Interview with Lieutenant Commander Brent Hobson
Narrator: Hobson, Brent Alan, 1950-. Interviewer: Interviewed by James Ziolkoski. Interview Date and Location 26 February 2024, Victoria BC (Ziolkoski) and Dartmouth NS (Hobson). Synopsis: This interview is with LCdr Brent Hobson, on his experiences as a naval diver. He provides an overview of his career, including postings on the HMCS Algonquin, HMCS Cormorant, and HMCS Athabaskan; an exchange with the British Royal Navy; working at the Defense and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine (DCIEM); and returning to graduate schools for education in Combat Systems Engineering and International Relations. He describes notable operations he participated in, including the first submersible dive off the HMCS Cormorant to the bottom of the Puerto Rican Trench, and the development of various new diving technologies. LCdr Hobson also reflects on the role of changing technologies in the RCN, and his time in the Navy overall. 0:00 – 0:46 – Introductions. 0:46 – 1:35 – Life before joining the Navy. 1:35 – 45:13 – Overview of career. 8:36 – 13:10 – First submersible dive off of HMCS Cormorant, submersible SDL-1 to 2,000 ft depth in Puerto Rico Trench. 19:00 – 26:00 – Development of new diving decompression tables. 26:00 – 27:30 – Development of Canadian Underwater Mine Countermeasures Apparatus (CUMA). 27:30 – 30:27 – DCIEM experiments with saturation diving. 46:13 – 47:58 – Explanation of MARS Officers’ duties and the pathway to command. 47:58 – 51:11 – Transition into Clearance Diving. 51:23 – 52:53 – Comparison of Ship’s Diving and Clearance Diving. 52:53 – 55:15 – Division of diving operations on HMCS Cormorant; how Clearance Divers fit into naval ranks. 55:15 – 57:58 – Differences between RCN and RN surface-supplied diving. 58:02 – 1:03:43 – Experiences at DCIEM. 1:03:54 – 1:10:43 – Reflections on career. 1:10:47 – 1:16:42 – Reflections on changing technology. 1:16:42 – 1:22:26 – Reflections on the role of diving operations in the Navy. 1:22:26 – 1:25:41 – Concluding remarks.
- In Collection:
- Interview #SC141_HB_921
- 01:25:41
- Exploring the Roles and Responsibilities of Clearance Divers in the Royal Canadian Navy
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- Accession Number: 2025-002; Series 6; Item: 921
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection
- Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2024. Recorded in digital format by interviewer. Keywords supplied by interviewer. Metadata by KD.
- Rights
- This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
- DOI