UDTs were pioneers in underwater demolition, closed-circuit diving, combat swimming, riverine warfare and midget submarine (dry and wet submersible) operations. They later were tasked with ensuring recovery of space capsules and astronauts after splash down in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space flight programs. [1] .

Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT's) – The first Seabee swimmers that transitioned post WWII to scuba frogmen that transitioned Vietnam to become the Navy SEALs.

Aug 18, 2022 · With no charts or technology available to guide vessels onto enemy shores, the job fell to the roughly 1,000 young swim scouts of the U.S. Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), who...

SC 226632 U.S. Army Diver at work on underwater repairs at Marseilles, France, October 24, 1945 80-G-K-13329 Specialist (Photographer) 2nd Class Martha Louis McClelland, USNR (W)

UDT men rescued over 25 sailors. The next day, UDT operator William Giannotti conducted the first U.S. UDT combat-diver operation; using an “aqualung,” when he dove down to locate USS Pledge, and marked its location for later demolition by surface-supplied helmeted divers to destroy classified codes .

Apr 21, 2023 · The U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) are widely recognized for their exceptional bravery and unparalleled skill in the realm of underwater operations.

Nov 29, 2022 · UDT divers return from a successful demolition mission off Saipan. The task at hand seemed impossible: Clear angled metal beams, steel tetrahedrons, and concrete posts from 16 predetermined landing zones. Some zones were longer than football fields.

Sep 11, 2023 · The Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) originated during World War II to clear beach obstacles for amphibious landings. They pioneered combat swimming and played crucial roles in many significant battles.

Underwater Demolition Teams were the answer found during World War II to the problem which led to heavy Marine Corps losses in the invasion of Tarawa in the Pacific in 1943, and which faced the Allied Expeditionary Force before the invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Using waterborne entry methods, UDT men conducted numerous direct-action raids, trained and worked with South Korean frogmen, and worked closely with the CIA, British, and U.S. Marine Corps on a menu of special operations and activities.