2
FACT SHEET U.S. Army Dive Company, Fort Eustis, Virginia UNIQUE The U.S. Army Dive Company is the only unit of its kind in the Army. Based at Fort Eustis, Virginia, the company consists of five teams: the 544th Engineer Dive Team, which is performing the Embry Dam breach, and the 511th, 569th, 74th, and 86th Engineer Dive Teams. SMALL IN NUMBER… The Army engineer diver field is small. There are about 120 divers stationed at Fort Eustis, 25 divers stationed in Hawaii, and 20 instructors located in Panama City, Fla., at the U.S. Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center. …BIG ON CAPABILITIES Dive teams are called upon to perform a number of missions in both SCUBA and surface- supplied diving modes. Missions include underwater demolitions; salvaging vessels and bridges; clearing inland waterways and ports; inspecting and repairing dams, canals, seawalls and other underwater structures; welding and repairing watercraft; conducting mine and countermine operations; performing reconnaissance; conducting search, rescue and recovery operations; and conducting hydrographic surveys. ELITE Becoming an Army diver demands first passing a physically demanding 26-week training course at the U.S. Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Fla. The rigorous coursework includes instruction and training in diving physics and medicine, hyperbaric chamber operation and maintenance, demolition, operation and maintenance of specialized diving equipment and underwater construction and salvage techniques. During their careers, divers return to the school periodically for more advanced training. REAL WORLD MISSIONS Army divers truly live up to their motto, “We dive the world over.” They support a variety of agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the U.S. Army Transportation Corps; the U.S. Department of Transportation; the U.S. Coast Guard; the U.S. Navy; the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command.
