Minentaucher


Minentaucher are particularly trained military divers of the German Navy. Their operational areas are:
Mine Clearance Divers are highly qualified specialists, who are stationed partly on board schwimmenden Einheiten, which can be ordered to be in standby if necessary. A part of the trained mine clearance divers is available as a special-purpose force in the mine clearance diver company in Eckernförde.
In 2001 the Bataillon Spezialisierter Kräfte was separated from the German commando frogmen group.
The Bataillon Spezialisierter Kräfte , a training inspection, and further support elements. On 1 April 2014 the Minentaucherkompanie became an integral part of the newly formed Naval Force Protection Battalion.
See :de:Bild:MiTa Wappen.JPG for the coat of arms of the Minentaucherkompanie.

Training

The mine clearance divers are trained in the mine clearance diver company in Eckernförde. This unit is subordinated to the Flottille Minenstreitkräfte.

Entrance requirements

To qualify for armed divers diver training, which includes mine clearance divers and combat frogmen, these conditions are to be fulfilled:-
Examination without restriction
They are taught much more about diving physics and medicine than a sport diver or civilian work diver is taught, and knowledge about underwater weapons, tactics and employment procedure. This forms the largest part of the training practical exercises, Fitness training and associated "sifting out" weeds out over 70% of the course participant in the first 6 weeks of the mine clearance diver training.
See :de:Bild:Schwimmtaucher.jpg for the German armed forces diver badge.

Expiration of the training

Starting from week:
Starting from which month:-
Armed forces divers are trained and used in nearly all countries as part of its navy.
In all countries the employments, operating conditions and employment regulations of the weapon divers are subject to secrecy.
Combat frogmen and mine clearance divers differ clearly in their equipment, due to their different tasks.

Combat frogmen

Combat frogmen operate offshore undiscovered and in shallow water, but mine clearance divers are used also in lakes and partly into deeper water. The preferred diving equipment of the combat frogmen is accordingly oxygen rebreathers, which reprocesses breathed out air and delivers only small masses of gas to the environment, so that the combat frogman cannot be discovered by rising bubbles. See also German commando frogmen.

Mine clearance diver

Clearance divers use either compressed air or mixed gas devices. With "oxygen cycle devices" the depth is limited to ; with "compressed air diving devices", which are used also in sport diving, the depth is ; with "mixed gas devices" with trimixes the oxygen portion according to the depth is reduced, thus the possible depth is higher.
Since 2002 their compressed air diving devices "FTG" were replaced by computer-controlled mixture rebreathers called "Stealth".
Apart from the mechanical and electronic special tools used by mine clearance divers, items of equipment are used which are also used by civilian divers.

Diving safety

The mine clearance diver boat Mūhlhausen and the diver school boat Langeoog in Eckernförde have stationary decompression chambers for up to 6 persons, in which divers can be treated immediately after accidents. To these, mobile decompression chambers can be clamped on by flanges. They are transported if necessary to Kiel, to the largest pressure chamber of the German Federal Navy, in which up to 12 people can be subjected to pressure, as a simulation of deep diving as part of training, or to treat decompression sickness. For this reason and due to the outstanding training, the number and the consequences of serious and deadly diving accidents with the mine clearance divers in the German navy are remarkably small compared to the comparable units in other countries.
A component of the training is the Armed Forces boat driving licence and the training about naval underwater explosives. Afterwards the training takes place to troop leader in the context of the ship safeguard training.
The members of the MiTaKp can participate in numerous special training courses beyond that. Most longer-serving mine clearance divers are qualified e.g. also as motorists BCE, helmet divers, the parachutist, and single fighter.
The training and operational planning was aimed originally to defend against conventional and more unconventional underwater weapons in case of emergency in a possible confrontation of NATO with the Eastern Bloc. Since 1985 the tasks and course contents were modified accordingly. The training in removal of unorthodox exploding and fire devices still takes place in a "special training course for the fulfilment of special orders for employment".

Employments

Mine clearance divers were predominantly used from 1957 to 1984 in German territorial waters, mainly in the Baltic Sea and removing naval mines left over from wars. Also they joined in search and salvage of damaged ships, submarines and fallen airplanes. The most dangerous task of the mine clearance divers consisted of seeking out and salvaging weapons, which were sunk after the World War in the Baltic Sea, containing chemical agents and therefore today endangering navigation and fishery.
Removing freshly laid mines in autumn 1985 in the Suez Canal was the first exterritorial use of German mine clearance divers. With this NATO employment in an international maritime route, with which the clearing equipment, developed for open ocean, could not be used, German mine clearance divers were used. Afterwards numerous employments took place worldwide also in international waters with NATO Response Forces and the German task Force.

Unit information

The Mine clearance diver company badge is a sawfish.