Umibozu Unit
| 23rd Special Operations Sentai | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of the Umibozu | |
| Active | 1962 - present |
| Country |  Yamatai
|
| Branch | Yamatai Imperial Navy |
| Type | Special operations force |
| Role | Special operations HVT raids Direct action Counter-terrorism Special reconnaissance Unconventional warfare Hostage rescue Foreign internal defense Counter-proliferation Counter narcotic operations |
| Part of | Imperial Navy Special Operations Command |
| Headquarters | Azumino Naval Base, Eguchi |
| Nickname | Umibozu Unit |
The Naval Special Warfare Group, popularly known as the Umibozu Unit, is an elite special operations unit in the Yamatai Imperial Navy. It is one of the eight Sentai of the Yamataian Special Amphibious Unit (SAU), the underwater demolitions and special forces unit under the Imperial Navy Special Operations Command. Most information about the Umibozu Unit is classified, but it is acknowledged as one of the top special forces units in Yamatai and the world.
The Umibozu Unit prosecutes special operations and counter-terrorism operations in the maritime domain, with capabilities of being deployed from the sea, air, and land. Due to the sensitive nature of their operations, their size and the identities of their operators are kept classified. In response to global popularity, some information about the Umibozu Unit, such their strenuous training standards, have been released to the media.
The term "Umibozu Unit", originating from a popular manga series, was coined by the media. The term is not officially used by the Imperial Navy, though alleged ex-Umibozu Otsuka Akio claims that the unit has also embraced the nickname.
History
The existence of the Umibozu Unit was only publicly revealed in 2010, when an unknown government whistleblower released numerous documents related to undeclared Yamataian Armed Forces operations into Hinomoto. The goal of the whistleblower was likely to influence that year's Hinoan elections; these undeclared military operations violated the Territorial Law of Hinomoto. By law, the Hinoan government must be informed of all military deployments into Hinomoto, including clandestine operations, though this requirement does not extend to the civilian Imperial Security Agency.
Among the released documents was information that a then-unknown "Naval Special Warfare Group" had been deployed in Hinomoto to eliminate Hinoan nationalist Yakushima Takahiro and his terrorist cell in 2008, fuelling speculation about a secret unit within the SAU. Tabloid media quickly coined the nickname "Umibozu Unit", after the elite naval special forces squad in the popular manga series Sankaku.
The Umibozu Unit would only gain global attention following the 2011 Koromo Maru Incident, when the Umibozu Unit retook the cargo ship from pirates in the Crosswind Sea, killing 14 pirates and capturing 8 with no casualties. Following this operation, the Yamataian government officially confirmed the existence of the Umibozu Unit in a statement to the media.
In 2015, the Yamataian government also confirmed that it was the Umibozu Unit which eliminated international terrorist mastermind Thet Thu Lin in a secret raid on his compound in Masuka in 2012.
In 2020, former SAU operator Otsuka Akio published a best-selling autobiography alleging that he had been in the Umibozu Unit, and had been involved in the Thet Thu Lin raid as well as operations during the 2010 Masukan War. The Imperial Navy immediately disavowed the book. As Otsuka's service records remain classified, and the SAU veteran community refuses to make any statement on him, the veracity of his book remain unknown.
Selection and training
Prospective Umibozu Unit operators must already be full-time operators of the SAU, which passing the Combat Diver Course and Underwater Demolitions Course. In addition, operators must pass the Advanced Special Warfare Course, the Advanced Underwater Demolitions Course, and the highly secretive Navigation and Evasion Course.
The Navigation and Evasion Course is allegedly a fully uncontrolled exercise where prospective candidates have to navigate across a large area in northern Yamatai within a certain time frame while evading pursuers, local law enforcement, and the local inhabitants, who are informed that the candidates are dangerous escaped criminals. However, all information on this course comes from the largely unsubstantiated autobiography of Otsuka Akio, who claims to be an ex-Umibozu involved in the Thet Thu Lin Raid.
Organisation
The Umibozu Unit's true size is classified. However, extrapolations by experts based on trends in other Yamataian special forces units suggest that the unit is a Sentai-sized force organised into at least five kumi of roughly 36 operators each. During the Koromo Maru incident, crew members on the Koromo Maru reported around seven to twelve Umibozu operators.
The Umibozu Unit is a Sentai-sized force organised into five kumi. Each kumi is further divided into 3 squads of 12 men each, though when deploying Umibozu often deploy in however few numbers required by the mission.
See also
TO PASTE IN SAU PAGE WHEN I GET AROUND TO CREATING IT:
While the modern Umibozu Unit was officially founded in 1962, the group's origins date back to the Second Escar-Varunan War, with roots in the Imperial Navy Special Naval Landing Force's Raid Divers Team. This was a special unit of frogmen trained in underwater demolitions and infiltration, tasked with attacking enemy harbours after being inserted by midget submarines. The Raid Divers were extremely successful in all theatres of the Second Escar-Varunan War, with their most famous attack being the attack on Wanshu's port on 23rd September 1944, sinking several transport ships in the port that were carrying vehicles and ammunition destined for the fighting on Hinomoto.
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