Frogman 297113 226184489 2008-07-17T05:53:21Z Anthony Appleyard 119438 blank line {{Cleanup|date=April 2008}} {{Inappropriate tone|date=April 2008}} {{refimprove|date=May 2008}} {{otheruses4|a type of [[scuba diver]]}} {{TOCright}} A '''frogman''' is someone who is trained to dive or swim in a military capacity, often in combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of '''combat diver''' or '''combat swimmer'''. Strictly speaking, "combat swimming" refers to surface swimming without a breathing apparatus for the purposes of coastal or ship infiltration, which is a traditional form of "frogman" activity and is thus an important feature of naval special operations.<ref>[http://www.sealchallenge.navy.mil/seal/introduction.aspx Naval Special Warfare History, Official US Navy SEAL Information.]</ref> In popular usage, the term '"frogman" might also refer to a civilian [[scuba diving|scuba diver]]. The word arose around [[1940]] from the appearance of a diver in shiny wetsuit and large fins. Though the preferred term by [[Scuba set|scuba]] users is "diver", the "frogman" epithet persists in informal usage by non-divers, especially in the media and often in reference to professional scuba divers such as in a [[Police diving|police]] role. Also, some [[Scuba diving|sport diving]] [[club]]s include the word "Frogmen" in their names. In the US Military, divers trained in scuba or [[CCUBA]] who deploy for military assault missions are called "combat swimmers". This term is used to refer to the [[Navy SEAL]]s, the Marine Recon swimmers, the Army Ranger swimmers, and the [[Navy EOD|Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units]]. In Britain, [[Police diving|police divers]] have often been called "police frogmen". The first British police diver was a policeman who, needing to search underwater for evidence or a body, did not use a [[Dredge#Drag|drag]] but went home and fetched his sport scuba gear. See also [[Ian Edward Fraser#After World War II|Ian Edward Fraser]]. Some countries' frogman organizations include a translation of the word "frogman" in their official names, e.g. [[Denmark]]'s "Frømandskorpset" and [[Norway]]'s "Froskemanskorpset"; others call themselves "combat divers" or similar. Others call themselves by indefinite names such as "special group 13" and "special operations unit". Many nations and some irregular armed groups deploy or have deployed combat frogmen. ==Defending against frogmen== {{main|Anti-frogman techniques}} ==Types of armed-forces divers== '''Military diving''' is a branch of [[professional diving]] carried out by [[armed forces]]. They may be divided into: * Combat / assault divers. * Armed forces work divers (called [[Clearance Diver]]s in the [[Royal Navy]] and [[Royal Australian Navy]]), who do general work underwater. * Armed forces work divers who are trained in defusing [[naval mine|mine]]s and removing other explosives underwater. These groups may overlap, and the same men may serve as assault divers and work divers, as in the Australian [[Clearance Diving Team (RAN)]]. ==Frogman training== Training armed forces divers, including combat divers, is far harder, longer, and more complicated than civilian sport scuba diver training, typically takes several weeks full-time, and the trainees must be at full [[armed forces]] fitness and discipline at the start. It needs much higher levels of fitness, and during the course there is often a high elimination rate of trainees who do not make the grade. For more details see the articles on each nation's frogman group below and their external links. This contrasts with civilian sport scuba diving training which tends to be much more casual. The general environment at sport dives is liable to encourage what a naval diver-trainer would call "''a casual tourist-type attitude to being underwater''", rather than a disciplined attitude of obeying orders and not being distracted; some naval diver-trainers prefer, or will only accept, trainees who have no previous scuba diving experience. [http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?threadid=160556] For example, the [[PADI]] [[Open Water Diver]] (the most basic rank) course takes 5 dives in a [[swimming pool]] and 4 dives in open water (i.e. [[sea]], [[lake]], etc.); after the course the qualified diver is allowed to dive to 18 meters = 59 feet depth. The next step ([[Advanced Open Water Diver]]) allows him to dive to 30 meters (100 feet). A further [[Deep Diver Speciality]] course allows him to dive to 40 meters (130 feet) maximum, which is considered safe for civil scuba diving: 30 m is recommended as the normal maximum. This can be compared with military frogman training courses as described in some of the articles about national military frogman bodies included or pointed to below, and their included external links. ==Equipment== {{For|scuba diving gear in general|Scuba set}} ===Breathing sets=== Frogmen's breathing sets on covert operations should have particular features. * Some are needed because they may need to swim fast and far. * Some are needed to avoid detection. * Sometimes patrol divers may have to be sent down to find or arrest submerged suspect divers. For reasons stated in [[Anti-frogman techniques#Sending other frogmen against them]], underwater fights between divers are much rarer in reality than in fiction, and thus suitability of the frogman's kit for "diver to diver combat" is less important than some other features when designing it; but the point is considered here for completeness. [[United States|USA]] frogmen's rebreathers tended to have the breathing bag on the back before enclosed backpack-box rebreathers became common. ====Features needed==== A frogman's breathing set should: * Be as silent as possible in use. * Have a [[full face diving mask]]: *** To let frogmen communicate underwater. *** It is less easily knocked off underwater. *** It is much less easily lost if the frogman goes unconscious underwater. ** And see [[Full face diving mask#Straps firmly fasten it to the head|here]]. It should have as little as possible (e.g. an excessively bulky or projecting set/air valve) that can catch on things or that an attacker could easily grasp. * Be a dull color to avoid being seen from out of the water. Many are black, but the Russian [[IDA71]]'s backpack box is mostly dark green. No large bright-colored badges or manufacturer's logos. * Contain as little iron or steel as possible, to avoid detection by [[magnetism|magnetic]] sensors. This is also useful when the frogmen have to remove or defuse [[naval mine|mine]]s underwater. * Be as light and agile as possible, as far as is compatible with an adequate dive duration: ** Be well [[Drag (physics)|streamlined]], and as small and light as possible for the dive duration. With a combat diver this may mean removing safety features such as an open-circuit [[Rebreather#Bailout|bailout]] that would add bulk. Long trailing hoses (e.g. regulator hoses) are easily fouled and or pulled at and add to drag. If an underwater fight, or a quick need to escape, develops, agility and lack of cumbersomeness could be vital. This applies to: *** Streamlining in straight swimming, as he may have to swim fast and far. *** Streamlining when he rolls over and twists about. *** The diver's [[radius of gyration|inertia when he must roll over quickly]]. *** The risk of snagging on things in dark water, or being taken hold of by. The [[Russian IDA71 military and naval rebreather]] is a good example here. * Have a long dive duration. * The front of the frogman's abdomen should be clear so he can easily climb in and out of small boats or over obstacles, particularly out of the water. * Its breathing bag should be toughened against stabbing and scratches, or safely inside a hard backpack box. * All controls should be where the frogman can easily reach them, and not projecting. Turning the usual type of sport diving scuba's air off or on is easy for an attacker from above but difficult or impossible for the diver himself (and has been known to happen by itself when a diver pushes through thick [[kelp]]), unless the cylinder or cylinders are mounted inverted. However, that needs more pipework, and it is easy to bump the valvework on things, including when taking the set off. * Its working parts and breathing tube or tubes should be safe from snagging on things in dark water, and from attack in an underwater fight, including in the risk of being "jumped" from