A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving and/or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer.

The first well-known frogmen were the navy diver members of World War II Italian commando frogmen, now ''ComSubIn'', being part of ''Decima Flottiglia MAS'', nicknamed "''Uomini Rana''", Italian for "frog men", because of an underwater swimming frog kick style, similar to that of frogs. Originally these divers were called "''Uomini Gamma''" because they were members of the top secret special unit called "''Gruppo Gamma''", which originated from the kind of Pirelli rubber skin-suit nicknamed ''muta gamma'' used by these divers, but ''Uomini Rana'' was afterwards commonly used. This special corps used an early scuba set which did not make bubbles, called A.R.O acronym of ''Auto Respiratore ad Ossigeno'', an evolution of the Dräger oxygen self-contained breathing apparatus designed for the mining industry and of the ''Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus'' made by Siebe, Gorman & Co and by ''Bergomi'' designed for escaping from sunken submarines. This was used from about 1920 for spearfishing by Italian sport divers, modified and adapted by the Italian navy engineers for safe underwater use and build by Pirelli and SALVAS from about 1933, and so became a precursor of the modern rebreather.

For this new way of underwater diving, the Italian frogmen trained in La Spezia, Liguria, using the local Genoese newly diffused spearfishing free diving equipment (diving mask, snorkel, swimfins, wetsuit), the first specially made diving watch, the luminescent Panerai, and the new scuba unit. This was a revolutionary alternative way and the start of the transition from the usual heavy underwater diving of the hard hat divers (the only method used from 18th century) to self-contained divers, free of being tethered by an air line and rope connection.

In 1933 Italian companies was already producing underwater oxygen rebreathers, but the first scuba diving set is generally recognised inside the USA as being invented in 1939 by Christian Lambertsen, who dubbed it the Lambertsen Amphibious Respirator Unit (LARU).

"Combat swimming" is often used to mean "combat diving", but according to some strictly speaking means surface swimming without a breathing apparatus for coastal or ship infiltration. Such actions are a historical form of "frogman" activity and an important feature of naval special operations.

The term '"frogman" is often popularly used to refer to a civilian scuba diver. The word arose around 1940 from the appearance of a diver in shiny drysuit and large fins. Though the preferred term by scuba users is "diver", the "frogman" epithet persists in informal usage by non-divers, especially in the media and often in reference to professional scuba divers such as in a police role. Some sport diving clubs include the word "Frogmen" in their names.

In the U.S. military, divers trained in scuba or SCUBA who deploy for military assault missions are called "combat divers". This term is used to refer to the Navy SEALs, elements of Marine Recon, Army Ranger RRD members, Army Special Forces divers, Air Force Pararescue, and the Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units.

In Britain, police divers have often been called "police frogmen". The first British police diver was a policeman who, needing to search underwater for evidence or a body, did not use a drag but went home and fetched his sport scuba gear; see also Ian Edward Fraser#Scuba diving.

Some countries' frogman organizations include a translation of the word "frogman" in their official names, e.g. Denmark's ''Frømandskorpset'' and Norway's ''Froskemanskorpset''; others call themselves "combat divers" or similar. Others call themselves by indefinite names such as "special group 13" and "special operations unit".

Many nations and some irregular armed groups deploy or have deployed combat frogmen.

Defending against frogmen

Anti-frogman techniques are security methods developed to protect watercraft, ports and installations, and other sensitive resources both in or nearby vulnerable waterways from potential threats or intrusions by frogmen.

Types of armed-forces divers

Military diving is a branch of professional diving carried out by armed forces. They may be divided into:

Combat / assault divers.

Armed forces work divers (called Clearance Divers in the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy), who do general work underwater.

Armed forces work divers who are trained in defusing mines and removing other explosives underwater.

These groups may overlap, and the same men may serve as assault divers and work divers, as in the Australian Clearance Diving Team (RAN).

Frogman training

Training armed forces divers, including combat divers, is often harder, longer, and more complicated than civilian sport scuba diver training, typically takes several months full-time, and the trainees must be at full armed forces fitness and discipline at the start. It needs much higher levels of fitness, and during the course there is often a high elimination rate of trainees who do not make the grade. For more details see the articles on each nation's frogman group below and their external links.

Typically, a frogman with closed circuit breathing equipment will stay within due to the risk of oxygen poisoning. For comparison, trained and properly educated recreational divers with open circuit equipment can dive to or more.

For example, the PADI Open Water Diver (the most basic rank) course takes 5 dives in a swimming pool and 4 dives in open water (i.e. sea, lake, etc.); after the course the qualified diver is allowed to dive to . The next step (Advanced Open Water Diver) allows him to dive to . A further ''Deep Diver'' speciality course allows him to dive to maximum, which is considered safe for civil scuba diving. European agencies commonly impose a maximum on recreational diving. This can be compared with military frogman training courses as described in some of the articles about national military frogman bodies included or pointed to below, and their included external links.

In some cases, well-trained and experienced amateur divers can - legislation permitting - be capable of accomplishing tasks that regulations forbid professional divers from undertaking. As an example, Simon Mitchell was able to conduct a search for the engine of a crashed helicopter at , when naval or police divers could not.

Equipment

Breathing sets

Frogmen's breathing sets on covert operations should have particular features.

Some are needed because they may need to swim fast and far.

Some are needed to avoid detection.

Sometimes patrol divers may have to be sent down to find or arrest submerged suspect divers. For reasons stated in Anti-frogman techniques#Sending other frogmen against them, underwater fights between divers are much rarer in reality than in fiction, and thus suitability of the frogman's kit for "diver to diver combat" is less important than some other features when designing it; but the point is considered here for completeness.

USA frogmen's rebreathers tended to have the breathing bag on the back before enclosed backpack-box rebreathers became common.

Features needed

A frogman's breathing set should:

Be as silent as possible in use.

Have a full face diving mask:

* To let frogmen communicate underwater.

* Be less easily knocked off underwater.

* Be much less easily lost if the frogman goes unconscious underwater.

* Be securely fastened, see here about full-face diving masks. It should have as little as possible (e.g. an excessively bulky or projecting set/air valve) that can catch on things or that an attacker could easily grasp.

Be a dull color to avoid being seen from out of the water. Many are black, but the Russian IDA71's backpack box is mostly dark green. No large bright-colored badges or manufacturer's logos.

Contain as little iron or steel as possible, to avoid detection by magnetic sensors. This is also useful when the frogmen have to remove or defuse mines underwater.

Be as light and agile as possible, as far as is compatible with an adequate dive duration:

* Be well streamlined, and as small and light as possible for the dive duration. With a combat diver this may mean removing safety features such as an open-circuit bailout that would add bulk. Long trailing hoses (e.g. regulator hoses) are easily fouled and or pulled at and add to drag. If an underwater fight, or a quick need to escape, develops, agility and lack of cumbersomeness could be vital. This applies to:

** Streamlining in straight swimming, as he may have to swim fast and far.

** Streamlining when he rolls over and twists about.

** The diver's inertia when he must roll over quickly.

** The risk of snagging on things in dark water, or being taken hold of by. The Russian IDA71 military and naval rebreather is a good example here.

