Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Eric Butler | LOS ANGELES (May 25, 2025) A retired U.S. Navy veteran, Wardell Stephens, shows a...... read more read more
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Los Angeles Fleet Week (LAFW) 2025 brought thousands of visitors to the Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 2 demonstration tank over the course of the Memorial Day weekend, May 22-26.
For the Seabees of UCT-2, an unexpected visit from 95-year old Navy veteran diver, Wardell Stephens, led to a memorable experience.
Stephens was just another visitor amongst the crowd, until one of his family members came forward with a photograph of Stephens as a young Navy diver, showing it off to Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Patrick Simpson and Equipment Operator 2nd Class Timothy Kittle, who were diving inside the demonstration tank at the time.
“Seeing that photo was a surreal moment for me,” said Kittle. “That photo didn’t just show a man, it showed a legacy. And then to look out into the crowd and see that legacy standing only a few feet away, what an honor!”
Over the next half hour, Stephens humbly opened up about his history as a Navy diver and overcoming the challenges he faced during his time in service.
Stephens, who was born in St. Louis, enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1947 at the young age of 17. As a result of President Harry S. Truman’s desegregation of the military in 1948, Stephens was able to screen for and attend dive school. His dedication, hard work, and skill in the craft earned him his place within the Navy’s elite diving community when he graduated U.S. Navy School of Diving & Salvage School in January 1954, also making him the first African American to complete the rigorous training regimen, a pipeline that typically sees roughly 50% attrition rate amongst all candidates that begin the training. Stephens continued on to have a long and distinguished career as a Navy diver until he retired from the military in 1967 as a Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Petty Officer / Navy Diver First Class.
“I shook hands with history today,” recalled Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Tyler Huntoon of meeting Stephens. “This is a man, a Navy diver, who’s stories run deeper than the sea.”
The differences in the equipment was a hot topic of conversation between them. Stephens joked about how easy the UCT divers have it today in comparison, with the current stainless steel KM-97 dive helmet weighing a mere 37 pounds whereas the two MK-V helmet variants that Stephens used weighed 2-3 times as much, with the standard MK-V diving helmet weighing 68 pounds and the mixed gas diving helmet weighing 100 pounds.
Both variants of the MK-V were made of spun copper, and featured four sealed glass viewing ports and two goosenecks, one to provide the diver communications and the other their air supply. Like the MK-V dive helmets, the KM-97 used by the UCT divers also provides the divers a way of communicating. Using the topside communications system with Chief Construction Mechanic John Monahan’s assistance, Stephens was able to share a few words with Simpson and Kittle while they were underwater.
“Meeting Mr. Stephens and hearing his story was truly the highlight of Fleet Week for me,” said Monahan, leading chief petty officer and dive supervisor for UCT’s Delta detachment. “Knowing our past is vital to guiding our course into a better future.”
Stephens concluded his visit with UCT by taking a few photos with the divers, his family, and the other UCT Seabees outside the tank, truly capturing the spirit of LAFW by bringing these Sailors together, celebrating their Naval heritage and honoring their collective 70-year span of diving history.
Los Angeles Fleet Week, now in its eighth iteration, is a sea service celebration that allows citizens of Greater Los Angeles to witness today’s maritime capabilities firsthand. Nearly 1,000 Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen showcased their capabilities and equipment, participate in various community service events, and enjoy the hospitality of Los Angeles during the event.
| Date Taken: | 05.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2025 15:22 |
| Story ID: | 500358 |
| Location: | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 130 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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