US Navy's Seabees divers take part in unique ice blasting exercise in Estonia
United States Navy divers joined their Estonian colleagues for a first-of-its-kind ice blasting exercise this week, held on the frozen freshwater of Rummu Quarry.
The Americans, including personnel from the famed United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, were taking part for the first time on Monday and Tuesday in the Estonian Navy's Tuukrigrup annual ice camp, west of Tallinn, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.
The Americans were joined by their Estonian Navy (Merevägi) diving counterparts and by explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel from the civilian Rescue Board (Päästeamet), responsible for inland waters in Estonia.
The aim of the ice blasting is to clear channels to allow ships to access ports, something which the current cold winter has demonstrated can be an issue.
"When ice on a river accumulates in one place and water can no longer flow through, in certain circumstances, explosives have been used to remove that ice," said Rescue Board munitions expert Rauno Raidloo.
This happens rarely, however, the Rescue Board said, even as the ice camp is an annual event in which the authority takes part.
The exercise was a novelty even to the U.S. Navy commanding officer's Chief Warrant Officer Tim Dailey, overseeing the operation.
While Dailey said he had over 20 years' experience, this was his first time ice blasting – the Seabees, for instance, are primarily based in much warmer water locations off the coasts of the states of Mississippi and California.
"We never know what environment or what task we can have coming to us, so it's good to exercise that we can do this under the ice as well," he told the show.
While the world's eyes have been on the Arctic in recent weeks, Dailey explained the kinds of tasks his unit handles more broadly.
"Our tasking is – we would do waterway obstructions, so if there is any event where a ship couldn't enter a harbor somewhere and there is some sort of obstruction in the way, if there was an expedient task, we would use demolition to remove it," he said.
The operation involved cutting a large equilateral triangular hole in the several-centimeters-thick ice that had formed at Rummu. Next, a rail with an explosive charge attached to it was lowered into the depths below. The detonation's effects on the ice were then observed.
In practice, the Estonian Navy unit, which deals with the disposal of underwater explosives, also works with the civilian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) as well as the Rescue Board.
"We have helped search for missing persons using our underwater sonar, or to locate certain pieces of evidence," Navy diving unit commander Senior Lieutenant Indrek Paju noted.
Estonia's Navy diving unit is also this year taking in its first-ever conscripts. Once completing the required training, these conscripts will be qualified naval divers too.
Formerly a prison facility that flooded once pumping activities stopped, Rummu Quarry (Rummu karjäär), about halfway between Tallinn and Haapsalu, is also a popular civilian diving spot noted for its clear waters.
The original "Aktuaalne Kaamera" segment can be watched by clicking on the video player below
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Marko Tooming
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera,' reporter Vahur Lauri.