Have a long dive duration.

The front of the frogman's abdomen should be clear so he can easily climb in and out of small boats or over obstacles, particularly out of the water.

Have its breathing bag toughened against stabbing and scratches, or safely inside a hard backpack box.

All controls should be where the frogman can easily reach them, and not projecting. Turning the usual type of sport diving scuba's air off or on is easy for an attacker from above but difficult or impossible for the diver himself (and has been known to happen by itself when a diver pushes through thick kelp), unless the cylinder or cylinders are mounted inverted. However, that needs more pipework, and it is easy to bump the valvework on things, including when taking the set off.

Have its working parts and breathing tube or tubes should be safe from snagging on things in dark water, and from attack in an underwater fight, including in the risk of being "jumped" from above.

* Long trailing breathing tubes or regulator hoses may snag on things in dark water and can easily be grasped and pulled.

* Older Siebe Gorman-type rebreathers (see Siebe Gorman CDBA) had one breathing tube, which was in front of the chest and easier for the frogman to keep track of.

Not open-circuit scuba

As a result, the frogman's breathing set should be fully closed circuit rebreather, preferably not semi-closed circuit and certainly not open-circuit scuba, because:

Open-circuit scuba makes large amounts of bubbles, showing where the diver is.

Open-circuit scuba makes noise (on exhalation, and regulator valve intake hiss as the diver breathes in) showing underwater listening devices where the diver is.

There have been experiments with making released air or gas come out through a diffuser, to break the bubbles up; this may sometimes work with the small amounts of gas that are sometimes released by rebreathers, but open-circuit scuba releases so much gas at every breath that a diffuser large enough to handle it without making breathing difficult would be too bulky and would interfere with streamlining. Holding the breath to avoid making noise at critical moments is not recommended and very risky: see diving hazards and precautions

The bulk of an open-circuit set makes the diver heavy and cumbersome in rolling over and changing course or speed.

The dive duration of open circuit sets is much shorter than the dive duration of naval rebreathers, in proportion to bulk. However, some "technical diving" rebreathers are very burdened with safety devices such as inflatable flotation and open-circuit bailout. (Some modern rebreathers, such as the Draeger, are lighter.) The rebreathers which are the most compact in proportion to dive duration are oxygen rebreathers, but these are depth limited to about because of the oxygen toxicity risk.

The common sport open-circuit scuba set is not recommended for a fight against a trained naval or combat diver, because in any sort of underwater combat, a man with a large aqualung has a high rotation-inertia and is very unstreamlined in the twisting and turning involved in fighting and straight swimming, and his maneuvering is slowed critically compared to a man with a light streamlined rebreather with all parts close to his body.

Combat frogmen sometimes use open-circuit scuba sets during training and for operations where being detected or long distance swimming are not significant concerns.

The Russian IDA71

The Russian IDA71 military and naval rebreather is a typical frogman set:

Its working parts are in a hard smooth rounded metal backpack casing which has little that can snag on things or be easily grasped and pulled at. There is no mass of projecting valvework behind his neck to cause hydrodynamic drag and for an attacker to grasp.

Its only external control is its on/off switch, which is on its right edge near the bottom where he can reach it easily, and does not stick out.

It does have looping breathing tubes like an old-type aqualung, but these originate well apart next to where they come over his shoulders and do not have to reach across from the back of his neck. They can be strapped to the shoulder straps so they do not float up into big vulnerable loops behind the shoulders.

When the frogman comes out of water quickly, the holes in the casing let contained water drain quickly, so he is quickly rid of the weight of that water.

In oxygen rebreather mode it is said to last 4 hours on a filling.

Masks

Some frogmen use an ordinary diving mask; some use a fullface mask, which is less easily lost underwater. The older type of British frogman's and naval diving mask was full face and had a mouthpiece inside it.

Some frogmen use a mouthpiece and noseclip or a mouth-and-nose (orinasal) breathing mask instead of a diving mask with eye windows, and special contact lenses to correct the vision refraction error caused by the eyeballs being directly submerged. This is to avoid a searchlight or other lights reflecting off the mask window and thus revealing his presence, but it exposes the eyeballs to any pollution, poison, or organisms in the water.

The United States military has adopted Oceanic/Aeris's "Integrated Diver Display Mask". It is a basic "Heads-Up Display" that lets divers monitor depth, bottom time, tank pressures, and related information while leaving their hands free for other tasks.

Fins

Another problem with a frogman who may have to come ashore and operate on land is the awkwardness of walking on land in fins, unless he plans to discard his kit and return to base by some other way than by diving, or if the frogmen plan to take and hold a position on land until other troops arrive. Some sport diving fins have the blade angled downwards for more effective swimming, but this makes walking on them more awkward.

The usual solution is for the frogman to take his fins off and carry them, but that takes time and occupies a hand carrying them unless he can clip them in to his kit or thread an arm through the fins' straps. Nowadays all fins can be clipped onto a belt without having any disadvantages.

Another type of fin that frogmen could use would have a lockable hinge which on land can be unlocked to let the fin blade hinge up out of the way when walking: for example Flipfins.

The first type of British naval swimming fin had a short blade which was even shorter at the big toe side: this made walking on land easier for such purposes as creeping up on a sentry from behind on land, but reduced swimming speed.

Diving suits

The frogman's diving suit should be a tough scratch-and-cut-resistant drysuit (perhaps reinforced with kevlar), and not a soft foam wetsuit. A wetsuit can be worn under the drysuit as a warm undersuit. In very warm water, a thin tough drysuit can be worn with no undersuit.

For Bomb Disposal Operations, Canadian Naval Divers wear Bomb suits.

It should not have obvious bright colored patches, unit badges or the suit's maker's advertising. Diving sea-police types, however, may find that a unit badge is useful.

Tools and weapons carried underwater

Weapons that can be carried by a frogman include:

Knife: standard weapon.

A speargun has been seen advertised in circumstances suggesting its use for combat and not for fishing.

Underwater firearms:

*Russian APS Underwater Assault Rifle

*Russian ASM-DT Amphibious Assault Rifle

*Russian ADS Amphibious Assault Rifle

*Russian SPP-1 Underwater Pistol

*Heckler & Koch P11 Underwater Pistol

Standard firearms:

*Canadian Diemaco C7 and C8 assault rifles

Many types of explosives may be used:

*C-4, C13 grenade, and clay explosives

*And, most famously, the limpet mine.

Other tools include net-cutters.

Transport for frogmen

Frogmen may approach their site of operation and return to base in various ways including:

Swimming all the way.

