Dive into History: The History of Diving Museum Collections Blog

One Hundred Years Ago Today...

2012-01-22T13:38:00.008-05:00

...Henry Flagler rode a train all the way to Key West. Today we don't think too much of driving over a seemingly endless chain of islands and bridges as we drive from Florida's mainland to Key West (with a stop at the History of Diving Museum on the way, of course). But in 1912, it was a very big deal. Nothing like it had ever been attempted.

The Key West Extension of the Florida Keys Over-Sea Railway was called "Flagler's Folly,"a nod to the fact that many thought it was an impossible feat. But Flagler proved them all wrong on January 22, 1912 when he and wife, Mary Lily, rolled into town on a special Pullman sleeping car. After seven years of setbacks, Flagler's dream had finally come true. For a complete historical timeline of the Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad, visit this website: http://www.flaglerkeys100.com/fec-railroad-overseas-extension

As this month marks the centennial of this occassion, there has been an upsurge in this (almost) unbelievable story. Several new books have been published, new documentaries produced, and a host of special events held to commemorate this special anniversary.

One thing that hasn't changed much is that we still know very little about the divers who were involved in building the Over-Sea Railroad. There are only two known photographs showing divers from this project. Both are from the collection of the Pigeon Key Foundation.

The Miller-Dunn Divinhood was just coming into popularity at this time, but the divers who worked on Flagler's Railroad wore hard helmets bolted to canvas suits. In other words, they were full-dressed divers. Note the large air pumps in the two photos below. A lot of man power was needed to allow the divers simply to breathe.

We hope you enjoyed these photos. They are staff favorites here at the History of Diving Museum. As always, we're looking for more, so let us know if you know of any other photos of divers from this project or era.

Happy Centennial, Henry!

-Erin
Interim Director/Manager of Collections and Administration

Under Pressure: Decompression Chambers

2011-12-20T16:27:00.014-05:00

I have to admit, decompression sickness and hyperbaric medicine are two things I know very little about. They are both complex subjects, so I'm very thankful - and grateful - for the doctors who are able to utilize pressurized chambers and oxygen, a gas that we all breathe every single day, to save lives.

Decompression sickness (DCS) is a very serious issue for our sport. Originally coined 'caissons' disease' in the 19th century, it was first discovered in bridge construction workers who experienced joint pain upon returning from working in pressurized enclosures (caissons) at the bottom of rivers and lakes. Today it is commonly referred to as "the bends."

Here at the History of Diving Museum, we have two decompression chambers. The one below is located just outside our building and dates to the 1960's. It features a very simple cylindrical design and two view ports to observe the patient.

It is considered roomy compared to the collapsible chamber located inside our "Abyss" exhibit. This is an extremely rare chamber made by the German company, Drager. Its telescopic quality allows it to fit inside a small box and expand quickly for emergency situations aboard a ship. It also features two view ports for observation.

If you are interested in learning more about how hyperbaric chambers are used to treat the bends and other ailments, join us at the Museum on Wednesday, December 21st at 7pm. Dennis Holstein, Program Director for Hyperbaric Medicine and Would Care Departments at Mariners Hospital, will present a free program, "Hyperbaric Medicine: It's Not Just for Divers."

-Erin
Manager of Collections and Administration
All photos courtesy of the History of Diving Museum

Exhibit Talk: Transforming the South Florida Room

2011-11-22T10:16:00.009-05:00

Our team has been hard at work on transforming one of our most popular exhibits, The South Florida Room, so I wanted to give an update on the amazing progress that has been made in the past few months.

Some of my favorite helmets in our collection can be found in the South Florida Room. The exhibit centers on the Divinhood - the world's first commercially produced open bottom helmet which unquestionably changed diving history. The story of William Miller and William Dunn's Divinhood is a great one - but it is our collection of homemade helmets (inspired by the open bottom concept the Divinhood introduced) that seem to be some of the most popular and memorable artifacts, both for our staff as well as our visitors.

Above is one of our more famous - or infamous - helmets. Dubbed "The Rum Runner," this homemade helmet was used in the 1920's in smuggling operations during Prohibition. Contraband whiskey dropped in the Detroit River by Canadians was spotted through the breastplate window.

The concept of the open bottom helmet was so simple and useful, that craftsmen in garages started using household items to build their own version of the Divinhood. What they produced were many oddly shaped helmets, each truly one-of-a-kind.

