Over the Side: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Divers

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Charlotte Oliver | KITTERY, Maine (Feb. 28, 2024) – Diver Xavier Framilla enters the water from the dive barge to make a routine inspection dive on a Virginia-class attack submarine at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Feb. 28. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Charlotte C. Oliver/released)  

KITTERY, ME, UNITED STATES

03.28.2024

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Charlotte Oliver  

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Submerging into the dark depths of the Piscataqua River on a dreary February morning, two divers sink beneath the surface of the chilly 41-degree river. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) divers Xavier Framilla and Jackson Howarth are over the side of the Virginia-class attack submarine USS Texas (SSN 775).

It’s business as usual for the members of the PNSY dive locker.

The divers conduct various repairs and inspections to the submarines at PNSY year round and set up the keel blocks in Dry Dock 1. They are also responsible for the hull maintenance of the barges, including the removal of sea deposits, such as algae and barnacles.

As PNSY grows, so does the need for divers. Following a recent Navy Manpower Analysis Center review of all Underwater Ships Husbandry commands, PNSY will be looking to request an additional six Navy billets. The shipyard hopes to add a chief warrant officer, an additional chief and first class petty officer, as well as three more second class petty officers, with hope of a total combined end strength of 23 civilian and military personnel. The once all-civilian crew has now expanded to include Master Chief Navy Diver (master diver) Justin Stehr and Chief Navy Diver Jordan Mcelyea and soon will add a first class and second class Navy diver that are scheduled to arrive this summer.

PNSY divers, both civilian and Navy, have common paths. They both attend the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, located at Naval Support Activity Panama City, Florida. It is the largest diving facility in the world.
Each diver at PNSY has different story of how they came to join this small, but growing team of elite technicians.

“Another rigger who I was working with at the time told me about the dive team here at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,” said Howarth. “I liked how it was a small group of tight knit guys who specialize in a skill that not many others have. I grew up playing sports so I was attracted to that kind of team that can work together to achieve a common goal.”

Trust is everything. Prior to attending dive school, applicants are interviewed by members of the dive locker to ensure they will be a good fit to work with the team. The dive team also puts applicants through a physical screening test (PST). The PST consists of a 500-yard swim in 12:30 minutes or less; 50 push-ups in 2 minutes; 50 curl-ups in 2 minutes; 6 pull-ups with no time limit; and a 1.5 mile run in 12:30 minutes or less.

“I took the PST supervised by the dive crew and learned that swimming for distance is much harder than I thought,” Howarth said of his dive school preparation. “I was told this is the bare minimum and that at dive school the PST is the easiest evolution you will be put through. I instantly took to the challenge to give myself a new goal to accomplish. The water component to the training was something I had never experienced before and the difficulty of it made me want to accomplish my goal of graduating Navy Dive School even more.”

If applicants can pass these requirements, they may apply to attend dive school. The grueling 20-week course will push even the most seasoned athlete and diver to their physical and mental limits. U.S. Navy Dive School has one of the highest attrition rates of all Navy schools; 40 to 50 percent will fail.

“We are looking for athletes,” said Stehr. “Navy divers, both civilian and active duty military, must be able to handle the physical stresses of the job but also have the mental toughness to overcome the arduous nature of diving. Above all else however, they must have the ability to work well in a team environment. Divers rely on each other with their lives, literally.”

Even though many of the civilian divers at PNSY come from the rigger shop, Diving Supervisor, Jared Richards, wants to ensure that anyone from any shop is not only welcome, but encouraged to come visit the dive locker if they are interested in becoming a diver.

“As volunteer numbers within from the rigger shop decreased, we have started recruiting from other trades,” said Richards of finding diver applicants. “Ideally, candidates will have a good amount of experience working throughout Los Angeles-class and Virginia-class submarines. They should also be comfortable in confined spaces, mechanically versatile, and physically fit.”

For more information on becoming a Navy diver, visit www.netc.navy.mil/NDSTC/ or contact Master Diver Justin Stehr at [e-mail] or Jared Richards at [e-mail].

• Date Taken: 03.28.2024
• Date Posted: 03.28.2024 08:33
• Story ID: 467215
• Location: KITTERY, ME, US