Small boats, such as a canoe or sea scooter.

Tenders and remotely operated vehicles (ROV). Canadian divers use the Phantom ROV and Yard Diving Tenders (YDT).

Being dropped off and/or picked up by fast rigid-hulled inflatable boats.

The Subskimmer and similar.

In World War II, Italy and the United Kingdom used manned torpedoes to carry frogmen to their targets. Some nations still keep manned torpedoes.

Powerful versions of sport-diving submersibles, modified with longer duration batteries.

The Protei 5 and similar diver propulsion vehicles.

Midget submarines such as the X-craft, the SDV or the US Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) that have an airlock for frogmen to exit and return.

Full-sized submarines which frogmen can exit and return to, sometimes through an airlock or a torpedo tube. These two methods, like all methods, need precautions. This link (in Russian) describes a risky diving incident from a submerged submarine: the sub was neutrally buoyant at the start, but when the first frogman airlocked, the sub's buoyancy changed causing the sub to start floating up. In later dives, the sub's captain improved ballast to keep the sub on the seabed while frogmen were coming out or in.

Some frogmen are trained to parachute to the site of operation. The backpack box of the Russian IDA71 frogman's rebreather has two metal clips to fasten to a parachute harness.

Types of frogman operations

Amphibious assault: stealthy deployment of land or boarding forces. The vast majority of combat swimmer missions are simply to get "from here to there" and arrive suitably equipped and in sufficient physical condition to fight on arrival. The deployment of tactical forces using the arrival by water to assault land targets, oil platforms, or surface ship targets (as in boardings for seizure of evidence) is a major driver behind the equipping and training of combat swimmers. The purposes are many, but include feint and deception, counter-drug, law enforcement, counter-terrorism, and counter-proliferation missions.

Sabotage: This includes putting limpet mines on ships.

Clandestine surveying: Surveying a beach before a troop landing, or other forms of unauthorized underwater surveying in denied waters. The article "Riding on Proton" by Afonchenko (in Russian) may describe in passing a Soviet Bloc frogman infiltration into South Korean sea.

Clandestine underwater work, e.g.:

* Recovering underwater objects.

* Clandestine fitting of monitoring devices on submarine communications cables in enemy waters.

Investigating unidentified divers, or a sonar echo that may be unidentified divers. Diving sea-police work may be included here. See anti-frogman techniques.

Checking ships, boats, structures, and harbors for limpet mines and other sabotage; and ordinary routine maintenance in war conditions. If the inspection divers during this find attacking frogmen laying mines, this category may merge into the previous category.

Underwater mine clearance and bomb disposal.

Mission descriptions

The U.S. and U.K. forces use these official definitions for mission descriptors: ; Stealthy : Keeping out of sight (e.g. underwater) when approaching the target. ; Covert : Carrying out an action of which the enemy may become aware, but whose perpetrator cannot easily be discovered or apprehended. Covert action often involves military force which cannot be hidden once it has happened. Stealth on approach, and frequently on departure, may be used. ; Clandestine : It is intended that the enemy does not find out then or afterward that the action has happened. Installing eavesdropping devices is the best example. Approach, installing the devices, and departure are all to be kept from the knowledge of the enemy. If the operation or its purpose is exposed, then the actor will usually make sure that the action at least remains "covert", or unattributable: e.g. "...the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

Derivative word usages

Some scuba diving clubs have an entry class called "Tadpoles" for younger children who want to start scuba diving.

Errors about frogmen found in public media

Wrong use of the word ''frogman''

A new English translation of the book ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' uses the word ''frogman'' uniformly and wrongly to mean a diver in standard diving dress or similar, to translate French ''scaphandrier''.

Supposed ancient scuba divers/frogmen

Ancient Assyrian stone carvings show images which some have supposed to be frogmen with crude breathing sets. However, the "breathing set" was merely a goatskin float used to cross a river, and its "breathing tube" was to inflate it by mouth. See timeline of underwater technology.

Mistakes in fiction

Aqualungs

Many comics have depicted combat frogmen and other covert divers using two-cylinder twin-hose open-circuit aqualungs. All real covert frogmen use rebreathers because the stream of bubbles from an open-circuit set would give away the frogman's position.

Many aqualungs have been anachronistically depicted in comics in stories set during World War II, when in reality, at that time period, aqualungs were unknown outside Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his close associates in Toulon in south France. Some aqualungs were smuggled out of occupied France during the war (these may have been Commeinhes aqualungs), but the aqualung for the most part was not a player in combat in World War II.

The movie ''The Frogmen'' also made this mistake, using three-cylindered aqualungs, as seen in the movie poster. DESCO were making three-cylinder constant flow sets that lacked the demand valve of the aqualung, but they were rarely deployed in the war, and the preferred system was the rebreather developed by Dr. Christian J. Lambertsen.

After Ian Edward Fraser in 1957 wrote a book, ''Frogman V.C.'', about his experiences, whoever designed its dust cover depicted on it a frogman placing a limpet mine on a ship, wearing a breathing set with twin over-the-shoulder wide breathing tubes emitting bubbles from behind his neck, presumably drawn after an old-type aqualung. .

The film ''Submarine X-1'', made in 1969, loosely based on the real Operation Source, gets British wartime frogman's equipment very wrong and anachronistic. The breathing sets shown were open-circuit and were merely a very fat cylinder crosswise across the belly, with a black single-hose second-stage regulator such as was not invented until the 1960s. Also shown were ordinary sport scuba weight belts and ordinary eyes-and-nose diving masks with elliptical windows. The frogmen in the real war operation mostly used Sladen suits and an early type of Siebe Gorman rebreather.

Drawing and artwork

There have been thousands of drawings (mostly in comics, some elsewhere) of combat frogmen and other scuba divers with two-cylinder twin-hose aqualungs shown wrongly with one wide breathing tube coming straight out of each cylinder top with no regulator, far more than of twin-hose aqualungs drawn correctly with a regulator, or of combat frogmen with rebreathers. See this image for the correct layout of an old-type aqualung.

Another common mistake when drawing a diver standing on land or on deck with a bulky backpack breathing set is to show him standing vertically, whereas in reality he would lean forwards somewhat, as the weight of a backpack breathing set (20 kg or more with big twin air cylinders) pushes his center of gravity backwards. The same often happens with a film actor wearing mockup non-metal air cylinders (in somewhat the same manner as an actor carrying an empty suitcase or wearing an empty camping backpack).

Movies and fiction

Frogman-type operations have featured in many comics, books, and movies. Some try to reconstruct real events; others are completely fictional. Some make mistakes as described above. Examples are:

The 1951 film ''The Frogmen'', made by Twentieth Century Fox, shows some United States frogman operations against the Japanese in World War II, but with wrong kit (see above).

