Pakistani and U.S. Navy divers work together to recover equipment from the floor of the Arabian Sea about 40 kilometers off the coast of Pakistan. (Courtesy Photo)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Nov. 6, 2010) — A joint team of Pakistan Navy and United States Navy divers successfully recovered a piece of naval equipment recently about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the coast of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea.
A search mounted by the Pakistan Navy located the equipment lying on the seafloor at a depth of approximately 190-200 feet (58-60 meters). This depth presented a technical challenge, so the Pakistan Navy decided to partner with the U.S. Navy for a combined recovery effort.
The Office of the Defense Representative to Pakistan (ODRP) at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad coordinated the joint mission.
“One of our key missions is providing support to the military forces of Pakistan,” said U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Michael LeFever, the commander of the Office of the Defense Representative to Pakistan. “Therefore, when the request for assistance came in, we moved swiftly to assist where we could.”
“This team effort has resulted in the successful return of a valuable Pakistan Navy asset,” said Pakistan Navy Commodore Mukthar Khan, Commander of the Pakistan Navy Auxiliary and Mine Squadron. “The swift mission planning and excellent coordination between our two dive teams was a good example of how partner forces should work.”
With a successful recovery mission behind them, the Pakistani and American dive teams spent several additional days conducting joint training to further enhance their diving skills and the coordination of diving techniques between the respective countries.