International Journal of Diving History 5 (2012)

The International Journal
of Diving History
Volume 5
Number 1
October 2012
The International Journal of Diving History
published by the Historical Diving Society
Dedicated to promoting and preserving our diving heritage
President: Vice Admiral Sir Richard Jeffrey Ibbotson KBE CB DSC

Editor: Peter Dick
Assistant Editors: Richard Walsby, Reg Vallintine, Mike Fardell, Peter Jackson.
Associate Editors: Francesca Giacche, HDS Italia;
The International Journal of Diving History
Sven Erik Jørgensen, Dykkehistorisk Selskab (HDS Denmark); Volume 5 No. 1. October 2012
Michal Jung, Hans Hass Institute fur Submarine Forschung und Tauchtechnik;
Bjørn W. Kahrs, Norsk Dykkehistorisk Forening (HDS Norway); Jouko Moisala, HDS Finland;
Phil Nuytten, HDS Canada; Franz Rothbrust, HDS Germany; Robert Sténuit HDS;
David Strike, HDS SEAP; Christopher Swann, HDS; Karina Wokalska, HDS Poland.
We invite articles, book reviews, correspondence, Points of style

and queries on any aspect of the history of Articles should be fully referenced. Footnotes should be
diving. Manuscripts, other contributions, and all in the main body of the text and preceded by the word
correspondence should be sent to: “Footnote”. Notes and references will be printed at the
end of the article. Books should be referred to by the
Contents
Peter Dick
Ardmore House, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 4PH, UK. author’s surname, followed by the author’s forename or Page No.
UK email: hdtimes@talk21.com. initials, book title, place and date of publication, and
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8560 1907 relevant page numbers (in that order). The publisher’s
name is not required unless relevant for a particular
or to the Secretary of the HDS: reason, or unless the book is still in print. Inert Gas Narcosis and the High Pressure Nervous Syndrome (HPNS):
Michael Fardell References to journal articles should contain the How Hydrostatic Pressure and Gas Partial Pressures Affect
Little Gatton Lodge, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0HB. author’s surname, forename/intitials, the title of the
UK email: secretary@thehds.com article in single inverted commas, the title of the journal
Consciousness during Deep Diving 3
Telephone: +44 (0)1737 249961 in italics, the volume number, the issue number, the Richard Vann, USA.
inclusive page numbers and the place and exact date of
Information for Contributors publication. Please italicise (or underline) the titles of
It is preferred that contributors submit papers books and journals and the names of vessels. Please also
The PA 61/II and the other Drägerwerk Twin-Hose Regulators
electronically. Text should be in plain text, Microsoft rtf, spell out numbers up to and including twenty, unless used in Denmark 7
or as a Microsoft Word document and should not be preceding units of measurement. Sven Erik Jørgensen, HDS Denmark.
formatted. Footnotes and references should be numbered The editors reserve the right to make stylistic changes to
and listed at the end and their position in the text indicated conform with the format of this Journal.
by the same number in brackets or in superscript. Augustus Siebe’s Introduction to Russia 19
Illustrations are not limited in number but will be
reproduced in black and white only. Ideally the images
Alexander Sledkov, HDS Russia.
Copyright of the contents will remain with the
should be submitted electronically as jpegs or tiffs and at individual authors who will be asked to agree that futher
300dpi resolution. Otherwise they may be submitted as publication will acknowledge the Journal. Every issue Why was Diving Pursued in Nineteenth Century Guernsey? 23
drawings, photographs (up to A4 size) or transparencies. of the Journal will be copyrighted to protect authors Michael Windsor Peters, HDS.
The position of all images should be indicated in the and the HDS against unauthorised use of the contents.
text (eg. “picture 4 here”) and captions should be
provided in a separate document. Original illustrations System Hans Hass - the development of Rolleimarin 31
will be returned but their safety cannot be guaranteed, Franz Rothbrust, Chairman, HDS Germany
so contributors are urged to supply duplicates where At present the Journal is issued once a year. Single issues
possible and to retain the originals. Articles may be may be purchased at £9.50 (including UK postage)
submitted to suitable referees for scrutiny. from the Secretary. Diving and the Royal Society of Arts 47
The illustration on the front cover is of Hans Hass with the first home-made housing (Rolleimarin 1) during his Peter Dick, HDS.
second expedition to the Red Sea, April - November 1950. Photo © Hans Hass Institute.
2 The International Journal of Diving History The International Journal of Diving History 3
Inert Gas Narcosis and the High Pressure Nervous

