Underwater Naval Exploration

Diving scenes exploring shipwrecks, with divers engaged in underwater training and recovery operations in oceanic settings.

diver exploring the wreck of the USS Liberty of the coast of Bali

Diver framed by shipwreck.

Diver entering the front window of a four seater plane wreck, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Asia

Divers on the wreck of the Umbria, Wingate Reef, Red Sea, Sudan, Africa

During World War II the Japanese fleet at anchor inside Truk Lagoon, Micronesia, was attacked and destroyed by an american air strike

KEY WEST, Fla. (June 19, 2013) Navy Divers 2nd Class Mitch Baker, left and Robert LaFrance, both assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, ascend through the water column during MDSU2s fleet readiness training program in Key West, Fla.

DN-ST-95-00319. Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

5-inch gun on destroyer USS Lamson, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Scuba diver explore one of the two tractors next to the Taranto wreck (ex-Strassburg), SMS Strassburg was a light cruiser of the Magdeburg class in the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy). The Taranto was sunk by Allied bombers on 15 February 1943. Dubrovnik, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean

Diver on a 12-inch cannon of the USS Arkansas, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Oct. 6, 2012) Navy Diver 2nd Class Jason Geissler, left, and Chief Navy Diver Eric Eberle, both assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, Company 4, operate a suction dredge system during an underwater recovery operation in search of an missing service member. The divers are working with the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) who conducts global search, recovery and laboratory operations to identify missing Americans from past conflicts. MDSU 2-4 and JPAC are embarked onboard the USNS Grapple (T-ARS-53). The U.S. Navy is reliable, flexible, and ready to respond worldwide on, above, and below the sea. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting.

DN-ST-90-04394. Base: Guantanamo Bay Country: Cuba (CUB)

Diver explores wreck, Cayo Largo Cuba

Mitsubishi F1M Pete floatplane wreck, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Oceania

Divers on El Aguilar wreck, Roatan, Honduras

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (Sept. 9, 2022) Members assigned to Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Logistics Support Unit (LOGSU) 1 operate a Diver Propulsion Device during high-altitude dive training. NSW is the nations premiere maritime special operations force that extends the Fleet and Joint Forces reach for collection and lethality, delivers all domain options to undermine our enemies confidence, and strengthens diplomatic leverage.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (Sept. 9, 2022) Members assigned to Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Logistics Support Unit (LOGSU) 1 operate a Diver Propulsion Device during high-altitude dive training. NSW is the nations premiere maritime special operations force that extends the Fleet and Joint Forces reach for collection and lethality, delivers all domain options to undermine our enemies confidence, and strengthens diplomatic leverage.

011016-N-3093M-001. Country: Pacific Ocean (POC) Scene Major Command Shown: CINCPACFLT

US Navy Engineman 2nd Class, Diver, Anthony Bartelli "walks on the bottom." One hundred and twenty feet above him is the US Navys salvage rescue ship USS GRASP (ARS 51) (not shown), assigned to initiate diver search and recovery operations at the TWA Flight 800 crash site. Bartelli is stationed on the Navys submarine tender USS EMORY S. LAND (AS 39) (not shown) home ported in Norfolk, Virginia, and is temporarily assigned to Grasp to augment and support 24 hour sustained diving operations. This dive, conducted the morning of July 29th, resulted in the location and recovery of three more victims, found in the scattered debris along the ocean floor. TWA flight 800 crahed in the Atlantic .... Complete Scene Caption: US Navy Engineman 2nd Class, Diver, Anthony Bartelli "walks on the bottom." One hundred and twenty feet above him is the US Navys salvage rescue ship USS GRASP (ARS 51) (not shown), assigned to initiate diver search and recovery operations at the TWA Flight 800 crash site. B

U.S. Army 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and a Spanish special forces element participated in exploratory dive training in the Mediterranean Sea, July 2022. The partnership allowed for cross-training in combat diving tactics, techniques, and procedures.

