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Naval Diving Unit (NDU) is a special forces formation within the Republic of Singapore Navy which specialises in maritime counterterrorism operations, commando warfare, sabotage, demolitions, underwater salvage, and explosive ordnance disposal.

Being trained in airborne, ground, and underwater capabilities, operators within the unit are tasked with conducting direct action and covert missions within hostile territory. The size of the unit and the details of their missions are kept classified due to their sensitive nature.

History

In 1959, the British Far East Fleet Clearance Diving Team (FECDT) established a base of operations at HMS Terror Camp, which is the current headquarters of the unit.^[2] When the Royal Navy left Singapore on 12 December 1971, the FECDT was replaced by the Singapore Armed Forces Diving Centre under the command of Major Robert Khoo. The unit was made up of a group of divers recruited from the ranks of the Singapore Maritime Command, which is now the Republic of Singapore Navy. The divers were trained by Lieutenant Victor Rodrigues and were tasked with the maintenance of the Command's naval assets.

In 1975, the SAF Diving Centre became officially known as the Naval Diving Unit, and its current roles were reassigned in 1985 when it was perceived that underwater explosive ordnance disposal capabilities and the security of Singapore's waterways were becoming increasingly crucial in Singapore's maritime trade dependence. The Navy's fleet had also grown significantly by then, and more divers were needed to support the vessels at bay and on overseas deployments. Naval divers were involved in the salvage operations following the 1997 crash of SilkAir Flight MI185.^[3]

Organisation and training

Republic of Singapore Navy
Formations
Maritime Security Task Force Naval Diving Unit
Ships
List of ships of the Republic of Singapore Navy
Bases
Tuas Naval Base Changi Naval Base Former Brani Naval Base

Selection

In NDU, Full-time National Servicemen (NSF) and regulars are expected to undergo the same training before they are qualified to become part of the unit. Recruitment begins with a vocational assessment, whereby NSFs are selected among the thousands that enlist each year. During the primary stage of selection, physical fitness results and medical records are evaluated. Thereafter, an aptitude test is conducted by Applied Behavioural Sciences Department (ABSD) to gauge the recruit. Medical fitness criteria such as a physical employment standard (PES) of A or B1, good eyesight and hearing, and the absence of chronic illnesses that may impede their training will have to be met before potential entrants undergo a battery of further tests that include a swimming and hyperbaric chamber test, as well as another round of psychological evaluation. Those who meet the requirements will then be enlisted into the unit.

Frogman School

Enlistees into the unit will undergo a 9-week long Basic Military Training (BMT) and 22-week long Combat Diver Course (CDC) in Frogman School (FmS), the unit's training branch. In BMT, the recruits experience a modified training program at Sembawang Camp instead of the Basic Military Training Centre like most enlistees, where they will undergo additional swimming and water survival training. The recruits who meet a satisfactory standard here will qualify for the Combat Diver Course, or are otherwise posted to other vocations within the navy.

In the Combat Diver Course, there are three phases, namely the Foundational, Specialisation, and Advanced phases, which trainees will go through before graduating as a diver.

In the Foundational phase, the trainees are introduced to land navigation, outboard motor boat handling, and various underwater confidence tests such as drownproofing and underwater knot-tying. They are introduced to the Sea Circuit, an obstacle course which involves a fin swim, rope climb from the water, run, a confidence jump back into the water, swim, and run, covering 750 metres per round, where three rounds must be completed within 18 minutes. In addition, trainees must achieve 95 points for their Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), run 6km in 27 minutes, and swim 2km in their wetsuit, fins, and a flotation device within 50 minutes, before qualifying for Hell Week at the last week of the phase. In Hell Week, trainees are subject to sleep deprivation, ice-cold baths, and stressed by machine-gun fire, non-stop physical exertion, team-based competitions, and seemingly nonsensical tasks which are meant to simulate the drawn-out chaos and discord of a wartime situation. Hell Week culminates in an hour-long "securing", where the already weary trainees are subjected to even more intense physical exercises before the commander declares an end to the week.

The trainees who clear Hell Week proceed on to the Specialisation phase, where trainees are trained in scuba diving, underwater search and salvage capabilities, as well as land and underwater demolitions. Following which is the Advanced phase, where trainees learn closed-circuit rebreather diving and shipboard competencies.

By the end of CDC, as many as 60% of the initial intake would have dropped out. Those who graduate as divers and are assigned to either the Underwater Demolition Group (UDG), Clearance Diving Group (CDG), or Special Warfare Group (SWG), with SWG being exclusive postings for SAF regular servicemen.

