The History of the Navy SEAL’s
Cory Mooney
Comp 1
November 16, 2012
Minnis

Abstract
Today’s SEAL’s heritage, missions, capabilities, and combat lessons-learned from daring groups that no longer exist, were important to Allied Victory’s in World War II and the Korean conflict. These groups were the Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDU’s), and Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT’s). These groups trained in the early 1940’s and saw combat in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific, now disbanded after World War II. The UDT’s were used again and expanded quickly for the Korean War in 1950. Exercising ingenuity and courage; these special maritime units executed, with relatively few casualties, many of the missions, tactics, techniques and procedures that SEAL’s still perform today.

The History of the Navy SEAL’s
The history of the US Navy SEAL’s dates back to World War II and the numerous units that were created to fill specific military needs. Amphibious landings were still a new operation and new tactics had to be written with every operation. New vehicles were developed to get soldiers to shore quickly and efficiently, yet there were still obstacles that could cause failure of a landing. The enemy could fortify a beach with obstacles which could tear out the hull of an approaching boat and sink it; drowning its men and preventing the approach for other boats. Underwater obstacles could also be natural, such as coral or sandbars, completely uncharted, and changing daily. To ensure the effectiveness of landing operations the armed forces and the US Navy in particular began developing new units that could handle dangerous tasks that no one else could complete. (Naval Combat Demolitions Unit, 2012). Early Underwater Demolition Teams (or UDT’s) were not initially comprised of combat divers; they were intended to operate from landing crafts either Landing Craft Utility (LCU) or Landing Craft Mechanical (LCM) in heavy boots and helmets and were tethered to the boats. During the Kwajalein portion of the Marshall Islands invasion this changed when two members of UDT-1 stripped down to swimming shorts and swam ahead of a boat to scout out coral heads after the boat operator had stated that he could not go any further. Following their swim to the beach and back they reported back to the officer in charge of the entire invasion and gave the recommendation that the Marines be sent in Amtrak amphibious tanks instead of boats. The initial assault with Amtrak’s was a success, and later reinforcements were done with boats (which could carry more and were faster) at high tide when the boats were able to miss hitting the coral beds. The success UDT-1 had with swimmers lead to the adoption of this tactic and it saw widespread use throughout the war and beyond.
(Underwater Demolition Unit, 2012). In this paper I will be discussing the history of the Naval Combat Demolitions Units, the Underwater Demolition Units and the Navy SEAL’s.
On May 6, 1943, the “Naval Demolition Project” was directed by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) “to meet a present and urgent requirement.” The CNO’s directive outlined a two-phase project. The first phase, began with a letter to the Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks directing dispatch of eight officers and 30 enlisted men for duty with the Operational Naval Demolition Unit and Naval Combat Demolition Unit No. 1, which was to be formed at the Amphibious Training Base, Solomons, Md. Six officers and 18 enlisted men reported for training at Solomons on May 14, 1943, and all came from the Seabee training camp at Camp Peary, Va. These men were given a four-week course of instruction. Lt. Cmdr. Draper Kauffman set up the now-famous, Naval Combat Demolition Unit training program, at Fort Pierce in June 1943. Kauffman is given credit for instituting the infamous “Hell Week,” a period of intense instruction that remains today in the SEAL Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL, or BUD/S, training program. One of the most significant aspects of this was that it set the stage for both officers and enlisted men to complete the same qualification training side-by-side, which today remains one of the core strengths of the SEAL Teams, and something not duplicated anywhere else in the military. NCDU personnel trained at Fort Pierce between June 1943 and April 1944 most were sent to England for the Normandy invasion; however, eight NCDU’s were sent to the Pacific (Naval Combat Demolitions Unit, 2012), By April 1944, a total of 34 NCDU’s had deployed to England in preparation for Operation Overlord, the amphibious landings for D-Day in France. For the assault, each six-man NCDU was outfitted with three U.S. Navy seamen brought from Scotland to assist in handling demolitions, and the resulting nine-man NCDU’s were integrated with Army combat engineers to form 13-man gap assault teams. NCDU men suffered 37 killed and 77 wounded, a casualty rate of 52 percent. D-Day remains the single bloodiest day in the history of Naval Special Warfare, although not one NCDU man was lost to improper handling of explosives.
The Korean War was a very pivotal period for the UDT’s and an example of their versatility and adaptability. When hostilities began on June 25, 1950, a 10-man UDT detachment was in Japan with Amphibious Ready Group One. UDT men were performing routine operations involving administrative beach surveys and also assisting U.S. Marine Corps personnel with the training of U.S. Army regimental combat teams in reconnaissance techniques. UDT men were quickly dispatched to Korea, on the night of Aug. 5, members of the detachment infiltrated ashore from USS Diachenko (APD 123) aboard inflatable boats to conduct a demolition raid against a train bridge-tunnel near Yosu. This single event in the war became the point that subsequently altered UDT doctrine by providing UDT men with vastly expanded operational capabilities that they employed throughout the war. A total of thirty 100-man UDT’s were formed in the Pacific during World War II, and only four 50-man teams survived during the postwar period. UDT-1 and UDT-3 were home ported in Coronado, Calif., and organized under Amphibious Forces Pacific, and UDT-2 and UDT-4 were sent to Amphibious Training Base Little Creek, and organized under Amphibious Forces Atlantic. These commands, which became UDT-11, UDT-12, UDT-21, and UDT-22 after Korea, were converted to SEAL Teams in 1983 and still serve at these locations. By adding to their traditional roles of amphibious reconnaissance, mine and obstacle clearance, the UDT mission, expanded greatly to include stealthy infiltration from submarines and surface ships to carry out raids and attacks on enemy shipping, ports, and harbor facilities; Infiltration and intelligence gathering and covering the withdrawal of allied forces. UDT men worked closely with CIA personnel, U.S. Marines, Royal Marine Commandos, and South Korean naval commandos in a variety of missions from the sea and ashore. After the Korean armistice began, the 1950s was a relatively calm period operationally for the UDT’s. They honed diving and submarine operational skills, began attending U.S. Army airborne schools, developed maritime parachuting techniques, and experimented extensively with a host of swimmer propulsion and delivery vehicles. Operationally, they made routine deployments with the Amphibious Forces to the Pacific, Atlantic-Caribbean, and Mediterranean areas and conducting numerous training exercises and amphibious landings. World events surrounding places like Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam, however, would soon change all of that. In the late 1950’s, there was a growing and recognized need for military forces with special operations capabilities. This included the Army Special Forces or “Green Berets,” Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance Units, and Navy Underwater Demolition Teams.
