Underwater demolition is the deliberate destruction or neutralization of man-made or natural underwater obstacles, both for military and civilian purposes.
In 1839Charles Pasley, at the time a colonel of theRoyal Engineers, started operations to break up the wreck of HMSRoyal George, a 100-gun first rate launched in 1756, which sank at moorings atSpithead in 1782, and then salvage as much as possible usingdivers. Pasley had previously destroyed some old wrecks in the Thames to clear a channel using gunpowder charges. The charges used were made from oak barrels filled with gunpowder and covered with lead. They were initially detonated using chemical fuses, but this was later changed to an electrical system using a resistance-heated platinum wire to detonate the gunpowder.[1][2]
Pasley's operation set many diving milestones, including the first recorded use of thebuddy system in diving, when he ordered that his divers operate in pairs.[3]: 9 In addition, a Corporal Jones made the first emergency swimming ascent after his air line became tangled and he had to cut it free.[citation needed] A less fortunate milestone was the first medical account of adiver squeeze suffered by a Private Williams.[citation needed] The early diving helmets used had nonon-return valves, which meant that if a hose was severed near the surface, the high-pressure air around the diver's head rapidly evacuated the helmet, causing a large pressure difference between the surrounding water and the remaining gas, with extreme and sometimes life-threatening effects. At theBritish Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in 1842,Sir John Richardson described thediving apparatus and treatment of diver Roderick Cameron following an injury that occurred on 14 October 1841 during the salvage operations.[4]
In 1840, the use of controlled explosions to destroy the wreck continued through to September.[5] On an occasion that year the Royal Engineers set off a huge controlled explosion which shattered windows as far away as Portsmouth and Gosport.[6]
Meanwhile, Pasley had recovered 12 guns in 1839, 11 more in 1840, and 6 in 1841. In 1842 he recovered only one iron 12-pounder, because he ordered the divers to concentrate on removing the hull timbers rather than search for guns. By 1843 the whole of the keel and the bottom timbers had been raised and the site was declared clear.[7]
Benjamin Maillefert andJulius H. Kroehl were active in underwater demolition in the US around the time of the civil war.
Shortly after theAmerican Civil War,BrevetMaj. Gen.John G. Foster, aWest Point trained engineer, became one of the first acknowledged experts in underwater demolition.[citation needed] In 1869, he wrote a definitive treatise on the topic and became widely recognized as the authority on underwater demolition. Many of his theories and techniques were still in practice during theSpanish–American War andWorld War I.[citation needed]
In 1940,Christian J. Lambertsen demonstrated his semi-closed circuitrebreather, theLambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit (LARU), for theU.S. Navy in connection with his proposal for the formation of military teams of underwater swimmers.[8][9]
Major Lambertsen served in theU.S. Army Medical Corps from 1944 to 1946 where he did a detached service in underwater operations with theOffice of Strategic Services (OSS). After joining OSS, he was vital in establishing the first cadres of U.S. military operationalcombat swimmers during lateWorld War II.
His responsibilities included training and developing methods of combining self-contained diving and swimmer delivery for the OSS "Operational Swimmer Group".[10][11] Following World War II, he trained U.S. forces in methods for submerged operations, including composite fleetsubmarine / operational swimmers activity.[12]
In June 1943,Draper L. Kauffman organized the first U.S.Navy Demolition Teams. The original purpose of these teams was to map and record conditions in amphibious landing zones and to demolish obstacles in water which would prevent vehicles from landing during invasions.[13]
Underwater demolition specialists may still be referred to as underwater demolition teams. Various special operations units use aspects of demolition diving. Most prominently carried out byNavy SEALs andUCT divers.[citation needed]
The methods used for dismantling and clearing structures underwater includehydraulic cutting,oxy-arc cutting,oxyacetylene cutting,Jackhammers,hydraulic breakers,explosives,non-explosive demolition agents (expanding grout), submersible diamondwire saws andultra high pressure water jetting.[14][15]
Expanding grout is a cement that expands on curing, producing extremely high pressure, in the order of 18,000 pounds per square inch (120 MPa) when confined in a hole drilled in a brittle material such as concrete or rock, causing it to crack without large movements, noise, dust or major shock waves.[15]
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Underwater demolition has similar civilian and military applications. Piecemeal wrecking of a shipwreck, also called wrecking in place, is the dismantling of the whole or parts of a wreckin situ, usually when it is not possible or economically viable to salvage it, and it is a navigational hazard or must be removed for some other reason. Removal and disposal of the ship's contents, such as cargo, stores, and equipment may be required before the structure is demolished.[16]: Ch. 14
The usual methods for underwater wrecking in place are manual flame cutting by divers and surface workers, mechanical demolition using heavy lift cranes, explosive sectioning, dispersal, or flattening, and burial or settling by hydraulic dredging.[16]: Ch. 14
Demolition of damaged or otherwise redundant coastal structures, such as bridges, jetties, breakwaters or harbours, and clearing of natural or artificial obstructions to waterways, may include underwater demolition.
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Bubble screens can be used to keep large marine animals away from blasting and other sources of loud noise.[17] The bubbles will also absorb some of the blast energy and sound,[18][19] but their effectiveness is unproven.[20]
Research into diver safety related to underwater blast continues at the USNaval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory.[21]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
