Deep-Sea Stories

Master Diver Milford Buzbee, also known as "Buzz," began serving his country in the Army from the ages of 15 to 19.  Like many other young men who wanted to serve in the military, Milford lied about his age to enter military service.  Milford was a welder in the Army.  The attack on Pearl Harbor drove Milford to join the Navy in 1942.  He retired from the Navy in 1961.  
Son, Lewis Buzbee, collected photos and artifac...

HMC DMT/Independent Duty Corpsman Len Starbeck joined the Navy in 1977 and retired in 2005.  You can read about his incredible Navy journey in his self-published book "Medical Diver, What is a Medical Diver?"  Len has a potential television mini-series in the works.  Len served 24 of 28 years of active duty as a medical diver.  Len vividly describes his journey, saying they are awash in extraordinary adventures that await...

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Joe Kingsbury joined the Navy in Providence, Rhode Island 1966.  Warrant Officer Kingsbury retired in April 1996 after 30 years of Navy service.  Joe was a diesel-submarine Sailor.  He references a book named, "Blind Man's Bluff" by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew to describe his sub-service time on the USS Trout SS-566.  Warrant Kingsbury recalled other tours of duty on the USS Florikan AS...

Master Chief Master Diver Retired Bruce Earnest (a.k.a. dirty Ernie) joined the Navy in 1969 and retired in 1993.  MDV Earnest duty stations were USS Cascade AD-16 in Naples, Italy, Diving Instructor Duty Washington DC, Saturation Dive School, USS Elk River IX-501, Diving Instructor Duty Panama City, Florida and Coronado, California, USS Opportune ARS-41, COMNAVSURFRON 8, Little Creek, Virginia, USS Edenton ATS-1, USS Grapple ARS-5...

Jon Klukas, Master Chief Master Diver Retired joined the Navy in 1990 and retired after 28 years of active duty.  Jon is still involved in the leading edge of diving and hyperbaric technology development as the Copper Collar Group, LLC Co-Founder.  His twenty-eight-year Navy career journeyed through dive missions all over the world.
Jon's Navy Dive commands mentioned were the USS Beaufort ATS-2, Deep Submergence Unit, USS ...

A Deep-Sea Story about Chief Warrant Officer Grover Cleveland Burke.

The furnace that forged Iron Men was set on high temperatures during deck, diving, and salvage evolutions on board the USS Reclaimer ARS-42.  The unwritten rule "I'll watch your back, you watch mine" was in effect when USS Reclaimer's powerful capstans, gypsy heads and cranes pulled heavy strains on wire rope and mooring lines.  Chief Warrant Of...

A Memorial Day Message.  HMC (FMF/SW/DV) and Diving Medical Technician Pedro J. Gonzales reported to the Consolidated Divers Unit, now known as the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center Dive Locker, in December 1999. The Petty Officer's Mess knew Pedro as "Pete."  In the fall of 2000, Chief Gonzales was one of the dive team members who assisted with pushing the RC 6500 recompression chamber inside the newly reconstru...

In August of 2007, Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two Navy Divers were ordered by President George W. Bush to recover victims from under the collapsed Interstate Highway Bridge in the Mississippi River.  Recovery of victims was part of the harbor clearance mission to restore the $1.3 million-a-day commercial waterway.  The conditions in the Mississippi River were challenging.  During my Command Master Chier and Master Diver tour of...

Robert Leroy Cave Engineman Master Chief, Master Diver, we knew him as Bobby Cave.  He was a 35-year Veteran of the United States Navy.  He attained the Rank of Master Chief Petty Officer.  Bobby was a Saturation Master Diver.  He is the world record holder for the deepest ocean suit dive.  In 1972, exposed to ambient pressure in the open ocean, the record was set at 1,025 feet of seawater by a small Navy dive team with Bobby Cave,...

