Frogman

A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, combatant diver, or combat swimmer. The word frogman arose from Italian "uomo rana" around 1940 from the appearance of a diver in a shiny drysuit and large fins.

Combat swimming is often used to mean combat diving. Such actions are a historical form of "frogman" activity and an important feature of naval special operations.

The term frogman is occasionally used to refer to a civilian scuba diver. Some sport diving clubs include the word Frogmen in their names. The preferred term by scuba users is diver, but the frogman epithet persists in informal usage by non-divers, especially in the media and often referring to professional scuba divers, such as in a police diving role.

In the U.S. military and intelligence community, divers trained in scuba or CCUBA who deploy for tactical assault missions are called "combat divers". This term is used to refer to the Navy SEALs, operatives of the CIA's Special Activities Division, elements of Marine Recon, Army Ranger Regimental Reconnaissance Company members, Army Special Forces divers, Air Force Pararescue, Air Force Combat Controllers, U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmers, United States Naval Search and Rescue Swimmers, United States Air Force Special Operations Weather Technicians, and the Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units. In Britain, police divers have often been called "police frogmen".

Frogman (disambiguation)

Frogman may refer to

In diving

  • Frogman is a popular term for a scuba diver, particularly in military and other combat-type operations
  • Frogman is a model of wristwatch by Casio
  • The Frogmen was a 1951 movie about World War II United States Underwater Demolition Teams
  • Frogman was a tradename used by Siebe Gorman for a brand of diver's drysuit in the 1960s and perhaps earlier
  • Frogman was a tradename used by Spearfisherman (company) for a brand of diver's drysuit made in the 1945 and perhaps earlier
  • Frogman was a nickname of the United States Navy Search and Rescue Swimmers who picked up Astronauts who splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean.
  • People

  • Clarence "Frogman" Henry was a musician active in the 1960s and 70s, so nicknamed for his very deep voice
  • Fiction

  • Frogman (Oz character) was a The Wonderful Wizard of Oz series character; he is a man-size talking frog
  • In the Marvel Comics universe:
    • The Frog-Man is a minor superhero associated with Spider-Man
    • Frog-Man (Ani-Men) is a Marvel Comics supervillain
    • 'The Frogmen' was a 1960s USA published Dell comic book about the adventures of a group of divers.
    • Leap-Frog, also known as Frog-Man, is also a Marvel Comics supervillain
  • List of Oz characters

    This is a list of characters in the original sequel Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum, and in the later continued Oz series by his grandson Roger S. Baum, Ruth Plumly Thompson, John R. Neill, Jack Snow, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren McGraw, Dick Martin, Eric Shanower, and Sherwood Smith. Characters from Gregory Maguire's Wicked are not included, as his works, among others such as the work of March Laumer, are considered "heretical" in Baum scholarship (The term "heretical" was first applied to these books by Dr. Stephen J. Teller of Pittsburg State University in the Winter 1988 issue of The Baum Bugle and appears regularly in Oz fandom).

    A-B-Sea Serpent

    The A-B-Sea Serpent is a 200-foot-long snake made up of a series of alphabet blocks that appeared in The Royal Book of Oz. He lives in Mer City where he teaches the merchildren their letters

    Abatha

    Abatha the Good Witch of the East is the title character in Eric Shanower's graphic novel, The Blue Witch of Oz. She fell under a spell during a custody battle with her brother-in-law over custody of her son.

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