Navy SEAL History: A Look at the Origins of Naval Special Warfare

By Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Taylor Stinson, Defense Media Activity

The evolutionary history of SEALs began during World War II at Amphibious Training Base (ATB), Little Creek, Virginia, in late August 1942, with two special-mission units, Amphibious Scouts and Raiders (S&R) (Joint) and Special Mission Demolition Unit.

S&R was composed of Sailors hailing from the boat pool at ATB, Solomons, Maryland, and Army 3rd and 9th Infantry Divisions. S&R was a team of men who were trained to reconnoiter prospective landing beaches and lead assault forces to the correct beaches in utter darkness and were the first to demonstrate legacy capabilities that are still demonstrated by SEALs today.

Special Mission Naval Demolition Unit was made up of Navy salvage divers brought in from Hawaii to complete a crash course in demolitions, commando tactics, cable cutting and rubber boat training. Both teams served in Operation Torch, removing the cabled boom blocking the Wadi Sebou River to allow USS Dallas (DD-199) to proceed up the river and train her guns on the Port Lyautey airdrome for attack and providing vital reconnaissance.

By May 6, 1943, the chief of naval operations directed the “Naval Demolition Project.” The directive outlined a two-phase project which would include the initial plans for the future Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDU).

Setting the Foundation for NCDU

Plans for a massive cross-channel invasion of Europe begun, and intelligence indicated that the Germans were placing extensive underwater obstacles on the beaches of Normandy. In May 1943, Lt. Cmdr. Draper Kauffman was directed to set up a school and train people to eliminate obstacles on an enemy-held beach prior to an invasion.

On June 6, 1943, the NCDU training school was established in Fort Pierce, Florida, and organized by Kauffman. Kauffman gathered volunteers from the Bomb and Mine Disposal School in Washington, and the Civil Engineering Corps and Naval Construction Corps (Seabees) School in Camp Peary, Williamsburg, Virginia, to fill in the first training classes.