[1950s U.S. NAVY UNDERWATER DEMOLITION TEAMS TRAINING]

Year Published: 1950s

Description:

This short film shows Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) candidates during part of the screening process, referred to as "Hell Week." These exercises, which include live fire, are designed to test the candidates' endurance and commitment.0:20: Candidates are subjected to grueling physical challenges, including constant running and carrying heavy logs, under close scrutiny. Quitting is made easy; a candidate only has to say so.0:38: The training includes combat simulations with live fire, which further separates the strong candidates from those who are not.0:48: Hell Week is highly effective in weeding out those who cannot endure the pressure, with more than half the class typically dropping out. The remaining candidates proceed to the next phase of training, which involves using flippers and goggles.1:10: The next phase of training includes an indoctrination course in the use of underwater breathing devices.1:16: The film shows a training exercise where the men submerge for 10 minutes with SCUBA equipment.1:31: Trainees develop a strong bond with their rubber boats and endure hours of rough surf drills. The training pushes the physical limits of each man, as the success of a mission can depend on the performance of any individual.1:49: Upon completing their training, the men are prepared for any task assigned by the amphibious force commander, including hazardous duties such as detonating underwater mines or swimming through heavy surf. 2:35: Frogmen approach obstacles on a target beach at low tide and place explosive charges on them. 3:36: the charges detonate. 3:50: returning swimmers are retrieved using swift rubber boats and a large ring which allows them to be swept up quickly by a crewman. The End.

Hell Week for Navy SEAL candidates is typically the third week of the first phase of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, not the fourth week as sometimes stated. It's a crucial and grueling 5.5-day period designed to test a candidate's physical and mental endurance under extreme conditions.

Complete Record: This short film shows Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) candidates during part of the screening process, referred to as "Hell Week." These exercises, which include live fire, are designed to test the candidates' endurance and commitment.0:20: Candidates are subjected to grueling physical challenges, including constant running and carrying heavy logs, under close scrutiny. Quitting is made easy; a candidate only has to say so.0:38: The training includes combat simulations with live fire, which further separates the strong candidates from those who are not.0:48: Hell Week is highly effective in weeding out those who cannot endure the pressure, with more than half the class typically dropping out. The remaining candidates proceed to the next phase of training, which involves using flippers and goggles.1:10: The next phase of training includes an indoctrination course in the use of underwater breathing devices.1:16: The film shows a training exercise where the men submerge for 10 minutes with SCUBA equipment.1:31: Trainees develop a strong bond with their rubber boats and endure hours of rough surf drills. The training pushes the physical limits of each man, as the success of a mission can depend on the performance of any individual.1:49: Upon completing their training, the men are prepared for any task assigned by the amphibious force commander, including hazardous duties such as detonating underwater mines or swimming through heavy surf. 2:35: Frogmen approach obstacles on a target beach at low tide and place explosive charges on them. 3:36: the charges detonate. 3:50: returning swimmers are retrieved using swift rubber boats and a large ring which allows them to be swept up quickly by a crewman. The End. Hell Week for Navy SEAL candidates is typically the third week of the first phase of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, not the fourth week as sometimes stated. It's a crucial and grueling 5.5-day period designed to test a candidate's physical and mental endurance under extreme conditions.

Transcription

[Music] is a screening process designed to see if they can take it. The men call it hell week and that's just about what it is. If a man can take the punishment day after day, we're sure of one thing. He really wants to be a member of the underwater demolition team. They're made to run, not walk most of the time. And just to make it tougher, they carry huge logs. Every move the new men make is carefully watched. If a man wants to quit, all he has to do is say so, and he can go back to his previous duty right then and there. Come on, Demo. Let's go. Hit the deck. Fire in the hole. Combat conditions under live fire. This separates the men from the boys. The class begins to thin out as the pressure is put on. During the entire week, men are drilled day and night and allowed little time to sleep. Hell Week succeeds wonderfully in its purpose. At the end of it, more than half the class has given up and the rest of the men dawn flippers and goggles to go on with their training. One of the first steps in their schooling is an indoctrination course in the use of underwater breathing devices. All right, mouth pieces out. Put them back in again. Submerge for 10 minutes. During the training, the men form a close attachment to their rubber boats. They go through rough surf drills for hours at a time. Extreme demands are placed in the physical stamina of every man. In many cases, the success or failure of an operation may be controlled by the actions of one man. When he completes his training, he's ready for anything the amphibious force commander may ask of him. The men are trained in all phases of underwater demolition. This duty is extra hazardous. One day he may be ordered to detonate an enemy mine underwater, the next to swim through thundering surf. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music]

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