The James Bond film ''Thunderball'' depicts an extended underwater battle, featuring frogmen.

Listed at Human torpedo#Movies and fiction.

Listed at United States Navy SEALs in fiction.

James Bond's modern biography includes serving with the Special Boat Service through the Royal Navy.

Simon and Garfunkel's song "Baby Driver" contains the following line: "My daddy was a prominent frogman. My mamma's in the Naval reserve."

History

In ancient Roman and Greek times, etc., there were many instances of men swimming or diving for combat, but they always had to hold their breath and had no diving equipment, except sometimes a hollow plant stem used as a snorkel.

The first known frogmen-type operations using breathing apparatus were by the Italian Decima Flottiglia MAS, which formed in 1938 and was in action first in 1940. See Timeline of underwater technology and each of the nations' frogman unit links below.

In 1942, a young physician named Christian J. Lambertsen invented the first Self-contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) and demonstrated it to OSS (after already being rejected by the U.S. Navy) in a pool at a hotel in Washington D.C. OSS not only bought into the concept, they hired Dr. Labertsen to lead the program and build-up the dive element of their maritime unit. The OSS was the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency and the maritime element still exists inside their Special Activities Division.

See also: Lionel Crabb, a frogman who spied on a Soviet warship in Portsmouth, UK.

Nations with military diving groups

Italy started World War II with a commando frogman force already trained. Britain, Germany, the United States, and the Soviet Union started commando frogman forces during World War II.

Argentina

The Buzos Tácticos is Argentina's combat frogman force.

Austria

Australia

The Clearance Diving Team (RAN) is Australia's combat frogman and underwater work force. The Australian SAS also undertakes water operations.

Belgium

The Special Forces Group (Belgium) has a specialized diving company for education and training of combat swimmers.

Brazil

Canada

Refer to the 1967 animated film.

Croatia

Croatian BSD's 3rd Company is specialized for seaborne operations and is responsible for training of combat swimmers and divers.

Denmark

Egypt

They played a major role on the War of attrition and the Crossing of the Suez Canal on 6 October 1973, by obstructing the oil pipes that would pump burning oil from Bar Lev Line to the canal.

Eritrea

During Eritrea's war of independence against Ethiopia, the rebel forces had a combat frogman force. After the war, some of those frogmen were retrained as dive guides for the sport scuba diving tourism trade.

Finland

The Finnish Navy has trained Finnish combat divers since 1954. Conscripts and career military are eligible to apply for the training. Annually, about 20 conscripts are trained for diving duties. Applying for combat diver training is voluntary, and the selection criteria are stringent. The conscript divers are trained either for anti-mine or for commando operations, while career personnel may also be trained for deep-sea diving duty. All conscript divers receive at least NCO training during their 12-month service period.

France

Germany

Greece

1953: first Amphibious Reconnaissance Squad is founded.

1957-1968: Underwater Demolition Training School operates in Kannelopoulos training center.

1968: UDT Division established in Skaramanga.

1969: UDT Division renamed to Underwater Demolition Unit.

2002: Underwater Demolition Unit renamed to Underwater Demolition Command.

* http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/dyk_history_en.asp

India

The MCU is the elite naval special operations unit of the Indian Navy that undertakes underwater combat.

Indonesia

The TNI-AL/Indonesian Navy Underwater Combat Unit is called Kopaska.

Israel

Italy

Jordan

King Abdullah II of Jordan is a qualified frogman.

Lebanon

Malaysia

Malaysia has a special-forces naval unit called Paskal. It includes frogmen.

Mexico

Netherlands

The Dutch Amphibious Reconnaissance Platoon is part of the Special Forces unit of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.

New Zealand

The New Zealand Navy trains all NZ Army, NZ Police, and NZ Customs divers. Military Dive Training support is also supplied to Singapore, Malaysia, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.

Norway

Norway's commando frogmen corps is called Marinejegerkommandoen, "the naval ranger command", which is something like the British SBS.

Norway has a clearance diver group called Minedykkerkommandoen, "the mine diver command".

Pakistan

Pakistan's SSG has a naval unit modeled on the US Navy SEALs. The SSGN has headquarters in Karachi headed by a Pakistan Navy Commander. It has a strength of one company and is assigned to unconventional warfare operations in the coastal regions. During war, it is assigned to Midget submarines. All other training is similar to the Army SSG with specific marine orientation provided at its headquarters.

Philippines

"Special Forces Combat Divers"

Poland

Three Polish military divisions train and deploy frogmen in military operations. Most known are GROM water operations detachment, 1 Pułk Specjalny Komandosów's frogmen company and Naval Special Operations Unit "MJDS "Formoza"". Polish frogmen operators are confirmed to use these weapons:

H&K; USP SD 9x19mm pistol

H&K; MP-5, MP-5SD 9x19mm sub-machine gun

PM-84P Glauberyt 9x19mm sub-machine gun

PKM/PKSM 7.62x54mmR general purpose machine gun

UKM-2000 7.62x51mm general purpose machine gun

Beryl 5.56x45mm assault rifle

AKMS 7.62x39mm assault rifle

H&K; G36 rifle

The Polish SF uses e.g. R.C.H OXY-NG2, Aqua Lung Amphora closed-circuit apparatus.

Portugal

Russia

Serbia

Singapore

Sri Lanka

South Africa

Spain

Spain has been training combat divers and swimmers since 1967. Two units in the Spanish Navy currently operate under a Naval Special Warfare mandate:

UOE (Special Operations Unit) - All aspects of maritime special operations at sea, on land, and by air.

UEBC (Specialist Combat Diver Unit) - Mainly hydrographic surveys and underwater demolitions.

There are working plans to fuse the two units into a single "Naval Special Warfare Unit" (UGNE), while maintaining their functional distinctiveness.

Sweden

The Reconnaissance Platoon, also referred to colloquially as the Attack Divers (''A-dyk''). They conduct long-range reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines, sabotage, clearing beach obstacles, hydrographic surveys, and although combat is not their priority, they have a limited ability to conduct direct action missions such as ambushes. Between 6 and 10 are trained each year. The Reconnaissance Platoon is a commando unit, belonging to the amphibious battalion of the Swedish Amphibious Corps. They offer one of the hardest and most demanding training regimens in the Swedish armed forces.

Navy EOD-divers (''Röjdyk'')

Army divers (''FArb-dykare'') Underwater welding, obstacle clearance, underwater demolition and repairs. Belongs to the engineer troops.

Pioneer divers (''Pionjärdyk'') of the amphibious battalion. Underwater obstacle clearance, repairs and EOD on land.

Navy attack divers. (''Flottan A-dyk'') Underwater sabotage on enemy ships and harbours.

Thailand

Turkey

Underwater search and Finding Commership is the unit that gives diving services in Turkey. It also gives deepwater diving and mine diving lessons to officers and petty officers. They become 1. Class Divers. Su Altı Taaruz commandos are high level divers.