Our curator of exhibits, Tim Hemsoth, is finishing this newly constructed wall as I type and it's looking really fabulous. As you can see from the "Before" and "After" photos, Tim has created a "forest" of helmets from floor to ceiling, backlit with a blue spotlight. Enjoy the photos and below and let us know what you think!

Before

After

As a result of redesigning the floor plan in the South Florida Room, we'll also be making some changes to our Underwater Photography exhibit and the Treasure Room in the near future. Below you can see we've taken a wall down to open up the entrance to the Treasure Room and create a better traffic flow.

Hope you've enjoyed seeing all the updates. Stay tuned for more!

-Erin
Manager of Collections and Administration

All photos courtesy of the History of Diving Museum

Henry Fleuss: An Early SCUBA Pioneer

2011-11-04T12:44:00.010-04:00

Henry Fleuss (1851-1933) was a diving engineer for Siebe, Gorman & Co. of London. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of diving and some even credit him as the first SCUBA diver. You didn't think it was Jacques Cousteau, did you?

Though he is credited with many other inventions including the Fleuss vacuum pump and a steam car, it is widely accepted that his most important was for the first self-contained breathing apparatus (SCUBA) using pure compressed oxygen. Originally designed in 1876, he was granted a patent for the apparatus in 1878 which freed the diver from having to rely on breathing surface-supplied air.

The apparatus consisted of a rubber mask, a breathing bag, a copper tank to hold the oxygen, and a scrubber. The closed-circuit system was designed to reuse the oxygen by removing the carbon dioxide using a rope yarn soaked in a solution of caustic potash. Originally used to rescue mine workers, Fleuss was lauded for this early SCUBA apparatus.

Its revolutionary and brilliant design became an invaluable piece of equipment for military operations during WWII. The Fleuss rebreather came to be preferred over all other available diving apparatus because it offered the diver total concealment (no air bubbles!).

Although the Fleuss rebreather limited the diver's working depth due to the threat of oxygen toxicity, it was truly revolutionary and is without a doubt a very important part of diving history.

Visit the Museum to learn more about early rebreathers and the evolution of other early SCUBA equipment!

-Erin
Manager of Collections and Administration

Jake's Journey: Closer to Home

2011-10-30T11:46:00.007-04:00

Meet our friend Jake. Some of you may have had the chance to see him on display at First State Bank in Key Largo where he has been on loan for the past two years. Jake has served as an outreach tool for the History of Diving Museum by helping to spread the word about our institution while making many new friends.

After his assignment in Key Largo was up, we were very happy to receive news that Hampton Inn and Suites in Islamorada was interested in 'adopting' Jake to become part of their family. When they assured us that Jake would have plenty of play dates with friends from around the world every day of the week, we knew it was a perfect fit! We are so happy to announce Jake's return to Upper Matecumbe Key. He is now on display just inside the lobby - ready to greet guests and again serve as an ambassador for the Museum.

'Jake', a full-dressed diver on loan from the History of Diving Museum, is now on temporary display at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Islamorada, Florida.

After about a month in his new home, we can report that Jake is very happy and feeling settled. We are so happy to have him closer to home!

The next time you are passing by, visit Jake and make sure he's behaving himself.

-Erin
Manager of Collections and Administration

A Diver and His Helmet: A Happy Reunion

2011-10-21T10:28:00.000-04:00

It was a routine business call that brought Jon Hazelbaker to Upstate New York last week, but the series of events that took place were anything but ordinary.

In 1986, commercial diver Jon Hazelbaker was working on a big diving project in Corinth, New York for the International Paper Company. After about three months, the job was almost complete. However, he was called back for a few more days to work on another part of the power plant. After packing up his gear - helmet and everything - Hazelbaker headed back into Albany and checked in to a hotel around 1 o'clock in the morning. The next day started early around 6am. and as he was checking out of the hotel, he discovered that his truck had been broken into. His helmet was gone.

This discovery was completely disheartening, not only because of its obvious monetary value, but because Hazelbaker had accumulated literally thousands of hours working time in it; it was a helmet that he had used and lovingly abused for 16 years.

Devastated, he took out ads in local newspapers and trade magazine with a photo of the helmet (pictured above) and offering a reward for its return. He even sent out letters and photos to local dive shops and other commercial dive firm competitors.

