Diving and Salvage Equipment

Diving and Salvage Equipment is a Navy procurement line in Other Procurement, Navy, Budget Activity 01, Ships Support Equipment, and Budget Sub Activity 11, Ocean Engineering. It equips divers and salvors for planned and emergency ship and submarine repairs, battle-damage response, salvage, and search and recovery at depths up to 20,000 feet of seawater. It also supports undersea clandestine insertion of Special Operations Forces through service-common equipment. The program aims to improve diver safety, expand underwater maintenance, sustain rapid salvage response, and reduce maintenance costs by standardizing Fleet diving systems.

Diving (N97) continues the phased replacement of aging life-support equipment in fiscal year 2027. Planned purchases include surface-supplied helmet upgrades replacing end-of-life Kirby Morgan KM-37 apparatus, high-pressure composite flasks that must be replaced after 15 years, SCUBA regulators, and a portable surface-supply augmented SCUBA system suited to remote deployments. Air-rack upgrades supply breathing gas to diving life-support systems, while wrist-mounted Navy Dive Computers calculate decompression limits and obligations in real time. A diver launch and recovery system and a flexible, three-occupant recompression chamber support safer operations and treatment of diving injuries.

Diving technology and test facilities (N97) receive separate attention within the diving line. Fiscal year 2027 procurement includes Diver Augmented Visual Display (DAVD) 3D sonar with positioning capability, allowing real-time undersea imagery and models to support navigation and direction from topside supervisors, including in poor visibility. The Navy Experimental Diving Unit tests diving equipment, procedures, and hyperbaric systems for Fleet use. Its continuing upgrades include components of the more than 40-year-old Ocean Simulation Facility, a man-rated hyperbaric research facility used to study diving technology, human performance, decompression, and physiology.

Naval Special Warfare Service-Common Equipment (N95) supports combat diving through fiscal year 2027 purchases of SCUBA systems, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipment, Navy Dive Computers, Haskel oxygen-booster pumps, and MK25 closed-circuit rebreather replacements. The computers determine decompression profiles using U.S. Navy algorithms and must be models authorized for Navy use. SCUBA purchases address Table of Allowance life-cycle requirements, while ROV funding covers systems, tools, initial spares, testing, upgrades, and fielding. MK25 replacement similarly includes supporting tools, spares, and testing, distinguishing it from routine breathing-system upkeep.

Mobile Diving Salvage Unit Outfitting Equipment (N95) addresses prioritized equipment allowances for Mobile Diving Salvage Units, Explosive Ordnance Disposal commands, and Underwater Construction Teams. The outfitting supports required operational capabilities and Navy Mission Essential Tasks with diving, salvage, and combat-support equipment. Fiscal year 2027 items include Navy Dive Computers, DAVD Generation 3 displays, and a DAVD 3D sonar upgrade for Navy Expeditionary Combat Command divers. Helmet-mounted cameras and improved tracking augment diver vision, while sonar imagery can be overlaid on an undersea model so topside personnel can help locate and guide divers.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Diving and Salvage Equipment (N95) provides prioritized outfitting for EOD commands. Its fiscal year 2027 procurement centers on a containerized Standard Navy Double-Lock Recompression Chamber, which supports surface decompression and the full range of recompression treatment for two patients and two attendants. It replaces legacy chambers that are difficult to maintain and face retirement because of fatigue and material flaws. The broader EOD equipment requirement also encompasses SCUBA gear, dive computers, DAVD sonar, and diver launch and recovery capability for Navy Mission Essential Tasks.

Salvage (N97) funds deep-ocean recovery and ship-casualty response as distinct operational needs. Fiscal year 2027 purchases include a full-ocean-depth ROV, an air-transportable line spooler for the flyaway deep-ocean salvage system, and modernization of the DEEP DRONE ROV's power, telemetry, avionics, thrusters, cameras, and tools. Lighting kits support salvage sites; a Kerrie Cable underwater cutting system and salvage battle-damage-repair materials support work on damaged hulls. Roller bags assist hull movement, while a firefighting kit enables crews to attack a shipboard fire from a pier or vessel of opportunity.

Underwater Ship Husbandry within Salvage (N97) enables divers to repair ships and submarines while afloat rather than require an emergent dry docking. Fiscal year 2027 investment covers standard and complex cofferdams, surface-ship support systems, a propeller repair kit, underwater power tools and rigging, and video equipment that documents hull condition before, during, and after repairs. Pierside support vans and controlled storage and shipping containers keep specialized tools deployable. Cofferdams create dry underwater workplaces for repairs to hull plating, shafts, stern tubes, and sea chests, helping return ships to service faster and at lower cost than traditional shipyard availabilities.