United Kingdom

See:

British commando frogmen for a list of their World War II operations.

Special Boat Service

Royal Engineers Specialist - Diver

Naval Clearance Divers

Clearance Diver

United States

Further reading

Frogman Operations: Decima Flottiglia Mas, Underwater Demolition Team, Human Torpedo, Sinking Of The Rainbow Warrior, Russian Commando Fro

Frogman - Commander Crabb's story, Marshal Pugh - 1956

Frogman V.C., Ian Fraser - 1957

America's First Frogman, Elizabeth Kauffman Bush

Frogman Spy, Michael G. Welham, Jacqui Welham - 1990

References

External links

Frogman term in Oxford Dictionary

Frogman - Training, Equipment, and Operations of Our Navy's Undersea Fighters - C.B. Colby

Images of LAR-6 and LAR-7 and FGT II and LAR V rebreathers, and other combat frogman's kit

List of books about frogmen

Category:Underwater diving Category:Combat diving Category:Special forces Category:Armed forces diving Category:Combat occupations

ang:Froggmann ar:ضفادع بشرية ca:Home granota cs:Žabí muži de:Kampfschwimmer es:Buzo militar fr:Nageur de combat it:Sommozzatore ja:フロッグマン no:Kampsvømmere ro:Scufundare militară ru:Боевые пловцы simple:Military diving fi:Taistelusukeltaja sv:Attackdykare zh:蛙人

Coordinates	58°41′″N99°11′″N
name	nimit bhandari (Captain Nemo)
series	Jules Verne
first	''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' (1870)
last	''The Mysterious Island'' (1874)
creator	Jules Verne
alias	Captain Nemo
gender	Male
title	Captain
children	Deceased
relatives	Deceased
nationality	Stateless }}

Captain Nemo, also known as Prince Dakkar, is a fictional character featured in Jules Verne's novels ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' (1870) and ''The Mysterious Island'' (1874).

Nemo, one of the most famous antiheroes in fiction, is a mysterious figure. The son of an Indian Raja, he is a scientific genius who roams the depths of the sea in his submarine, the ''Nautilus'', which was built on a deserted island. Nemo tries to project a stern, controlled confidence, but he is driven by a thirst for vengeance and a hatred of imperialism (particularly the British Empire) and wracked by remorse over the deaths of his crew members and even by the deaths of enemy sailors.

Etymology

''Nemo'' is Latin for "no one", and also (as ''νέμω'') Greek for "I give what is due" (see Nemesis).

''Nemo'' is, moreover, the Latin rendering of Ancient Greek ''Outis'' ("Nobody"), the pseudonym Odysseus employed to outwit the Cyclops Polyphemus.

Life

Nothing concerning his past is revealed in ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'', except his having reason to hate the countries of the world, the apparent loss of his family at some point in the past.

In ''The Mysterious Island'', Captain Nemo reveals himself to be Prince Dakkar, son of the Hindu Raja of the Kingdom of Bundelkund in India, and also a descendant of the Muslim Sultan Fateh Ali Tipu of the Kingdom of Mysore in India. The latter famously fought a series of wars with the British.

He was deeply antagonistic to the British Empire, due to its conquest of India. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, in which he lost his family and his kingdom, he devoted himself to scientific research and developed an advanced submarine, the ''Nautilus''. He and a crew of his followers cruised the seas, battling injustice, especially imperialism. They derive bullion from various shipwrecks in the oceans, most notably the wrecks of the Spanish treasure fleet in Bay of Vigo, sunk during the Battle of Vigo Bay.

He claims to have no interest in the affairs of the world above, but occasionally intervenes to aid the oppressed, such as by giving salvaged treasure to Cretans who are revolting against their Turkish rulers and by saving (both physically and financially) a Ceylonese or Tamil pearl hunter who was the unfortunate victim of a diving accident, or by saving the castaways from drowning in ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' and covertly watching over the castaways in ''The Mysterious Island''.

Like many Indian princes of the era, Nemo had a European or English education, as he states that he had spent his youth studying and touring Europe. In his first meeting with Professor Aronnax and his companions, they speak to him in French, English, Latin and German; Nemo later reveals that he is fluent in all of them.

Aronnax goes on to comment that Nemo's French was perfect and unaccented and relies on his intuition and knowledge of ethnology to assess that he was from southern latitudes. However, he was unable to determine the country of his origin. The ''Nautilus'''s library and art collection reveal him to be familiar with European culture and arts. Further, he was an accomplished player of the organ.

He is said to have died of old age, on board the ''Nautilus'', at Dakkar Grotto on Lincoln Island in the South Pacific. The last rites were administered by Cyrus Smith, one of the castaways on the island who had been saved by Nemo himself, and the vessel was then submerged in the waters of the grotto.

Character

The best account of Nemo's character may come from the observations of Professor Pierre Aronnax, the narrator of ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'', who embarks upon the voyage with Nemo when the latter is about forty years of age. He is described as a reticent man throughout the account; tall and swarthy in appearance, with a straight nose and wide-set eyes, an attribute which gives him exceptional range of vision. In the later account given in ''The Mysterious Island'', the aged Captain Nemo is said to sport a long white beard.

He eschews dry land, having forsworn all ties with it; and when he does step on it, he does so only when the land is uninhabited, such as Antarctica and desert islands such as Lincoln Island of ''The Mysterious Island''. He is enamored by the sea and holds that true freedom exists only beneath the waves. In keeping with his detestation for the nations of the surface, he uses no products that are not marine in nature, be it food, clothing, furnishing, or even tobacco.

Little is revealed about his political opinions except his almost maniacal hatred of oppression, with which he identifies all the imperialistic nations of the world. He does not hesitate to identify himself with those oppressed, be they Cretans rising against the Turks, poor Ceylonese pearl divers eking out a living, or even grey whales being attacked by cachalots (sperm whales).

When Professor Aronnax alleges that Nemo violates maritime and international law by sinking war-ships, Nemo responds that he is merely defending himself from his attackers, and that the laws of the world on the surface do not apply to him any longer. In one scene, Nemo exclaims:

Nemo is devoted to his crew and grieves deeply when one of them happens to be killed, as is portrayed in the aftermath of the giant-squid attack in the Bahamas and the mysterious midnight encounter with a surface ship. He shows the same compassion in his treatment of the castaways in ''The Mysterious Island''. He also appears to retain loving memories of his family, for Professor Aronnax witnesses him weeping over the portrait of a young lady and two children, apparently his family.

Though short-tempered, he maintains great control over himself, rarely giving vent to his anger. He is also a man of immense courage, in the forefront of every activity, from releasing the ''Nautilus'' from the Antarctic ice to fighting off squids in the Bahamas. He was also a man of superhuman stamina, being able to work consecutive eight-hour shifts without a break, with little oxygen, to free the ''Nautilus'' from the ice. He was also an intrepid explorer, having discovered Atlantis, according to Jules Verne, a glimpse of which is had by Professor Aronnax.