A Mark 8 special dive vehicle (SDV) pilot checks the DS-2 buoy and connects into the buoy line for recovery on the drydock shelter platform of the nuclear-powered submarine USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) during duel shelter special operations training off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

Photographer's Mate (Diver) 2nd Class Greg Slater swims along the hull of a submerged submarine to get into position to videotape members of a Navy sea-air-land (SEAL) team as they practice entering and leaving the submarine. Country: Unknown

Capt. Keith Tibbet's Ship Wreck, former Russian/ Cuban Frigate, Cayman Brac

B-24 Liberator bomber wreck, Vis Island, Mediterranean Sea, Croatia, Europe

Wreck of airplane B-24 Liberator, Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean

U.S. Navy Diver welds a repair patch on the submerged bow of the USS Ogden (LPD 5)

Photographer's Mate (Diver) 2nd Class David Tilton, right, videotapes a member of a Navy sea-air-land (SEAL) team as he enters the hull of a submerged submarine during a training exercise. Country: Unknown

110618-N-VF350-065NGHE AN PROVINCE, Vietnam (June 18, 2011) Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Jose Lopez, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1, descends underwater during a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) underwater recovery mission off the northern coast of Vietnam. Three recovery teams are searching at burial and underwater sites for 13 Americans missing from the Vietnam War. The mission of JPAC is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation's past conflicts.

Two Norton motorbikes from the Second World War in the hold of the Thistlegorm. Dive site Thistlegorm wreck, Sinai, Egypt, Red Sea, Africa

Wreck of airplane B-24 Liberator, Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean

5-inch gun of the submarine USS Apogon, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Divers at the stern of the Maldive Victory wreck, Hulhule, North Male Atoll, Maldives, Asia

Atlantic Ocean, May 5, 2005 - A member of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two climbs aboard one of the team's SEAL Delivery Vehicles (SDV) before launching from the back of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Philadelphia (SSN-690) on a training exercise. The SDVs are used to carry Navy SEALs from a submerged submarine to enemy targets while staying underwater and undetected.

Divers at the top of a wreck Strait of Suez Egypt

Turret of the submarine USS Apogon, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Diver on a 12-inch gun of the USS Arkansas, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Diver on the wreck of the Umbria, Wingate Reef, Red Sea, Sudan, Africa

A photographer's mate/diver films activities as members of a Navy sea-air-land (SEAL) team descend toward the submerged nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine USS WOODROW WILSON (SSBN 624). The SEAL team is taking part in lock-out procedures off the coast of Puerto Rico.. Country: Atlantic Ocean(AOC)

A U.S. Marine with 2d Reconnaissance Battalion, 2d Marine Division, conducts a dive during Exercise Caribbean Coastal Warrior in Savaneta, Aruba, June 19, 2022. This bilateral training exercise allows 2d Recon to expand its knowledge and proficiency when operating in littoral and coastal regions. Caribbean Coastal Warrior continues to increase global interoperability between the U.S. Marines and Marine Squadron Carib, Netherlands Marine Corps, as well as Caribbean Urban Warrior, an annual training evolution conducted on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Two Scuba diver examine ship wreck Liberty, Bali, Tulamben, Indian Ocean, Indonesia

U.S. Marines with 2d Reconnaissance Battalion, 2d Marine Division, operate a diver propulsion device during Exercise Caribbean Coastal Warrior in Savaneta, Aruba, June 16, 2022. This bilateral training exercise allows 2d Recon to expand its knowledge and proficiency when operating in littoral and coastal regions. Caribbean Coastal Warrior continues to increase global interoperability between the U.S. Marines and Marine Squadron Carib, Netherlands Marine Corps, as well as Caribbean Urban Warrior, an annual training evolution conducted on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Diver on the bow of the USS Anderson, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Diver discovers artefacts on the wreck of the USS Carlisle, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Japanese kamikaze submarine, Papua New Guinea, New Ireland, Kavieng, Oceania

Divers on the propellers of the HIJMS Nagato, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Divers in front of the propeller of the wreck of the Hilma Hooker, Bonaire

Diver on a 5-inch gun of the USS Saratoga, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Anti-aircraft gun on destroyer USS Lamson, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

DN-ST-90-04393. Base: Guantanamo Bay Country: Cuba (CUB)

Anti-aircraft gun on destroyer USS Lamson, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (Sept. 5, 2022) Sailors assigned to various Naval Special Warfare (NSW) commands operate Diver Propulsion Devices during high-altitude dive training. NSW is the nations premiere maritime special operations force that extends the Fleet and Joint Forces reach for collection and lethality, delivers all domain options to undermine our enemies confidence, and strengthens diplomatic leverage.