Syndrome (HPNS): How Hydrostatic Pressure and Gas
Partial Pressures Affect Consciousness during Deep Diving
Richard Vann
Divers Alert Network and Duke University Medical Center.
One can’t think about the High Pressure Nervous Syndrome (HPNS) without worrying about in ert
gas narcosis since the two interact in ways partly understood but mostly mysterious. This brief review
provides insights into the history of deep operational diving and explanations for what happened.
Perhaps it will interest divers who are considering exploring great depths.
Narcosis
Narcosis is reversible biological depression which, in the limit, results in anaesthesia involving deep
sedation with loss of consciousness, sensory perception, and response to pain. Reports by Junod, a
French physiologist, in 1835 and by an American named Green in 1861 referred to compressed air
intoxication, but LCDR Albert Behnke of the US Navy was first to attribute this intoxication to
nitrogen. Rumor has it that a US Navy study found each 50 fsw of depth breathing compressed air had
an effect equivalent to one Martini, but attempts to locate this study have failed after the third Martini.
Cousteau (1953) was more poetic and called nitrogen narcosis ‘rapture of the deep.’ It’s especially poetic
in French – l’ivresse des grandes profondeurs.
Signs and symptoms of nitrogen narcosis include spatial and temporal disorientation, euphoria,
hallucinations, incoordination, mood changes, and cognitive impairments. The human threshold for
mild symptoms differs from 50-100 fsw according to individual susceptibility. In a pressure chamber,
people become talkative and easily amused (laughing like fools) at depths of 100-200 fsw. Efforts at
useful work often fail. At 300-450 fsw, loss of consciousness may occur in 2-3 min although a few
resistant individuals report they have been deeper than 500 fsw on air. Amnesia or ego may lead divers
to deny they had narcosis. In rats, behavioural disturbances begin at about 300 fsw with loss of the
righting reflex at 1300 fsw. Rats also seem to have a poor memory of the experience.
Reaction times slow and cognitive function decreases during nitrogen narcosis. Cognitive function
is more affected than psychomotor performance. At 400 fsw, the arithmetic decrement was 60% while
manual dexterity was reduced only by about 35%. Work increases narcosis, possibly due to carbon
dioxide retention from increased breathing resistance.
Nitrogen narcosis can be a significant operational problem for divers. In 1939, the submarine USS
Squalus sank off the New England coast in 243 fsw (74 msw). When the first diver descended on
compressed air in standard surface-supplied dress, he reported he couldn’t see and shouted incoherently
that his lines were fouled. After announcing he was going to cut himself free, he passed out which
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted saved his life since knife slashes were found on his air hose after he was hoisted up. Thirty-three sailors
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, by photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without were eventually rescued using a one-atmosphere diving bell which was sealed to an escape hatch on the
prior permission in writing from the publishers. submarine with the assistance of a diver breathing compressed air.
© 2012 Richard Vann, Sven Erik Jørgensen, Alexander Sledkov, Michael Windsor Peters, Franz Rothbrust, In 1900, Meyer and Overton proposed the “unitary theory of anaesthesia” in which anaesthetics
Peter Dick. dissolve in the lipid components of brain neurons causing them to expand. An anaesthetic’s potency
would depend on its lipid solubility, so more molecules of a high solubility anaesthetic would cause a suffered dizziness, nausea, vomiting, performance decrements, and hand tremors. These were called
larger volume change than would a low solubility anaesthetic. Behnke suggested the Meyer-Overton “helium tremors” until further human and animal trials also revealed anorexia, fatigue, somnolence,
theory might apply to inert gases which are, in order of decreasing lipid solubility: Xe, Kr, Ar, N2, Ne, muscle contractions, EEG changes, and convulsions (in animals), and the term ‘High Pressure Nervous
and He. Animal experiments that measured the narcotic potency of inert gases were consistent with this Syndrome (HPNS)’ was introduced in 1968. To determine if HPNS was a depth barrier, the British
order. In fact, xenon is anaesthetic at sea level although not readily available for wide use. Krypton is conducted a 1,500 fsw (459 msw) dive in 1970 and found less HPNS with slow compression. In 1972,
5-6 times as narcotic as nitrogen, and argon is twice as narcotic – too narcotic for diving but sometimes divers of the French Commercial Diving Company, Comex, made an experimental dive to 2,001 fsw
used for dry suit insulation due to its low thermal conductivity. (610 msw) but had severe HPNS despite slow compression.
By lipid solubility, helium should be narcotic at about 1,300 fsw (398 msw), and mood changes and
hallucinations noted by humans at 1,300 fsw with helium may represent narcosis. Monkeys have also Anaesthesia and Pressure
exhibited hallucinogenic behaviour at 2,400 fsw. Neon is not narcotic but density makes it unsuitable as An old observation was rediscovered about this time. In 1950, Johnson and Flagler had anesthetized
a diving gas because of breathing resistance. tadpoles with alcohol and found that on compression to 150 ata, they resumed normal activity. In
explanation, Miller and Lever proposed the ‘Critical Volume Theory’ in which nerve cell membranes
Narcotic Potency of Hydrogen, Carbon Dioxide, and Oxygen that had been expanded by dissolved anaesthetic molecules were returned to normal volume when
The narcotic potency of non-inert gases involved in diving, such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and compressed by hydrostatic pressure. This suggested that adding a narcotic gas to helium might be a
oxygen, might also be assessed by their lipid solubilities according to the Meyer-Overton theory. In possible countermeasure for HPNS.
humans at partial pressures of 26-30 ata, hydrogen is more hallucinogenic and somesthetic (affecting We usually think of water as incompressible, and this is reasonable for pressures up to about 660 fsw
bodily sensations such as touch, pressure, cold, heat, and pain) than nitrogen with psychotrophic effects (200 msw), but greater pressures distort the shape of both water molecules and biological molecules
that include mood changes, agitation, delirium, and paranoid thoughts. causing adverse effects that, at extreme pressure, can be incompatible with life. At 820-4,365 fsw (250-
A 10% concentration of carbon dioxide is anaesthetic at sea level, but its discomfort and effects on 1,300 msw), terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates generally exhibit tremors, hyperexcitability, spasmodic
respiration and blood acidity make it unsuitable for surgical use. According to lipid solubility, oxygen jerking, and seizures. Diving mammals are unique in their capabilities, and 20 species of toothed whales
might be 75% more narcotic than nitrogen. Indeed, rats compressed to 1,000 fsw (306 msw) on oxygen have been tracked at >1,959 fsw (600 msw) with sperm whales detected by sonar at >6,562 fsw (2,000
became unconscious, perhaps due to oxygen narcosis. Divers often use “nitrox” gases with 32-50% msw). At the greatest ocean depth of 35,763 fsw (10,900 msw) in the Mariana Trench, only a few
oxygen to decrease the risk of decompression sickness, and there has been concern that these mixes bacteria and specially evolved animals are found.
might be more narcotic than air. In 1962, Albano compared arithmetic performance during human
exposures at 330 fsw (101 msw) while breathing oxygen partial pressures of 0.4 or 2.2 atm. Performance Controlling HPNS with Nitrogen or Hydrogen Trimixes
was worse at 0.4 atm than at 2.2 atm oxygen indicating a greater narcotic effect for nitrogen. In the 1970s-80s, Bennett tested mixtures of helium, nitrogen, and oxygen at Duke University during
In 1963, Frankenhaeuser and Hesser measured reaction and mirror drawing times for 12 divers while dry chamber dives from 1,000-2,250 fsw (306-686 msw) using 5 or 10% nitrogen and fast or slow
holding the nitrogen partial pressure constant at 3.9 atm (equivalent to air at 130 fsw; 40 msw) with compression. These dives indicated that 5% nitrogen and slow compression was the best combination
oxygen partial pressures of 0.22, 1.03, and 2.6 atm. There was no difference in performance between as there was too much narcosis with 10% nitrogen and too much HPNS with fast compression. Most
0.22 and 1.03 atm but worse performance at 2.6 atm. The lack of performance difference at the lower divers felt and performed well with no nausea, vomiting, fatigue, or tremors, but because of the high
partial pressures would be expected because oxygen metabolism reduces the tissue oxygen tension to gas density, they breathed by mouth with mild breathlessness during eating, rest, and light work. One
near normal values unless the inspired oxygen partial pressure exceeds about 2 atm. For oxygen partial diver, however, developed psychosis.
pressures less than 1.3-1.6 atm where the risk of central nervous system oxygen toxicity is low, divers The French used hydrogen instead of nitrogen, and a 1972 study with baboons found HPNS
need have no concern about increased narcosis from nitrox mixes. was successfully controlled at shallower depths, while with hydrogen or helium alone, there were
convulsions at 2,200 fsw (674 msw). In 1983, a human dive on hydrogen to 980 fsw (300 msw) found
Helium Diving too much narcosis, but both narcosis and HPNS were well-controlled during a 1985 dive to 1,470 fsw
The first operational use of helium was by Max Nohl in 1937 for an unsuccessful salvage dive in (450 msw) with 54% hydrogen. Then in 1992, a dive with a brief excursion to 2,290 fsw (701 msw)
Lake Michigan to a depth of 420 ffw. Then the USS Squalus sank in 1939, and while the rescue resulted in tremors deeper than 2,122 fsw (650 msw), and one diver developed psychosis. This was the
was conducted with compressed air, nitrogen narcosis made air too hazardous and inefficient for the greatest depth to which humans have been exposed.
extensive salvage operation. Fortunately, Capt. Swede Momsen of the US Navy (assisted by Behnke) had
been developing helium-oxygen diving equipment and procedures for several years (perhaps after having Conclusions
been informed of Max Nohl’s exploit), and these were put to good use during the salvage. The British HPNS is reduced by slow compression and by adding nitrogen or hydrogen to helium, but there is a
did a short helium demonstration dive in 1956 to 600 fsw which was a record depth at the time, but wide range of HPNS susceptibility among divers with a few prone to psychosis in excess of 2,000 fsw
helium diving did not really blossom until the 1960s in the California offshore oil industry. (612 msw). To date, the only way to determine a diver’s susceptibility is past experience. While the
The British Navy recognized that helium would avoid nitrogen narcosis in submarine escape, and maximum practical depths in a dry chamber are somewhat in excess of 2,000 fsw (612 msw) for non-
Peter Bennett began helium trials in 1962 at 600-800 fsw (184-245 msw) finding the research subjects susceptible divers, the maximum depth for a diver working in the water is perhaps only 1,000-1,500
fsw (306-493 msw) because of respiratory loads imposed by the breathing apparatus. Helium saturation
diving is common in commercial operations deeper than 300 fsw (92 msw) with excursions to greater
depths. For technical recreational diving with fast descent, maximum depths deeper than 1,000 fsw may
be difficult to achieve except for a few unusually resistant people.
The Meyer-Overton and Critical Volume theories were based on valid observations that any useful The PA 61/II and the other Drägerwerk Twin-Hose
theory must explain, but more recent thinking suggests that pressure and anaesthetics somehow affect Regulators used in Denmark
ion channels in nerve cell synapses that are very sensitive to changes in shape. Narcotics and anaesthetics,
moreover, only partially counteract the effects of hydrostatic pressure. If molecular shape is destiny as it Sven Erik Jørgensen (Historical Diving Society, Denmark)
appears, the distortions caused by pressure may forever keep humans from diving the Mariana Trench. Translation by Finn Linnemann (Historical Diving Society, Denmark)
References
In 1964 when I started as a scuba diver (in those
1. Bennett P, Rostain J. The high pressure nervous syndrome. In: Brubakk A, Neuman TS, eds. Bennett and Elliott’s
days they were called “frogmen”), the selection of
Physiology and Medicine of Diving. Edinburgh: Saunders 2003:323-57.
regulators was very limited, compared to the large
2. Bennett P, Rostain J. Inert gas narcosis. In: Brubakk A, Neuman TS, eds. Bennett and Elliott’s Physiology and
selection in the diving equipment shops today.
Medicine of Diving. Edinburgh: Saunders 2003:300-22.
There were regulators intended for mounting on
3. Daniels S, Grossman Y. Biological effects of pressure. In: Brubakk A, Neuman TS, eds. Bennett and Elliott’s
a full-face mask, twin-hose regulators and the new
Physiology and Medicine of Diving. Edinburgh: Saunders 2003:265-99.
single-hose regulators, where the first reduction
stage was attached to the bottles and from which
This article was first published in Wreck Diving Magazine.
a low-pressure air hose led up to the regulator,
which was integrated with the mouthpiece. The
twin-hose regulators reduced the pressure in one or
Educated at Columbia and Duke Universities, Richard Vann has spent his career in operational diving
two stages. The reduction stages were contained in
and environmental physiology. He was a Diving Engineer at Ocean Systems, Inc., Diving Officer for
a single unit attached to the bottles and connected
Underwater Demolition Team 12, Research Director at the Divers Alert Network, and is presently
to the mouthpiece through two corrugated hoses.
Emeritus Assistant Professor in the Anesthesia Department at Duke Medical Center. His interests are
Yes – there was another construction in which
decompression sickness, diving fatalities, underwater breathing apparatus, oxygen toxicity, and space
the reduction stage reducing the bottle pressure
and mountain medicine.
to breathing pressure was mounted on the bottle,
but with only one corrugated hose leading to the
mouthpiece. The hose was both for inhalation and
expiration. It was the Delphin II regulator from
Drägerwerk. I tried this regulator but chose to
do without it, based on the information from the
manufacturer that it was intended only for diving
depths down to 20 metres because of the large Fig.1 The air outlet on the back was especially
dead space - and my intention was to dive deeper. comfortable for underwater photographers.
Furthermore I did not consider the single-hose
regulator, of which there were 5 - 6 different types on the market, to be “real” regulators (I have since
changed my view of this). Only the PA 61/II regulator from Drägerwerk and the Danish manufactured
Willy Arp regulator were the choices. PA means “Pressluft Apparat” (compressed air apparatus):
The Willy Arp regulator was considerably cheaper than the Dräger one but, even though I had only a
little money, I nevertheless decided on model PA 61/II from Drägerwerk. Contributing to this decision
was that the Dräger was considered a safe choice at that time.
The regulator was no disappointment. It proved to be 100% reliable and can be described as nearly
imperishable - I still dive regularly with that first regulator. Compared to the single-hose regulators at
that time, which almost shot the air into the mouth of the diver whenever he just thought of breathing,
I learned to appreciate the smooth airflow delivered by the PA 61/II – although the respiratory 60. The PA 60 was a two-stage regulator, i.e. the bottle pressure was reduced to breathing pressure in
resistance did not meet today’s standards. The relatively high breathing resistance did have its advantages two stages. The first stage reduced the cylinder pressure to an intermediate pressure of 5 bars above
in the form of reduced air consumption. Then there was the matter of bubbles. Here, the twin-hose ambient. It was not immediately possible to adjust the pressure. If there was a need for adjustment, the
regulators were superior to the single-hose regulators, as they let the air out at the diver`s back and not springs had to be changed. Narrow openings in the first stage valve led to a rather high flow resistance,
around or in front of the mask – an advantage, which video photographers later learned to appreciate. which limited the operational diving depth, as the regulator did not provide enough air in deeper water.
They could capture the sounds of the scene on the tape and not just the sound of their own air exhaust.
The PA 61/II regulator is characterized by good German quality and is built to last forever – a
Mercedes among diving regulators. It became the standard in the Royal Danish Navy, the Falck Rescue Fig. 3 The Function
Corps, among diving contractors and passionate recreational divers. This, combined with the beautiful
design with soft shapes and the exhaust located in the middle of the cover ensured the regulator became
PA 61/II a pressure drop in the intermediate pressure chamber,
a classic – or perhaps rather the PA 61/II was simply “The Regulator”. The PA 61/II was one of several which causes the spring (5) to open the plug valve
twin-hose regulators from Drägerwerk in Lübeck. None of these regulators are produced anymore and until the pressure in the intermediate pressure portion
are now only used by very few – including the author. is 5 bars above the pressure in the regulator.
What came before the PA 61/II and what succeeded the twin-hose frontline of Drägerwerk? To The pressure in the regulator will therefore adjust
answer this, we must go back to 1955, when Dräger marketed their first twin-hose regulator, the PA itself to be the same as the water pressure resting on
the diaphragm (12) - This happens instantaneously.
The same will happen, when the diver sucks air
Fig.2 These two detailed drawings of the PA60 and the PA61 regulator are from the Navy’s textbook: Description out of the air inlet hose (14). The diver generates a
of Scuba Diving Equipment by Holmen, April 1957 – prepared by Cdr. Poul Jarlskov. The drawings slightly low pressure in the regulator, whereby the
illustrate clearly the complicated mechanical engineering in the PA 60 regulator and the somewhat more diaphragm (12) will press the lever arm, and the air
simple technique in the PA61 regulator. Both regulators are of the “blue” version and were widely used in will flow into the regulator and on to the diver. The
the Royal Danish Navy in 1957. air flow will cease, when the diver ceases to suck air
With the nut (2) the pipe stub (1) is screwed tight to out of the air inlet hose.
the bottle valve or manifold outlet. When the bottle When the diver blows air out through the air outlet
valve is opened, the air flows past the plug valve (3) hose (13), he generates a slight overpressure which
and the pressure is increased in the intermediate causes the mica plate valve to open and allow air to
pressure chamber, whereby the diaphragm (4) presses bubble out into the water through the openings in
the first stage spring (5) back. The spring pressure is the outlet valve.
adjusted in such a way that when the pressure in the
intermediate pressure chamber is increased to 5 bars,
PA61
the plug valve closes tightly against the valve seat and
blocks the air flow. The air pressure in the regulator
affects the diaphragm (4). Increasing the pressure in
the regulator opens the plug valve until the pressure in
2-stage regulator (PA 60) the intermediate pressure chamber is 5 bars above the
pressure in the regulator. The outlet from the medium
pressure chamber is blocked by the second stage valve
plate (7), which the spring (9) presses against the
outlet opening via the lever arm (8).
When the regulator is taken under water, the
water pressure in the space (10) over the diaphragm
(12) will press the diaphragm down against the The PA61 is a single stage regulator so does not
lever arm. Thereby the pressure on the lever arm have an intermediate pressure chamber. When the
will increase, and compress the spring (9) back and diaphragm is pressed or sucked down, the diaphragm
open the valve plate. The air will now flow from the loads the lever arm (15), which presses down the
intermediate pressure chamber and into the regulator rocker arm (16), which presses down the plug
until the pressure under the diaphragm has pressed valve (18). By this means, the air flows directly into
it so far back that the lever arm is no longer under the regulator.
1-stage regulator (PA 61) load, whereby the valve plate closes again. This causes Exhalation takes place through the duckbill valve (18).
changes of models – continuously modified and improved the regulator, without the need to change
the external dimensions or design.
In 1956, there followed the single-stage regulator PA 61. This regulator was mechanically simpler
than the PA 60, as shown in the sectional drawing. The regulator also had a significantly lower flow,
such that the diving depth was limited. The pressure reduction in only one stage caused the plug valve
to be directly influenced by the varying bottle pressure – the higher the bottle pressure, the harder the
plug valve is pressed against its seat. This varying load meant that, at full cylinder pressure, the lever
mechanism had to press harder on the valve to open it than at lower cylinder pressures. Consequently,
the respiratory resistance was considerable at the beginning of the dive, where the bottles were full.
During the dive, the respiratory resistance decreased as the bottle pressure was reduced. This was a
weakness in the single-stage regulators. In the two-stage PA 60 regulator, a decreasing bottle pressure
resulted in only a negligible increase in the intermediate pressure, which was totally irrelevant to the
force pressing the lever arm to open the second-stage valve.
The exhaust valve was, in the first PA 61, identical to the disc valve on the PA 60. Subsequently, the
Fig. 4 The PA 60 regulator is shown in exhaust valve was changed to a duckbill valve.
the Dräger booklet No. 226 March 1956. In 1962 the achievement was crowned – the two-stage regulator PA 61/II arrived. Compared to the
The regulator is built into a housing of the PA 60, the first reduction stage was redesigned and simplified considerably, and also it became possible
same type as the Dräger regulators PA51 or to adjust the intermediate pressure. The air flow rate was increased in such a way that the diving depth
Delphin II and may be a prototype. was no longer limited by the regulator. The lever arm was changed from the Y-shape to a straight
arm. The exhaust was put into a grating located in the middle of the cover, and the rubber disc valve
The expired air was exhausted inside the upper portion of the regulator. Here, a built-in disc valve was changed to a spring-loaded mica plate valve. The mica plate valve was not nearly as sensitive to
of rubber prevented water from penetrating into the exhaust tube. impurities as the duckbill valve.
As shown in the sectional drawing (Fig. 2), the regulator was mechanically complicated. The PA 61/II was produced largely unchanged until 1970, when the exhaust valve in the cover was
The PA 60 was painted blue – the same colour as the clamps on the bottles. The regulator was changed to the duckbill construction from the PA 61. At the same time the designation “PA 61/II” was
delivered with light blue corrugated hoses. The blue hoses were the hallmark of all Dräger twin-hose changed to “Duomat”.
regulators, including the PA 61/II. Later, the blue hoses and the blue rubber valve mouthpiece were Along with the Duomat, Drägerwerk marketed a
replaced with considerably more durable black rubber parts. “Monomat,” the construction of which is reminiscent of the
The PA60 was the first twin-hose regulator from Drägerwerk. The overall external design behind former PA 61. The author is not aware if the Monomat has
this regulator would prove sustainable through approx. 30 years, when Drägerwerk – between the actual been marketed in Denmark.
Where the exhaust cover previously was located on the
Fig. 5 Bottle couplings
PA 61/II, there was a label with Drägerwerk`s logo and the
text: “Dräger Tauchtechnik”.
In 1972 a 300 bars version of the Duomat was
introduced and at the same time the text on the label was
changed to “Duomat”.
The Drägerwerk production of twin-hose regulators was
discontinued around the mid-eighties.
The Narghilé
Already, for the PA60 regulator, Drägerwerk produced a
narghilé assembly with a harness, so that the regulator could
be worn on the back and be supplied with air through a
hose from the surface. This Narghilé equipment matched
all the Drägerwerk twin-hose regulators with a R5/8-inch
5/8-inch R fitting coupling Bow (or Yoke) coupling connection, and was named PA 60 /S. Fig. 6 Narghilé Assembly PA 60 / S
The Mouthpieces
The mouthpiece is a story of its own. The
first regulators, the PA 60 and the PA
61, were provided with either a valve-less
mouthpiece or a metal mouthpiece with
valves. The valve-less was for hard-core
divers, who denied the comfort of the valve
mouthpiece and liked a sip of seawater.
With the right technique and a lateral
Fig. 8
roll over the left shoulder, it was almost Valve-less mouthpiece
possible, however, to drain the hoses. The
heavy metal valve mouthpiece was not
harmless when, with a smart movement,
it was hurled from the back over the head
and on the chest. The PA 61/II regulator
came with a rubber valve mouthpiece,
which was not nearly as heavy as a metal
valve mouthpiece. The size was the same,
and the protruding valve gave, like the big
metal mouthpiece, a good pull in the upper
part of the mouth, for example when being
towed with a paravane. If the diver was
towed too quickly, it could be difficult for
him to keep his lips sealed tightly around
the mouthpiece. Fig. 9
Fig. 7 Full face mask 61T One minor problem was remedied by the Metal mouthpiece with valves
emergence of the somewhat smaller rubber
valve mouthpiece, which was introduced after the regulator had been changed to the Duomat. This
mouthpiece, having a really good bite, had the highest comfort of all the mouthpieces.
It would be appropriate here to mention the triangular full-face mask, the 61 T, which could be
mounted on the hoses instead of the mouthpiece. The 61 T mask was provided with an internal
anaesthetic mask connected to the breathing hose, by which the dead space of the mask was restricted
to the volume of the anaesthetic mask.
Dräger had, at some time in the early sixties, produced another mouthpiece, which differed from
the other mouthpieces by being firmly mounted to the hoses. Regulators with this mouthpiece do not
allow changing between mouthpiece and a full-face mask. Why Dräger produced such a mouthpiece, Fig. 10
and for what purpose this reduction in functionality was made, is not known. I know of only three of Fixed mouthpiece with valves
this type of regulator; the first of these was found in Phil Thurtle’s collection. The years stated in this
article are based on dates of manuals, brochures and descriptions in Dräger booklets etc. As there is no
factual information from Drägerwerk in terms of year of first marketing of the regulators, I reserve my
position on the accuracy of the stated years.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Solveig Henriksen of Dräger Technology for help in obtaining copies of old Dräger
booklets.
Fig. 11 PA60
The regulator shown is painted blue and has the original blue corrugated hoses, and the metal valve Fig. 12 PA61
mouthpiece with a red mouthpiece. Originally the corrugated hoses were attached with a lashing of 0.7 The first PA 61 regulators were painted blue like the PA 60 regulator and had a similar cover with a
mm nylon line. The regulator is shown with the yellow clamps, which were introduced with the PA 61/ rubber disc valve. Later regulators were dull chromium-plated and had duckbill exhaust valves. The
II regulator. In the upper part is shown the rubber disc valve, which prevents water from penetrating the regulator shown is of the later type and has a valve-less mouthpiece. The regulator came with blue
exhaust hose. The exhaust escapes through the punched holes in the cover. The PA60 regulator reduces corrugated hoses. The hoses on this regulator have been replaced with later black ones. The PA 61
the pressure over two stages. Note the Y-shaped rocker arm. This shape is due to the relatively high regulator reduces the pressure in only one stage. It took a relatively high force on the plug valve to
first stage, which the rocker arm must pass over. The diaphragm is made from rubberised canvas and open it. To keep the breathing resistance at an acceptable level, the movements of the membrane were
is provided with a depressed ring, in which the rocker arm rests, and a bulge, which provides space for transferred to the plug valve through a double lever mechanism. The diaphragm has a spherical bulge
the first stage. The hose stubs on the regulator are long and corrugated and are bent forwards towards in the middle, where the plastic ball of the upper rocker arm rests. The hinge plate of the lower rocker
the diver. The springs in the hose unions protect the hoses from collapsing if they are pulled at an angle arm is attached to the valve body with two screws. The distance of the rocker arm to the diaphragm is
to the hose union. adjusted by moving the hinge plate.
Fig. 14 PA61/II Spare Parts
Fig. 13 PA61/II
The PA 61/II regulator is here shown with the original blue hoses, blue rubber valve mouthpiece and
yellow clamps. The exhaust exits through a valve located in the middle of the cover. The holes around
the circumference of the cover do not disperse the exhalation but only allow water to the diaphragm.
The number of holes is reduced compared to the PA 61 regulator. The first PA 61/II regulators had long
hose unions as did the PA 61. Later regulators had shorter unions, which is the case with the example
shown. The first and the last regulators were fitted with a diaphragm of rubberised canvas as shown with
the Duomat regulator. For a brief period in the middle of the production of the PA61/II, the regulator
was fitted with a neoprene-canvas diaphragm as shown here. The rubberised canvas diaphragm had
a relatively short life, before it became so stiff that the breathing resistance increased or the regulator
leaked. The neoprene-canvas diaphragm was virtually indestructible.
Augustus Siebe’s Introduction to Russia