An extraordinary engineer, Nemo designed and built the ''Nautilus'', besides inventing most of her outstanding features, such as her electric propulsion and navigation systems. He has an exceptional mastery of underwater navigation, taking upon himself the most difficult submarine passages, such as those under the Isthmus of Suez and the Antarctic ice sheet.

He has an immense knowledge of marine biology, and it is his respect for Professor Aronnax's expertise in the field which led to his befriending the professor when the latter was cast upon the ''Nautilus''. Further, he is said to have read and annotated all the tomes he possessed in the ''Nautilus'''s vast library. In addition to these indubitable indications of an exceptional intellect, he repeatedly demonstrates his ability to create innovative solutions.

He has very fine taste in art, possessing several masterpieces of both painting and sculpture, from ancient and modern European masters, all of which are housed in the Grand Salon of the ''Nautilus'', along with his inestimably valuable collection of pearls, corals and such other marine products, which he had gathered with his own hands. In the opinion of Professor Aronnax, the collection of the Grand Salon far outstripped that of the Louvre. However, Nemo regarded them as little more than the remainder of a past life, a life he chose to forget, but yet retain some memories of, for according to him, these were but a part of his original collection.

Despite the opulence that is visible all through the ''Nautilus'', he is a man of spartan habits, retaining for his own use the barest minimum. In Professor Aronnax's opinion, Nemo's cabin resembled a monk's cell, furnished with little besides a bed and the navigational instruments integral to the ''Nautilus''.

Nemo tells Professor Aronnax that his intention was to have the story of his life, which he was in the process of writing when Aronnax and his companions were cast upon the ''Nautilus'', sealed in an unsinkable casket and thrown overboard by the last survivor of the ''Nautilus'''s crew, in the hope that it would be washed up somewhere.

An unsinkable casket does wash up in ''The Mysterious Island'', the book that includes the details of Nemo's life. The casket contains tools, guns, scientific instruments, an atlas, books, blank paper, and even clothing. The crate is lashed to empty barrels, and the contents sealed in a waterproof zinc envelope, showing careful preparation and packing. This is one example of how Nemo grants the castaway's wishes, acting as an agent of Divine Providence.

One of the castaways, the sailor Pencroft, laments that whoever packed the crate did not include tobacco, the one thing he misses from his former life. A hunting party comes across a strange plant that the young naturalist Harbert identifies as tobacco. The other castaways keep the discovery secret until they can dry and cure the leaves. One evening, Pencroft is offered some coffee by his friends. When he declines, they say, "A pipe, then?" and produce a homemade pipe stuffed full, with a coal to light it. Pencroft exclaims, "O, divine Providence; sacred Author of all things! ... I have nothing more to wish for on this island...Now I am yours, in this life and the next!" This cry is very similar to what Faust says to Mephistopheles, by which the devil claims Faust's soul. By making Nemo the granter of wishes and the invisible hand, Verne may be giving him some of the character of Mephistopheles, the devil himself.

Finally, Nemo appears to have some sort of hatred, fear or remorse that is never revealed to the reader, for the last words heard from him by Professor Aronnax, before abandoning the ''Nautilus'', are "Almighty God, enough! Enough!"

Emblem

His emblem, as given in a description of the flag he raised when claiming Antarctica, is a large golden ''N'' on a black field. The motto of the ''Nautilus'' was ''Mobilis in mobili'', which may be roughly translated from Latin as, "moving amidst mobility", "moving within the moving element", or "changing in the changes".

Origin

In the initial draft of ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'', Nemo was a Polish noble, a member of the szlachta, vengeful because of the murder of his family during the Russian repression of the Polish insurrection of 1863-1864. Verne's editor Pierre-Jules Hetzel feared a book ban in the Russian market and offending a French ally, the Russian Empire. He made Verne obscure Nemo's motivation in the first book. In the second book of ''Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea'', Nemo comes close to revealing his Indian ancestry, though this is not obvious except in retrospect, in a scene where he saves a Ceylonese fisherman while on a pearl-diving expedition in the Gulf of Mannar.

Chronological inconsistency

''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' was written between 1869 and 1870 and records the voyages of the ''Nautilus'' between 1866 and 1868. ''The Mysterious Island'' was written in 1874 but is set immediately after the American Civil War, from 1865 to 1867. This would mean that Captain Nemo who appeared in ''The Mysterious Island'' dies ''before'' Captain Nemo who appeared in ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' sets out on the undersea travels. Also, when Captain Nemo is finally seen in ''The Mysterious Island'', he mentions having met Aronnax 16 years previously.

Many errors in the original French first printing (the 'grand in-8' published by Pierre-Jules Hetzel) are likely the fault of the editors who, at that period of time, were unlikely to consult the authors of the books they edited before making a change. According to the new, full translation put out by the Naval Institute Press, nearly all errors can be attributed to the editors, with only a few being the fault of Jules Verne, who was meticulous in his presentation of the 'science' within science fiction. The inconsistency of the dates between ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' and ''The Mysterious Island'' is perhaps another, as it seems unlikely that Verne would make such an obvious gaffe.

The ''Nautilus'' goes down in the Maelstrom on June 2, 1868, according to ''20,000 Leagues Under The Sea'', but may have survived. (''The Mysterious Island'' gives this date as June 22, 1867.) Captain Nemo dies on the ''Nautilus'' under Lincoln Island in ''The Mysterious Island'' on October 15, 1868. So while the date of his death in the latter novel does not precede his adventures in the former novel, some chronological inconsistencies still exist: Cyrus and Gideon knew of Captain Nemo years before Aronnax published his story; Nemo being trapped under Lincoln Island all during the time in ''20,000 Leagues Under The Sea''.

Portrayals

Allen Holubar played Captain Nemo in ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' (1916).

Lionel Barrymore played Count Andre Dakkar in ''The Mysterious Island'' (1929).

Leonard Penn played Captain Nemo in the Columbia movie serial ''Mysterious Island'' (1951).

James Mason played Captain Nemo in the Walt Disney film ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' (1954).

Herbert Lom played Captain Nemo in ''Mysterious Island'' (1961).

Robert Ryan played Captain Nemo in ''Captain Nemo and the Underwater City'' (1969).

Omar Sharif played Captain Nemo in ''La Isla misteriosa y el capitán Nemo'' (1973).

Len Carlson played Captain Nemo in the animated series ''The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo'' (1975).

Vladislav Dvorzhetsky played Captain Nemo in the Soviet movie ''Captain Nemo'' (1975).

José Ferrer played Captain Nemo in the TV movie and short-lived TV series ''The Return of Captain Nemo'' (1978).