Special Forces Combat Divers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), survey the hull of the Cayman Salvage Master at a depth of about 100 feet near Key West, Florida, as part of a three-week dive requalification May 5, 2022. Special Forces dive teams performed an open-circuit dive to test search and recovery skills. (DoD photo)

Nakajima B5N2 Kate Torpedo Bomber, Papua New Guinea, New Ireland, Kavieng, Oceania

MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Oct. 6, 2012) Navy divers, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, Company 4, operate a suction dredge system during an underwater recovery operation in search of an missing service member. The divers are working with the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) who conducts global search, recovery and laboratory operations to identify missing Americans from past conflicts. MDSU 2-4 and JPAC are embarked onboard the USNS Grapple (T-ARS-53). The U.S. Navy is reliable, flexible, and ready to respond worldwide on, above, and below the sea. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting.

Divers and coral growth on the flight deck of the USS Saratoga, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Ocean cross swell moves the special dive vehicle (SDV) to the side as the drydock shelter (DDS) crew prepare to tie down the SDV onto the cradle on board the nuclear-powered submarine USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSN-642) during duel shelter operations off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

Diver exploring the haunting remains of a sunken aircraft.

Diver at Anchor Hawse Hole at Bow of USS Saratoga, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean

Two members of a Navy sea-air-land (SEAL) team stand by as a third team member emerges from the hull of a submerged submarine during a training exercise. Country: Unknown

110726-N-XD935-248 PORT ROYAL, Jamaica (July 26, 2011) Navy Diver 2nd Class Zach Dojaquez, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, looks for lifting points on a sunken machine engine during joint lift bag operations with members of the Jamaican Coast Guard. MDSU-2 is participating in Navy Diver-Southern Partnership Station, a multinational partnership engagement intended to increase interoperability and partner nation capacity through diving operations.

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (July 26, 2021) Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Arthurgwain L. Marquez, assigned to Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command, walks on the ocean floor while conducting surface-supplied diving operations with Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 during their pre-deployment training cycle. MDSU 2, based out of Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek - Fort Story, is a combat ready expeditionary force capable of deploying worldwide in support of all diving and salvage operations.

Green Berets assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), survey the hull of the Cayman Salvage Master at a depth of about 100 feet near Key West, Florida, as part of a three-week dive requalification May 5, 2022. Special Forces dive teams performed an open-circuit dive that tested search and recovery skills. (DoD photo)

U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (Oct. 21, 2015) Navy Diver 2nd Class David Close, assigned to Commander, Task Group (CTG) 56.1, conducts a ship's husbandry dive to inspect running gear. CTG 56.1 conducts mine countermeasures, explosive ordnance disposal, salvage-diving, and force protection operations throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

diver on the russian spyship wreck

Diver discovers relics on the flight deck of the USS Saratoga, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Diver on the 5-inch gear of the submarine USS Apogon, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

A member of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 uses an 8mm underwater video camera to film his companions during a training exercise. Base: Guantanamo Bay Country: Cuba (CUB)

220512-N-KK081-1177 KEY WEST, Fla. (May 12, 2022) Naval Special Warfare Sailors test underwater propulsion equipment during a training dive at Naval Air Station Key West. The training is part of Naval Special Warfares deploy-for-purpose model, an optimized combat ready force in reserve focused on innovation. This new design gives forces the time and space to experiment and develop new concepts to meet specific operational needs while increasing agility to respond to crises around the globe.

Wreck diving on the James Bond bomber wreck in Bahamas, West Indies, Central America

Japanese Field Gun on the deck of the shipwrecked 'Nippo Maru', Truk / Chuuk Lagoon, Chuuk Islands, Pacific ocean

A diver from the salvage ship USS GRASP (ARS-51) inspects one of the propellers of the grounded destroyer USS SPRUANCE (DD-963). The SPRUANCE ran aground off Andros Island, Bahamas, January 25, 1989. Country: Atlantic Ocean (AOC)

HALONG BAY, Vietnam (June 14, 2019) U.S. Army Spc. Julio Melendez, assigned to 7th Engineer Dive Detachment, 84th Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade, dredges a unit during underwater recovery operations off the coast of Halong Bay, Vietnam, June 14, 2019. The recovery effort was conducted by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) to locate service members who went missing during the Vietnam War. DPAA conducts global search, recovery and laboratory operations to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.

