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The SPAG can be activated at 6 hours notice, to fly to a submarine sinking incident, regardless of the operator of the vessel. The team may work in conjunction with the
The Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
's Submarine Parachute Assistance Group (SPAG) is a team who provide a rescue support capability to submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
sinking incidents worldwide, available at short notice.
History
The Submarine Parachute Assistance Group was originally formed from staff of the RNSubmarine Escape Training Tank
A Submarine Escape Training Tower is a facility used for training submariners in methods of emergency escape from a disabled submarine underwater. It is a deep tank filled with water with at least one underwater entrance at depth simulating an ai ...
(SETT) at HMS Dolphin in Gosport
Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...
, Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
. The SETT was part of the RN Submarine School, providing wet training in submarine escape drills for both new submariners and those requiring periodic requalification. With the move of the school to HMS Raleigh
Six ships and one shore establishment of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Raleigh'', after Sir Walter Raleigh:
* HMS ''Raleigh'' was a 32-gun fifth rate, previously the American . She was captured in 1778 by and and was commissioned int ...
in Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, in 1999, the SPAG remained at the SETT until the cessation of wet training in 2009. At that point the SPAG was moved to HMS Raleigh.
On 19 November 2017, the SPAG were deployed to HMS ''Protector'' in aid of international search efforts for the missing Argentinian submarine .
Personnel
The team is made up of instructor personnel from the Royal Navy Submarine School. Members of the group are trained submariners or medical staff posted to the school, subsequently trained in water entryparachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...
skills. Prior to the cessation of training in the SETT some members of SPAG were trained in diving
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), a ...
skills.
Deployment and role
The SPAG can be activated at 6 hours notice, to fly to a submarine sinking incident, regardless of the operator of the vessel. The team may work in conjunction with the NATO Submarine Rescue System
The NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS) is a tri-national project to develop an international submarine rescue system. The system provides a rescue capability primarily to the partner nations of France, Norway and the United Kingdom, but also to ...
.
The team is configured to enter the water at the location of the incident, using a static line from the rear ramp of the aircraft. Equipment pods dropped with the team contain Rigid-hulled inflatable boat
A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are ...
s, life rafts, food, water and medical supplies. This equipment allows the team to establish an afloat reception package for submariners evacuating the sunken vessel, in order to provide medical and life support.
Regalia
Members of the SPAG are trained in basic parachuting and entitled to wear the Parachute Badge.See also
*Comando Raggruppamento Subacquei e Incursori Teseo Tesei
COMSUBIN (''Comando Raggruppamento Subacquei e Incursori "Teseo Tesei"''; Divers and Raiders Group Command "Teseo Tesei") is the Italian Navy's special operations unit.
Italy was the first nation to use frogmen and human torpedoes. The Royal It ...
- Italy
*Fuerza de Guerra Naval Especial
The Special Naval Warfare Force (FGNE) ( es, Fuerza de Guerra Naval Especial) is the special forces unit of the Spanish Navy. It was created on June 10, 2009 through the fusion of the Unidad de Operaciones Especiales, Special Operations Unit (UOE ...
- Spain
References
{{Reflist Military parachuting in the United Kingdom Parachuting organizations Royal Navy Submarine Service Sea rescue organizations Submarine accidents