by Alexander Sledkov (HDS Russia)
Introduction
The story of how the Deane brothers’ diving gear came into use in Russia has already been told. How
by the beginning of 1838 it had been purchased by the Russian Authorities and was already on its way
by sea from Portsmouth to the Black Sea, for customs clearance at the port of Odessa1. Information
recently located in the Naval Archives at St. Petersburg, now picks up on that same story in 1842,
delineating how Augustus Siebe’s diving gear was introduced to the Russian market2. Together these
two story lines extend our knowledge of British built diving gear being used in Russia well into the
second half of the nineteenth century.
Fig. 1 The port of Odessa, 1840
Fig. 15 Duomat
The Duomat was the last twin-hose regulator from Drägerwerk. The first Duomats, which had 200
bars operating pressure, were supplied with black corrugated hoses secured with stainless steel clips and
a newly designed ergonomic rubber valve mouthpiece. At the same time the springs in the hose unions
were left out. The most visible change was that Drägerwerk went back to the duckbill exhaust valve,
and that the regulator was now bright chromium-plated. Instead of the distinctive exhaust cover of the
PA 61/II, the cover was embellished with the Drägerwerk logo and the text: “Draeger Tauchtechnik”.
Later, the regulator was upgraded to 300 bars operating pressure. The regulator shown is the last type
of the 300 bars Duomat, where the text on the label is changed to “Duomat”. The 300 bars series did
not come with a yoke coupling, as this could not be approved for 300 bars use.
A New Diving Dress and more…

Sven Erik Jørgensen is a consulting engineer and founder member of Dykkehistorisk Selskab (The Deane’s gear was into its fifth working-year in Russia when, on the 26th August 1842, a letter was sent
Historical Diving Society, Denmark). For 10 years he acted as the Secretary of the Society and from from the authorities in Sevastopol to the Shipbuilding headquarters reporting that the Deane dress
the founding of the Society, also as editor of its magazine. had worn out. In turn Mr. Benkhauzen, the Russian Consul in London, was contacted by letter and
instructed to approach John Deane, with a view to purchasing a replacement dress and having it shipped
to Sevastopol, after customs clearance in Odessa. Fig. 2 Sevastapol Harbour by Carlo Bussol, 1840
Mr. Benkhauzen duly obliged and on 11th May, 1842, the steamer Herones delivered two diving
dresses, a pair of gloves and small bottle of rubber solution. He also enclosed press cuttings from the
Hampshire Telegraph, dated September 1840 and September 1841, about diving works on the wreck
of the Royal George at Spithead, together with a note informing that ‘A. Siebe’ was ‘the maker of Mr
C.A.Dean’s machines which were first brought into submarine uses’. With them was a cutting from
the Morning Herald, dated 3rd September1842, which carried the address of Siebe’s company as
“5 Denmark Street, Soho”3. (It is interesting that name of Siebe has the same pronunciation in Russian
(Seib), as in English). Having been passed on to the relevant authorities, these cuttings then initiated a
well documented chain of events within Russia.
On 9th July1843 Admiral Michail Lazarev (1768-1851) wrote to Minister of Finance, Egor Kankrin
(1774-1845), that the Black Sea Fleet required a full packaging arrangement of Siebe’s apparatus packed
into four boxes, with spare parts. Then, on 19th August, Benkhauzen informed that he had received the
order, so that by the end of October the complete order of Siebe’s gear was dispatched to Odessa aboard
the trade ship Emerald, Captain William Fligg commanding.
From a list in the archives, the contents of the four boxes were as follows (as translated from the
Russian).
Box # 1. Diving machine, air pump, handles, screwdrivers, reserve screws or knees, exhaust water
pipe, tin with lamp-oil, plaques and drifts.
Box #2. 2 pairs of watertight India rubber diving dress.

6 watertight dresses. By February of 1844 Siebe’s gear had been delivered to Odessa where, after free trade custom
6 pairs of underpants. procedure, it was sent on to Sevastropol. For this equipment and the shipping the Russian government
6 pairs of stockings. paid 170 pounds and 19 shillings including 160 pounds for Siebe personally. Thereafter it would seem
1 canvas dress smth. like cover. that Siebe’s and Deane’s respective apparatuses were operated out of different Black Sea ports.
Pair of lead-sole boots. Nearly five years on, in November 1849 after the supply ship Kinburn had delivered both Siebe’s and
2 lead weights. Deane ’s apparatus to Sevastopol to be used for diving works, it was discovered that their hoses “could
Knife with leather belt and sheath. not hold any air”.
2 felt caps. It is necessary to note that at this time Gauzen’s open diving dress and hoses were being manufactured
2 kerchieves. in Saint-Petersburg. Nevertheless, even with a Russian built alternative available, in the spring of
30 fathoms of signal lone (special manufacture) 1850 the Russian Navy, with the help of E.I.Kremer, who had replaced Mr. Benkhauzen in England,
2 spare glasses. purchased two additional dresses (that is, without any helmets and pumps) which were duly shipped
1 Manual for diving gear usage. to Odessa on the steamer Count Vorontzov. The inventory note for this purchase was headed “A. Siebe.
2 pictures to the gear description. Engineer and Mechanist… Inventor, patentee & Manufacturer of Diving Apparatus to the Lords
Commrs of the Admiralty and the Board of Ordnance”.
Box # 3. 1 copper diving cap On the 3rd February 1850, Admiral Lazarev wrote to the Black Sea Fleet quartermaster expressing
150 feet tube with copper screws for connection. a keen interest in diving apparatus “with all the newest improvements”, a letter he duplicated to the
Cushion under cap Minister of Finance and to the Chief of the Main Navy Staff. In June that year Kremer sent a detailed
Round belts. letter to Russia, which included information about the cost of packing, loading, shipping, and insurance
Can of India rubber solution. for what was, obviously, another order for equipment. A description of the boxes in the consignment
Keys from the chests #1 and #2. included pumps, dress, boots, weights, knife, spare glasses and two helmets “with… solid glasses in
copper circles (front is unscrewed) and copper collar screwed to the dress so that water could not enter
Box #4. Flywheel with valves and others”. Kremer also informed that the total bill was 321 pounds 10 shillings, the
invoice being signed by Augustus Siebe himself. Boxes holding two sets of apparatus arrived to Odessa
on 24th September 1850 on the Wanderer, Captain W. W. Hardy commanding.
That same month Kramer wrote another letter with a similar description of box contents, of what
had to be a further order, and that the total bill this time came to 482 pounds 5 shillings, the invoice
again being signed by Augustus Siebe. It transpires that this was to cover a consignment of three
apparatuses enclosed in ten boxes, which arrived at Odessa on 29th October, 1850 on the ship John
and Eleonor, Captain Tillman commanding. The following Summer (1851) three sets were shipped to
Sevastopol, with one each to both Izmail and Nikolaev.
Why was Diving Pursued in Nineteenth Century Guernsey?
Paperwork also indicates that, by the end of 1850, there were five Siebe sets available in the Black Michael Windsor Peters, HDS
Sea, together with one manufactured by the Deanes and one of Gauzen’s. By comparison in the north
of the Russian Empire, Gauzen’s equipment was in widespread use. Although by the 1860s, after the
Crimean War, both Siebe’s and Gauzen’s gear was replaced by that manufactured by Heinke. In the early part of the nineteenth century the first practical diving dress was developed in England. At
the time that English pioneers were developing this apparatus similar experiments were carried out in
Epilogue Guernsey and within two years developed into one of the first commercial concerns using this type of
It must be remembered that whereas the Deane’s and Gauzen’s gear were both open-dress in design, equipment. What drove the inhabitants of a small island to adapt to this new technology so early in
Siebe’s was a closed-dress, which by 1840 had a helmet removable by a quarter turn and a removable its development?
front helmet glass, together with one or two other refinements. It would however, be interesting to see Guernsey, nine miles long by three miles wide, is one of the British Channel Islands lying in the
if the later choice of Heinke gear was down to its design or cost. Gulf of St. Malo, forty miles west of the Normandy coast and eighty miles south of Weymouth. It is
One of the more interesting items of side information from these researches, is that by 1842 the British but self-governing with allegiance to the English crown. In the early part of the 19th century
Deane’s diving dress was into its fifth year of use before it finally had to be replaced. It had undoubtedly it was developing from an agrarian and fishing community into a significant shipping centre and
been dived any number of times and survived the attrition involved, although it had undoubtedly exporter of granite. Due to a booming economy the population had increased from 18,655 in 1800 to
been repaired when necessary. In the days before the vulcanisation of rubber (Charles Goodyear 1843, 24,349 by 1831. The town and port was St Peter Port, the population 10,950 in 1800 had increased
patented 1837) it would still have been made from MacIntosh material (two layers of canvas, with a to 13,833 by 1831. Approximately 30% of the population in 1827 were newcomers to the Island
natural rubber layer between) – on the face of it a perishable product. In 1834, the Deane brothers said predominantly from South West England1. English was the most common language of the capital but
that their dress should not be dried by heat and complained that it was as stiff as a plank in the cold.
Although named after MacIntosh, by the 1830s the major manufacturer of the material in England
was Thomas Hancock. A good experimenter, on the evidence of the present researches it would seem
that he had come up with a reasonably durable pre-vulcanisation product by 1837/38.
References
1. Historical Diving Times, No. 42, 2007
2. Naval Archives, St. Petersburg, Fund 1049, Files No.382, No.584 and No.585
3. Morning Herald, 3rd September1842
Dr. Alexander Sledkov is founder and president of the Historical Diving Society, Russia. He works in
the field of high pressure physiology and diving medicine. He began his scientific career researching
HPNS and nitrogen narcosis. He took part in providing medical support for deep diving operations
and in the clinical investigation of divers’ health. He lives in St. Petersburg.
Fig. 1 Map of Guernsey