A diver swims at the bottom of the sea next to a tank wreck

220713-N-KK081-1142 PEARL HARBOR (July 13, 2022) - Royal Netherlands Navy Defence Diving Group, Salvage and Construction Team, and U.S. Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 divers work together to salvage equipment during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, four submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The worlds largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the worlds oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

Diver at a hatch at the stern of the submarine USS Apogon, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

MEN OF HONOR (2000), directed by GEORGE TILLMAN JR.

A Green Beret with 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) explores the Cayman Salvage Master wreck off the coast of Key West, Florida, as part of a three-week dive requalification May 5, 2022. Special Forces dive teams performed an open-circuit dive to test search and recovery skills approximately 100 feet beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. (DoD photo)

Diver, tooth rim of gun turret, shipwreck, wreck on sandy bottom, Spanish armoured cruiser Christobal Colon, run aground in naval battle off Santiago de Cuba on 03 July 1898 during the Spanish-American War, Caribbean Sea, Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba, West Indies, Caribbean Sea, Central America

060518-N-3093M-004. Country: Unknown

Divers on the bridge of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

A photographer's mate/diver descends to the submerged nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine USS WOODROW WILSON (SSBN-624) to videotape Navy Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) team members entering and exiting the vessel during lock-out procedures off the coast of Puerto Rico.. Country: Atlantic Ocean(AOC)

Diver and anti-aircraft gun on destroyer USS Lamson, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Ship screw and diver Wrack Salem Express ship screw of the Salem Express wreck, Safaga, Egypt with diver

Divers on the propellers of the HIJMS Nagato, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Casey Connors, and Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Miller, Regional Dive Locker West divers, swim under the fast ice after an underwater advancement ceremony next to the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Jan. 7, 2024. The Polar Star is enroute to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze, a joint service, interagency support operation for the National Science Foundation, which manages the United States Antarctic Program.

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (Nov. 16, 2015) Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean Furey, assigned to Expeditionary Combat Camera, conducts underwater photo training off the coast of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Nov. 16, 2015. Expeditionary Combat Cameras Underwater Photo Team conducts annual training to hone its divers specialized skill set and ensure valuable support of Department of Defense activities worldwide.

Diver exploring the WWII Japanese Zero Wreck, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea.

Diver finds teapot in the wreck of the HIJMS Nagato, Marshall Islands, Bikini Atoll, Micronesia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania

Diver exploring the WWII Japanese Zero Wreck, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea.

110608-N-XD935-486BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (June 8, 2011) Able Body Seaman Jason Austin, from the St. Vincent Coast Guard, uses a lift bag system to move a sunken shipÕs propeller during an underwater lift with Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2. MDSU-2 is participating in Navy Diver-Southern Partnership Station, a multinational partnership engagement designed to increase interoperability and partner nation capacity through diving operations.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (Sept. 5, 2022) Sailors assigned to various Naval Special Warfare (NSW) commands operate a Diver Propulsion Device during high-altitude dive training. NSW is the nations premiere maritime special operations force that extends the Fleet and Joint Forces reach for collection and lethality, delivers all domain options to undermine our enemies confidence, and strengthens diplomatic leverage.

Fire brigade divers in Lake Attersee

Divers at the B-24 Liberator bomber wreck, Vis Island, Mediterranean Sea, Croatia, Europe

Two divers exploring the HMS Audacious shipwreck.

Dry Deck Shelter operators winch down a combat rubber raiding craft.

40MM anti-aircraft machine gun on SS Thistlegorm wreck a British cargo steamship built in North East England in 1940 and sunk by German bomber aircraft in 1941. Near Ras Mohammed, Sinai Peninsula, Red Sea, Egypt

Diver, gun turret, overturned, rear toothed rim of gun turret, shipwreck, wreck on sandy bottom, Spanish armoured cruiser Christobal Colon, run aground in naval battle off Santiago de Cuba on 03 July 1898 during the Spanish-American War, Caribbean Sea, Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba, West Indies, Caribbean Sea, Central America

Wreck of airplane B-24 Liberator, Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean

of 4