Combat Divers - An illustrated history of Special Forces divers

The author, a former Royal Marine and experienced diver in both military and commercial roles, describes combat divers as an “elite within an elite”; it is difficult enough to get into Special Forces but to become a combat diver is another massive step. The book examines Special Forces operations undertaken by units such as the SBS and SEALS, including a Dutch operation against Somali pirates in 2011. Coverage of some of their specialist equipment includes the dry deck shelters such as seen on the Astute-class SSNs, and their swimmer delivery vehicles to diving sets and weapons, including firing weapons underwater. The early chapters look at the history of combat diving covering events such as the Italian attacks on the Valiant and the Queen Elizabeth in Alexandria, the Cockleshell heroes, midget submarine attacks and Buster Crabb. There is a fascinating chapter on the Russian incursions into Swedish waters ranging from the infamous “Whiskey on the rocks” in the 1980s, to more recent incidents in 2010s. A chapter on the different national specialist combat units, from the US and European forces to Ukraine and Palestine, shows the growing recognition of the need for combat divers. The world of the combat diver is not uniquely male, and there is a chapter on female divers – it is a question of ability not gender as one said. Inevitably diver selection and training is rigorous and demanding; entering a swimming pool with hands tied behind their backs and ankles tied is not everyone’s idea of fun! Bringing the book up to recent events, the book speculates that the Ukrainian attack in February 2022 on Russian landing ships could have been the work of combat divers, and also considers the vulnerability of underwater cables and pipelines such as Nordstream. A final chapter looks to the future with an excerpt from a Dutch paper raising doubts as to whether modern youth were up to the task, but remote vehicles can only achieve so much and whilst the need for a diver with “a limpet mine and knife” have gone, there is no question that there is still a requirement for the combat diver. This high-quality publication with some stunning and well-captioned photos is a comprehensive examination of the world of the combat diver. One of the captions succinctly describes combat divers who operate in a secret world as “unseen and unheard in an alien environment”. Well-crafted and stimulating read, this is a fitting tribute to some extraordinary people.