Underwater Demolition Group

The Underwater Demolition Group is where most National Service trainees are assigned to, and specialises in the demolition of natural maritime barriers, as well as sabotage operations on enemy maritime infrastructure.

Clearance Diving Group

The Clearance Diving Group is a group within the unit tasked with help preserving the safety of Singapore's vital sea lanes, and specialises in improvised explosive device disruption, underwater mine disposal, and bomb disposal. The group works alongside mine countermeasures vessels and is an integral part of the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit.

The group is also a component of the Accompanying Sea Security Teams (ASSeT), and carries out visit, board, search, and seizure operations on ships that carry highly sensitive or potentially hazardous articles through Singaporean waters.

Special Warfare Group

The Naval Diving Unit's Special Warfare Group is an all-regular unit created as a counterpart to the Army Commando's Special Operations Force starting off under the name "The A-Team" in 1987, and specialises in conducting special operations over land, air and sea. The group has access to the latest equipment, and is tasked with airborne, reconnaissance, and direct action operations. The best performing candidates from Special Forces Qualification Course are selected to attend the Special Warfare Course before being inducted into this group. Naval divers from this group are also regularly sent overseas for training, and may also be invited to attend the United States Navy's Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) course. In 2001, Captain Wong Foo Chan, who was from the Special Warfare Group, became the first foreigner to top his class in the Green Berets course, and received a commendation medal for this achievement.

The group's insignia of the shows an anchor, re-breather and trident over a pair of bat wings, with the motto: "Will to Do, Spirit to Dare".

Career Paths

After the Combat Diver Course is over, naval diver regulars may split two possible career paths, which are the Specialist Career Path and the Officer Career Path.

In the Specialist Career Path, trainees will go through Combat Advanced Skills Training for a month, training in basic land combat. They will then be in the Special Forces Qualification Course for 9 months to be trained in combat diving, free-fall, and advanced demolitions, to deal with the full spectrum of special operations. The final course will be the four-month Special Warfare Advanced Training, where trainees will learn skills to be a part of the Special Warfare Group.

In the Officer Career Path, trainees will be trained in leadership and mission planning. The trainees will be trained at the Officer Cadet School for nine months. The trainees will get to train on board one of the RSN's vessels. After which, they will go through the Naval Diver Professional Phase.

Reorganisation

As part of the NDU's restructuring during its Golden Jubilee in December 9th, 2021, two units are inducted into the formation, namely 180 Squadron, which comprises the Accompanying Sea Security Teams, and the Special Boat Group, which will raise, train and sustain all maritime specialised craft, including the Combatant Craft Large, a newly operationalised craft that was designed and built locally. These two units will help NDU take on expanded operational demands of maritime special operations.

Equipment

Pistols
Model	Origin	Caliber	Version	Notes
SIG Sauer P226	Germany	9×19mm Parabellum	P226 E2
Glock 17	Austria	9×19mm Parabellum	Glock 17 Gen 3
FN Five-seven	Belgium	FN 5.7×28mm	Mark 1
Sub-machine guns
H&K MP7	Germany	HK 4.6×30mm	MP7A1
H&K MP5	Germany	9×19mm Parabellum	MP5A3, MP5SD3, MP5K-N, MP5K-PDW
FN P90	Belgium	FN 5.7×28mm	P90 TR
Assault rifles
H&K HK416	Germany	5.56×45mm NATO	D10RS D14.5RS
M4 carbine	USA	5.56×45mm NATO	M4A1 SOPMOD Block 1
CAR-15	USA	5.56×45mm NATO	Colt Model 653, Colt Model 723
SAR-21	Singapore	5.56×45mm NATO	SAR21, SAR21 MMS
Sniper rifles
M110 SASS	USA	7.62×51mm NATO
Sako TRG-22	Finland
Accuracy International AX50	United Kingdom
Machine guns
Ultimax 100	Singapore	5.56×45mm NATO	Mark 3
FN MAG	Belgium	7.62×51mm NATO
STK 50MG	Singapore	12.7×99mm NATO
Shotguns
Remington 870	USA		870 MCS
Grenade launchers
M320 GLM	Germany	40 mm grenade
M203	USA	40 mm grenade
Milkor MGL	South Africa	40 mm grenade
STK 40AGL	Singapore	40 mm grenade

In popular culture

The unit was the subject of the 2015 Jack Neo film Ah Boys to Men 3: Frogmen.^[4] Prior to the film's release, there was little public awareness about the unit. It was filmed on location at the NDU headquarters in Sembawang Camp and some of the trainees and instructors participated in minor roles and as technical consultants.^[5][6]

References

External links

• Naval Diving Unit Career Website