official documents were written in French. The dominant newspapers of the time were two in English
and one in French2. The residents of country parishes still spoke an old Norman French Patois.
In 1832 an article appeared in a Guernsey newspaper copied from the Norfolk Chronicle telling of the
exploits of the English diver and inventor John Deane. Using an apparatus of his own invention he was
diving on the wreck of a transport ship, the Guernsey Lily sunk off Great Yarmouth in 17993. No other
reports appeared in Guernsey publications that year and the subject seemed to have been forgotten.
However, the following year things were to change.
The Guernsey newspaper The Comet ran an article in May 1833 describing how “the new apparatus
which had superseded the use of the diving bell was attempted at the Gobaut Rock near the roadstead
Saturday last by an industrious mechanic named Orchard”.The article goes on to state that the dive
was not a success, due to problems with the hoses and the weights, but unfortunately it does not give
a description of the apparatus. It does state that Orchard was “much bruised”, and it was not known
Fig. 2 La Salerie,
if he would renew his attempts. The reason for diving in this area was to search for dollars believed to
looking north.
be on the seabed after an American ship called the Merrimack was wrecked on the reef on November
18074. Further news reports stated that the apparatus had been invented by two brothers John and number of others had formed a company called the Guernsey Submarine Society14. They immediately started
Joseph Orchard, who traded as blacksmiths, and had designed it without the knowledge that apparatus diving work and performed a number of successful salvage attempts and earned praise in the local newspapers15.
for a similar purpose was being used in England. As the brothers lived in a seaport, had arrived in the The professionalism of the company may be seen by the amount of correspondence that occurred between them
island a few years before and the Guernsey newspapers carried national and international news, it would and the Admiralty concerning the salvage of a Royal Navy Ship in the local waters16. They also corresponded with
seem strange that they had not already heard of the new diving method being developed in England. the Island’s Lieutenant Governor and had his support in dealings with the British Government17.
However, a brief description of their apparatus in a newspaper article shows that it would not have Who were the members of the Guernsey Submarine Society and why were they so successful in pioneering this
worked for anything more than a few minutes due to the pressure effects of water that could not be new activity?
compensated by the method of supplying air to the diver. The same article suggested what modifications were The diver Peter Gallienne, born in 180518, was a well-respected young man according to a later newspaper
needed to the diving dress and air supply system to make it function5. The Orchards had moved to the Island report19. He worked with his father, Thomas Gallienne, a well-known storekeeper, who was one of the leading
from Cornwall in the late 1820’s at the time of heavy migration from South West England. Church records show members of the Society of Friends in the island. Peter was also a member of the Quaker faith. The residence and
that their faith was Anglican, as were the majority of the population6. Joseph, according to the news reports, was store was in a small hamlet just to the north of the town, which backed onto a small fishing harbour called La
the brother who carried out the majority of the dives. The two brothers attempted to raise funds to finance the Salerie20. The Galliennes were a long established Guernsey family and Thomas was known for his dedication to
experiment by advertising demonstration dives and appealing through the newspapers for sponsors who would be the Quaker movement. At one time he refused to carry out his militia service due to his religious beliefs and as a
able to claim two thirds of any treasure that the Orchards might obtain in future diving operations7. The sum punishment he was imprisoned in Castle Cornet, the island prison at this period, a musket was strapped to him
they seemed to require to improve the apparatus was five pounds and their obvious intent was to make this into and he was paraded in a cart before the garrison21. He died in 1833 leaving a wife who continued to run the
a salvage of wreck contents operation rather than the production of the equipment. Although five pounds was of business with Peter22.
considerable value at this time the price for a complete apparatus from the Deane brothers in England was £150,
so one can assume that the proposed improvements were not significant8.
Whenever they carried out a demonstration hundreds of interested islanders would line the harbour walls or set
out in small boats to witness the event. At one time the spectators even begged the brothers to stop the dives for
fear of them sustaining an accident when the inadequacies of the equipment became apparent9. Being newcomers
to the island and due to their social standing as poor immigrants they would not have had close contact with the
type of inhabitants who may have financed them, but due to the appeals by the local journalists some funds were
obtained. They appeared to be working with no forward plan, apart from diving for treasure and salvage, and
treated each episode as it occurred. During the following year, 1834, they attempted to use a newly built apparatus
with some success. This equipment had some similarities with the Dean equipment so some notice had been taken
of the advice given10. However no practical work was carried out and the use of the equipment was, with one
exception, demonstration only. The one successful event, from a commercial point of view, was when they dived
in a well to retrieve some lost silver11. This is the only salvage venture recorded by them.
In April 1835 a newspaper report stated that a diving apparatus had been purchased by a group of inhabitants12. Fig. 3 Castle Cornet, the
A later report explained that it had been successfully employed by two divers named Orchard and Gallienne13. island prison where Thomas
This is the last reference that we find at this period regarding an Orchard and diving work. Gallienne with a Gallienne was imprisoned
Among Peter’s older siblings were a sister who was a druggist and teacher and a brother who was also a teacher.
All were members of the Society of Friends. The sister was married to a chemist by the name of Cumber who
was from another established Quaker family23 and was also a member of the Submarine Society24. Although his
profession was listed as “coal merchant”, Peter had been apprenticed to a printer25, and acted as secretary to the
group of underwater adventurers. He was also the secretary to the Mechanics Institute. Mechanics Institutes had
been founded in Britain in the 1820s, and a branch in Guernsey had started in 1833. They had been set up in one
of the first efforts at establishing adult working class education and were sponsored by middle class groups. One of
the aims of the institute was to increase the education of workers in trades applicable to the district in which they
operated. The surviving documents show Peter had a clearly written hand and a good command of the English
language. He appears to have inherited his father’s values and tenacity and those of the Quakers’ religious practise,
which similarly employed experiment and experience, and was regarded by many as strange. Examination of letters
written by the Guernsey Submarine Society disclose that there were eight known members of the Society and as
well as Peter Gallienne and his brother in law Cumber there was one other member of the Society of Friends in the
diving enterprise. The remaining shareholders were all near neighbours of the Galliennes and as well as two who
were printers and publishers the remaining three were all self-employed artisans26.
Through the summer of 1835 and 1836 the Society carried out numerous dives on the wreck of HMS Boreas, a
British frigate sunk off the Hanois reef two miles off the west coast of Guernsey in 1807 with great loss of life. The
town of St. Peter Port was on the east coast and the journey by sea to the site was over fourteen miles of dangerous
waters. The site of the wreck was exposed to the Atlantic Ocean and is still treated with respect by mariners. The
divers and their team recovered a large quantity of iron and copper and this was landed at a small fishing harbour
called Portelet at the southwest tip of the island. The salvage was then shipped overland the six miles to the small
harbour on which stood Peter Gallienne’s house at La Salerie. Throughout this time correspondence was carried out
Fig. 4 (above) Hanois reef lighthouse, with wreck site indicated by an arrow with the Admiralty over the salvage award. Although diving only took place during the summer months, January
Fig. 5 (below) Portelet 1836 saw Gallienne diving off the west coast to try to locate another vessel that had been seen to sink in a storm.
The local newspapers gave good coverage to these various ventures27.
Also in January 1836 an advertisement appeared in a local paper announcing that Joseph Orchard, ‘smith and
engineer’, had declined his business in favour of another. Had the expenditure of the previous years caused the loss
of Joseph’s business?28
In May a small stone barge sank of the north east of the island and a newspaper report stated that an attempt by
the owners to salvage it had failed and caused damage. They contacted, “Mr. Peter Gallienne, one of the members
of the Submarine Society, and as the apparatus, which is under his care, is always kept in an efficient working order,
there was no difficulty in coming to terms.” The Society was successful and raised the barge and cargo. The report
continued to praise the benefits of seeking help from the Society and stated, “It is in shipwrecks as it is in fire–a
little timely exertion at the outset, before the vessel is too much broken up, would be more available than twenty
times that exertion at a subsequent period”29. Good news reached the Society in September 1836 when they finally
received permission from the Admiralty granting the full salvage rights to the wreck of the Boreas, the main salvage
attempt of the previous years work, enabling the members of the Society to start to recoup on their investments30.
Why had this group from a small island been successful in turning this new science into a profitable venture
when only a small number of other divers were working in the whole of the British Isles?
The first factor to assist towards a successful diving operation was the geographic location of the island.
Although only three miles by nine miles it had twenty five miles of coastline, most of it very rocky and all areas
subject to very strong tides and a large tidal range. There were also a number of small islands in the near vicinity
and many dangerous reefs. Guernsey had a busy port and many small fishing harbours around its coast. Being a
major shipping centre, it had regular links with Britain and the Continent. This combination of many shipping
movements and dangerous areas of navigation caused a large number of shipwrecks both large and small. The
island people naturally had a strong affinity for the sea and experience of supporting people by its use. The Orchard References
brothers had come to the island from Cornwall31, a county with many similarities to Guernsey in the geographical 1. Stevens Cox Gregory, St. Peter Port 1689-1830 : The History of an International Entrepot. Woodbridge, 1999.
as well as the social sense. They would have had an affinity with the sea and have lived in an environment in 2. The Comet, The Star and the Gazette De Guernesey.
which it supported the community. Although it was stated that they had developed their diving dress without the 3. The Star, 20/08/1832.
knowledge that other persons were working on the same scheme32 they must in fact have had some knowledge of 4. The Comet, 17/05/1833.
diving practise as the island was not isolated from news from across the Channel. The problem for the Orchards 5. The Comet 27/06/1833 “consisted of leather pantaloons and jacket, joined at waist…in the front over the eyes
was that of finance and early problems with constructing the dress. Newspaper reports mentioned the materials a piece of glass…inflated by air pumped from boat”. Article stated that the hoses needed making airtight and
that should have been used to build the dress and appealed to the public to assist the brothers, proving that the the pump improved.
Orchards would have had the knowledge of the equipment required33. The publicity that the brothers raised 6. St. Peter Port Census, 1827.
apparently then came to the attention of Peter Gallienne and possibly other future members of the Submarine 7. The Comet, 24/06/1833.
Society. Peter Gallienne being a Quaker had been raised in the traditions of work, and as a leading member of 8. Bevan John, The Infernal Diver, Submex Limited, 1996.
the Mechanics Institute, that of experiment and science. It is interesting to note that one of the Orchards did the 9. The Comet, 24/06/1833.
first dives with Gallienne. Was this Orchard a shareholder in the Society or was he assisting Peter Gallienne due to 10. The Comet, 21/07/1834.
his previous practical experience? The Orchards do not appear again in any position with the Society but in 1836 11. The Star 24/07/1834.
Joseph Orchard is recorded as giving up his blacksmithing business in favour of another34. Whilst credit must be 12. The Star, 13/04/1835.
given to the work of the Orchards, who were the true pioneers in introducing diving practises to Guernsey and its 13. The Star, 16/04/1835.
surrounding seas, The Submarine Society received excellent publicity as they began to take on salvage work. The 14. P.R.O. ADMI/5136.
Orchards had concentrated on seeking financial backing by the promise of a percentage of treasure raised, while 15. The Star, 31/07/1835, 17/08/1835, The Comet, 30/07/1835, 17/08/1835.
the Society perspective was to carry out a public service by the salvage of vessels and their cargo at the same time 16. P.R.O. ADMI/5136.
making a profit. Such a policy was not as glamorous, but more financially viable. One factor of benefit to the 17. P.R.O. ADMI/5136.
community was that the equipment was always ready for use in the event of any shipping disaster35. The diver 18. Hampshire Records Office, 24M54 Item 121 Society Of Friends.
was always Gallienne and his personality seems to have been the driving force of the Society. In October 1836 19. The Star, The Comet 24/10/1836.
Gallienne with members of the Society travelled to another Channel Island, Alderney (just off the Cherbourg 20. Guernsey Census 1831.
peninsular, to the north east of Guernsey) to salvage a boat called L’Aimee Rose that had sunk near the coast36. After 21. T.S.G. 1918 Carey Edith The Beginnings of Quakerism in Guernsey.
two successful dives Gallienne dived again and shortly afterwards having received no signal from him his attendants 22. Gazette De Guernsey 24/06/1833.
drew him to the surface to find him dead in his suit. His death was reported in the Guernsey papers37 and also 23. Hampshire Records Office, 24M54 item 254.
in the Times38. From this time no further work by the Guernsey Submarine Society is recorded. It would appear 24. P.R.O. ADMI/5136.
then that the inspiration to carry out diving work had died with Peter Gallienne. 25. Hampshire Records Office, 24M54 item 268.
In 1849 Joseph Orchard was found drowned in circumstances not related to diving39. He was buried in a 26. Guille Alles Library, Guernsey, Minutes of the Mechanics Institute.
pauper’s grave40. 27. The Comet 31/07/1835,17/08/1835,18/09/1835,21/09/1835.
The Star 30/07/1835,17/08/1835,04/01/1836.
In 1854 a Guernsey newspaper reported that a John Orchard, a past resident of Guernsey, was travelling from
28. The Comet 29/01/1836.
England to the Crimea with a small group of military divers to operate galvanic batteries, the purpose of which was
29. The Star, The Comet, 19/05/1836.
to set off underwater explosive charges. They were travelling on a ship called the Prince to clear the Russian block
30. The Star 15/09/1836.
ships at the port of Sebastopol41. Shortly afterwards a report was published stating that the Prince had sunk with
31. St. Peter Port Parish Records 1827.
great loss of life. All on board were lost apart from one midshipman42.
32. The Comet 27/06/1853.
Why was diving pursued in early nineteenth century Guernsey? Enterprising individuals, relative newcomers
33. The Comet 27/06/1833.
to the island, had heard of the new developments in England involving diving apparatus, also of the work being
34. The Comet 29/01/1836.
carried out with the aid of it, and the prospects for financial gain. They had seen a requirement for its use in the
35. The Comet 19/05/1836.
nautical environment in which they lived. Unfortunately initial development failed, due to lack of financial support
36. The Star 20/10/1836.
and social contacts.
37. The Comet, The Star 24/10/1836.
The idea had been taken up by a group who had the finance to invest in such an enterprise, who were in regular 38. The Times 04/11/1836.
contact, through social, religious and business life, with persons who would assist them in their aims and possessed 39. The Comet14/06/1849, Gazette De Guernsey 16/06/1849, St. Peter Port hospital records 14/06/1849.
the drive and business acumen to bring it to fruition. After a successful start the enterprise had failed due to the 40. St. Peter Port constables’ records 15/06/1849.
death of the driving force of the Society, Peter Gallienne. 41. The Comet 19/10/1854.
42. The Comet ?/12/1854.
Primary Sources
Constables Office, St. Peter Port Census 1827
Constables Office, St. Peter Port, Passengers landed 1828-1832
Guernsey Census 1831
St. Peter Port Hospital Records 1849
St. Peter Port Church, Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths.
Guille Alles Library, Guernsey, Minutes of the Mechanics Institute. System Hans Hass – the development of Rolleimarin
Hampshire Records Office, Winchester, File 24554 Society of Friends.
Franz Rothbrust, Chairman, HDS Germany
Public Records Office, Admiralty Papers, ADMI/5136
Newspapers
The Comet (Guernsey) Introduction
The Star (Guernsey) It has been almost 60 years since the Rolleimarin underwater housing was presented to the public for
Gazette De Guernesey (Guernsey) the first time. From 1954 until the 1970s was produced by Franke & Heidecke in Braunschweig and,
The Times (London) in its time, was one of the finest and best-selling items of photographic equipment for divers.
The front ring was engraved “Franke & Heidecke Braunschweig, Germany Rolleimarin Hans
Printed Works Hass”, although it is generally believed that Hass had originally only permitted using his name. He
Stevens-Cox Gregory, St. Peter Port 1689-1830: The History of an International Entrepot., (Woodbridge,1999) was already world famous by that time and his name on the mounting ring of the front port of the
Bevan John, The Infernal Diver (Submex,1996) housing was to contribute to the housing’s sales success. However, what is less well known is that
Carey E. The Beginnings of Quakerism in Guernsey in Transactions of La SocieteGuernesiaise, Vol, 8, 1918. he had considerable, if not was the main influence during the development and construction of
the Rolleimarin housing. The development department staff at Franke & Heidecke, led by Richard
Weiss, were keen swimmers1, however, they had no diving experience and they had never ever taken
Michael Windsor Peters, known to all as Mick, who sadly passed away in 2006, had an amazing sense of humour. underwater photographs. They could not even imagine what it was like to take photographs under the
He was a well-known and loved personality on the island of Guernsey, a founder member of the Guernsey Nautical water, or to change films on a rocking boat.
Archaeological Team (GNAT) and a Diving Supervisor with the St John’s Ambulance Diving Rescue Team.
A founder member of the HDS, he was a recognised expert on the diving history of Guernsey. Sources of information
This article, which traces the development of the Rolleimarin, is based on correspondence between
Hans Hass and Franke & Heidecke, during the period 1949 to 1955. That correspondence is now
in the Hans Hass Institute and kindly made available to me for the purposes of this paper by Michael
Jung its Director.
The development of the first prototypes, through to the first production- ready models of the
Rolleimarin housing, can be seamlessly traced from these letters. Likewise, the letters show that Hans
Hass, due to his extensive experience in underwater photography, had relevant ideas for almost every
detail of the design.
Letters running to over 50 pages were exchanged between Hass and Franke & Heidecke on this
subject. In addition, there were several meetings in Braunschweig, and a meeting on board Hass’s yacht
Xarifa, then moored in the Port of Hamburg.
Chronology of Hans Hass’s post-war diving expeditions