above. ** Long trailing breathing tubes or regulator hoses may snag on things in dark water and can easily be grasped and pulled. ** Older [[Siebe Gorman]]-type [[rebreather]]s (see [[Siebe Gorman CDBA#Other similar rebreathers|Siebe Gorman CDBA]]) had one breathing tube, which was in front of the chest and easier for the frogman to keep track of. ====Not open-circuit scuba==== [[Image:Nageurcombat ix.jpg|thumb|A frogman.]] As a result, the frogman's breathing set should be [[rebreather#Fully closed circuit rebreather|fully closed circuit rebreather]], preferably not [[semi-closed circuit]] and certainly not [[Scuba set#Open circuit scuba sets|open-circuit scuba]], because: * Open-circuit scuba makes large amounts of bubbles, showing where the diver is. * Open-circuit scuba makes noise (on exhalation, and [[regulator]] valve intake hiss as the diver breathes in) showing [[passive sonar|underwater listening devices]] where the diver is. ** There have been experiments with making released air or gas come out through a [[Diffuser (breathing set part)|diffuser]], to break the bubbles up; this may sometimes work with the small amounts of gas that are sometimes released by rebreathers, but open-circuit scuba releases so much gas at every breath that a diffuser large enough to handle it without making breathing difficult would be too bulky and would interfere with [[Streamline (swimming)|streamlining]]. Holding the breath to avoid making noise at critical moments is not recommended and very risky: see [[Diving hazards and precautions#On ascent|diving hazards and precautions]] * The bulk of an open-circuit set makes the diver heavy and cumbersome in rolling over and changing course or speed. * The dive duration of open circuit sets is much shorter than the dive duration of naval rebreathers, in proportion to bulk. However, some "[[technical diving]]" rebreathers are very burdened with safety devices such as inflatable flotation and open-circuit [[Rebreather#Bailout|bailout]]. (Some modern rebreathers, such as the [[Draeger]], are lighter.) The rebreathers which are the most compact in proportion to dive duration are [[Rebreather#Oxygen rebreather|oxygen rebreathers]], which are depth limited to about 8 meters = 26 feet due to the [[oxygen toxicity]] risk. *The common sport open-circuit scuba set is not recommended for a fight against a trained naval or combat diver, because in any sort of underwater combat, a man with a large [[aqua-lung|aqualung]] has a high [[radius of gyration|rotation-inertia]] and is very [[streamlined|unstreamlined]] in the twisting and turning involved in fighting and straight swimming, and his maneuvering is slowed critically compared to a man with a light streamlined rebreather with all parts close to his body. Combat frogmen sometimes use open-circuit scuba sets during training and for operations where being detected or long distance swimming are not significant concerns. ====The Russian IDA71==== The [[Russian IDA71 military and naval rebreather]] is a typical frogman set: * Its working parts are in a hard smooth rounded metal backpack casing which has little that can snag on things or be easily grasped and pulled at. There is no mass of projecting valvework behind his neck to cause hydrodynamic drag and for an attacker to grasp. * Its only external control is its on/off switch, which is on its right edge near the bottom where he can reach it easily, and does not stick out. * It does have looping breathing tubes like an old-type [[aqua-lung|aqualung]], but these originate well apart next to where they come over his shoulders and do not have to reach across from the back of his neck. They can be strapped to the shoulder straps so they do not float up into big vulnerable loops behind the shoulders. * When the frogman comes out of water quickly, the holes in the casing let contained water drain quickly, so he is quickly rid of the weight of that water. * In oxygen rebreather mode it is said to last 4 hours on a filling. ===Masks=== Most frogmen use a [[full face diving mask]] instead of separate mouthpiece and mask. The older type of British frogman's and naval [[diving mask]] was full face and had a mouthpiece inside it. Some frogmen use a mouthpiece and noseclip or