Clearance Diving Team (RAN) - History

History

The RAN has used divers on a regular basis since the 1920s, but it was not until World War II that clearance diving operations came to the fore, with RAN divers working alongside Royal Navy divers to remove naval mines from British waters, and from the waters of captured ports on the European mainland. RAN divers were also used in the commando frogman role, performing duties including reconnaissance of amphibious landing sites. The skills learned in the European theatre were brought back to Australia, and utilised in the war against Japan. After the war, RAN divers were used during the cleanup of Australian and Papua New Guinea waters of defensive mines.

The utility of clearance and commando divers demonstrated during and after World War II prompted the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board to establish a clearance diving branch within the RAN in 1951. Divers were initially attached to the Underwater Research and Development Unit, based at HMAS Rushcutter. In 1956, they were organised into a separate Mobile Clearance Diving Team. In March 1966, the divers underwent further reorganisation, splitting into two Clearance Diving Teams. Clearance Diving Team 1 (initially CDT 1, later styled as AUSCDT 1) was the operational team assigned to mine clearance and commando operations throughout the Australia Station, while Clearance Diving Team 2 (CDT 2/AUSCDT 2) was dedicated to mine warfare in the Sydney area, but was not cleared for operations outside this area.

In late 1966, Clearance Diving Team 3 was established specifically for deployment to the Vietnam War to assist the overworked United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal units, and to give RAN personnel in clearance diving work in an operational environment. Sending CDT 1 or CDT 2, in full or in part, would have impacted on the teams' existing commitments, along with the continuity of training and postings. CDT 3 was formed from available personnel; this was sufficient to keep a six-man team on station in Vietnam from early 1967 until early 1971, with six-month deployments. CDT 3 was disbanded at the end of the Vietnam War, but the designation is reactivated for overseas wartime deployments, including in 1991 for the Gulf War, and again in 2003 for the Iraq War.