Flash forward 25 years to 2011 when Hazelbaker was assigned by ADCI to perform a safety audit for commercial diving firm Seaway Diving & Salvage - a routine practice in the industry. While scheduling his visit to Waterford, New York, Hazelbaker recited the story of his stolen helmet to the owner of Seaway, Tim Joslyn. After a few minutes, Joslyn said, "I think we have that picture still here." He quickly located the original photo from 1986 in a file and told Hazelbaker that he knew where that helmet was. The previous owner, Kevin Lengyel, had kept the photo around all those years. Overwhelmed with joy, he exclaimed over the phone, "Tim, that is my hat!"

After taking care of business at Seaway, Hazelbaker took Joslyn's advice and soon found himself en route to a dive shop in Clifton Park, New York - ready to get his hat back. Upon arrival, Hazelbaker was asked to identify the helmet in detail, and of course he was able to recall each and every fitting and dent in the helmet, many unique to this particular hat. After a little while, he was finally reunited with his old helmet, almost 25 years to the day when it was stolen.

Commercial diver Jon Hazelbaker reunited with his helmet in Upstate New York.

Hazelbaker gives credit to the owners of Seaway for this happy reunion; to Kevin, who kept the picture around so long, and to Tim who is responsible for putting all the pieces together.

If you have any happy stories like this one, we would love to hear about them!

-Erin
Manager of Collections and Administration

Capt. Jon Hazelbaker is a commercial diving consultant and Board Member at the History of Diving Museum.

Remembering an Aquanaut: Dewey D. Smith

2011-10-11T19:08:00.013-04:00

As we gear up for our next event, I can't help but to be reminded of a certain helmet in our permanent collection. Next week's program, "Space Exploration and the Aquarius Underwater Habitat" will be presented by a team of Aquanauts and talk about their latest mission with NASA.

NOAA Aquarius Reef Base, colloquially known as Aquarius, is an underwater laboratory located in 63 feet of water approximately 3 1/2 miles offshore of Key Largo in the Florida Keys and is often used by marine biologists studying the reefs. For the past 10 years, NASA has used the underwater habitat for its NEEMO missions to study the effects of extreme environments.

On May 5, 2009, NOAA, Aquarius, and the diving community lost a friend and true hero. Dewey D. Smith was a habitat technician for Aquarius who passed away at the age of 36 as a result of a diving accident. He had worked as a diver with Aquarius for two years and previously served in the US Navy as a Medical Corpsman for five years.

His passing truly left a huge void in the Aquarius family. In honor of Smith's life and legacy, the Aquarius Reef Base donated a Superlite 17 helmet to the Museum. The Superlite 17 is a modern helmet with a fiberglass shell and built-in demand regulator and is the helmet most frequently worn by the Aquanauts. Initially on special display in our Research Library, we are happy to announce that it is now on permanent display in our Commercial Diving exhibit (yellow helmet pictured below).

Every time the Aquanauts come to the Museum for a presentation, you can be sure to find each one paying a visit to the commercial diving exhibit where they remember their friend. We are proud to display this helmet and and honored to present it in memory of Dewey. He will surely be present in all of our thoughts on Wednesday.

-Erin
Manager of Collections and Administration

Literacy Month: A New Chapter for HDM

2011-09-28T15:07:00.000-04:00

Did you know that September is National Literacy Month? There have been special events happening at libraries, parks, and museums all over the country, and although we haven't had one here just yet (we're planning something special in February!), it has certainly been an exciting month for us at the History of Diving Museum.

We hope that you have already heard about the development of our Research Library, but if not, here's your chance to catch up! Over the past year we have been working on building the Bauer Diving History Research Library, a special collection library and archive to house thousands of books and archival materials related to the history of diving. Funded in part through a grant provided by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, it is a project that the entire staff has put many hours into and we are excited to see it almost complete. The Bauer Diving History Research Library is named after the museum's founders, Drs. Joe and Sally Bauer.

So what's so exciting about this month??? BOOKS! We have finally begun to fill our bookshelves and let me tell you that after staring at empty bookcases for months and months as we finished construction and technical upgrades (think 70" flat screen TV), it feels so amazing to walk in the space and see the shelves so full and happy. We still have a long way to go as we finish moving books from our Collections Storage into the Library as well as processing the Bauer Collection, but the progress feels great!