a mouth-and-nose (oro-nasal) breathing mask instead of a diving mask with eye windows, and special [[contact lens]]es to correct the vision [[refraction error]] caused by the eyeballs being directly submerged. This is to avoid a [[searchlight]] or other lights reflecting off the mask window and thus revealing his presence, but it exposes the [[eyeball]]s to any [[pollution]], [[poison]], or [[organism]]s in the water. The United States military has adopted [[Oceanic]]/[[Aeris]]'s "[[Integrated Diver Display Mask]]". It is a basic "Heads-Up Display" that lets divers monitor depth, bottom time, tank pressures, and related information while leaving their hands free for other tasks. ===Fins=== Another problem with a frogman who may have to come ashore and operate on land is the awkwardness of walking on land in [[swimfin|fins]], unless he plans to discard his kit and return to base by some other way than by diving, or if the frogmen plan to take and hold a position on land until other troops arrive. Some sport diving fins have the blade angled downwards for more effective swimming, but this makes walking on them more awkward. The usual solution is for the frogman to take his fins off and carry them, but that takes time and occupies a hand carrying them unless he can clip them in to his kit or thread an arm through the fins' straps. Another type of fin that frogmen could use would have a lockable hinge which on land can be unlocked to let the fin blade hinge up out of the way when walking. The first type of British naval swimming fin had a short blade which was even shorter at the big toe side: this made walking on land easier for such purposes as creeping up on a sentry from behind on land, but reduced swimming speed. ===Diving suits=== The frogman's diving suit should be a tough scratch-and-cut-resistant [[drysuit]] (perhaps reinforced with [[kevlar]]), and not a soft foam [[wetsuit]]. A wetsuit can be worn under the drysuit as a warm [[undersuit]]. In very warm water, a thin tough drysuit can be worn with no [[undersuit]]. *For Bomb Disposal Operations, Canadian Naval Divers wear Bomb suits. It should not have obvious bright colored patches, [[Military unit|unit]] [[badge]]s or the suit's maker's [[advertising]]. Diving sea-[[police]] types, however, may find that a unit badge is useful. ===Tools and weapons carried underwater=== Weapons that can be carried by a frogman include: *Knife: standard weapon. *A [[speargun]] has been seen advertised in circumstances suggesting its use for combat and not for fishing. *[[Underwater firearms]]: **Russian [[APS underwater rifle]] **Russian [[ASM-DT Underwater Assault Rifle]] **Russian [[SPP-1 Underwater Pistol]] **[[Heckler & Koch P11 Underwater Pistol]] * Standard firearms: **Canadian [[Diemaco]] C7 and C8 assault rifles *Many types of explosives may be used: **[[C-4 (explosive)|C-4]], [[M67 grenade|C13 grenade]], and [[clay explosive]]s **And, most famously, the [[Naval mine#Limpet mines|limpet mine]]. *Other tools include [[net-cutter]]s. ===Transport for frogmen=== Frogmen may approach their site of operation and return to base in various ways including: *Swimming all the way. *[[Canoe]]s. *Being dropped off and/or picked up by fast [[Rigid-hulled inflatable boat]]s. *In [[World War II]], [[Italy|Italian]] and [[United Kingdom|British]] frogmen used [[manned torpedo]]es to carry them to their targets. Some nations still keep manned torpedoes. *Canadian Naval Divers use the Phantom Remote Operated Vehicle(ROV),the SeaDoo Sea Scooter,TAYUT General Purpose Boat FDU(P),Yard Diving Tender (YDT) Sooke,and the YDT 11 FDU(P). *The [[Subskimmer]] and similar. *Midget [[submarine]]s such as the [[X-craft]], the [[SDV]] or the US Advanced SEAL Delivery System [[ASDS]] which frogmen can exit and return to through an [[airlock]]. *Full-sized [[submarine]]s which frogmen can exit and return to, sometimes through a special [[airlock]] or through one of the sub's [[torpedo tube]]s. These two methods, like all methods, need precautions: [http://www.vrazvedka.ru/main/history/afonchenko-04.shtml this link] (in Russian) describes a risky incident in diving from a submerged submarine: the sub was neutrally buoyant at the start, and the first frogman [[airlock]]ing changed the sub's buoyancy, and the sub started to float up; in later dives the sub's captain ballasted the sub well to keep the sub on the seabed while frogmen were coming out or in. *More powerful versions of sport-diving [[diver-tug]]s. Unmodified sport-diving [[diver-tug]]s are usually not powerful enough or not long enough duration on a battery recharging. *The [[Protei-5 Russian diver-rider|Protei 5]] and similar. See [[Diver Propulsion Vehicle]]. *Some frogmen are trained to [[parachute]] in to their site of operation. The backpack box of the [[Russia]]n [[IDA71]] frogman's rebreather has two metal clips to fasten to a parachute harness. ==Types of frogman operations== *Amphibious assault: stealthy deployment of land or boarding forces. The vast majority of Combat Swimmer missions are simply to get "from here to there" and arrive suitably equipped and in sufficient physical condition to fight on arrival. The deployment of tactical forces using the arrival by water to assault land targets, [[drilling platform]]s, or surface ship targets (as in boardings for seizure of evidence), is a major driver behind the equipping and training of combat swimmers. The purposes are many, but include feint and deception, anti-[[drug]], law enforcement, anti-[[terrorism]], and anti-[[proliferation]] missions. *Sabotage: This includes putting [[naval mine#limpet mines|limpet mine]]s on ships. *Clandestine surveying: Surveying a beach before a troop landing, or other forms of unauthorized underwater surveying in denied waters. The article [http://www.vrazvedka.ru/main/history/afonchenko-04.shtml "Riding on Proton" by Afonchenko] (in Russian) may describe in passing a [[Soviet Bloc]] frogman [[infiltration]] into [[South Korea]]n sea. *Clandestine underwater work, e.g.: ** Recovering underwater objects. ** Clandestine fitting of monitoring devices on underwater communication cables in enemy waters. *Investigating unidentified divers, or a sonar echo that may be unidentified divers. Diving sea-police work may be included here. See [[Anti-frogman techniques#Sending other frogmen against them|anti-frogman techniques]]. *Checking [[ship]]s, [[boat]]s, structures, and [[harbor]]s for [[naval mine|limpet mine]]s and other sabotage; and ordinary routine maintenance in war conditions. If the inspection divers during this find attacking frogmen laying mines, this category may merge into the previous category. *Underwater [[naval mine|mine]] clearance and [[bomb disposal]]. ===Mission descriptions=== The U.S. and UK forces use these official definitions for mission descriptors: *'''[[Stealthy]]''' - Keeping out of sight (e.g. underwater) when approaching the target. *'''[[Covert]]''' - Carrying out an action of which the enemy may become aware, but the perpetrator of which cannot easily be discovered or apprehended. Covert action often involves military force which cannot be hidden once it has happened. Stealth on approach, and frequently on departure, may be used. *'''[[Clandestine]]''' - It is intended that the enemy does not find out then or afterwards that the action has happened. Installing [[eavesdropping]] devices is the best example. Approach, installing the devices, and departure are all to be kept from the knowledge of the enemy. If the operation or its purpose is exposed, then the actor will usually make sure that the action at least remains "covert", or unattributable: e.g. ("''...the [[Secretary of State|secretary]] will disavow any knowledge of your actions.''") ==Derivative word usages== *Some [[scuba diving]] [[club]]s have an entry class called "[[Tadpole]]s" for younger children who want to start scuba diving. *[[Royal Navy]] men have a slang term "pond life" to mean civilian sport divers. ==Errors about frogmen found in public media== ===Wrong use of the word "frogman"=== [[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea#Translations|A new English translation of the book ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'']] uses the word "frogman" uniformly and wrongly to mean a diver in [[standard diving dress]] or similar, to translate [[French language|French]] ''scaphandrier''. ===Supposed ancient scuba divers/frogmen=== Ancient [[Assyria]]n stone carvings