Life as a Navy clearance diver can be dangerous. But it can also be extremely rewarding.
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Leading Seaman Gareth Foye of Wollongong is a crew member on the Royal Australian Navy minehunter HMAS Gascoyne, which visited Port Kembla in July.
The husband of Wollongong lawyer Diana Foye, he believes he has one of the most interesting jobs in the world and has seen things few others will ever get to experience.
His main role is to clear dangerous ordnance from the sea, a job that has taken him to many interesting places and enabled him to see many different things.
The one he treasures most was a day he likens to going back to a moment frozen in time from the height of World War II. On that dive he came across a site suspended in history for almost seven decades.
It was in 2009. HMAS Gascoyne had been sent to the Solomon Islands to clear underwater explosives.
I came across a Japanese Zero. It was clear it had been shot out of the sky. There was a 100 kilo bomb still attached.”
- Leading Seaman Gareth Foye
He was in an area around 480 kilometres east of Bougainville.
“I went down and I came across a Japanese Zero fighter bomber in a place called the Shortland Islands,” he said.
“The prop was off the plane, which was about five metres behind where it was in about 20 metres of water. And the machine gun was off the wing. I went around the back and it was clear it had been shot out of the sky. So I went around to the other side of the plane and there was a 100 kilo bomb still attached.”
Foye said it was a moving experience because he had stumbled across a moment from the height of the War in the Pacific where nothing had changed since the 1940s.
“There was a certain amount of reverence I got from that. It was like I was indirectly a part of what happened. It was amazing just seeing the magnitude of what took place 70 years ago in that place It is definitely something that will live inside me forever,” he said.
“It was a great highlight in my career We did have to blow up the bomb. That task we had over in the Shortlands was to give 100 per cent clearance of certain areas which had been troublesome to the communities. I’ll never forget that moment though. The feeling was like no other. I still get the same feeling when I talk about it. There were no bodies there but I know in those days the Japanese definitely went down with their planes.”
Foye’s task in the Shortland Islands was to make the area safe. He saw islands where runways had been cut out and there were still old tanks and shot down planes. He even saw a midget submarine base and old machines guns still lying in bunkers around the hills.
“It was like a base that time had forgotten. It was clear to see the magnitude of what happened there. And you could see where the bombs had dropped because the coral hasn’t regenerated.”
Minehunter deployments can last up to 14 weeks and involve many tasks for clearance divers and various forms of diving.
Part of Foye’s work saves lives. He sees it as a humanitarian role.
“Render Safe is one of the big jobs we do with the mine warfare clearance diving. That involves going to the South Pacific and getting rid of World War II ordnance which still kills up to 100 islanders a year.
“It is all real ordnance and it has obviously been there for a long time and can become very volatile”.
Foye has many favourite memories including the comradery that comes from being part of a small but specialised group where teamwork is so important.
The course to become a clearance diver involves people push themselves to the limit. Friendships and bonds are made that last a lifetime.
Only 40 per cent of those who start the training make it through.
“You have times when you don’t think you can go on anymore ... and you are looking at the next guy and can see his thoughts are mirroring yours. The fabric woven … is something that will never be broken,” he said.
It starts with a 10-day acceptance test. That is followed by everything from sleep deprivation to swimming in the harbour in the middle of the night.
Foye said it does not matter how long he goes without seeing the other people who went through the initial training the bond never dissipates.
“The friendship we have is like a brotherhood,” he said.
Wherever they are in the world they are still able to help each other.
“When the going gets tough, we pull together and we help each other get through as a group.
“That is how you are trained and taught with the clearance diving branch. It speaks volumes of the guys who are involved in such a small fraternity. We are a group of guys who have shared the same experiences even at different times.”
Foye is also often found on the Bridge.
“On a ship this size there is multitasking right throughout the crew of 47. It is quite an intimate setting and you work together and blend into all roles.
“I have been in the military 11 years. I have been diving for nine. I did a number of things before. I played football semi-professionally.
“My father (Ian Foye) was a police officer in Wollongong for 35 years. I always wanted to jump into something that would provide a solid platform and good career.
“I looked at the police force but I had a friend who joined the clearance diving branch. After growing up in Wollongong with a coastal lifestyle I thought I would give that a go.”
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
