Into The Minefields: Navy Clearance Divers - Operation GRANBY

About this episode

The episode features Royal Navy diver Stu discussing his experiences as a clearance diver during Operation GRANBY in the Gulf War.

CONTENT The guest today is Royal Navy diver Stu.  We discuss his early career in the navy before he volunteered to be a clearance diver and he describes the rigorous selection and training required for the role.  We then move on to operations in the first Gulf war (Operation GRANBY) where his experiences included clearing Iraqi mines and conducting harbour searches under environmentally hazardous conditions. He describes the psychological demands of underwater operations, the improvisation required in combat zones, and the physical toll of the profession. The episode highlights the camaraderie and dark humour shared between international diving units during the war, the calculated risks of the job and the long-term health concerns faced by veterans. Be aware the discussion talks about death in a war environment. Stu's book choice on Desert Islands Dits is "The Collected Works of HP Lovecraft" by HP Lovecraft. WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICES Most of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop . 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales.   "BUY ME A COFFEE" If…

People in this episode

Guest: Stu

Topics covered

• Navy
• clearance divers
• Gulf War
• psychological demands
• camaraderie
• health concerns

Keywords

• Navy
• clearance diver
• Operation GRANBY
• Iraqi mines
• harbour searches
• psychological demands
• combat zones

Sponsors

ISARR

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Collected Works of HP Lovecraft

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