show images which some have supposed to be frogmen with crude breathing sets. However, the "breathing set" was merely a [[goat]]skin float used to cross a river, and its "breathing tube" was to inflate it by mouth. See [[timeline of underwater technology]]. ===Mistakes in fiction=== ====Aqualungs==== Many [[comic]]s have depicted combat frogmen and other covert divers using two-cylinder twin-hose open-circuit [[aqua-lung|aqualungs]]. All real covert frogmen use [[rebreather]]s because the stream of bubbles from an open-circuit set would give away the diver's position. Many aqualungs have been [[anachronism|anachronistically]] depicted in [[comic]]s in stories set during [[World War II]], when in reality at that time period aqualungs were unknown outside [[Jacques-Yves Cousteau]] and his close associates in [[Toulon]] in south [[France]]. Some aqualungs were smuggled out of occupied France during the war (these may have been [[Timeline of underwater technology#The diving regulator reappears|Commeinhes aqualungs]]), but the aqualung for the most part was not a player in combat in [[World War II]]. The movie [[The Frogmen (film)|The Frogmen]] also made this mistake, using three-[[gas cylinder|cylinder]]ed aqualungs, as in [[:Image:Frogmendvd.jpg|this image of a movie poster]]. [[DESCO]] were making three-cylinder [[Demand valve#Not present|constant flow]] sets that lacked the [[demand valve]] of the aqualung, but they were rarely deployed in the war, and the preferred system was the [[rebreather]] developed by Dr. [[Christian J. Lambertsen]]. [[Ian Edward Fraser]] V.C. in 1957 wrote a book ''Frogman V.C.'' about his experiences. Whoever designed its [[dust cover]] depicted on it a frogman placing a [[limpet mine]] on a ship, wearing a breathing set with twin over-the-shoulder wide breathing tubes emitting bubbles from behind his neck, presumably drawn after an old-type [[aqualung]]. [http://www.scrattledbooks.com.au/si/1971.html] [http://www.scrattledbooks.com.au/shop_image/product/1971.jpg]. ====Drawing and artwork==== There have been thousands of drawings (mostly in [[comic]]s, some elsewhere) of combat frogmen and other scuba divers with two-cylinder twin-hose [[aqua-lung|aqualung]]s shown wrongly with [[Diving regulator#Twin-hose without visible regulator valve (fictional)|one wide breathing tube coming straight out of each cylinder top with no regulator]], far more than of twin-hose aqualungs drawn correctly with a regulator, or of combat frogmen with rebreathers. See [[:Image:Aqualung old type.jpg|this image]] for the correct layout of an old-type aqualung. [http://www.c-techltd.com/hphoto04.htm This recent painting or CGI-type image] on a website advertising the CSDS-85 [[Anti-frogman techniques#Ultrasound detection|frogman-detector sonar]] shows (bottom left corner) a frogman using [[open-circuit]] scuba complete with bubbles carrying a [[flying-saucer]]-shaped object which is likely meant to be a [[limpet mine]]. ==Movies and fiction== Frogman-type operations have featured in many [[comic]]s, [[book]]s, and [[film|movie]]s. Some try to reconstruct real events; others are completely fictional. Some make mistakes as described above. Examples are: *The 1951 film ''[[The Frogmen (film)|The Frogmen]]'', made by [[Twentieth Century Fox]], shows some [[United States]] frogman operations against the [[Japan]]ese in [[World War II]], but with wrong kit (see above). *Listed at [[Human torpedo#Movies and fiction]]. *Listed at [[United States Navy SEALs in fiction]]. ==History== In ancient [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] and [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] times, etc, there were many instances of men swimming or diving for combat, but they always had to hold their breath, and had no diving equipment, except sometimes a hollow plant stem used as a [[Snorkel (swimming)|snorkel]]. See the first part of the page at [http://www.tropaselite.hpg.ig.com.br/mergulhadores_de_combate.htm this link (in Portuguese)]. The first known frogmen-type operations using breathing apparatus were by the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Decima Flottiglia MAS]], which formed in 1938 and was in action first in 1940. See [[Timeline of underwater