The majority of materials come from the Bauer Collection - amassed by Drs. Joe and Sally Bauer over approximately four decades. Their collection contains thousands of rare books as well as photographs, patent drawings, posters, articles, and so much more that will be made available to the public through the very first research library of its kind - dedicated entirely to the history of diving and man's longstanding quest to explore under the sea.

The opening and dedication of the Bauer Library will be held in February and we'll be sure let you know all the details.

Stay tuned to the blog for more!

-Erin, Manager of Collections and Administration

The Divinhood: Practical and Profitable

2011-09-02T11:37:00.006-04:00

"A diving apparatus so simple anyone can use it."

That was the slogan for the Miami-based Miller-Dunn Company who designed and produced the Divinhood helmet in the early part of the 20th century. A summary of the significance of this helmet can be found in an earlier blog entry here.

As you may know by now, we love the Divinhood. But before the Style 2 gained fame as the centerpiece for the History of Diving Museum's logo, it was lauded at the time by many for its simplicity, affordability, and practicality. Today I wanted to share with you some contemporaneous quotes from those who used the Divinhood and shared their success stories with Miller and Dunn themselves.

"We want to thank you for building it and congratulate ourselves for buying it."
- W. H. Ebsary, January 12, 1926

"I would not be without it."
- E. F. McDonald, Jr., September 29, 1927

"This is to inform you that since the receipt of the Divinhood we purchased from you two weeks ago, we have recovered over $500.00 worth of merchandise that had gone overboard in Biscayne Bay and could not be found by skin divers. It has already paid for itself."
- John. T. Bennett, July 1st, 1925

"I sat down on a convenient rock, shut my eyes and recited to myself, 'I am not at home, nor near any city or people; I am far out in the Pacific near a desert island, sitting on the bottom of the ocean; I am deep down in the water in a place where no human being has ever been before; it is one of the greatest moments of my whole life; thousands of people would pay large sums, would forego much for five minutes of this!' "
- William Beebe, New York Zoological Society, December 25th, 1925

William Beebe in the Miller-Dunn Style 2 Divinhood

All quotes taken from American Dive Catalog Collection by Ray Mathieson.

-Erin, Manager of Collections and Administration

'Not So Basic' Cable

2011-07-14T14:15:00.015-04:00

Every week at the History of Diving Museum seems to be a treasure hunt of sorts, as I am constantly uncovering new and exciting objects in the collections. This week was no exception, with the booty coming in the form of a small but significant artifact: an original piece of the transatlantic telegraph cable!

The transatlantic telegraph cable was the first cable to allow telegraphic communications across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and North America. It was a monumental achievement at the time, reducing message delivery time from days or weeks to mere minutes. A lasting connection was not achieved until 1866, but the first official message was sent on August 16, 1858, from Queen Victoria to President James Buchanan:

"To the President of the United States, Washington: The Queen desires to congratulate the President upon the successful completion of this great international work."

Keenly aware of the magnitude of this accomplishment, the President responded:

"May the Atlantic Telegraph, under the blessing of Heaven, prove to be a bond of perpetual peace and friendship between the kindred nations, and an instrument designed by Divine Providence to diffuse religion, civilization, liberty and law throughout the world."

The transatlantic cable was also one of the many underwater landmarks spied by Captain Nemo and the crew of the Nautilus in Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Considering that the History of Diving Museum has an entire exhibit dedicated to Verne's classic undersea adventure, the cable fragment's addition to the museum's collections was a "no-brainer," especially given its historical significance. This particular piece is from a "leftover" segment of the cable that was brought back up from the bottom of the ocean after Cyrus W. Field "overshot his mark" while laying it in 1858. Charles Tiffany (Tiffany & Co.) saw it as a money-making opportunity, buying the leftover cable and cutting it into four-inch lengths that he sold for fifty cents each. A "copyrighted facsimile certificate of Cyrus W. Field, Esq." accompanied each piece, guaranteeing its authenticity.

This exciting and historic artifact is an example of one of the many "behind the scenes" treasures at the History of Diving Museum. You'll have the opportunity to explore even more of them firsthand at our 6th anniversary celebration on September 3, 2011, where we will be displaying objects from our collection not normally seen on exhibit. We hope you can make it!

