Clearance diver

A clearance diver was originally a specialist naval diver who used explosives underwater to remove obstructions to make harbours and shipping channels safe to navigate, but the term "clearance diver" was later used to include other naval underwater work. Units of clearance divers were first formed during and after World War II to clear ports and harbours in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe of unexploded ordnance and shipwrecks and booby traps laid by the Germans.

Clearance Diving takes its name from the operations carried out towards the end and after the Second World War to clear the ports and harbours of the Mediterranean and Northern Europe of unexploded ordnance and booby traps laid by the Germans.This work was undertaken by RN Rendering Mines Safe (RMS) and Bomb Disposal Units and later by Port Clearance Parties or ‘P’ Parties, two of which (Naval Parties 1571 and 1572) went into action soon after D-Day to clear the vast quantities of unexploded ordnance and general debris left after the Allied invasion. They were joined later by other ‘P’ Parties including ‘P’ Parties 1573, 1574, 1575 and 2444 (many of which had Commonwealth naval personnel) and ‘P’ Party 3006 manned by the Dutch.

Work in the European theatre continued until well after the end of the war. Most of the ‘P’ Parties were disbanded, together with HMS Vernon(D) at Brixham, on 30 November 1945. The exceptions were ‘P’ Party 2444, which was still operating at Dunkirk, and ‘P’ Party 2443 which had been formed in June 1945 to deal with residual suspected unexploded ordnance around the UK coast after the war and became based at HMS Vernon, Portsmouth.

The first units were Royal Navy Mine and Bomb Disposal Units. They were succeeded by the "Port Clearance Parties" (P Parties). The first operations by P Parties included clearing away the debris of unexploded ammunition left during the Normandy Invasion. During World War II Navies used the heavy surface-supplied standard diving dress before changing to lighter self-contained rebreather equipment

Admission to clearance diver training requires the candidate to pass medical and physical fitness screening and to be a member of the relevant military force. Additionally, intense training in diving is needed, as well as training in bomb disposal.

Surface Supplied diving techniques, diving supervision planning and execution, using air (50m) and oxy-helium (HeO2 constant partial pressure) breathing apparatus to 60m.

Diving training will be conducted using in-service RN constant partial pressure helium –oxygen equipment (Clearance Diving Life Support Equipment (CDLSE), air surface supplied Open Space Diving System (OSDS) and Swimmers Air Breathing Apparatus (SABA).

The scope of activity for a clearance diver varies depending on the specific armed force in which they are a member, but historically the most defining competence is skills in underwater demolition using explosives. The closely associated skills in explosive ordnance disposal are also generally implied by the designation.