technology]] and each of the nations' frogman unit links below. ==Nations with military diving groups== Italy started [[World War II]] with a commando frogman force already trained. [[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[Germany]], the [[United States]], and the [[Soviet Union]] started commando frogman forces during [[World War II]]. ===Argentina=== The [[Buzos Tácticos]] is [[Argentina]]'s combat frogmen force. ===Austria=== {{main|Military of Austria#Austrian commando frogmen}} ===Australia=== The [[Clearance Diving Team (RAN)]] is Australia's combat frogman and underwater work force. ===Brazil=== {{main|Brazilian commando frogmen}} ===Canada=== {{main|Canadian armed forces divers}} ===Denmark=== {{main|Danish Frogman Corps}} === Egypt === They played a major role on the [[War of attrition]] and [[the Crossing]] of Suez canal in 6th of October [[1973]], by obstructing the oil pipes that would pump burning oil from [[Ber Lev line]] to the canal ===Eritrea=== During [[Eritrea]]'s war of independence against [[Ethiopia]], the rebel forces had a combat frogman force. After the war, some of those frogman were retrained as [[dive guide]]s for the sport scuba diving [[tourism]] trade. [[Image:Sukeltajasiivet.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Finnish diver insignia]] ===Finland=== The [[Finnish Navy]] has trained Finnish combat divers since 1954. [[Conscript]]s and career military are eligible to apply for the training. Annually about 20 conscripts are trained for diving duties. Applying for combat diver training is voluntary, and the selection criteria are stringent.<ref>[http://www.mil.fi/merivoimat/joukot/esukeltajat/valintakoelajit.dsp Finnish Navy: Sukeltajakurssi - valintakoelajit] Retrieved 2/14/2007. ''In Finnish''</ref> The conscript divers are trained either for anti-[[naval mine|mine]] or for [[commando]] operations while career personnel may also be trained for deep-sea diving duty.<ref>[http://www.mil.fi/merivoimat/joukot/esukeltajat/tehtava.dsp Finnish Navy: Sukeltajakurssi - tehtävä] Retrieved 2/14/2007</ref> All conscript divers receive at least [[Non-commissioned officer|NCO]] training during their 12-month service period. ===France=== {{main|French commando frogmen}} ===Germany=== {{main|German commando frogmen}} ===India=== {{seealso|MARCOS (India)}} The MCU is the elite naval special operations unit of the Indian Navy that undertakes underwater combat. ===Indonesia=== The TNI-AL/Indonesian Navy Underwater Combat Unit is called [[KOPASKA|Kopaska]]. ===Israel=== {{main|Shayetet 13}} ===Italy=== {{main|Italian commando frogmen}} ===Malaysia=== [[Malaysia]] has a special-forces naval unit called [[Paskal]]. It includes frogmen. ===Mexico=== {{main|Fuerzas Especiales}} ===Netherlands=== [[The Netherlands]]'s Amphibious Reconnaissance Platoon is part of the Special Forces unit of the [[Royal Netherlands Marine Corps]]. ===New Zealand=== The [[New Zealand Navy]] trains all [[NZ Army]], [[New Zealand Police|NZ Police]], and [[New Zealand Customs Service|NZ Customs]] divers. Military Dive Training support is also supplied to [[Singapore]], [[Malaysia]], [[Fiji]], [[Tonga]], and [[Samoa]].<ref>http://www.navy.mil.nz/visit-the-base/rnzn-college/dive-school.htm</ref> ===Norway=== [[Norway]]'s commando frogmen corps is called [[Marinejegerkommandoen]] = "the naval ranger [[command]]" which is something like the British [[Special Boat Service|SBS]].<!-- Do not delete "the" in the translations, as the Norwegian names include the [[definite article]] ''-en''/''-et''. --> Norway has a [[clearance diver]] group called [[Minedykkerkommandoen]] = "the [[Naval mine|mine]] [[underwater diving|diver]] [[command]]". ===Pakistan=== [[Pakistan Army]]'s [[Special Services Group|SSG]] also has a unit in the Pakistan Navy modeled on the USA [[Navy SEALs]]: [[NSSG]], otherwise known as [[SSGN]]. The SSGN currently has a [[headquarters]] in [[Karachi]] headed by [[Pakistan Navy]] Commander. It has a strength of one company and is assigned to unconventional warfare operations in the coastal regions. During war it is assigned to [[Midget submarine]]s. All other training is similar to the Army SSG with specific marine oriented inputs provided at its