Navy Divers Swim with Sharks

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Davis Anderson, Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs

CINCINNATI (NNS) -- Divers from the Trident Refit Facility traveled from their home in Kings Bay Ga., to Newport, Ky. to give area residents on Sept. 1 a small taste of what Navy divers do -swim with sharks.

The divers were in town for Cincinnati Navy Week 2011 and dove for six shows a day in the tank with the sharks at the Newport Aquarium, just across the river from Cincinnati.

"It was extremely fun," said Desireé Matthews, show presenter supervisor at the Newport Aquarium. She used a microphone to talk with the diver in the tank and ask questions posed by the crowd. "I got to interact with (Master Chief Navy Diver) Joe Howard (from Millington, Tenn.), (who was in the tank for three of the shows). We were able to give them information about what he does in the Navy as well as some of the interesting things he's done in his 23 years of diving. I think the guests really, really enjoyed it."

There has been a mutual sense of enjoyment and excitement from both the divers and the city of Cincinnati.

"Cincinnati's been great," said Navy Diver 1st Class (DSW/SW) Noah Gottesman, from Trident Refit Facility, Kings Bay, Ga. "The people have been very friendly. (We're) always getting the, 'Thank you for your service, enjoying our time here, hope you get to see this part of the city, that part of the city.' It's just been really, really warm all over. Everybody at the aquarium has been fantastic."

The divers are scheduled to conduct several days worth of shows at the Newport Aquarium during Cincinnati Navy Week 2011.

"We are very appreciative of your presence here this week," said Matthews. "It gives us some variety, it adds something else for our guests to be educated with and it's a great difference in the usual routine."

This Day in Naval History - July 22

From the Navy News Service

1802 - Frigate Constellation defeats 9 Corsair gunboats off Tripoli.

1905 - Body of John Paul Jones moved to Annapolis, MD for reburial.

1953 - U.S. ships laid down heavy barrage to support UN troops in Korea

1964 - Four Navy Divers (LCDR Robert Thompson, MC; Gunners Mate First Class Lester Anderson, Chief Quartermaster Robert A. Barth, and Chief Hospital Corpsman Sanders Manning) submerge in Sealab I for 10 days at a depth of 192 feet, 39 miles off Hamilton, Bermuda. They surfaced on July 31.

1974 - Evacuees from the coup on Cyprus arrive on board Navy vessels in the Mediterranean. Operation ended on July 24.

Navy Divers Entertain Crowds during Chattanooga Navy Week 2011

By Stacey Byington, Trident Refit Facility, Kings Bay Public Affairs

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (NNS) -- Six Navy divers from Trident Refit Facility aboard Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga., are diving in the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, TN, entertaining crowds of people, June 14-17, as part of Chattanooga Navy Week 2011.

Led by Chief Navy Diver Kevin Moore, the divers are demonstrating their skills and equipment in the aquarium's Secret Reef exhibit, swimming among sharks, stingrays, and numerous types of fish while answering questions about their lives as Navy divers and talking to visitors at the aquarium. The exhibit replicates the Flower Garden Banks National Sanctuary, located about 115 miles south of Texas, which is the northernmost reef in North America.

"Chattanooga is a great town, and we are delighted to be able to participate in the Riverbend Festival and Chattanooga Navy Week," said Moore. "This is a great opportunity to show what Navy divers do. A couple of our divers have family members living in the Chattanooga area, and it is the first time some of them have seen us dive."

In addition to the dives in the aquarium, the divers are manning a static display of current and past diving equipment every day, interacting with Chattanooga area media, and participating in several community service projects.

The Chattanooga Navy Week celebration, held during the Riverbend Festival, kicked off June 11 and continues through June 18. The week-long event gives area residents an opportunity to meet some of the Navy's Sailors and learn about the Navy's critical mission and its broad-ranging capabilities.

The U.S. Navy conducts approximately 21 Navy Weeks each year, reaching out to communities across the country to show Americans the investment they have made in their Navy as a Global Force for Good. During a Navy Week celebration, the Navy concentrates a variety of outreach events in a metropolitan area, sharing the Navy story with as many people as possible.

In addition to the divers from Trident Refit Facility, other Navy personnel participating in Chattanooga Navy Week included Sailors from USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the U.S. Navy; several Sailors from USS Tennessee (SSBN 734), homeported in Kings Bay; and other units from all over the region. Navy musicians from Navy Band Mid-South also gave special performances at various venues around the city.

Senior Navy leaders engaged with local corporate, civic, government and education leaders during the week. Headlining Chattanooga Navy Week are Vice Adm. Harry Vice Adm. Harry B. Harris, Jr., commander, U.S. 6th Fleet; Rear Adm. Donald R. Gintzig, deputy chief Medical Operations and Future Plans, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Rick D. West.

Other cities and states hosting a 2011 Navy Week are the Quad Cities; Chicago; Rochester, N.Y.; Detroit; Los Angeles; Fargo, N.D.; Indianapolis; Cincinnati; Omaha, Neb.; New England; Albuquerque, N.M.; El Paso and San Antonio, Texas.