Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC) divers inspected a Greek navy hyperbaric recompression chamber Jan. 14.

Divers worked with the Greek navy to inspect the Crete Naval Hospital's hyperbaric recompression chamber and approve it as an emergency chamber for United States Navy divers' use under MARMC's command. According to MARMC Dive Chamber's Independent Duty Corpsman, it's standard practice to have at least one approved chamber available during a Navy dive.

"Now that their chamber has been inspected to U.S. Navy standards, we won't have to solely rely on other people supporting us," said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Erik Ketelsen. "There is a small chamber, the Transportable Recompression Chamber System (TRCS), that we've had flown out from different groups in the past."

MARMC divers were deployed in Souda Bay at the time to repair USS Carney's (DDG 64) propeller blade software. Explosive Ordinance Disposal Mobile Unit Eight, from Naval Station Rota, Spain, sent three divers and the TRCS to Souda Bay for MARMC to use as their primary chamber during the Carney job.

"It's awesome that they are able to fly the chamber out to us because it's on site and fast, but if they're not able to support, we now have the Greek naval hospital's chamber as a secondary chamber," said Ketelsen. "This is the first time this chamber has been inspected for MARMC divers to use."

Four MARMC divers, Alpha Dive Team Supervisor Chief Navy Diver (NDC) James Goodman, Charlie Dive Team Supervisor NDC John Marsack, Charlie Diving Supervisor Navy Diver 1st Class Shaun Brathwaite, and Ketelsen, inspected the Greek chamber.

"We had to inspect it using the Non-U.S. Navy Certified Recompression Chamber Inspection checklist," said Goodman. "We go down the checklist, and if the chamber meets all the standards and regulations then we can deem it an emergency chamber for our divers."

The Greek chamber holds up to four people, three patients and one tender. They treat one to five accidents per year and perform monthly hyperbaric oxygen treatments in this chamber.

"The Greek navy already uses our Navy dive tables so if we came in for treatment, they would understand exactly what needed to be done," said Ketelsen. "It will be a great resource for us in the future."