- 1949 November and December, the first Red Sea expedition.
- 1950 April – November, the second Red-Sea expedition with six employees (including Lotte Baierl,
later to become his wife.). The purchase of the three- masted schooner Xarifa.
- 1952 December – February 1953, expedition to Australia with his wife Lotte.
- 1953 August – June 1954, first expedition on Xarifa to the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean2.
It all began with a Freudian slip After his first expedition to the Red Sea (November - December 1949), Hass then wrote a preliminary
In his first letter to Franke & Heidecke on 28th September 1949, Hans Hass made a mistake in report on his Rolleiflex experience, in which he told how he had a waterproof housing built to his own
the addressee’s name, when he wrote “Haidecke” with “ai” instead of “ei”: Hai meaning “shark” in design in a “specialist workshop”...
German. The purpose of this letter, was to obtain a Rolleiflex camera from the manufacturers. Franke
“Franke and Heidecke
& Heidecke, in Braunschweig, replied a few days later and sent Hass the camera that he had requested
Braunschweig
at a discount price.
21st February 1950
Dear Sirs or Madam,
Unfortunately, the Rolleiflex that you kindly sent me arrived after my return from the Red Sea. I
have now handed it over to a specialist workshop to make a water-tight housing and will use, if
necessary, an underwater coupled electric flash.
Now, having made various changes to the installation methods and procedures it is possible for
me to use the same camera above water.”
This first home-made camera housing has subsequently become known as the “Rolleimarin 1”,
a name that did not exist at the time.
Fig. 1.
The first letter
from Hans Hass
to Franke &
Heidecke, with
its Freudian slip. Fig. 2 The “Twin-lens” Rolleiflex 3.5A, as used in the ‘Rolleimarin 1’ underwater housing. (Note, that at the
© Hans Hass time the designation of “A” for the 3.5 Automat was not in fact used, as there was no Rolleiflex 3.5B).
Institute. 1 = viewfinder; 2 = viewfinder lens; 3 = the camera lens.
After the second expedition to the Red Sea, April - November 1950, Hass again wrote to Franke
and Heidecke.
“Currently Munich, 9th March 1951
Dear Sirs!
. . . . . I am pleased to say that the Rolleiflex has proven itself over the course of my expedition
and I will shortly send a selection of the best images for your promotional requirements. Even
under water, we took a few pictures, unfortunately the housing proved to be impractical and it
soon let in water, so on this trip there were just a few underwater shots that came out. We have
now designed a better housing to cover your excellent camera for underwater operations and
intend to continue to use it.”
Three days later Hass sent another letter.
“Currently Munich 12th 1951
Dear Sirs!
. . . . . The underwater housing for the Rolleiflex was completed and sent to us during the
expedition. Unfortunately it was only possible to take pictures using 4 or 5 films with it,
then, because of poor design, the case started leaking due to the water pressure and so further Fig. 3
Photograph of Hans Hass with the
photographs were no longer possible. In the meantime, we have improved the housing and I
first home-made housing (Rolleimarin
expect to be able to achieve better results on my next expedition. In particular, I intend to use it
1), for the twin-lens Rolleiflex, 6 x 6
in the future for colour underwater photography with artificial light sources. camera, as supplied by Franke &
With best regards and Heidecke during the second expedition
to the Red Sea, April–November 1950.
Yours faithfully, Photo © Hans Hass Institute.
Hans Hass”
The concept of this case (Fig. 4) shows Hass’s talent as a designer. The viewfinder (1) sits on top of
the case. On the front are two round windows, one for each of the two lenses (2 & 3).
The frame viewfinder (4) is mounted underneath, because there was no other space due to the
optical viewfinder. The camera has to be turned upside down when using the frame viewfinder. But this
position has a significant advantage, in that the taking lens sits directly “under” the frame viewfinder, so
parallax is minimized. This was a great idea, that not everyone would have thought of.
The decision to build an underwater housing for the Rolleiflex was made in Braunschweig during
the summer of 1952 . For instance, on 14th June 1952 Franke & Heidecke wrote,
“Dear Dr. Hass!
We now refer to the very interesting conversations that we had with you during your visit to
Braunschweig, and can tell you today that, after careful consideration, we have decided to develop Fig. 4
an underwater housing for the Rolleiflex. You explained at the meetings the previously mentioned An enlarged detail from Fig. 3, with
principles, and that you are ready to kindly co-operate with us and thus provide us with your the camera housing shown the correct
findings. Since we have already envisaged a particular design, we intend to first produce a wooden way up.
1 = viewfinder;
pattern that we will then show you to review. A sand-casting for a housing will then be developed,
2 = viewfinder lens;
in accordance with this wooden model, which can then be used underwater and tested. We want 3 = camera lens;
to progress as quickly as possible but we cannot estimate at present, whether it will be possible for 4 = frame finder;
us to deliver a working housing until the beginning of your journey in the autumn. Of course we 5 = electronic flash.
will do our best.”
Fig. 5
Letter of 14th
June 1952
from Franke
& Heidecke
to Hans Hass.
The decision
to build the
Rolleimarin
was taken
during the
summer
of 1952.
The First Prototype, PR229

Following these initial communications, various concepts for housings were developed, so that on 7th
July 1952 Franke & Heidecke wrote.
“Dear Dr. Hass
We are pleased to be able to send you today, sketches of the planned underwater housing.
As you can see from the sketches, we unfortunately had to give up our plan to use the camera
lying in a horizontal position. Instead we have had to find other ways to achieve the same effect.
The idea of a camera lying on its back is surely inviting but when sketching and drawing the
optical path, large mirror dimensions are needed so that the desired result {for a smaller housing}
in fact results in exactly the opposite.
We have, as we believe, now found a solution, which allows a sideways view and leaves the
camera in an upright position. This solution is achievable with an unmodified series camera.
The camera viewfinder will be modified slightly for his purpose, which can be done without
any problems. . . . The prism for underwater use can be fitted and afterwards the viewfinder can
put back into its original format again just as easily. . . . .aperture and shutter control are planned Fig. 6 Hans Hass (left) at Franke & Heidecke in Braunschweig. Date unknown, possibly 1951–1954.
to be on the bottom of the housing. . . ” Photo © Hans Hass Institute.
“I do not think it is right to make a case unnecessarily large so you also have room for contingencies.”
Should more volume be required for future products, the housing could be enlarged by an additional
rear mounted part. Instead, he proposed the installation of a regular smaller bulb flash, which could be
installed in all Rolleimarin packages.
The case appeared much too large to him; its ‘form’ (i.e. general shape) being ‘acceptable’ to the
detriment of functionality.
“At this size and at a pressure of 5 atmospheres an optimised form is not necessary. It is a cast shell
and this can be a cuboid in shape and will not be crushed by water pressure. . . . . Keep the shell
as small as possible: the wall thickness can be thinner, which will the lower the weight. . . . . .
Believe me, there are giant shells in the world that are more than large enough, the underwater
cameras that are already around are true monsters. Therein lies the system of my cameras, they
are really practical to use.”
The viewfinder window with a 30 degree inclined viewfinder angle was “Okay” but Hass had the
feeling that the rear viewfinder was much larger than really needed and should be kept as small as
possible in diameter.
This window had a lens which focussed on the camera’s viewfinder screen inside the case. Hass
feared that this lens could be too large and asked whether a photographer’s eye had to be very close
to the viewfinder screen on the Rollei camera in normal use, or if the screen could be viewed from a
greater distance. He suggested that the design team purchase a diver’s mask in a sports shop, and wear
it while testing out the possibilities. He was clearly still obsessed about size, as he finished by saying.
“What I mean is this: Nothing larger than it really needs to be.”

For him the front housing window seemed too thick, and above all too large. Instead, Hass suggested
Fig. 7 installing two small windows, one for each of the two Rollei camera lenses. It was important to him that
First prototype of the Rolleimarin built these front windows were each held in place by a screw ring.
from the ‘wooden model’.
Picture PR 229. C. Prochnow, Rollei “This has the advantage that anyone can fit the glass without breaking it. Otherwise all the screws
Report 2, pp.23-458. must always be sequentially and evenly tightened, if not the glass will break. You (Franke &
Heidecke) may well reply: ‘Once that has been done and is finished, it will always be watertight
The housing is large enough to fit batteries and condensers for the strobes, so that only the and no one should need to touch it again.’ But practice has already showed that it is very useful
reflectors have to be mounted outside. when you can replace the seal and mount a new glass from time to time.”
We have left the space behind the camera intentionally larger in case future developments or
special gear for the Rollei is needed, thus we will already have it. The designers had provided a flange with 8 individual screws to attach the front window. They kept the
As far as the casting and water pressure resistance are concerned, the shape is optimal large front window, but Hass got his desired screwed rings for the front and rear windows of the housing.
We intend to make a wooden model of this device as quickly as possible; it is already in The distance between the camera lens and the front window was for Hass also “too far” but he
progress, so that within a short time the functions of the housing/device can be tested and necessary felt they should leave it, because,“the space can be used for a revolving filter turret.” To this end, Hass
modifications can be seen more easily. provided a basic sketch and Franke & Heidecke then constructed a filter turret. In the later, Rolleimarin
It is our intention to give you a first sample for your next trip, so that practical testing can be IV model, the turret could even accept different close-up lenses. This device later contributed to the
done ASAP.” success of Rolleimarin.
Hass also dealt extensively with the gaskets and shaft bushings.
Hass studied the prototype, designated PR229, and on the 29th July 1952 wrote a very detailed six-
page commentary about all the features of construction and the handling of the case. “How do you seal the lens? This is not quite clear to me? The way you have drawn it, it will not work.
He firmly rejected the idea of electrical components and batteries for an electronic flash to be According to my experience it will not be watertight!”
installed in the body. Franke & Heidecke had planned to use round section seals, and Hass wrote,
“Please do not underestimate this point, it will only seal if fitted tightly to a flat rubber gasket surface. “really comfortable handle” as he had requested. On the first design of the PR229, areas for fitting
Round seals have not been proven.” stabilizing wings had been provided on the housing but, as Hass put it,
He made sketches showing the gaskets and gasket seats, which were followed by Franke & Heidecke. “These wings may be good for a movie camera, they are completely unreasonable for a photo camera.”
Hass went on to criticise the stuffing boxes, compressed glands and shaft bushings as being too small, There were no attachment points for a neck strap, about which he noted,
and wrote extensively on the detailed design,
“This lanyard should not cut into the neck. A rope covered with a rubber tube is well proven.”
“Yes, a point I’ve almost forgotten; I do not like the glands. Everything else is so large yet they are
so small. These must be robust. . . . nice solid glands filled with graphite twine (that is, graphite Attachment points were duly added and Hass got the desired comfortable neck strap.
impregnated twine) and nothing else. . . . A screwed ring has to put pressure on the graphite twine. . More criticism followed, regarding the position of the adjustment wheels for shutter speed and
. . I have drawn, beside the text, the way it should be. Believe me, there have already been a dozen aperture, on the underside of the housing and provided within the cover, Hass wrote,
different types constructed for me, they did not hold tight and were not practical.” “Certainly it is impractical to place these below on the lid front. The three glands should all be moved up
The designers at Franke & Heidecke only partially followed his advice. The glands were “robust” but to the top. . . .This may under no circumstances remain like this. The scales must be read from the back
instead of “graphite twine”, for good reason to be shown later, rubber rings were used for sealing. and not from the front. Otherwise you have to turn the camera around to read them”.
A compressed air connection, intended to pressurise the housing, was rejected by Hass.
Franke & Heidecke followed this suggestion, the result being that the shutter speed and aperture
“The most common pneumatic fittings are of no use anyway since mostly they will not fit. The camera could therefore be easily read from viewing position of the underwater photographer.
has to be properly (in itself ) very watertight.” Hass also did not like the knurled dials for speed and aperture:
Regarding the housing itself, he said, “The fingers have absorbed water and are sensitive, these fittings need to be held firmly.”
“However - and this brings us to a very important point; the housing itself and how you are thinking He drew appropriate forms, much as we now know them from the Rolleimarin, and went on,
of making the screws? The case must surely be of Duralumin or something similar. However, no “I’ll make another suggestion to have the opportunity of providing a frame viewfinder. The shape of
brass screws can be used - because of the electrolytic action with the salt water. It completely eats the the camera makes it very easy. I have added a drawing for this too.”
metal away. Aluminium cannot be used for thin screws . . . There should be no electrolytic effects.
Equally important is that the casting is totally sound - not porous or with air pockets. This must be Franke & Heidecke built the frame viewfinder, although in this case to a slightly different design.
tested on each finished housing by inserting a pipe through a stuffing box and sucking the air from Finally, Hass dealt with the engraving on the front ring.
inside; then checking with a pressure gauge to see how long it lasts. Note: Out of four castings, one “You seem to think ‘System Hans Hass’ is inappropriate as an engraving. I could agree to ‘by Hans
is usually not watertight.” Hass’, even though I know from experience that the system of my camera construction and experience
is very necessary to create functional housings.”
Franke & Heidecke duly made a cast aluminium housing, its integrity being tested in a pressure
chamber before delivery. All screws were rather large and made of aluminium. For mass production the engraving ‘Rolleimarin Hans Hass’, was later agreed on.
Hass particularly disliked the large housing clasps, for a number of reasons. What it all showed was that, based on his experience, Hass had certain ideas in mind for the design
and constructing of underwater camera housings. Commentators later listed what he appears to have
“How can a man operate the trigger on your device with his little finger? . . . And on the other
had in mind when writing about his ‘System Hans Hass’.
side, he either has to keep the housing under control or to adjust the focus distance - or should he
- Housing as small as possible.
simultaneously adjust the focus with his thumb? . . . . . on the right hand side, a man must have a
- Aluminium or brass respecting electrochemical corrosion.
really comfortable grip handle. . . . and he must either be able to operate the trigger with his index
- No buoyancy under water
finger or thumb in a really practical way. An ARRIFLEX, which can be held so nicely with one
- Flat gaskets.
hand, being a very good example.”
- Large shafts and glands, adjustable.
He went on to suggest removing the handle from the left hand side, so the photographer would then - Small parts large enough to ensure easy maintaining.
be able to hold the camera by the focus control knob. . . . - Functional construction without respecting “nice design” .
- Control knobs with rounded edges.
“You have combined the shutter release and handles beautifully on the drawing – but this is not useful
- Really comfortable handles.
in practice. Should the clasping lever break - these parts being easily broken - then everything would
- Ergonomic shape and position of the control elements.
be destroyed”.
- Easy recognizable scales form the photographers viewing direction.
Franke & Heidecke stayed with this principle for the housing closure, the yoke being made of - Housing must be self maintainable.
unbreakable but much thinner aluminium sheet. On the right side of the case they mounted Hass’s - Easy to change out films.
The Second Prototype, PR230

