Its marked UDT-22, but has no data plates. UDT-22 was disbanded in the early 1980s.
The first Aerojet-type wetsubs were used in 1955
So this thing dates from 1955-ish to 1985-ish
Its not an Aerojet or Havas type. Its not the ADSV. Its not the squatty Mk IX SDV retired in 1985 that could carry torpedoes.
Its not the 1970s era Mk VIII that is still used today by the SEALS and the UK's SBS, Nor is it a Mk VII Corvair 14 nor the Mk VI COSMOS/Healthways Seahorse
I haven't the slightest idea about what it is, but I would guess it is from the older end of the 1955-1985 scale. The designers were clearly digging on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea w/ Kirk Douglas. (released in 1954)
The 18’ Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (SDV) MK 7 MOD 6, commercial designation Convair Model 14, was the standard underwater transport used by UDTs and SEALs during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The first American-made SDV, it replaced the Italian-made MK 6 MOD 0 Sea Horse. The first SDVs were used by SEAL Team One back in 1969, when the entire SDV platoon consisted of no more than two officers and less than a dozen enlisted men. It could be deployed from the LPSS-574 Grayback, a modified Regulus II class submarine used for UDT and SEAL support starting in 1970. The submarine could carry four SDVs in its hangars.
The MK7 MOD 6 was a so-called “wet” or free-flooding submarine: the crew and passengers were immersed in water and must wear scuba gear and diving suits. Eight onboard 90-cubic feet bottles allowed semi-closed-circuit diving for up to 8 hours. The crew consisted of pilot and navigator seated in tandem. Two swimmers and 55 lbs. of explosives or other supplies could be carried. The MK 7 MOD 6 was made of non-magnetic plastic materials and could dive up to 200’. It had a 1.4-kW electric engine powered by six silver-zinc batteries.
The first photo is not of a Mark VII, what is the mystery SDV in the first post picture?
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