Transcript
In those days, and I don't think it's the same now, you had to nominate a spouse whose career took preference for postings … as a clearance diver, he was probably going to be posted to fewer places than I would, so we nominated him. And also there was a bit of a shortage of medical officers, so it usually meant wherever he was posted, there was bound to be a position that I'd be able to be posted in to.
Clearance divers, that's their full-time role. In the Navy there's what the Navy called ships divers and then its clearance divers. So a ship's diver could be anybody in the Navy who does a course on how to dive on scuba gear. And you're really there to help out should the ship have, you know, the propellers fouled so the people could go underwater and have a look and so it's a secondary skill, but a clearance diver that's their full-time role and they dove for a living.
Also he was a clearance diver and mine warfare officer, so they also learn mine warfare. Clearance diving can involve deep sea diving; It can involve just normal scuba air diving; It can involve diving on oxygen sets and it might be attack diving, it might be ship's repairs, so, underwater repairs, that sort of thing.