Hass’s extensive range of requests for changes to the construction of the initial prototype, PR 229, lead
to the construction of a second prototype, this one according to the Hass ‘system’, the PR230 (Fig. 8).
This prototype was the first construction to have the general form of a Rolleimarin that we are familiar
with today, for which designer Richard Weiss wrote the first instruction manual, albeit typewritten and
illustrated with black and white photographs.
In the eventuality Hass’s study of this second prototype was just as detailed as with the first, Figure 9.
beginning with a detailed three-page comment to Braunschweig dated March 1st 1953. Hass’s four cameras on
the beach.
“Dear Sirs! Left, the Rolleimarin
On returning from Australia, I hesitate to tell you about my experiences with the underwater prototype PR 230 sent
Rolleiflex. . . . On the whole, the camera has proven to be very good and it was a pleasure to work to Hass in Australia by
with this casing. Everywhere we went with the camera, it received the greatest interest from others Franke & Heidecke in
to whom we showed it, and I certainly think that they (the housings) will find a ready market. In December 1952.
particular, I give you now the following criticisms about the shortcomings and results of my work: In the centre,
We have done very well in keeping the case compact, it would not be a good idea to combine it with Hass’s ‘home made’
an electronic flash unit fitted within the unit”. construction.
On the right are two
Leica Underwater
housings which have been
constructed following the
“System Hans Hass”.
Photo © Hans- Hass-
Institute
Hass did not want the housing to have a larger volume, as required to house an electronic flash unit.
From his point a bulb flash was good enough.
Continuing, it seems that he was not really satisfied with the yoke (the clamp) on the housing.
“The eccentric lever is practical. (However,) I personally found the use of the yoke not quite so
convenient when pulling out the camera. This is well conceived, and I believe that we should stick
with it, because it also looks very impressive to the eye. In practice, due to the boat rolling and there
being water spray, I would prefer a separate yoke . . I do not know if this still can be done and
whether you could produce the yoke as a separate component.”
In the eventuality, the existing clamp design remained.
“A pleasant surprise were the glands, which can turn quite amazingly easily. So light, that I want to
go back to your suggestion of a handle on both sides. Because my idea of holding the camera by the
distance control knob on left side, resulted from my experience of not being possible to grip with the
same hand on a handle whilst turning a knob - with these glands, this is now possible! Now I suggest
this is the only significant change (required) before another try with the double handle system.”
Franke & Heidecke were to adopt this proposal and duly mounted a round holding knob below the
Fig. 8 The Second Prototype, PR 230. On the right hand side of the housing is the “really comfortable handle”. focus knob.
Mounted on this handle are the film crank and the frame counter. The shutter release trigger is in front of it. The attachment of the camera body within the housing was not strong enough, according to Hass.
Above the front window there is a pivoting lever for swinging the filter turret. The knobs for shutter speed and
aperture are on top of the case, ‘crowned’ from above by the viewfinder frame. On the rear, is the black screwed “The camera is not tight enough and every time I operate the trigger, I felt that even the release inside
ring for the viewfinder window. (Collection Dr. Andres Claros, Barcelona). gives the camera a little backwards push”. The attachment has been slightly modified in detail and
Fig. 11 Hans Hass holding the

second prototype (PR230), between
December 1952 and February
1953, photographed together
with his wife, Lotte, during their
expedition to the Great Barrier Reef
in Australia.
Photo © Hans Hass Institute.
strengthened by Franke & Heidecke. The camera was additionally supported from underneath by a
piece of foam rubber.
An unfortunate tragedy was the flash connection. Also the new design of the connection was
quite unfortunate too, because the same small screws that secure the pole distance piece (electrical
connectors) cannot simultaneously insure the watertightness of this new opening. Also the position of
the connections was conceivably unfavourably selected, nevertheless, because I carry the camera around
my neck in such a way that the button (plug) constantly struck against my chest.”
Franke & Heidecke were to solve this problem by the use of flat Bakelite plugs. from which the
connection lead exited sideways.
“This is a lot of criticism and yet I repeat, that I have never held a camera in my hands which I have
enjoyed so much to work with. We still have to invest some thinking, but then finally a camera will
be created to which there is no competition in the world.”
On 18th June 1953 Hass wrote to Dr. Heidecke.
“Today I had a visit from one of your company’s engineers, here on board the Xarifa (in Hamburg)
Figure 10. The first page (of six) of the original Rolleimarin instruction manual. © Hans Hass Institute. and we discussed the last remaining problems arising here and resolved them. . . . . I also think the
camera housing, as I did express in an earlier letter, is now fully developed and marketable. . . . I
know of all the existing underwater housings produced in the various countries and I can tell you
honestly and bluntly that our casing, with its high quality construction and handling, leaves all other
brands very much in the shade. . . .
I am very happy that I was involved in the construction of such a perfect instrument, and I look forward
to the day when I can use the practical Rollei-Marin again on my next expedition”
In March 1954 the Rolleimarin underwater housing was presented for the first time to the public
Diving and the Royal Society of Arts
in Chicago, USA, during a photo exhibition. In Europe, is was presented a few weeks later in March Peter Dick, HDS
at Photokina in Cologne.
Franke & Heidecke went on to produce about 3500 Rolleimarin housings, which have been sold
worldwide. Four different versions were produced: Rolleimarin I, II and III were fitted with filter turrets, Introduction
whilst Rolleimarin IV was equipped with a close-up lens turret. For his involvement Hans Hass received a On 22nd March 1754, eleven men met in a London coffee house at the instigation of William Shipley,
15% commission. Many of the best underwater photographers in the world have worked with this device. a drawing master and philanthropist from Northampton. The result was the formation of the ‘Royal
Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce’ (hereafter the RSA), which was to
Acknowledgements have a unique association with diving throughout the late eighteenth, nineteenth and the first half of
the twentieth century. Its premises were (and still are) in London, in John Adam St., which runs parallel
Michael Jung, Director of the Hans Hass Institute (http://www.hist-net.de/), who made available all of
with the Strand close to Charing Cross station and around the corner from Dr. Benjamin Franklin’s
the correspondence used in researching this paper.
lodgings in Craven St. during his stay in London (1757-75)1. The association between the RSA and
Dr. Andres Claros, for giving me access to his PR230 for research purposes. diving began almost immediately, and with good reason.
My special thanks go to John Wild and Peter Dick for proof reading my translation from German into
English. Their corrected and ‘anglicised’ text complies authenticity with Hass’s unique “Austrian” way
of expressing himself.
References
1. C. Prochnow: Rollei Report 2: Page 23-458
2. M. Jung, Hans Hass Ein leben lang Auf Expedition, Zeittafel: page 316, 15th September 1949
This paper was first presented at the 1st UW-Rollei-Meeting, held at Tossa de Mar, Costa Brava, Spain, May
12th-13th 2012. This meeting was held during the Buceo Vintage event (www.buceovintage.com event).
Franz Rothbrust is an industrial designer by profession who specialises in toy design and manufacture.
He has also designed diving gear, including the housing for the Hans Hass “Decobrain” dive-computer
and a navigation board for military divers. Franz maintains and restores Rolleimarin under water
cameras. Together with other enthusiasts, in 2011 he set up the HDS Germany, of which he is currently
the Chairman.
Fig. 1 The Royal Society of Arts building in John Adam St., London.
‘At its foundation in 1754, the Society proposed that the encouragement of arts, manufactures and above. The Water was 16 Fathoms Deep, the
commerce should be stimulated through the offer of prizes. It did this through a series of competitions in Current very Strong; in order to stem the Current,
which awards were granted for useful inventions, discoveries, improvements and artistic endeavour. These a Rope with a very large stone tied to it was first
competitions became known as the Premium Award Scheme and the rewards took the form of medals and of all let down, which Rope the Diver held in one
money. By 1757 the Scheme had flourished and committees were established to preside over six categories: hand all the time he was under water. The Diver
Agriculture, Manufactures, Chemistry, Mechanics, Colonies and Trade and the Polite Arts. The scheme came had a Leather bag in which he put all the
to a natural conclusion around the 1850s, and was replaced by an interest in lectures and exhibitions.’2 Plate which was drawn up by some assistants
The public responded to the ‘Premium Award Scheme’ by way of correspondence with the Society, Standing upon the Bridge. The Plate was dispersed
which then came before a committee who determined whether or not the originator deserved to benefit
from the scheme. The intention here is to present details of that correspondence from RSA archives (Reverse side of page) at the Bottom: the Dishes and Plates being drove
on what could, for the most part, be termed the less successful ideas on diving equipment that were to a considerable distance from the Rest by the
proposed. Details of the committee’s deliberations have only been included in one case. Similarly, when force of the current, But he staid under water
the correspondence did not include details of interest to the history of diving, being of a pleading till he had picked it all up, not leaving any
nature, their content has not been covered. The letters themselves were not contained in envelopes, but part of it behind him.
were sheets of paper double folded, in the manner of the day, with the address and in some cases a brief Since this Discovery, four more Suits
description on the front. of the like accoutrements [insert: for Diving] have been made at
Copenhagen by order of the Admiralty there,
Heinrich Schultze’s Armour, 1760 in order to fish up the Wreck of a Russian
(Address) Description of Mr Frigate of 40 Guns; which lost at [inserted: the island of ] Born
Favier v Mills April 13 1763 holm near Colberg, which they intend to fish
---------------- up in this Summer when the weather is
(Content) Mechanician and Model Maker to the King of Denmark Grosse [?] for it. As to the Coldness of the weather
The Author observes it is not material, the
In the midsummer 1760 Mr Heinrich Schultze
Diver not being sensible of Cold, but the Summer
tried his new method of diving at Copenhagen
season being less subject to stormy weather
in the Presence of the whole Board of Admiralty
is [inserted: for that Reason] the Properest for it.
on board the Guard ship in Salt Water six fathom
The Truth of [inserted: the first part] of this is attested by Attholph
deep. N.B. The Fathom is six French feet. He
Tullman [the] Secretary to Sir Samual Goodrich
continued underwater from half an hour after nine
Envoy [at Copenhagen: deleted] to the King of Denmark
until til 12 o’Clock. Walked about with ease and could take
in a letter Dated Jany (January) 7th 1763 in the Presence
anything up that he pleased. His hands were covered
of Mr Schultz. [text deleted and unreadable].3
with Leather Gloves fastened to the Copper armour at
the Wrists, the said Gloves were well lacquer’d with
(New page) Heinrich Schultze Armour 1760
Bees Wax and Hog’s Lard. On the same day after
Picture of the armour and a description, below. (see pp 34-35)
he came up again, a Sailor was sent down, and
continued [un: deleted] at the Bottom for half an hour,
when the Admiralty declared themselves satisfied
Schultze’s Armour was reviewed by the RSA Committee4.
with the Experiment. The sailor brought up a
Stone with him.
Strand, May 12th 1763
In April 1762 The Same Sailor [inserted: by name Peter Rose] having
Posponed….. and the Diving Machine communicated.
been informed that a Footman had by accident let
By Mr. Schultze to the next Meeting of this Committee the Parties who were to be
fall large Basket of Plate into the Haven at Copenhagen
summoned not attending.
from Christians Haven Bridge, as he was resting his Basket
on the side of it. The Basket contained [inserted: Silver] Dishes, plates, Strand May 19th 1763
Sugar Castors, pepper Box, Knives, spoons etc. He Took into Consideration Mr. Schultz Improvements on
made use of the same Dress that was made use of the art of Diving.
A. The Vessel
Fig. 2a Heinrich B. a pair of Bellows by which a Man Fig. 2b
Schultze’s diving Heinrich
is placed, in order to give Air, into
apparatus,1760. Schultze’s
a serpentine Pipe of half an inch diving
Diameter, apparatus,
C. the above mentioned Pipe. 1760.
Detail.
D. A greater kind of Serpentine, an inch
in Diameter, serving to discharge the
superfluous Air, at whose Mouth one
may likewise hear, what the Douker
[Diver], might have to say, or stand in
need of.
E. A Helmet made of Copper
F. A Pair of Glass Eyes.
G. A Scrue, on the Mouth, by which
means the Douker can speak as long as
he is on the Vessel.
H. A Copper Harness
I. A Cork [Cock?] in the little Serpentine,
or Pipe, placed just on the breast,
whereby the Douker is able to turn the
Air as He thinks proper, and necessary.
K. a piece of Lead, to give Weight to his
Sinking; these under his Feets marked
L tends to the same purpose
M. A Crane, by which he is again hoisted,
or lifted up onboard the Ship.
N. The Taught [safety rope?] and its
fastening.
All the jointures, and here marked
with O. Are of leather, strengthened
in some parts, with Brass Buckles and
straps.
The serpentine, must likewise be made
of Leather well tvined [twined ] with
good Brass Wire, and trimmed with
Linnen strongly sewed to this wire
wherewith their shrinking or giving
Way is to be prevented, as its opening
must always have one form.
P. A Piece of Iron, with jointures, hung
on a Crotch, fastened on the Harness.
Read the Description taken of Mr. Schultz’s method A.B., December 1764
by the Committee April 16th There were two undated communications to the Royal Society of Arts which, by comparison with other
Resolved. It appears to this committee that the method dated letters, probably arrived towards the end of December 1764.
proposed by Mr. Schultz of Diving in Armour is not new,
having been long Practised on the Coasts of Letter 112: (Content) Gentlemen,
England and Elsewhere – and that it is liable in Deep An easy, unconfin’d, and locomotive method of going into ye sea, must
Water to many great and Hazardous Inconveniences. be of great public utility. this method I have ye honour to send you.
Resolved that the this committee are of the opinion that Cause to be made a compleat dress of iron, from head to foot, made
the Regulating cocks and also the Springs for assisting so as to be impervious to ye water; if ye workman should not have
the Diver in his walking and, his Contrivance for the the art of making it close enough, sponge glued upon the openings
Diver’s being heard when under water, may be improved will perfectly hinder ye entrance of water; the forepart of ye head-
with such particular Manner of Diving with the Harness. piece stretching three inches beyond the nose, will give more than
But that the diving Bowl, as improved by the late Dr. sufficient room for breathing, anyone may be convinced, by holding
Halley and others is much better and safer for answering his hat before his face, so that no air can get in; I have tryed it, and
Ale [All] the [unreadable] proposed by that Art.5 can easily breathe so. nothing now remains but fixing glasses before
the eyes to see thro.
Mr. Favier v Mills appears to have been acting as an agent for Heinrich Schultze whose apparatus, on As it is, Gentlemen, your custom to give premiums, I ask fifty guineas,
the face of it, was reasonably successful. We know that he carried out the trials referred to, as details of and a pliny’s NaturaI History in English; the book tied up in paper
them exist in Danish Admiralty Archives6. Yet he still failed to qualify for a prize, although the reason & corded, the money put under ye covers, and kit at any house in ye
may not be that hard to find. Strand till called for in ye name of A.B. let me know ye house in ye
When George I came to the throne in 1714, he already ruled the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick- Daily Advertiser without mentioning ye money in ye Advertisement.
Lüneburg (Hanover). This connection appears to have attracted at least one from continental Europe to I am,
the possibilities offered by diving in Britain, or more probably British possessions overseas, such as the Gentlemen,
Americas. Colonel Andrew Becker was awarded a patent in February 1715 and, in August, successfully With all possible respect
demonstrated his armoured diving equipment (that is, metal upper body armour and helmet covered Your most humble servant,
in leather) in the presence of the King, by walking underwater in the river Thames in London, from A.B.
Whitehall some half a mile/~750m towards Somerset House.
Nothing more is heard of Becker, it being left to letters from the much higher profile Edmund Letter 2:13 (Content) Gentlemen,
Halley to the Royal Society (1717, 1721) to spell out the limitations of ‘armour’ such as Becker’s; There are some of ye uses of ye invention I had ye honour of lately sending to you. by
together with other methods of diving, while extolling his own method of diving bell usage with, to use this the merchant can recover his effects lost in a ship, the foundations of bridges may
modern terminology, a ‘diver lock-out’ capability. This was to be very well documented in the decades be more certainly, more easily and more expeditiously laid; the fisheries, especially
that followed, to the extent that Halley more or less dominated diving as far as the general public were the oyster and lobster, will be hereby greatly improved; Britain was heretofore
concerned until the first half of the nineteenth century. famous for pearls, this fishery may be by this means recovered, and if a ship is in
On a more practical level, while the barrel diver John Lethbridge (operational,1715-1748) carried danger of driving the sailors may by this means secure the anchor. add these the
out some highly successful salvage work, ‘armour’ appears to have still survived quite well during the numberless curiosities that may be thus found in the sea, as shells of many sorts,
first half of the 18th century. In A Course of Experimental Philosophy (1745)7, JT Desaguliers said that it coral, amber, jet, fine peddles, and a variety of other stones. Ye prospects in ye sea
had been in use some sixteen years before (that is, around 1728) and that there had been some fourteen must be most agreeable and wonderful from ye multitude of fish or different sizes
patents for similar machines8. Most of these we should suspect as originating in a heady period of and shapes, that may seen far and near swimming around.
diving patents and projects in the late 1680 and 1690s, resulting from the successful salvage operation I am,
carried out by William Phips, who had used breath-hold divers to recover silver from a Spanish wreck Gentlemen,
off the coast of Hispaniola9. your most humble serv.t
Perhaps the best known example of what could be called body armour was to be Klingert’s design A.B.
(1797)10, while the processes offered by Britain’s Industrial Revolution (from ~1790) were probably
behind the introduction of at least one full body armour design by Thomas Todd (1802)11. Shultze’s (Notes to the reverse side) I suppose ye best way of going into ye sea in ye winter, will be in a flannel
diving gear now joins the list of this later body armour, soon to be outdated by the introduction of more waistcoat and breeches and worsted stockings; under ye iron dress; and in
efficient air-pumps from the 1820s. summer; a shirt linnen drawers and thread stockings.
whoever goes into ye sea, it may be proper for him to carry a large cutting
knife for fear of any huge fish that may swallow him; without this he must be
inevitably starved, but with it he may easily cut his way out.
We have no clue as to the identity of ‘A.B.’, who not only sketched out the description of ‘body
armour’ with a helmet but also considered the need for the diver to be suitably protected from the cold.
Charles Spalding’s improved diving bell, 1776