Navy Diver Chief Petty Officer Micheal Gilbert discusses his real-life challenges and Deep-Sea Story-filled dive career in his new and soon-to-be-published book "Fouled Anchor."   Chief Gilbert entered the Navy in May 1998 and retired in August 2019.   Chief Gilbert talks about having to complete his first tour of duty in the fleet before attending 2nd Class Dive School.  Young Sailor Michael Gilbert recalls his first shi...

  Master Chief Master Diver Robert Carmichael served in the United States Navy from June 30, 1978, to October 30, 2000.  Bob entered the Navy just after turning 17 years of age.  He went to SCUBA dive school winter of 1981 through the holidays and into 1982, followed by attending Navy 2nd Class Dive School.  He had to repeat the SCUBA phase all over again.  Bob went to 1st Class Dive School in 1986 and qualified Master Diver in 199...

Master Chief Master Diver Steve Wiggins joined the U.S. Navy in November 1978 and retired from active duty in October 2005.  He served in the fleet for five years as a Yeoman before he attended Navy 2nd Class Dive School in 1984 at Coronado, California.  Steve attended 1st Class Dive School from 1987 over the holiday to 1988.  In 1995, Steve earned his Navy Master Diver Qualification.  
Master Diver Wiggins' most memorable...

Richard (Rick) Armstrong joined the Navy in August 1975.  He qualified Navy Master Diver in 1991 and was selected and commissioned into the Navy's Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Diving Technician program.  Chief Warrant Officer Grade 5 Rick Armstrong retired from the Navy in April 2009.
Rick recalled the names of his mentors that inspired his successful career.  His father, Richard Armstrong Sr., Master Chief Master Diver Rob...

Master Chief Master Diver Mark Leet first enlisted into the U.S. Navy in September of 1978.  Mark explains how he went to Navy 2nd Class Dive School twice in 1980 and again in 1984.  He went to First class dive school in 1986 and then qualified as a Navy Master Diver in February 1999.  The commands that MDV Leet served at were; USS Papago ATF-160, USS Petrel ASR-14, Harbor Clearance Unit Two, Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit TWO, USS...

Ed Delanoy started his Navy career in the 1970s at the end of the Vietnam era until July 2000.  He recalls the most influential people in his life and career, his father, Billie LeRoy Delanoy, his Uncle Edmond Bennett, and Dave Sullivan, Engineering Officer at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC).  Ed compares his fun with friends in his Deep-Sea Stories to movies about the Navy and the television series McHale'...

Master Diver Steve Mulholland is currently the Man In the Sea Museum president.  Steve speaks to his ongoing efforts to advance the Man In the Sea Museum into full integration with Panama City and Bay County, Florida.  He counts on re-exciting the community of Navy Divers to engage with and make the Man In the Sea Museum a part of Panama City, Florida culture like the Navy Dive School is the center of Military Diving.  Master Diver...

Two U.S. Navy Diving and Salvage historical missions highlight Captain Bobbie Scholley's 24-year distinguished career.  In 2000, Captain Scholley was the officer in charge of the dive team that conducted the recovery and emergent battle damage repair mission following the bombing of the USS Cole DDG 67 in Yemen.  Captain Scholley was Commanding Officer at Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two during the salvage of the ironclad ci...

Master Chief Master Diver Kyle Gaillard talks about repairing America's ships and submarines during the height of the cold war while stationed onboard the USS Dixon AS-37, USS McKee AS-41, and Consolidated Divers Unit in San Diego, California. Kyle talks about his time at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Florida, filling Command Master Chief leadership roles at Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One and ...

Master Diver Ralph Bowdish takes us back to the Vietnam era of diving and salvage near Saigon. He talks about tunneling in the rivers, rigging for a Bolster lift, and parbuckling using the MK5 and Jack Brown dive rigs. Master Diver Bowdish served on board the USS Florikan ASR-9, USS Tringa ASR-16, and USS Sunbird ASR-15. He also served with Master Diver Sam Adams, Master Diver Sam Sangrey, Master Diver Jerry Whitmer, Guennie Vendet...