea bed hoping not to trigger the detonator and return to the trawler. 

 

Whilst the dive is in place the officer in charge alerts the coast guard and the and cordon of the 1 mile is secured around the area. Once we have visual confirmed that it is safe to do so the bomb is detonated. The explosion is huge, throwing a plume of water and debris 100's of meters into the sky. The threat to our shipping lanes has now been eliminated and the sea is safe until the next time.

 

The dive team returns to unit to await the next call, which is never very long!