Charles Spalding is a well known figure on the later eighteenth century diving scene, and it appears
that he received a bounty from the Society: ‘A Bounty of Twenty guineas was given to Mr. Spalding of
Edinburgh for his improvement on the Diving Bell, 1776.’
There followed,
‘A relation of some attempts made with the Diving bell, on a small scale, but on the same principles with
that of Doctor Halley, during part of the summer and autumn of 1775, with the proposed improvements.’
This was the title of Spalding’s extensive narrative of his visit to the Farne Islands in an attempt to
recover the cargo from a lost vessel, the Peggy, in which he had an interest. Today, that narrative is well
known, because the original in the Transactions was to be copied in other publications. Spalding`s
narrative was followed by a plate and description of his improved bell14.
CAAC. The body of the bell, to be made of Pipe Staves, five feet long; diameter at the bottom five feet;
diameter at the top two and a half feet.
AHA. The regulator or cap joined to the bell, by the screw AA, so that an aperture is left between the
top of the bell and the bottom of the cap, all round, except where these screws join them; this contains
about twenty-five wine gallons, and can be taken off from the bell occasionally.
B. The Balance weight with its pullies and rope. The weight is first let down to the bottom of the sea,
and by the action of the diver at the pulley, though he does not raise the weight, the bell descends; the
bell being loaded with weights C in such a manner that the relative gravity of the whole machine may
be nearly equal to the specific gravity of the sustaining fluid.
D. Hooks to which cross ropes are fastened, for the operator to rest upon; seats round the bell being not
inconvenient, but even dangerous.
E. The common air-cock for passing the phlogisticated air from the bell, immediately into the external
water.
F. Another air-cock for filling the regulator with air from the bell, and consequently expelling the water
through the before-mentioned aperture, between the cap and the bell, to restore equilibrium.
I. Small windows.
K. Air-vessels; these vessels being open below, are loaded with weights similar to the bell, so that they descend
through the water by their own gravity; in the top of each a leathern pipe is inserted, with a cock at the Fig. 3
end. These pipes communicate the air from the vessels to the bell. They contain about forty wine gallons Charles Spalding’s improved
Diving Bell, 1776.
each, and are directed down to the bell by L, two lines joining the bell, and the ship above.
M. The signal-line.
Spalding’s one serious mistake appears to imagine that he was bleeding ‘phlogisticated’ or exhaled air from
N. Ropes-ends, to be caught hold of in case of accidents.
the top of the bell (marked E, top right hand side). This was based on old ideas, as previously embraced
Spalding’s main improvement was the ‘regulator’ or ‘cap’, an enclosed space at the top of the bell into by Mårten Triewald (1732)15 that hot exhaled air rose. In reality its carbon dioxide content, being a dense
which air could be bled at depth, then, at slightly shallower depths the air, being under pressure, could gas, sank to the bottom of the bell from where it may or may not have then unwittingly been expelled
be bled back into the bell volume as required. His air-vessels for bringing air down to the bell had been under the rim when a surfeit of fresh air was introduced into the bell from the reservoir or the air-vessels.
copied directly from Halley’s original proposal, Halley, in turn, having picked up on and developed an In a tragic episode that gripped the public imagination, Charles Spalding and his young companion
original idea first proposed by the polymath Robert Hook to the Royal Society of London in 1664. were to be asphyxiated while working with his bell in 1783.
Thomas Wainwright’ Diving Machine, 1782 Mr. Wainwright’s description is more of a summary of what may have been a variation on body
Two letters were received from a Thomas Wainwright in October and November 1782, the first of armour. Saying that it needed to be flexible need not necessarily imply that it needed be made of flexible
which appears to have been mislaid for some 168 years. material, such that the diver could move his limbs. That is, any joints should be able to bend.
In his second letter, Wainwright pointed out that the description of his invention had been in the
Letter 1: (Address) Description of a Diving Machne first letter - the one the RSA should have already received, but was only finally opened in 1954. By
To the Worthy Society for the incouragment of arts & C. Desired it not be open leave also relating that he had lost his pocket book with its description of his invention, Mr. Wainwright
be given. compounds any query by implying that the description should already have been with the RSA, yet he
No. 64 King St. By Gentlemen obviously could not recall that description from memory or he would surely have repeated it.
Snows Fds Your mt Nble Servt
Southwark T Wheelwright Mr. Cross’s ‘Diving Case’, 178217
7 Octr 1782 (Address) To
Note in pencil. This letter was found folded but unsealed and was opened and read on June 10th 1954. The Society of
Arts
(Content) I have read of many methods of Diving, all of which appears to me to be clog’d with Received of 6th of Nov 1782
difficulties and often to fall short of their proposed ends.
A Machine the Difficulties complaind of ought 1st To be Water and Air tight, Mr Cross on Diving Machine
the admission of water would drown the Diver. 2nd second it should be Flexible Mechanics
else the diver could not move his limbs therein. 3rdly it shd be intirely of nearly Novr 6th 1782
incompressible, else the Diver at some considerable depth wd b
(Content)
6th Novr 1782_____
Gentlemen_____
Letter 2 16: (Address) Mr. Wainwright on Diving Machine Mechanics A new invented Diving Case is
Nov 13th 1782 humbley laid before you to show how a man
can live under water and take proper nourishment [and]
(Content) Sir, the air is to be forced into the Case and a tube to
As I lost my Pocket Book 7 Days since, [and: deleted] let out the Internal Air, a man can go with saftey
containing amonkst other things a Description under a Ships Bottom and stop Leakes Etc____
of Diving Machine of my own invention; Gentlemen should this Diving Case
and thinking it might Passably fall into be aproved of youll Do honour to your most
the hands of a Person Who mi[g]ht make use Devoted Servant
of the Description to my prejudice; I have John Cross
therefore (inclosed) sent you a Description of the N [No.] 11 Cross Street Haton Gardin
same, in order (should that be the case) to be
protected by your Generous Society: Which according Cross’s invention appears to have been of an entirely different design to that of Wainwright, the
to your kind advice I beg the favour not be puzzle being what it actually looked like. It could well have been a diving barrel similar to Lethbridge’s
opened till you hear further from with a breathing tube attached, as such a design had been put forward and used at the beginning of the
Sir eighteenth century. Or, it could have been yet another variation on body armour.
No 62 Kings Street
Snows Fields Southwark Your very humble Servant
Walter Brown, 178318
7th Oct 1782 Thom. Wainwright
This correspondence comprised two letters sent by Mr. Brown from a debtor’s prison in Newcastle upon
P.S. I sent 2 letters to Lord Keppel concerning Tyne, the beginning of the second letter indicating that the first had been answered. The second letter
my Diving Machine. The 1st is dated 7 Sept 1782 reveals that Brown had been successful in the past and received rewards for his inventions in the linen
which proves that my Machine was previously industry. At a guess, he was in prison because his business had failed. Being long and rambling with
invented. NB. I write to the Navy Board this nothing of interest on diving, the second letter has not been reproduced below. We are however, still
day. left with a clear window into the depths of misery that existed in that age.
as horses with Carriges [Carriages] may be so trained, My Present Destreses [Distress]

hinders me from -etten [waiting?] upon you. Being Confined for a small unjust Debt;
now
above this two years, [and] a wife and five small Children the youngest
one of twinty one in lawfowll [lawful] wedlocke, the oldest of the five not
nin [nine] years old, your answer [and] if you Chouse [Choose] the two Copeys
[Copies] I wrote the admmmeralety [Admiralty?], I will send you [and] what questions
Fig. 4 The address page you want thereon: so am Sir
of Walter Brown’s second Your Poor aflicted
letter to the RSA in 1783. Newgate of Newcastle
Stamped in Newscastle by Most homble servant
the postal service of the age, upon Tyne 7 Octr 1783
it has a second stamp (17th
W Brown
November) which may
Derected [Directed?] to Walter Brown
be when it was received
in London. It was then Newgate Street Newscastle
annotated to indicate its
content and the date it was Reportedly Mr. Wright’s had used his diving cap to successfully walk underwater in the River Nene,
received by the RSA between Wisbech and Northamption for three hours and seventeen minutes19.
(18th November).
Daniel Duncan on ‘Diving Machine Mechanics’, 179120

(Address) To (Address) Mr. Samual More
John Arthbuthnot Esq John Street
at Adelphi
Mitchum
or to the Daniel [David: deleted]
Secretary of the Art and Sciences Duncan on Diving
Strand Feby.16.1791
London
(Content) Mr. Samuel More
Mr Browne Sir having invented a Diving machine for
Octr. 7. 1783 recovering of vessels & their cargoes when sunk
[with Book: deleted] & seeing an Advertisment at the Royal
to-be-answrd Exchange mentioning you Secretary to the
before the Honourable society for encouragement and In-
Admiralty provement of Arts sciences and Commerce I
Ans. No. 10 would be greatly obliged to view the Machine &
operation of Diving in it as am Convinced it is
(Content) Sir the savest [safest] most portable of the kind ever
I see by the reapers [papers?] that on Mr Wright has meade [made] the invented for it may be put in to a small bag
Derescoverie of a diver Cap, its sixten years since I Did so [and] upon the and will not weigh half a hundred and may
Death of Mr Spaldon [Spalding], I wrot the Lords of the admmeralety [Admiralty] how be fixed for Diving in two minutes If you please
I Could go Down [and] work at aney Depeth of water [and] Deliver my Spech[Speech] I will carry it to your house any day next week
[and] Recive answers fro[m] above, in ase maney fadones [as many fathoms?] as he had Where you can pass your opinion upon it
Bene Down foutts [Been Down ?]: [and] that aney [any] Number of men may Do so By sending an answer to the above you will
Very much oblige Your answer with all conveenent [convenient]

Speed will greatley [greatly] oblige
Tooley street your most obt. humbl sevt
th Sirs
Febby 12
Your most Humble Servant
1791 Daniel Duncan
James Millar
P.S. Sir please pardon the freedom for having at Mrs. Smiths
No patron or friends few acquantences in town
and little money makes it very Disagreeable On the face of it, this has nothing to do with diving. However, safety at sea and, a little later, safety
Please Direct to the Care of John Clark underwater was to become an issue, so that by the 1830s there were to be a number of devices and ideas
No.66 Tooley Street Southwark DD put forward to allow a diver to rise to the surface and out of danger. Certainly, by 1808 ideas about
compressed gases, or the possibility of compressing gases, would have been in circulation. Viewed from
Was this another diving helmet, similar to Mr.Wright’s?
this perspective, Mr. Millar’s invention appears to have been setting a precedent.
Dr. Laurence Holker Potts, 1848

