Underwater Construction Teams

Underwater Construction Teams (UCT) are the Navy Seabee's underwater construction units numbered 1 and 2. A team is composed of divers qualified in both underwater construction and underwater demolition. Possible tasks can be: battle damage repairs, structural inspections and accessments, demolition of waterline facilities or submerged obstructions, installation of submerged surveillance systems, or harbor and channel clearance. As needed, teams may test and or evaluate new or existing aquatic systems or equipment. Extending construction, whether vertical or horizontal, beyond the shoreline and waterline is their specialty.[1]

970216-N-3093M-002 Hands-on Underwater Construction Training
Seabees at Gavutu, Solomon Islands November 8, 1943 installing a marine railway utilizing field fabricated diving gear.
Joint UCT-1 and UCT-2 training exercise off the USAV Matomoros
US Navy 030316-N-4309A-017 Members of Underwater Construction Team 2 prepare an explosives training exercise at a remote site in Kuwait

History

Almost as soon as Naval Construction Battalions were created submerged construction tasks were being brought to the Seabees. In 1942 a second class divers school was created at Camp Peary and Seabees have fielded divers ever since. WWII battalions typically had a complement of 4 qualified divers. In the field, CBs would tap other battalions for additional divers to get the job done as needed.[2] It was common for battalions to not have organic diving gear. Divers were taught in diving school how to fabricate a breathing apparatus from Navy MK-III gas masks for surface support. Most of the work was in less than 60' of water, but the WWII cruisebooks indicate men pushed the limits of what they could do with what they had. [3]

Diving Commands

UCT divers are attached to five principal commands outside the NCF:

Underwater Construction Technician

Underwater Construction Technician (UCT) After Basic Underwater Construction Technician training a diver is qualified as a (2nd Class Diver). UCTs are members of the Naval Special Operations (NSO) community, however tactical operations are almost never a Seabee task.[6]

Training

US Navy 080628-N-3560G-266 A Navy diver from Underwater Construction Team 2 plays tic-tac-toe with children from the inside of a water tank during Seabee Days

UCT training is 26 weeks at Dive school in Panama City, Florida. There is a tactical training phase for advanced expeditionary combat skills and demolitions.[7]

With their skills sets UCTs can deploy to support a Naval Special Warfare Command, either with SEAL teams, Special Boat Teams, Navy EOD Teams, or other dive elements. They also can apply for selection to support Naval Special Warfare Development Group.[8]

The UCTs have a Shore Duty component and a Sea Duty component. Sea Duty personnel are divided into three Air Detachments that deploy worldwide in support of both peacetime or combat missions as needed. The Shore Duty component contains all of the staff and support functions such as Administration, Supply, Logistics, Table of Allowance Maintenance, and Training. UCTs are trained to execute underwater construction anywhere, under any conditions, at any time.

Diver Qualification Insignia
Seabee Underwater Construction Technicians Insignia
Master Diver
1st Class Diver
2nd Class Diver
Diving Officer
The 301st CB was unique in WWII for recognizing Seabee divers with the unit insignia

Diver : is a qualification that the various rates can obtain with three grades: Basic Underwater Construction Technician/ NEC 5932 (2nd Class Diver), Advanced Underwater Construction Technician/ NEC 5931 (1st Class Diver), and Master Underwater Construction Technician/ NEC 5933 (Master diver).[7]

See also

References
  1. "Navy COOL Summary - UCT - Underwater Construction Technician". cool.navy.mil. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  2. "History - National Seabee Divers Association". seabeedivers.org. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  3. cruisebook, Naval Construction Battalion 74, Seabee Museum Archives, Port Hueneme, CA, Jan. 2021[file:///C:/Users/Steve/Downloads/74%20%20NCB%20(1).pdf]
  4. U.S. Navy Diving, Lesson N2b.v2, United States Naval Academy, Spring 2012, Seabee Diver/CEC
  5. Issue No. 1, 2005, Seabee Magazine, p. 19, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington Navy Yard DC
  6. LT Jason Glover, CEC, USN (22 March 2013). "What is an Underwater Construction Technician?" (PDF). Retrieved 30 November 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. "Navy Seabee UCT Diver Challenge Program". www.navycs.com.
  8. "Recruitment/Assignment To Commander, Naval Special Warfare Development Group (COMNAVSPECWARDEVGRU)" (PDF). U.S. Navy BuPers. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
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