John Bach played Captain Nemo in the TV series ''Mysterious Island'' (1995).

Michael Caine played Captain Nemo in the ABC-TV miniseries ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' (1997).

Ben Cross played Captain Nemo in the NBC-TV movie ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' (1997).

Naseeruddin Shah played Captain Nemo in the film adaptation of ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (2003).

Patrick Stewart played Captain Nemo in the TV movie ''Mysterious Island'' (2005).

Sean Lawlor played Captain Nemo in the film ''30,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' (2007).

Captain Nemo in popular culture

Besides his original appearance in ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' and ''The Mysterious Island'', Captain Nemo also appears in numerous other works, though none written by Jules Verne, and all works were created decades after the original books:

"Captain Nemo" is an instrumental by German-British hard rock band The Michael Schenker Group, composed by guitarist Michael Schenker. This song was first released on the 1983 album ''Built to Destroy''.

The comic book ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (and its film adaptation) suggests that Nemo actually faked his death in 1867. He is also depicted as a Sikh in the comic book and the movie, although in the movie he is seen praying to Kali, a popular Hindu goddess. In the novel, he leaves the League after witnessing the British Empire's use of biological warfare to destroy the Martians.

The Japanese anime series ''Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water'' by Gainax. Though his appearance is not until after the first few episodes, Nemo is portrayed as one of the major characters in the series' main plot.

In episode 1 of season 2 of ''The Simpsons'', Bart has to do a book report on ''Treasure Island'', which he has not read. When his teacher Ms. Krabappel asks the name of the pirate on the cover, one of the names he thinks of before he answers is Nemo.

The villain in the ''Mighty Max'' episode "Around the World in Eighty Arms".

In the Philip José Farmer novel ''The Other Log of Phileas Fogg'', Nemo is depicted as being rather more sinister and self-serving.

The novel ''Captain Nemo: The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius'' by K.J. Anderson.

The novel ''Dead Easy'' by William Mark Simmons.

The novel ''Valhalla Rising'' by Clive Cussler.

The graphic novel trilogy ''Robur'' (based on Verne's ''Robur the Conqueror'') by Jean-Marc Lofficier.

The series ''Der Hexer von Salem'' by German author Wolfgang Hohlbein, which is based on H. P. Lovecraft's ''Cthulhu Mythos''.

The manga ''Captain Nemo'' by Jason DeAngeles and Aldin Viray.

The book by James A. Owen, ''Here, There Be Dragons''.

Swedish group The Dive composed and released the song "Captain Nemo" as their successful debut single. The song was later covered by Sarah Brightman on her 1993 album ''Dive''.

Finnish rock band Nightwish released the song "Nemo" on their 2004 release ''Once''. The song contains many references to Nemo.

Ace Of Base recorded the song "Captain Nemo" for their third album, ''Flowers'' (1998).

In an episode of ''Josie and the Pussycats'', a self-proclaimed descendant of Captain Nemo has a vendetta to sink every sea-bound vessel on Earth, with his reconstructed ''Nautilus'' (controlled by his pipe organ). He also reviles music from the show's time period.

The miniature wargame Warmachine contains a character called Nemo, a warcaster in the army of Cygnar.

The Constructible Miniature Game Pirates of the Spanish Main expansion Mysterious Islands contains multiple references to the Nemo, the Nautilus, and multiple other characters from 20,000 Leagues and Mysterious Island.

Images

References

External links

''The Mysterious Island'': The Secret of the Island: Chapter XVI. A summary of his life.

Literary analysis of the novels of Jules Verne (In French)

The origin of Captain Nemo: at Captnemo's Home

Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1870 Category:Jules Verne characters Category:Fictional scientists Category:Fictional mad scientists Category:Science fiction film characters Category:Fictional explorers Category:Fictional captains Category:Fictional sailors Category:Fictional undersea characters Category:Fictional princes Category:Fictional Indian people

cs:Kapitán Nemo de:Kapitän Nemo et:Kapten Nemo es:Capitán Nemo fr:Capitaine Nemo ko:네모 선장 hr:Kapetan Nemo id:Kapten Nemo it:Capitano Nemo he:קפטן נמו nl:Kapitein Nemo ja:ネモ船長 pl:Kapitan Nemo pt:Capitão Nemo ru:Капитан Немо fi:Kapteeni Nemo sv:Kapten Nemo

Coordinates	58°41′″N99°11′″N
name	Scotty McCreery
background	solo_singer
alt	Young brown-haired man, wearing a red plaid shirt and singing.
Birth name	Scott Cooke McCreery
birth date	October 09, 1993
birth place	Garner, North Carolina, U.S.
genre	Country
instrument	Vocals, guitar
occupation	Singer
label	19/Interscope/Mercury Nashville
years active	2010–present
Website	Official Site }}

Scott Cooke "Scotty" McCreery (born October 9, 1993) is an American country singer from Garner, North Carolina, who won the tenth season of ''American Idol'' on May 25, 2011.

Early life

McCreery was born in 1993 to Judy (née Cooke) and Michael McCreery in Garner, North Carolina. His mother works as a realtor, and his father works as a manufacturing systems analyst. His father was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to a Puerto Rican mother from San Juan and an American father. McCreery used to impersonate Elvis as a child, and started learning guitar at age ten. He attended West Lake Middle School and sang at his graduation. He also attended Garner Magnet High School where he joined a vocal ensemble, Die Meistersingers, that performs across the United States. He started out singing tenor but switched to bass when his voice turned lower in his sophomore year. He won a singing contest called "Clayton Idol" at the Clayton Harvest Festival in Clayton, North Carolina, and was one of 36 finalists in a "Rip the Hallways" contest featuring teenage vocalists in North Carolina. He has performed at various local events. Scotty often states that his faith plays a big role in his life and that God helps him get through the things he has to face He openly tells others that he loves Jesus Christ with all of his heart and that he needs to stand by him all the time because God is the only way he can get through the competition. He also states that Sunday is his favorite day of the week because he gets to go to the First Baptist Church in Garner and helps his mother cook. He also attended Caswell Youth Retreat in the summer of 2009. He participated in the talent show there singing Long Black Train by Josh Turner.

''American Idol''

Overview

McCreery auditioned for the tenth season of ''American Idol'' in Milwaukee. The judges were struck by his deep bass voice unusual for his age. In the Hollywood group round, he joined the "Guaps" and became embroiled in the drama when fellow group member Clint Jun Gamboa expelled Jacee Badeaux from the group. He later expressed regret for not standing up for Jacee. He was one of the five male vote getters in the semi-final round to advance to the Top 13. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, McCreery confirmed that he has Puerto Rican ancestry. "Yes, I'm Puerto Rican," said McCreery with a smile. "I have a little bit of J.Lo in me." McCreery was never in the bottom 2 or 3 during the season joining past winners Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Lee DeWyze. During Scotty's top 3 homecoming day, Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams gave Scotty the key to the town of Garner and officially made May 14 "Scotty McCreery Day." McCreery won the tenth season of American Idol on May 25, 2011. At age 17, he is the second youngest ''Idol'' winner behind season 6 winner Jordin Sparks.

