Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Oki | 170610-N-SF508-414 NORFOLK, Va. (June 10, 2017) Navy Diver 2nd Class David Yoder...... read more read more
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NORFOLK, Va. (June 9, 2017) -- Navy Divers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group (EODGRU) 2 helped kick off Norfolk Harborfest 2017 at the Norfolk Waterfront June 9.
2017 marks the 41st year of Norfolk Harborfest, America's longest-running, free maritime festival which is being held to celebrate the city of Norfolk and its close heritage with the U.S. Navy. This year’s Harborfest also coincides with the centennial anniversary of Naval Station Norfolk.
“It’s always a great change of pace when we get to take part in events like this,” said Chief Navy Diver Noah Gottesman, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2. “The public only really knows about Navy diving from movies and TV shows. We love being able to bring out the dive tank to let people see what we do up close and interact with the divers while they are in the water.”
The divers and technicians set up a static display featuring the EODGRU 2 dive tank and gave visitors a peek at what it’s like to be a deep sea diver or EOD technician. Divers entertained children with games of tic-tac-toe through the window of the dive tank and had several diving helmets on display. The EOD technicians had a variety of robots and bomb disposal gear on hand to show visitors the equipment they use on a daily basis.
“It’s really eye opening to see a little about what these Sailors do,” said visitor Corey Dobrinia. “The kids out here are going to really cherish these memories because when else are they going to be able to play tic-tac-toe with a diver or learn about EOD robots in such a hands-on way? If they grow up and become a diver or EOD tech, they’ll always be able to look back on this day.”
“People always love seeing the types of equipment we use on a daily basis,” said Senior Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician John Wiktorowski, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 2. “A lot of people have questions about how the robots work or how much the bomb suit weighs so it’s always good to be able to not only tell them about our equipment but to show them as well. It’s been a great event and we’re thankful for the warm welcome.”
The three-day event also included live entertainment, tours modern and historic vessels, and demonstrations from commands from throughout the Hampton Roads area.
EODGRU 2, headquartered at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (JEBLCFS), oversees all East Coast-based Navy EOD mobile units, including one forward-deployed mobile unit in Spain, as well as EOD Expeditionary Support Unit 2, EOD Training and Evaluation Unit 2, and the only East Coast-based mobile diving and salvage unit, MDSU 2.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2017 11:49 |
| Story ID: | 237492 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 259 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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