Page 23: of Marine Technology Magazine (January 2016)

Captain Baumann said that the salvage of the Japanese high school training ? shing vessel F/V Ehime Maru – and recovering eight of the nine souls lost off the coast of Hawaii in 2000 ft. – was one of the most technically challenging and personally dif? cult of his career.

diving accidents in 2013. As a result, we conducted a strate- in command level diving assessments; become a self-learning gic assessment of the safety of diving operations throughout organization; establish better diving mishap reporting and the Navy. SUPSALV co-chaired a Diving Operational Assess- trend analysis; and update the Navy’s diving program instruc- ment Integrated Project Team that conducted a holistic review tion. of Navy Diving Program compliance with requirements with particular focus on supervisor accountability. Integral to this

Marine Salvage is an intriguing business, liter- effort was an assessment of the culture within the diving com- ally an engineered solution as no two wrecks munity, as it affects our ability to adequately assess opera- are the same. In your career, what one technol- tional readiness, effectively plan missions, accurately apply ogy do you count as having the greatest impact operational risk management, safely execute dives, and apply on allowing salvage to be conducted more ef- lessons learned. The ? ndings of the review found: Navy div- ? ciently and safely?

ing continues to meet Combatant Commander requirements Unequivocally, it’s the improvements in the area of and supervisory accountability, and that navy diving is effec- information technology that have had the greatest impact in tive. However, there were speci? c areas that were deemed to our response capability. In most cases the physical rigors of need improvement: improve supervisor decision making, de- salvage are basic, rudimentary, and don’t have huge strides to velopment, quali? cation, and pro? ciency; build effectiveness make with the increase in technology. However, the software www.marinetechnologynews.com

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