Pacific Fleet Divers operate in Arctic conditions

Members of Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific) show the flag underneath the ice as part of ICE EX 2016.

LCdr Desmond James, MARPAC PA~

Six members of Fleet Diving Unit Pacific recently had the opportunity to operate in Arctic conditions. They worked with allies from the United States Navy and Royal Navy during Ice Exercise 2016 (ICEX 2016).

Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) sailors completed ice dives and filled other key operational roles, such as the Range Safety Officer (RSO).

Lt(N) John Slack, an RSO at this year’s ICEX, monitored conditions for cracks in the ice that could threaten operations.

“This is a very dynamic environment to be working in, where the environment around you is constantly changing and moving,” said Lt(N) Slack. “You look around the ice floe and realize that no one has ever been there before and likely never will be again; it truly is one of the world’s last frontiers.”

In the short time the RCN was on site, the camp location had moved 149 nautical miles to the west because of the ice floe, an indication of the challenging conditions.

ICEX 2016 is a U.S. exercise developed to train military members in the Arctic environment to refine and validate procedures, which required equipment. It took place this year in March in the Beaufort Sea at a location approximately 160 nm north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.