Underwater
Demolition Group –
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The Greek naval unit is an operative SPAG Team (Submarine Parachute Assistance Group) and has existed since the early 1960´s. The Scaramagas are a combat unit specialised in underwater demolition, but are also experts in tasks above water - such as patrol-service and forward air controllers behind enemy lines. They can be deployed by small boats, naval ships, aeroplanes, or submarines can deploy them. |
Picture of the
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| Extra training in San Diego - Apart from their own
training programme in Greece they send their divers for 6 months to
Coronado Naval Base in San Diego, California. Here, they exchange
experiences with US Navy demolition experts, and the leader says with a
smile, of course practice all the time in different combat situations.
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| The unit
visiting Denmark during Exercise Sorbet Royal consists of “only” 8 people specialised in deep diving. According to
the leader of the unit the divers can operate without any problems down to
65 metres but in emergency situations they can dive down to 90 metres.
They are all petty officers or officers, and before entering this
special unit within the Greek Navy, they serve in other units in the navy.
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| They arrived
this week with their high tech diving gear in one large container. They
also bring their own mountain bikes and are accommodated about 12
kilometres away from the naval base - a good thing when the members of the
unit has to do their daily physical training.
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| In this exercise the unit is being deployed from the
Danish ship HDMS LÆSØ and the Polish ORP LECH. The leader of the unit
emphasises that their tasks during this exercise are similar to what
civilian divers would do.
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| The unit is here during the whole exercise and will
hereafter return to the warmer climate in Greece, the leader says with a
smile.
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