Performances/Results

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" !Episode !Theme !Song choice !Original artist !Order # !Result |- |rowspan="2"|Audition |rowspan="2"|Auditioner's Choice |"Your Man" |Josh Turner |rowspan="2"|N/A |rowspan="2"|Advanced |- |"Put Some Drive in Your Country" |Travis Tritt |- |Hollywood Round, Part 1 |First Solo |"Your Man" |Josh Turner |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Round, Part 2 |Group Performance |"Get Ready" |The Temptations |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Round, Part 3 |Second Solo |"I Hope You Dance" |Lee Ann Womack |N/A |Advanced |- |Las Vegas Round |Songs of The Beatles Group Performance |"Hello, Goodbye" |The Beatles |N/A |Advanced |- |Hollywood Round Final |Final Solo |"Long Black Train" |Josh Turner |N/A |Advanced |- |Top 24 (12 Men) |Personal Choice |"Letters from Home" |John Michael Montgomery |8 |Advanced |- |Top 13 |Your Personal Idol |"The River" |Garth Brooks |12 |Safe |- |Top 12 |Year You Were Born |"Can I Trust You with My Heart" |Travis Tritt |8 |Safe |- |Top 11 |Motown |"For Once in My Life" |Stevie Wonder |7 |Safe |- |Top 11 |Elton John |"Country Comfort" |Elton John |1 |Safe |- |Top 9 |Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |"That's All Right" |Arthur Crudup |6 |Safe |- |Top 8 |Songs from the Movies |"I Cross My Heart" — ''Pure Country'' |George Strait |4 |Safe |- |Top 7 |Songs from the 21st Century |"Swingin'" |John Anderson |1 |Safe |- |rowspan="2"|Top 6 |rowspan="2"|Carole King |Solo "You've Got a Friend" |Carole King |4 |rowspan="2"|Safe |- |Duet "Up on the Roof" with Lauren Alaina |The Drifters |6 |- |rowspan="2"|Top 5 |rowspan="2"|Songs from Now and Then |"Gone" |Montgomery Gentry |4 |rowspan="2"|Safe |- |"Always on My Mind" |Brenda Lee |9 |- |rowspan="2"|Top 4 |Songs That Inspire |"Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" |Alan Jackson |3 |rowspan="2"|Safe |- |Leiber & Stoller Songbook |"Young Blood" |The Coasters |7 |- |rowspan="3"|Top 3 |Contestant's Choice |"Amazed" |Lonestar |1 |rowspan="3"|Safe |- |Jimmy Iovine's Choice |"Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" |Thompson Square |4 |- |Judges' Choice |"She Believes in Me" |Kenny Rogers |7 |- |rowspan="3"|Finale |Favorite Performance |"Gone" |Montgomery Gentry |1 |rowspan="3"|Winner |- |George Strait's Choice |"Check Yes or No" |George Strait |3 |- |Coronation Song |"I Love You This Big" |Scotty McCreery |5 |} Due to the judges using their one save on Casey Abrams, the Top 11 remained intact for another week, when two contestants were eliminated.

Post-''Idol''

Scotty released his coronation single "I Love You This Big" immediately after winning the tenth season of ''American Idol''. The song entered the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart at number 32, becoming the highest debut for a debut single since the chart converted to BDS data the week of January 20, 1990. The song sold 171,404 units in its first week, and was certified gold on August 25, 2011. A music video for the song, shot on Angels Point near Dodger Stadium, was released on August 9 2011.

He signed with Mercury Nashville, earning a contract that gave him over $250,000 in advances for recording the first album.

Both Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina were invited to present at the CMT Music Awards on June 8, 2011, and they also both performed on the Grand Ole Opry on June 10. McCreery performed "I Love You This Big" and a George Strait's song "Check Yes or No." Their trip to Nashville was also featured later in an ABC Special ''CMA Music Fest: Country’s Night to Rock'' where McCreery performed "Your Man" with Josh Turner at the CMA Music Festival.

McCreery is currently touring with the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2011, which began in West Valley City, Utah on July 6, 2011 and will end in Rochester, New York on September 10, 2011.

A special on Scotty McCreery will be aired on GAC on Oct 3 2011 to coincide with his debut album released the next day.

''Clear as Day'' (2011)

McCreery's first album, titled ''Clear as Day'', is scheduled to be released on October 4, 2011. Tracks from the album include a song from Keith Urban, and the title track "Clear as Day". A single from this album, "The Trouble With Girls" was premiered on radio on August 30, 2011, and released onto iTunes on September 1, 2011. An exclusive pre-order package on the album was offered in his website on August 8, 2011.

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details
! scope="row"		* Release date: October 4, 2011	* Label:
Title	Details	Peak chart positions				Sales
		! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"
''American Idol Season 10:Scotty McCreery''		* Release date: May 24, 2011	* Label: 19/Interscope Records	Digital download">19 Entertainment

Compilation albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions				Sales
		! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"
''American Idol Season 10:Scotty McCreery''		* Release date: May 24, 2011	* Label: 19/Interscope Records	Digital download	3	12	3	25		* US sales: 37,000

Extended plays

Title	Details	Peak chart positions			Sales
		! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"
''American Idol Season 10Highlights: Scotty McCreery''		*Released: June 28, 2011	*Label: 19/Interscope Records/Mercury Nashville	*Formats: CD, digital download	2	10	26		* US: 156,000

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions			Sales	! rowspan="2"	Album
		! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"
	"I Love You This Big"A	15	11	21		*US: 546,000		Recording Industry Association of America>US: Gold
"The Trouble with Girls"B

^A Current single.

^B To be released.

Music videos

! Year	Video	! Director
2011	"I Love You This Big"	Shane Drake

Personal life

Scotty McCreery is a practicing Christian.

Awards and nominations

! Year	! Association	! Category	! Result
2011		Choice Music: Breakout Artist

References

External links

Official Site on Scotty McCreery

Scotty McCreery on ''American Idol''

Scotty McCreery on IMDb.com

{{s-ttl| title=''American Idol'' winner's singles| years= I Love You This Big (2011)}}

Category:1993 births Category:Living people Category:American child singers Category:American Idol winners Category:American Christians Category:Baptists from the United States Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Musicians from North Carolina Category:American country singers Category:People from Wake County, North Carolina Category:Mercury Records artists

fa:اسکاتی مک‌کریری de:Scotty McCreery fi:Scotty McCreery he:סקוטי מק'קרירי id:Scotty McCreery no:Scotty McCreery pt:Scotty McCreery vi:Scotty McCreery