James Millar, 180821
There is no letter, only a
(Content) No.13 Berwick Street
drawing which had been
Decembr. 20th 1808
folded, the reverse marked:
Having for this some time past made it
my study to find out the following Planes [Plans] 1848
[Waye?] Dr. Potts on a
An Apperatuse [Apparatus] for Raising ships New
Floundered at sea Application of his
A diving dress to go down in Pneumatic
the same Process
and an an apperatuse [apparatus] for gowing [going]
in Between the Cloth and the The drawing shows a diver
linning [lining] of a Westcoat [Waistcoat] so as not to inside a sunken vessel, using
be combersom [cumbersome] and that in a few something which appears
seconds may be made an Effectuall [Effectual] similar to a modern airlift.
means[s] of keeping any Person in danger However, Potts` device is more
by means of ship wreck & above water akin to a vacuum cleaner,
till Boats cane [can] Conveaneantly [Conveniently] Pick them utilising a pump to draw
up air out of reservoirs, in turn
and having Prepeared [Prepared] moddeles [models] of these "sucking up" material from the
apparatuses on which Great Improvements sea bed. The invention was
Cane easely [can easily] be made – will you therefor not, however, very practical as
[erased: illegible][inserted: be so kind & ] make the Contents of my letter it could only be used in shallow
knowen [known] to the Socetey [Society] so as to have the water, due to the fact that it is
Moddales [Models] examind [examined] as it is not in my power impossible to lift water more
To stap [stop] mouch [much] longer in Town and have than 10 metres (equivalent to
Already one atmosphere) by suction.
Also, water would be drawn up
(Reverse side of page) Laid out Considerable Expense on those more readily than the heavier
moddales [models] and have note [not] reserved so mouch [much] material to be gathered from
as is sufficent [sufficient] to carry me to my own hame [home] the sea bed and would rapidly
which is in the North of Scotland flood the reservoirs. Fig. 5 Dr. Laurence Holker Potts, 1848.
Mr. White’s Diving Apparatus, 1861 Later RSA connections with diving
The following description appeared in the Journal of the Society of Arts in July 1861. It seems that the Premium Award Scheme came to a natural end sometime around the mid-nineteenth
century, although that was not the end of any association between the RSA and diving.
‘DIVING APPARATUS
In 1880, Dr. Benjamin Ward Richardson FRS gave a lecture on the Fleuss Diving Apparatus. This
The following extracted from the Times:-
was Henry Fleuss’s original self-contained diving suit, a later version of which was used by the diver
The experiments with the diving apparatus on the plan suggested by Mr. White, surgeon, of Finchley, Alexander Lambert during the work following the flooding of the Severn (rail) Tunnel. Interestingly,
were resumed on Wednesday, the 3rd of July, at Portsmouth Dockyard, in the presence of the officials of the during his historical introduction, Dr. Richardson credited Augustus Siebe with the invention of the
establishment by order of the Commissioners of the Admiralty. Mr. White’s invention consists of a cylinder, open-dress in 182924.
in lieu of the ordinary diving dress, and of two vulcanised india-rubber tubes in lieu of an air pump for the Following the work of the Admiralty committee on deep diving in 1906, J.S. Haldane MD FRS
supply of air. The tubes are used by Mr.White both with the customary diving dress and helmet when the presented his findings in 1908, including that work related to the development of decompression tables,
work to be done lies on the ground, and with the cylinder when the latter is used for cleaning the bottoms of in a Shaw lecture The hygiene of work in compressed air25.
iron ships. The cylinder in use was roughly formed of wood, and hooped with iron. It leaked so much that Fleuss’s apparatus, as later improved by Siebe Gorman (1904), was to receive a gold medal from
it could not be kept under water a length of time. The cylinder is constructed of sufficient size to contain a the RSA in 1911 (under the Shaw trust) in competition with a number of other breathing apparatus’s,
man, with room enough to give play to his shoulders, his arms working free outside through holes in the case including the ‘Draeger compressed oxygen apparatus’, which received a silver medal26.
fitted with vulcanised india-rubber sleeves. These however, can be readily dispensed with if the operation to The next important figure in the modern history of diving to address the RSA was Sir Robert H.
be performed is simply the scraping of the vessel’s bottom, a scraper being fitted in front of the cylinder with Davis of Siebe Gorman and Company, who gave three Thomas Gray lectures in 1934 on Deep Diving
its handle working from the interior through an india-rubber valve. The top of the cylinder is closed by a and Underwater Rescue. The content of these lectures was extracted from the manuscript of his Deep
cap, in which are glass lights to enable the man to see his work, and which is fastened by india-rubber springs Diving and Submarine Operations, which was published the following year and endures to this day as
and hooks from the inside. A brass nut screws into the centre of the cylinder cap through which pass two the most comprehensive book ever on diving.
india-rubber tubes for the supply of fresh air and the discharge of the heated air from the cylinder. The supply
pipe is fitted with a mouthpiece. By a simple contrivance it is fastened over the mouth of the man inside the Conclusions
cylinder, who thus draws each breath directly of the man under the ship though the tube from the surface of With their Premium Award Scheme the Royal Society of Arts offered an outlet to public ingenuity from
the water overhead. Each respiration of the man under the ship’s bottom can be counted by those in charge the beginning of what became the Industrial Revolution, and helped stimulate the nation’s inventive
of the tube ends by the working of a slight valve at the end of the supply tube, the stoppage of which will at minds. Without their help, many great inventions may never have seen the light of day. Included in
once indicate that something is wrong below. There are other means of safety. Through the two tubes which their successes were John Davis’s telescopic ladder on wheels for use in fire rescues (1810), tried out
supply the fresh and discharge the heated air, conversation to any extent may be kept up between the man at with a simulated rescue from an upper floor of the Society’s own premises. It is a design which is still
work below and those who are in attendance on him above, by which means he also directs the movement of in use. There was also Henry Greathead’s lifeboat (1822), in line with The Royal National Lifeboat
the cylinder to any portion of the ship’s bottom to which his work may require him to go. In the event of any Institution being formed in 1824. An air of invention paid dividends for diving at the beginning of
sudden and unforeseen danger, when there is time to communicate through the tube, the man can cast loose the nineteenth century, with John Deane’s ‘smoke’ helmet (patented 1823) later finding re-application
the springs of the cylinder cap and, throwing it off, rise to the surface of the water in his inflated india-rubber as the first copper helmet diving apparatus. We know that he gave demonstrations to other eminent
life jacket. Although the trial was necessarily short owing to the leakage of the cylinder, it was quite sufficient bodies although it appears that he did not approach the RSA, even though we know that towards the
to prove the soundness of the principle, and its adaptability, at a wonder fully cheap rate, for cleaning the end of the 1820s the Deane brothers only turned to diving because they could not find acceptance for
bottoms of iron ships when afloat and without the means of docking.’ 23 the apparatus.
Many of the early inventions were preserved by the RSA as models. For instance, the Transactions
Mr. White’s apparatus appears to be an updated version of John Lethbridge’s well known diving note that in 1776 there was a ‘Model of a machine for fishing Goods from the bottom the sea. To Mr. –
barrel (in use 1715-43), with vulcanised rubber in place of leather sleeves and ‘rubber valve’ (as a Fraser, TEN GUINEAS’27. Unfortunately those models no longer exist.
flexible hull penetration) allowing a scraper to be used externally. The mouthpiece on the air supply
tube, assured that the diver had a fresh supply and did not have to draw air from the main body of
Acknowledgments
cylinder, which would have had a high carbon dioxide content, intended to be exhausted by way of a
second tube which also permitted communication with the surface. My thanks to the staff and library at the Royal Society of Arts, London, in particular Archivist Evelyn
The diver sealed himself in the apparatus, holding down the ‘cylinder cap’ internally using india- Watson and Rebecca Short, who made all of the correspondence available and provided so much
rubber springs placed over hooks. The idea was to release the cap in an emergency, so that the diver associated information and guidance. Thanks are also due to Susan Bennett of The William Shipley
could ascend using his india-rubber lifejacket. It could not have worked, as the interior was at Group for RSA History, and to Peter Jackson, HDS, for his input and help.
atmospheric pressure with the cap held firmly in place by water pressure. Mr.White had made full use
of the then recent advances in rubber technology, but failed to appreciate basic physics.
Under trial the apparatus had leaked; but then so had John Lethbridge’s barrel.
64 The International Journal of Diving History
References Also published by the Historical Diving Society:

1. Franklin belonged to the RSA, his main interest being trade with North America.
2. Personal communication from Rebecca Short, RSA Archive and Library Trainee, 2010. Jacob ROWE. A Demonstration of the Diving Engine.
3. RSA. PR.GE/110/14/145.
4. RSA. PR.GE/110/14/147.
An eighteenth century illustrated manuscript,
5. RSA Minutes of Committees 1762-63 , pp.116-117. reproduced in facsimile, with a transcription of the text
6. Details of Schultz’s trials are due to be published shortly in the HDS Denmark’s magazine and a biography of the author by Michael Fardell and Nigel Phillips.
Dykkehistorisk Tidsskrift. Crown quarto, 39 pages including 15 duotone plates, case bound with dust jacket.
7. J. T. Desaguliers, A Course of Experimental Philosophy,1745, vol.2, plate XX. £18. ISBN 0 948O65 39 7
8. op. cit. vol.2, p.214.
9. Peter Earle, Treasure Hunt, 2008.
10. K.H.von Klingert, Beschreibung einer in allen flüssen branchbaren Tauchen-maschine, Breslau, 1797
C.A. DEANE. Submarine Researches (1836).
(1799). For the picture, see R.O'Reilly & J.N.Barbier, Nouvelle Machine à plongeur, in Annales des The first book on the diving helmet and dress.
arts et Manufactures, (1800)–1815, Tome III, p.274-290, and plates 9 and 10 (p.336). A facsimile of the original edition, with an introduction by John Bevan.
11. HDTimes, Summer 2012, no.54, p.7-10. Large crown quarto, 86 pages including 18 plates, case bound with dust jacket.
12. RSA. PR.GE/110/14/147. £18. ISBN 1 900496 14 3
13. RSA. PRO. PR.GE/110/14/147.
14. Transactions of the Society of Arts, vol.2 (1784), pp. 220-237 and p.182.
15. Mårten Triewald, Improvements to the Diving Bell, Roy.Soc.Phil.Trans., pp.377-383, Nov.1,1732.
K.H. KLINGERT. Description of a Diving Machine (1797)
16. RSA. A13/73. Admiral Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel PC (1725-1786) was an officer in and A Brief Supplement to the History and Description of a Diving Machine (1822)
the Royal Navy during the Seven Year’s War and the War of American Independence, during which Translated into English. With an Introduction by Michael Jung. London: 2002.
he served as First Lord of the Admiralty. In 1782 he was still a Member of Parliament for Surrey. Crown quarto, 51 pages, 8 illustrations, case bound with full colour dust jacket.
17. RSA. PRO. PR.MC/101/10/2109. £18. ISBN 0 9543834 0 0
18. RSA.PR.MC/101/10/1424.
19. York Courant, Sept. 30th, 1783.
20. RSA.PR.MC/101/10/483.
Mårten TRIEWALD. The Art of Living Under Water (1734).
21. RSA.PR.MC/101/10/933. Originally written in Swedish in 1734 ... and now translated into English,
22. RSA. PR.MC/101/10/124. together with the Use of the Art of Living under Water (1741), by C. J. L. Croft,
23. Journal of The Society of Arts, July 12th 1861, p.621-2. Lars Gustafsson and Michael Kahan. With a life of the author, based on an essay
24. JRSA, xxviii, 557; xxix.18. by the late Captain Bo Cassel (Royal Swedish Navy) and an introduction and
25. JRSA, lvi, 213-226.
26. JRSA, June 16th, 1911, 779-781.
commentary by Michael Fardell and Nigel Phillips. London: 2004.
Crown quarto, 96 pages. 21 illustrations, case bound with dust jacket.
27. RSA, Transactions, Vol.2, 1784, p.182.
£24. ISBN 0 9543834 1 9
Peter Dick began his working life in Kodak Research Laboratories, ran the first recreational diving school on the John LETHBRIDGE. Michael Fardell.
island of Malta, eventually becoming a deep diver in the North Sea oil and gas sector, then ended his career as
The most successful treasure diver of the eighteenth century.
a consultant in underwater engineering. Since 2003 he has edited the Historical Diving Times and latterly the
Crown quarto, 101 pages, 26 illustration, case bound with dust jacket.
International Journal of Diving History for the Historical Diving Society.
£24. ISBN 9543834 4 3
In addition, Proceedings of the Conferences for 2001-2011 are also available.

The Historical Diving Society
www.thehds.com
The Historical Diving Society was founded in

England in 1990 with the aims of promoting and
co-ordinating research into the history and development
of underwater exploration and the preservation of
associated archives and artifacts.
It is now widely represented internationally enabling
a worldwide exchange of news, views and research
which has uncovered much previously hidden material
and in many instances, has dramatically changed the
perception of diving history.
In addition to the Journal, the Historical Diving
Society publishes a magazine, Historical Diving Times,
monographs of rare works on diving history, videos on
the history of diving, and the proceedings of its annual
conference which is attended by speakers and guests
from around the world.
To purchase copies of its publications and for more

information about the Society visit the website,
www.thehds.com, or email: info@thehds.com.
Registered charity No. 1054184
0-9543834-6-X

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The International Journal

President: Vice Admiral Sir Richard Jeffrey Ibbotson KBE CB DSC

We invite articles, book reviews, correspondence, Points of style

Inert Gas Narcosis and the High Pressure Nervous

Fig. 14 PA61/II Spare Parts

Augustus Siebe’s Introduction to Russia

Fig. 1 The port of Odessa, 1840

A New Diving Dress and more…

Box #2. 2 pairs of watertight India rubber diving dress.

Fig. 1 Map of Guernsey

Chronology of Hans Hass’s post-war diving expeditions

The First Prototype, PR229

“What I mean is this: Nothing larger than it really needs to be.”

The Second Prototype, PR230

Fig. 11 Hans Hass holding the

Charles Spalding’s improved diving bell, 1776

as horses with Carriges [Carriages] may be so trained, My Present Destreses [Distress]

Daniel Duncan on ‘Diving Machine Mechanics’, 179120

Very much oblige Your answer with all conveenent [convenient]

Dr. Laurence Holker Potts, 1848

References Also published by the Historical Diving Society:

In addition, Proceedings of the Conferences for 2001-2011 are also available.

The Historical Diving Society was founded in

To purchase copies of its publications and for more

Registered charity No. 1054184

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