JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKHAM , Hawaii -- “In five months we completed six missions spanning five countries. The work ranged from heavy underwater construction to teaching very technical diver's life support equipment repair classes,” said Chief Equipment Operator Jim McVicar, officer-in-charge, UCT2 CDD/A. “Each man pulled their own weight and worked together to get the job done.”

During the deployment the team participated in joint/combined exercises Angkor Opening, at Ream Naval Base, Cambodia, Balikatan at Naval Base Heracleo Alano, Sangley Point, Philippines and Foal Eagle in Chinhae, Republic of Korea (ROK). CDD/A also conducted diving and equipment maintenance subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE) with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force in Honiara, Solomon Islands as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) program, which assists countries contaminated by explosive remnants of war by developing indigenous mine action capabilities. Their deployment was also bundled with major port repairs and maintenance projects at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickham (JBPHH), Hawaii.

Beginning in January, the team deployed from their homeport of Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, California for JBPHH and immediately commenced work on repairing damaged concrete piles under two piers that serve the U.S. Pacific Fleet fast attack submarines and surface ships.

“We, [UCT 2], have been repairing the piers and wharfs of Pearl Harbor for eight years,” said McVicar. “The vast majority of the work is done under the deck. If it wasn’t for our equipment containers topside you wouldn't know we were there.”

In less than two months the team repaired 36 piles, which involved the cleaning and preparing of each pile for a fiberglass protective jacket. Those jackets were then installed, reinforced and filled with a self-leveling waterproof cement grout. The completed product is called a pile wrap and it restores the pier’s load capacity and increases its life span.

At Foal Eagle, the team assisted the ROK Naval Mobile Construction Battalion in establishing their own UCT by working together with ROK Seabees and the three qualified South Korean Seabee divers to construct an expeditionary wharf and create topographic maps of the sea floor using hydrographic survey equipment. UCT divers also conducted training on pier inspections and underwater welding and cutting.

“The Foal Eagle exercise this year was again a great success, demonstrating the capability of the U.S./ROK Navy Seabee team and the resolve of our partnership,” said Lt. Josh Baker executive officer, Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 2. “We look forward to continuing this relationship in 2017 and continuing to help the ROK Navy build their own Underwater Construction Team.”

In mid-march two senior UCT divers attended the first ever exercise Angkor Opening in Cambodia as subject matter experts for an academic SMEE. For five days they provided classroom instruction to Cambodian divers on a wide range of diving related topics including an introduction to surface supplied diving, basic diving physics and medicine, and several SCUBA related topics.

Following Foal Eagle and Angkor Opening, the team traveled to the joint, multi-lateral exercise Balikatan in the Philippines where they planned and executed a diver SMEE with the Philippine Underwater Construction Team (PN-UCT). This annual exercise is a priority event designed to further develop the relationship between the two countries while increasing interoperability and PN-UCT diving related maintenance and SCUBA diving techniques, diving supervisor procedures, and waterfront inspection criteria.

Next, Det. Alpha departed for HMA Solomon Islands to take part in a Diver SMEE with Royal Solomon Island Police Force (RSIPF) Explosive Ordnance Disposal divers, who are tasked with the removal and disposal of explosive remnants of war left over from World War II. The SMEE was primarily focused on maintenance and preservation of diving equipment.

“I was very impressed with the humble dedication of the RSIPF,” said McVicar. “They do some amazing work, rendering safe thousands of explosive remnants of war each year. We are lucky to work with them.”

Their final project was the inspection and repair of 146 moorings at Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor. In five weeks of work, the team accumulated 188 hours of bottom time while replacing 1050 zinc anodes, supporting the readiness of the inactive Fleet.

“The NISMF project isn't glamorous,” said McVicar, noting that much of the work was done below the mud line in complete darkness and thus it feels alone, “but every UCT Tech knows the importance of the mission and takes pride in a job well done.”

Following completion of their work at NISMF, the team was given the rare and prestigious opportunity to dive at the USS Arizona memorial helping the US National Parks Service monitor the condition of this historic national site.

Det. Alpha recently turned over with UCT2 Construction Dive Detachment Bravo, which is currently performing underwater maintenance and inspections on cables at Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands (PMRF), Hawaii.