Headquarters. ===Philippines=== {{main|Naval Special Warfare Group}} ===Poland=== Three [[Poland|Polish]] military divisions train and deploy frogmen in military operations. Most known are [[GROM]] water operations division, 1st special commando regiment and Special Operations Section of Polish Navy - [http://www.formoza.sztab.org/ Formoza]. Polish frogmen operators are confirmed to use these weapons: *WIST 94 9 mm pistol *H&K USP 9 mm pistol *H&K MP-5, MP-5SD 9 mm sub-machine gun *Pm-84P Glauberyt 9 mm sub-machine gun *PKM/PKSM 7.62 mm sub-machine gun *Beryl 5.56 mm assault rifle *AKM 7.62 mm assault rifle The Polish army uses French OXY-NG2 [[rebreather|closed-circuit apparatus]]. ===Portugal=== {{main|Destacamentos de Mergulhadores Sapadores}} ===Russia=== {{main|Russian commando frogmen}} === Serbia === <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Serdiv.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Serbian diver from [[93 River Center|93RC]]]] --> {{main|93 River Center}} ===Singapore=== {{main|Naval Diving Unit (Singapore)}} ===South Africa=== {{main|Naval Diving Unit (South Africa)}} ===Spain=== Spain has been training combat divers and swimmers since 1967. Two units in the [[Spanish Navy]] currently operate under a Naval Special Warfare mandate: * [[Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (UOE)|UOE (Special Operations Unit)]] - All aspects of maritime special operations at sea, on land, and by air. * UEBC (Specialist Combat Diver Unit) - Mainly hydrographic surveys and underwater demolitions. There are working plans to fuse the two units into a single "Naval Special Warfare Unit" (UGNE), while maintaining their functional distinctiveness. ===Sweden=== {{main|Swedish Amphibious Corps}} *The Reconnaissance Platoon, also referred to colloquially as the Attack Divers (''A-dyk''). They conduct long range [[reconnaissance]] missions behind enemy lines, [[sabotage]], clearing beach obstacles, [[hydrographic]] surveys, and although combat is not their priority, they have a limited ability to conduct direct action missions such as [[ambush]]es. Between 6 and 10 are trained each year. The Reconnaissance Platoon is a [[commando]] unit, belonging to the amphibious battalion of the [[Swedish Navy]]. They offer one of the hardest and most demanding training regimens in the [[Swedish armed forces]]. *Navy EOD-divers (''Röjdyk'') *Army divers (''FArb-dykare'') Underwater welding, obstacle clearance, underwater demolition and repairs. Belongs to the engineer troops. *Pioneer divers (''Pionjärdyk'') of the amphibious battalion. Underwater obstacle clearance, repairs and EOD on land. *Navy attack divers. (''Flottan A-dyk'') Underwater sabotage on enemy ships and harbours. The unit was disbanded in 1979. ===Tamil Eelam=== {{seealso|Sea Tigers#Frogmen}} The [[Sea Tigers]] (sea branch of the [[Tamil Tigers]] in [[Sri Lanka]]) have frogmen for suicide runs. ===Turkey=== Underwater search and Finding Commership is the unit gives diving services in Turkey. Also it give deepwater diving and mine diving lessons to officers and petty officers. They become 1. Class Divers. [[Su Altı Taaruz]] commandos are high level divers. ===United Kingdom=== See: *[[British commando frogmen]] for a list of their [[World War II]] operations. *[[Special Boat Service]] *[http://www.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/careers/specialist/diver.htm Royal Engineers Specialist - Diver] *[http://www.mcdoa.org.uk/RN_Clearance_Diving_Branch.htm Naval Clearance Divers] *[[Clearance Diver]]. ===United States=== {{main|USA armed forces divers}} ==References== <references/> ==External links== *http://www.tropaselite.hpg.ig.com.br/mergulhadores_de_combate.htm (in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], includes images) *[http://www.specwargear.com/dive&swim.html Images of LAR-6 and LAR-7 and FGT II and LAR V rebreathers, and other combat frogman's kit] [[Category:Underwater diving]] [[Category:Military occupations]] [[Category:Special forces]] [[Category:Armed forces diving]] [[ang:Froggamann]] [[ar:ضفادع بشرية]] [[cs:Žabí muži]] [[de:Kampfschwimmer]] [[fr:Nageur de combat]] [[it:Sommozzatore]] [[ja:カエル男]] [[no:Kampsvømmere]] [[ru:Боевые пловцы]] [[sv:Attackdykare]] [[zh:蛙人]]