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Designed for the U.S. Navy's Deep Submergence Unit, the D. S. U. 2 is a fully serrated offering. Primarily designed to cut virtually any rope, the serrations triple the exposed edge area creating a phenomenal chopping tool. The following are excerpts from a letter we received from the Commanding Officer of the Diving Systems Detachment after prototypes #002 and #003 were tested.
"Both were heavily used during this past F- 14A salvage operation. M.D. 002 had the dubious honor of making a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) dive to 3850 FSW (1,713025 PSIG) the knife suffered no damage from the pressure; other than the spots of minor rust . . . .
M.D. 003, my knife, suffered all the abuse that a full scale salvage operation could muster. . . . I used the knife topside aboard the lift barge, cutting every type of synthetic line known to man-kind. I was able to cut 1.5" Kevlar armor jacketed main lift line like sail twine; a real attention-getter, 7/16" Kevlar against a steel alloy shackle; no problem . . . .
The major test for the knife came after our return to port after attempt no. 2. During this attempt, while made-up to the support ship, the lift vessels mooring lines sustained heavy damage due to the sea-state encountered during the lifting evolution. All mooring lines were damaged beyond repair. The next week was spent pier side fabricating 12,000 feet of new mooring lines from heavy double braid nylon 8" and 7" line. All cutting to size and splicing was done with knife 003, the knife was resharpened ONCE!! It was then taken back out on station and subjected to 21 hours heavy use during the final salvage operation . . . . Their performance was SUPERB!!
I have never had the pleasure to use a finer instrument in all my 25 years of naval service. It was a great feeling to work on the wet deck of a pitching vessel in the dark of night, with heavy mooring and lift lines surrounding you and know; if needed, you had a way out, close at hand . . . .
Conclusion: The DSU MK II is without equal, the extensive field testing completed on prototype 002 and 003 bares witness to their extraordinary craftsmanship and diverse utility of this instrument in a variety of military and federal operations."
LCDR Dan Kerns, USN
OIC, Diving Systems Detachment
Deep Submergence Unit
The A.T.A.K.tm family of knives is based on a seven inch clip point blade. This blade design is excellent for all-around utility. Short enough to easily control the point, the A.T.A.K.tm is also long enough for very effective chopping.
The blade steel is Starrett 496-01 high carbon tool steel. Selectively tempered, the A.T.A.K.tm has a Rockwell C-scale hardness of 62 at the edge (as hard as a file), and HRC 50-54 throughout the spine and hidden full tang. This provides superior edge-holding ability with exceptional durability for prying and chopping. Each blade is hard chromed providing excellent corrosion inhibition. The ergonomic grip indexes the blade in the user's hand, thus letting the user know how the blade is presented, even in the dark. Mad Dog Knivestm uses a glass/epoxy composite grip material that is compression bonded to the hidden full tang. With a compressive yield strength of 79,000 psi, the grip can withstand tremendous punishment with no damage. The composite grip material provides 1,000 volts per mil dielectric strength - electrically isolating the user from the blade. Our grip material is also impervious to virtually all chemicals and solvents.
All A.T.A.K.tm knives come standard with a Mad Dog Knivestm combat sheath formed from Kydex®. Utilizing dual retention, lashing holes, and a lower leg strap loop, this sheath is jump qualified and may be worn in several positions, including inverted. The A.T.A.K.tm was the knife trial winner for Naval Special Warfare at Coronado in 1992. This knife was awarded a U.S. Navy Sole Source Justification for beating all competitors hands down and being the only knife to survive the testing. We have improved the design with a stronger tip, but the original dimensions have remained unchanged. Specifications for the A.T.A.K.tm and D.S.U.2tm are the same as listed for the A.T.A.K.2tm.
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