NAVY DIVER (ND)
The Navy's salvage, ship-husbandry, special-operations, and saturation-diving rating.
OVERVIEW
Navy Diver (ND) is the U.S. Navy's salvage, ship-husbandry, and special-operations diving rating. NDs perform underwater ship repair, port-clearance and salvage operations, search-and-recovery, mixed-gas saturation diving on submarine rescue platforms, and direct support to Navy SEAL, EOD, and Naval Special Warfare missions worldwide.
NDs train at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC) at Naval Support Activity Panama City, FL — the joint home of all DOD military diving. Navy Divers earn the gold Master Diver pin (the "Diver of the Quarter Million Dollar" device) after years of qualification.
The Naval Special Warfare community is the U.S. Navy's special-operations force, including Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, Special Boat Teams, and supporting cadres. Sailors must complete the most demanding selection and assessment pipelines in the U.S. military and operate under U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for direct action, special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism missions.
A-school for the rating runs ~25 weeks (Diver Prep + Second Class Diver) at Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, NSA Panama City, FL, where Sailors complete the technical foundation needed to report to their first fleet command. Entry requires the ASVAB line score AR+VE=103, MC=51 and an enlistment obligation of 6–6 years. NDs advance through the standard enlisted paygrade structure (E-1 through E-9), competing in the Navy-Wide Advancement Examination (NWAE) at E-4 through E-6 and via the Selection Board at E-7 through E-9. Senior NDs typically serve as Leading Petty Officer (LPO), Work Center Supervisor, Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO), or Command Master Chief (CMC), and may pursue Limited Duty Officer (LDO), Chief Warrant Officer (CWO), or commissioning programs such as STA-21, MECP, or OCS.
Across the active force, ND Sailors are essential to the Navy's mission readiness, and the rating remains an in-demand career field with strong reenlistment bonuses (SRB), advancement opportunities, and pathways into Navy Reserve, civilian DoD, and industry careers after service.
WHAT NDs DO
Navy Divers perform underwater ship repair (hull patches, propeller and shaft work, valve replacement on submerged sea chests), port-clearance and salvage operations on sunken vessels and aircraft, search-and-recovery (including high-profile aviation mishap recoveries), mixed-gas and saturation diving from submarine rescue platforms, and direct mobility and waterborne-insertion support to Navy SEAL teams. NDs also crew the Pressurized Rescue Module (PRM) for disabled-submarine rescue.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Navy Divers perform underwater ship repair (hull patches, propeller and shaft work, valve replacement on submerged sea chests), port-clearance and salvage operations on sunken vessels and aircraft, search-and-recovery (including high-profile aviation mishap recoveries), mixed-gas and saturation diving from submarine rescue platforms, and direct mobility and waterborne-insertion support to Navy SEAL teams. NDs also crew the Pressurized Rescue Module (PRM) for disabled-submarine rescue.
- Stand watches and qualify on the rating's Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS), maintain training jackets, and mentor junior NDs as required by the chain of command.
- Lead the ND work center as Leading Petty Officer or Work Center Supervisor — managing maintenance documentation in 3M/MFOM, parts ordering, and personnel qualifications.
- Support general military training (GMT), damage control, force protection, and watch-bill assignments common to every Sailor regardless of rating.
HISTORY
Navy Diver was established as a standalone rating in 2006, separating divers from the legacy Boatswain's Mate, Hull Maintenance Technician, and Engineman pipelines that had previously supplied the diving force. The new rating consolidated and elevated the diving career field, recognizing that modern diving missions — saturation diving, mixed-gas operations, salvage and ship repair, and direct support to SEAL/EOD — required a dedicated career-long specialty.
The Navy Diver rating traces its operational lineage to the 1880s helmet divers who built the foundations of New York Harbor and to the WWII underwater demolition teams that cleared the beaches of Normandy and the Pacific.
TRAINING PIPELINE
- 1. Recruit Training (Boot Camp)~10 weeksNaval Station Great Lakes, ILInitial entry training for all U.S. Navy enlisted Sailors at the Navy's only boot camp.
- 2. Navy Diver A-School~25 weeks (Diver Prep + Second Class Diver)Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, NSA Panama City, FLInitial rating-skills training for ND accessions.
- 3. Fleet / Operational TourFirst sea or operational tourMobile Diving and Salvage Units (MDSU)On-the-job training and qualifications in the ND rating with a fleet unit.
TYPICAL CAREER PATH
- E-1/E-3Apprentice Navy DiverNDSTC Panama City Diver Prep + Second Class Diver pipeline; first tour with a Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit.
- E-4/E-6First Class Diver / Saturation DiverQualify as First Class Diver, Saturation Diver, and Diving Supervisor; serve as ship's diver detachment leader.
- E-7+Master DiverEarn the Master Diver pin; serve as MDSU Master Diver, Salvage Master, or instructor at NDSTC.
TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS
- Mobile Diving and Salvage Units (MDSU)
- Naval Special Warfare support detachments
- Submarine rescue platforms (PRM, PRS)
- Underwater Construction Teams
EXAMPLE NECs
- ND-5343 Saturation Diver
- ND-5346 Diving Medical Technician
- U.S. citizenship and minimum ASVAB AR+VE=103, MC=51
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Pass the Navy physical and medical screening
- Secret security clearance eligibility
- Mobile Diving and Salvage Units (MDSU)
- Naval Special Warfare support detachments
- Submarine rescue platforms (PRM, PRS)
- Underwater Construction Teams