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Monday, November 30, 2009

No mission too far, no water too cold for the United States Army Dive Company (Provisional).

It was 0345 on 23 February 2006 when two divers from the 86th Engineer Team (Dive) (based out of Fort Eustis, Virginia) departed in a 26-foot moving truck packed with scuba and surface-supplied diving equipment for a cross-country trip to Astoria, Oregon. The two reached their destination after four days of driving and met up with seven other divers from the 86th Engineer Team (Dive) who flew in the day before. The team was on a mission in support of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center to inspect the hull of a United States Coast Guard vessel called the Fir, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender.

The air temperature was cold and the water temperature even colder, topping off around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. For the next five days, the divers had to overcome less than optimal diving conditions to complete the job. Work consisted of removing, cleaning, and replacing metal grates on the vessel's hull (which weighed 70 to 80 pounds); inspecting the entire hull and running gear (which consisted of the propellers, shafts, and stave bearings) for any damage; documenting specific areas of the hull with underwater video and photography; and conducting a paint thickness analysis along the entire hull. The team spent nearly 75 hours working underwater to complete the job. The low visibility underwater increased the difficulty level, but the cold water was the limiting factor of each dive evolution. On average, the most a diver spent in the water at one time was around 90 minutes.

By 4 March, the work was completed on the Fir. But a similar Coast Guard vessel, the Hickory, was docked 2,700 miles away in Homer, Alaska. The Hickory was scheduled to have the same hull inspection. This time, all nine divers spent four days driving north through Washington, Canada, and Alaska. Once they arrived on the jobsite, they were faced with working in 26- to 28-degree-Fahrenheit water with small ice sheets floating nearby.

To combat the effects of the freezing water, one of the divers put his engineering skills to work and devised a system that would pump hot water into their wet suits. Using a garden hose, plumbing fittings, and aquarium tubing, the divers were supplied with a constant flow of hot water--pumped from the vessel's water supply--to surround their entire body while they worked in the cold water. This invaluable system allowed the divers to double, even triple, the average time they had spent underwater while in Astoria. One of the divers spent a total of 410 minutes in the water during one working dive.

When inspecting the Hickory, the team supervisors implemented lessons learned from the work they did on the Fir. The divers also knew exactly what needed to be done and how to do it more efficiently the second time around. The knowledge gained, combined with the newly implemented work strategies, greatly reduced the total time required to complete the mission. It took the divers only 30 hours of combined diving time to complete the hull inspection on the Hickory.

The scenery surrounding the bay was one of a kind, from the snow-covered mountains to the dozens of bald eagles flying around the area. Having the opportunity to dive in Alaska is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most divers, but for one dive supervisor, it was the second trip to Alaska for a dive mission, and he was able to take what he learned from diving in cold water and share it with the rest of the team.

This type of work is fairly routine for Army divers. These missions reinforced the team's ability to work underwater (particularly the ships husbandry aspect), but more importantly, it reinforced the importance of working relationships with other services and agencies--not only the Coast Guard but also the Navy, Marines, Air Force, and any other government agency having a need for divers, both stateside and overseas.

Sergeant Dodd is a team leader/lead diver (salvage diver) with the United States Army Dive Company (Provisional)--86th Engineer Team (Dive). Previous assignments include Delta Company, 577th Engineer Battalion, Panama City Beach, Florida (Second-Class Diver School), and he has 3 1/2 years experience as an Army diver.

First Lieutenant Mitroka is a platoon leader with the United States Army Dive Company (Provisional)--86th Engineer Team (Dive). Previous assignments include Delta Company, 577th Engineer Battalion, Panama City Beach, Florida (Basic Diving Officer Course), and he has 14 months experience as a diving officer. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy.

By Sergeant Tyler Dodd and First Lieutenant Timothy Mitroka

Source Citation
Dodd, Tyler, and Timothy Mitroka. "No mission too far, no water too cold for the United States Army Dive Company (Provisional)." Engineer: The Professional Bulletin for Army Engineers 36 (2006): 42+. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .

Gale Document Number:A160715981

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Karate Master to Visit Nation.

Harare, Nov 19, 2009 (The Herald/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- ZIMBABWE will early next year have the privilege of hosting one of the most decorated karate instructors in the world -- S. Srinivasan of India.

S. Srinivasan is the Grand Master and founder of the Indian karate style of bino-ryu and he is set to arrive in this country in March for a one-week visit at the invitation of the Zimbabwe Bino-ryu Karate-do Association.

During the visit, he is expected to confer the style's local Branch Chief, Jairos Manjoro, with the title of Shihan.

A Shihan (Master) is a karate title, which is conferred to instructors who are above third dan blackbelt holders.

And S. Srinivasan's expected arrival in March follows Manjoro's visit to India at the beginning of August this year where he attended a two-week advanced training and grading programme at the style's headquarters in Hyderabad.

At the completion of that training and grading programme in Hyderabad, Manjoro graduated from being a third dan blackbelt holder to a fourth dan blackbelt holder.

At the moment, Manjoro is ranked as a fourth dan instructor and according to the international rules governing the bino-ryu style, he will only be conferred with the title of Shihan by the style's Grand Master, S. Srinivasan, in his (Manjoro's) home soil.

And now all is set for S. Srinivasan to pay a one-week visit to Zimbabwe for the installation ceremony in Harare.

S. Srinivasan recently confirmed from his base in Hyderabad that he will be paying a visit to this country in March.

According to the itinerary that he sent from Hyderabad last week, apart from elevating Manjoro to a Shihan, S. Srinivasan will also conduct self-defence classes and coaching clinics for local karatekas.

He will also oversee a grading examination for local karatekas who practice the style of bino-ryu.

"During my stay in Zimbabwe, I will, on Day Two, hold a bino-ryu karate basic training for all students before holding a black belt kata training session the next day," S. Srinivasan said from his base in Hyderabad.

Day Four will see him holding a test and upgrading blackbelt holders before running an open seminar for all style instructors in karate and kobudo (dragon stick-bo, sai or nunchaku) on the fifth day.

The last two days will see him sight-seeing some of the country's holiday resorts before returning to his base in Hyderabad in India.

S. Srinivasan's travel and accommodation expenses will be met by the Zimbabwe Bino-ryu Karate-do Association who are currently running around to find sponsors to fund the Grand Master's stay in this country.

During his visit to Zimbabwe, the Grand Master will be accompanied by one of the style's top instructors from India.

Manjoro said yesterday that S. Srinivasan's visit to this country will boost the image of the sport of karate in this country.

"I think he is the second high profile karate instructor that will be coming to visit this country in the history of karate in Zimbabwe.

"And that is why we are kindly appealing for sponsorship in the form of accommodation for two people for one week, preferably at one of Harare's top hotels.

"We would also like to take this opportunity to advertise Zimbabwe as a safe destination in the world for tourists.

"After his stay in Zimbabwe, we are optimistic that S. Srinivasan is going to sell this country as one of the safest destinations in the world," Manjoro said.

S. Srinivasan - a 10th dan blackbelt holder - with his vast technical and organisational background in various martial arts for more than three decades, is the founder of bino-ryu.

He became the Grand Master of bino-ryu by introducing the unique Indian karate style in 1987 before it got recognition in 1993.

Bino-ryu, which is being practiced by more than one million karate students all over the world, is considered to be one of the finest forms of self-defence since it incorporates the unique fighting methods of Indian warriors coupled with the invincible defence techniques of Chinese and Japanese martial arts.

Bino-ryu thus inculcates the latest fighting methods for practical usage while retaining the tradition and grace of ancient martial arts.

Copyright The Herald. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

Source Citation
"Karate Master to Visit Nation." Africa News Service 19 Nov. 2009. InfoTrac Diversity Studies eCollection. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .

Gale Document Number:A212367468

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Monday, November 30, 2009

No mission too far, no water too cold for the United States Army Dive Company (Provisional).

Karate Master to Visit Nation.

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