United States Maritime Services
Master Diver Insignia 1st Class Diver Insignia 2nd Class Diver Insignia Scuba Diver Insignia Joint diver insignia of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Navy Diving Medical Officer Insignia Marine Corps Combatant Diver Insignia Coast Guard Scuba Diver Officer Insignia NOAA Diver InsigniaUnited States naval diver insignia are awarded, per degree of qualification, to Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. The elementary naval diver insignia is the Scuba Diver Insignia, awarded upon qualifying as a basic naval diver. Previously, the Scuba Diver Insignia was awarded in two degrees, one for officers and one for enlisted. The Navy eliminated the Scuba Diver Officer insignia in the 1990s, but it remains in service within the Coast Guard. The silver-colored insignia features an old-fashioned diving mask and open-circuit breathing apparatus.
In 2001, the Marine Corps authorized the creation of a new badge, the Combatant Diver Insignia, attesting to the wearer's closed-circuit rebreather and reconnaissance combat diver training; the gold-colored Combatant Diver Insignia depicts a wetsuit hood, low-profile diving mask, and chest-mounted rebreather.
The Naval deep sea diver qualification insignia are awarded in four degrees; Second-Class Diver, First-Class Diver, Master Diver, and Diving Officer. However, the Marine Corps does not award the Diving Officer insignia to its officers. In the Navy, the master diver is the most qualified diver; he must be a Chief Petty Officer before applying to attend the Master Diver course.
The Diving Medical Officer and the Diving Medical Technician insignia are awarded to naval medical personnel qualified as a diver and as medical technicians, the Master Diver Insignia resemble the diving medical insignias but are decorated with a caduceus; the Diving Medical Officer Insignia is gold in color while the enlisted Diving Medical Technician Insignia is silver. Since the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard have no organic medical officers, it does not issue the Diving Medical Officer Insignia.
Like the Navy's surface, submarine, and aviation enlisted specialties, dive-qualified enlisted personnel place a term after the sailor’s rating; for example, if Boatswain's Mate Second-Class Jones is dive-qualified, he is referred to, in writing, as BM2 (DV) Jones.
The only non-armed service of the United States that awards diver badges is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps (NOAA Corps). NOAA Corps officers qualified as NOAA divers may wear the NOAA Diver Insignia after authorization by the Director of the NOAA Corps. The NOAA Diver Insignia is a gold-colored pin consisting of a NOAA Corps device surrounded by two dolphins.
| Diver Badge | |
|---|---|
| Awarded by United States Army | |
| Type | Badge |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Statistics | |
| Last awarded | continuing |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | (Group 4 badges) Pathfinder, Parachutist, Air Assault, Military Freefall Parachutist |
| Equivalent | (Group 5 badges) Driver and Mechanic, Rigger |
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