An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 31 In a similar fashion, as operations became more complex and more intense, and at great- er depths and for longer durations, so also the logistics requirement increased. The RCC was essential to allow diver training to commence in the first instance and it also became an essential part of many deep diving operations. Similarly, the more complex and demanding the operations became, the greater the need arose for appropriate specialist sub-surface search equipment, such as the side-scan sonar and magnetometer, which helped greatly in searches for sunken vessels. Such equipment, along with the arrival of the ROV (remote operated vehicle), allowed the Diving Section to remain on sta- tion for greatly extended periods of time, with no depth or dive time restrictions other than those imposed upon the platform or search vessel in use. The Section's first high-profile operation was during the interception of the PIRA's gun-running ship the Claudia in 1973. Since then the numbers and types of operations have grown immeasurably. For example, in 1976 the Section was involved in the search for murder victim Mary Duffy in Lough Inagh; in 1979 it was deployed in the aftermath of the Betelgeuse tanker disaster in Bantry Bay, where 50 people were killed; in 1981 and '82 it was brought in after the IRA blew up two ships in Lough Foyle; and 1985 the Diving Section's contribution to the search and recovery operation after the Air India disaster off the south-west coast saw two naval divers awarded Distinguished Service Medals for their actions. These and many more operations through the '90s and into the 2000s shaped the Naval Diving Section into what it is today. During the early 2000s a senior naval officer said that the Diving Section required (relatively speaking) the same level of funding and nearly the same manpower to run as a ship, and spent, on average, up to five months of the year away from the Naval Base on various operations and another at least four months conducting courses for both the Naval Service and the ARW, not to mention fulfilling all the Naval Service's own dive requirements on its ships and in the harbour. Conse- quently, he said that the Section might as well be the fleet's 'ninth ship'. That officer was Commander Mark Mellett, now Vice Admiral and Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. Drawn from over 200 hours of recorded interviews from more than 70 serving and retired navy divers and retired ARW personnel, diving files, and newspaper clippings, the book offers a unique insight into the life and times of the Naval Diving Section. It is a truism that the greatest asset that any organisation can have is its personnel, and this is very much the case with the Diving Section. Former FOCNS Commodore Frank Lynch (retd) said of the unit: "Undoubtedly the fact that the early divers were established as an elite group from the very beginning, with a huge failure rate on ap- titude and training courses, favoured the sound development of the diving capability… Dedication to diving was the norm and extraordinary efforts over and above the call of duty were common." In reviewing the roll call of the Section, the list of people that have risen to senior commissioned and non-commissioned ranks over the years is long and impressive. These in- clude: Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, two retired flag officers, one captain (retired), three commanders, 13 lieutenant commanders, one warrant officer, two SCPOs, and at least 19 CPOs. This says everything about the quality of personnel that have come through the Naval Diving Section over the years. Book reviewed on P41. About the Author Martin Buckley served with the Naval Service from 1979-2010. At sea he served with LÉs Aoife, Emer, Eithne, Orla, and Aisling, while his shore post- ings were mainly in the Diving Section, including two separate, two-year rotations as Chief-in- charge Diving Section. He was twice recom- mended for a DSM for action and conduct during a counter-mining operation off Waterford (June 1991) and a narcotics interdiction operation (July 1993). On retirement he had amassed over 70,000 minutes of dive time. Author CPO Martin Buckley Retd with Minister of Defence Mr Simon Coveney TD at the books launch. Photos by Sgt Mick Burke. Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM in the Naval Diving Section in 1977. An old image of the NS Diving Section in training.

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