The Navy said 37 sailors with the Hawai'i-based Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One will deploy Saturday to the Middle East to provide command and control of explosive ordnance disposal operations throughout the region.

This will be MDSU One's second deployment to Bahrain; unit members previously deployed to Bahrain in 2008 to perform the same functions, officials said.

"From participating in exercises with India, conducting harbor clearance operations in Saipan, to de-beaching the USS Port Royal, MDSU One has once again proved we are trained and ready to go," said Cmdr. John Moulton, the unit's commanding officer.

The Pearl Harbor cruiser Port Royal ran aground off Honolulu airport on Feb. 5, and it took 3 1/2 days of efforts by divers and Navy and civilian tugs to pull the 9,600-ton warship off the reef.

MDSU One's headquarters element and Company 1-3 will be based in Bahrain and will be conducting theater-wide diving, salvage and explosive ordnance disposal operations, including anti-terrorism and force protection, as well as exercises with partner nations.

MDSU One is one of only two such units in the Navy.

Navy Times reported in February that the Pearl Harbor-based unit will be decommissioned by Oct. 1.

Gone will be 67 diving and support billets, according to Navy Times, including the commanding officer, executive officer and the command master chief billets.

Remaining will be roughly 45 diving billets that will report directly to San Diego-based Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1.

MDSU One also helped with the recovery of a Marine assault amphibious vehicle that sank off Bellows Beach on Jan. 12. The team rigged the 26-ton vehicle with Kevlar straps and lift pontoons so it could be raised.