During his final years in office, President Dwight D. Eisenhower began to engage these specialized forces in small conflicts involving U.S. interests. The concept for development of a new and improved “Naval Guerrilla/Counter-guerrilla Warfare” capability within the U.S. Navy and the first time mentioning of “SEAL” units was in March 10, 1961, where Rear Adm. William E. Gentner, Director Strategic Plans Division (OP-06), approved preliminary recommendations of the Unconventional Activities Committee. These recommendations were provided to Adm. Burke for approval. Included was a recommendation for a wide range of additional unconventional warfare capabilities within, or as an extension of our amphibious forces. Operations conducted in restricted waters. The same memorandum stated that, an appropriate name for such units could be ‘SEAL’ units, SEAL being a contraction of SEA, AIR, LAND, and thereby, indicating an all-around, universal capability. For reasons still unknown, it became widely thought that President John F. Kennedy personally directed formation of the SEAL Teams, this was not true. The Navy staff had been working on the problem of unconventional warfare long before Kennedy took office. The president recognized the need on May 25, 1961, in a speech before a special joint session of Congress. This speech became famous because of the president’s declaration of a national goal to land a man on the moon. In the same speech he also stated that, “I am directing the Secretary of Defense to expand rapidly and substantially, in cooperation with our Allies, the orientation of existing forces for the conduct of non-nuclear war, paramilitary operations and sub-limited or unconventional wars. In addition, our special forces and unconventional warfare units will be increased and reoriented.” That statement is as close as Kennedy ever got to personally directing establishment of SEAL Teams. After considerable study within the Navy staff, it was determined that expanding the UDT mission would likely hinder their traditional responsibilities to the Amphibious Force. Therefore it decided that new units should be established possessing the characteristics of the UDT’s, but incorporating new capabilities like those developed and practiced during the Korean War. Because the UDT’s were tied to Amphibious Force by doctrine, they had been consistently denied opportunities to utilize U.S. Army and Marine Corps training schools, or given funding or authorizations to purchase the kinds of equipment needed for expanded naval missions originating from the sea, air, or land. It was intended, therefore, that these new SEAL units would not be hindered and would be given freedom to establish a broader and more flexible mission. In a letter dated Dec. 11, 1961, the CNO officially authorized the establishment of SEAL Teams in the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets with an effective date of Jan. 1, 1962. SEAL Team ONE was officially established under the command of Navy Lt. David Del Giudice, and SEAL Team TWO under the command of Navy Lt. John Callahan. Organization of these new units represented the culmination of almost four years of developing a special naval warfare capability within the Navy. In November 1963, the SEAL’s, UDT’s, Beach Jumper Units (BJU’s), and Boat Support Units (BSU’s) were organized as subordinate commands under new staffs called Naval Operations Support Groups (NOSGs). SEAL’s began to establish what would end up being an exceptional record of accomplishment in Vietnam. The result was that of a Naval Special Warfare community of specially trained SEAL officers and men that continued to strengthen after Vietnam. Today, there are 10 active-duty SEAL Teams, each made up of more than 200 sailors (SEAL’s and support and mission-enabling personnel), and each commanded by a 0-6 commander. Two additional SEAL Teams have been organized within the Naval Reserve Component. SEAL’s have survived the earliest days because of the successes adopted by them through the actions and activities of their brothers from the NCDU’s, and Underwater Demolition Teams. In conclusion, The SEAL’s can trace their heritage back to the fighting men from World War II. SEAL’s are and will remain unique among all special operations forces, because it is they who are called upon when tasks need to be carried out clandestinely; where there is a high security risk; or if the task is a particularly difficult or delicate one, where operations involve working in small numbers under isolated, unsupported, and/or hostile conditions, and where the approach to the target is on or under the water. I would like to leave you with the SEAL team Ethos; the men of the SEAL teams live and breathe this Ethos everyday of their lives whether it is in service or in their civilian lives.
“In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our Nation's call. A common man with uncommon desire to succeed. Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America's finest special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and protect their way of life. I am that man. My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day. My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own. I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men. Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond. We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all situations. I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight. We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me - my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete. We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to defend. Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed. I will not fail.”(Navy SEAL Ethos, 2012)

References

Naval Combat Demolitions Unit. (2012, November 7). Retrieved from Specwarnet.net: http://www.specwarnet.net/americas/NCDU.htm
Navy SEAL Ethos. (2012, November 28). Retrieved from sealswcc.com: http://www.sealswcc.com/navy-seals-ethos.aspx
Underwater Demolition Unit. (2012, November 7). Retrieved from Specwarnet.net: http://www.specwarnet.net/americas/UDT.htm
WWII UNDERWATER DEMOLITION TEAMS. (2012, November 07). Retrieved from Navyfrogmen.com.
(2012). In C. Cunningham, The Frogmen of WW II. New York: Pocket Star Books.