Diving in Style

2011-07-06T14:52:00.053-04:00

This week I'm taking the opportunity to air out some of the museum's dirty laundry...literally. As I poked around the collections in search of missing items, I stumbled across two fantastic denim diving outfits that originally belonged to Wesley and Constance Mueller. The Muellers were pioneers in the world of underwater photography, beginning in 1934 when there were no commercially produced underwater cameras or housings. Not to be deterred, they fashioned their own equipment, complete with matching denim diving outfits. They sewed lead into their jackets and pants so that they "wouldn't ride up in the current (McKenney 1981)." They even sewed their initials into the garments, presumably so that they wouldn't mix them up. Of course, the Muellers weren't out to make a fashion statement on the bottom of the ocean. In fact, Wesley and Constance rarely saw anyone besides each other on their adventures. They wore the heavy denim to protect themselves from posionous coral and any underwater creatures with sharp and potentially harmful extremities. Still, they must have known how "cool" they looked.

Wesley and Constance Mueller diving in their denim suits (Bahamas, 1938).

The Muellers' denim suits, now housed in collections at the History of Diving Museum.

That got me thinking about the role of fashion in the history of diving and how it has affected the evolution of divewear. I immediately thought of Art McKee (subject of several previous blog entries) and his preference for a Speedo and Converse sneakers (his original "Chucks" are on display at the History of Diving Museum, see photo). They certainly kept him comfortable during his dives, an important factor in diving safety. But what about those of us who aren't pioneers in the field of diving? What do we like to wear beneath the waves? Well, the answer to that question has changed over the years, as evidenced by these magazine advertisements from old issues of Skin Diver (in the library at HDM).

Advertisements from 1970 Skin Diver magazines.

Advertisements from 1977 Skin Diver magazines.

Advertisements from 1984 Skin Diver magazines.

Of course, the Muellers and Art McKee didn't have the luxury of wearing wetsuits in the early days, as they weren't "officially" invented until 1952 by Hugh Bradner (Taylor 2008). Over the years, as recreational diving became more popular and less expensive, style became an increasingly important component in marketing wetsuits. Let's face it, everyone wants to look good, especially when they are wearing a skin-hugging neoprene suit. The advertisements above clearly illustrate this, with color and designs increasing significantly over time, until ultimately exploding in a blinding flash of color and hair in the 1980's. Not everyone prefers a wetsuit (see Jacqueline Bisset in her famous diving outfit from the 1977 film The Deep), but their functionality remains the most important factor in their success, keeping divers and other watersport enthuisiasts warm, bouyant and scrape-free.

So the question now becomes: what do you like to wear when you dive? Do you have a favorite or funny diving outfit? We want to hear about it! Comment on our blog below or post a picture of your favorite diving outfit to our new Flickr pool! To get the sharing started, here are photos of Erin and I modeling the very latest in wetsuit fashion. Ok, maybe not the very latest...but it certainly beats 1984!

Austin Bell and Erin Wolfe wetsuit modeling at the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo.

McKenney, Jack (1981). Wes and Connie Mueller: Pioneers in Underwater Cinematography. In Skin Diver, October 1981, Vol. 30, No. 10, pp. 44-46.

Taylor, Michael (2008). Hugh Bradner, UC's inventor of wetsuit, dies. In San Francisco Chronicle (May 11, 2008). Accessed July 8, 2011. Web link.

Five Hobos in a Museum

2011-06-30T12:46:00.026-04:00

If you’ve been to the History of Diving Museum before, on your next visit be sure to keep a sharp eye out for something new in the exhibit galleries: hobos! No, not that kind of hobo. We still have enough mannequins to display all our diving suits and helmets, so there's no need to worry about the exhibits “coming to life.” I’m talking about HOBO data loggers, small electronic boxes that look like thermostats and monitor fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity.

Before you lose interest completely, I should emphasize just how important this acquisition is in the development of our young institution. Museums are charged with the task of preserving collections ‘in perpetuity,’ so that future generations may enjoy and study their contents. Unfortunately, time can be just as cruel to objects as it is to people, as everything “turns to dirt” across a long enough continuum. While museums will never be able to keep everything in their collections from disintegrating, there are certainly ways of extending the “lives” of objects. One of the biggest threats to an object’s longevity is its surrounding climate, so monitoring, stabilizing and maintaining that environment is crucial. The new data loggers will aid us in this task, as life in the tropical climate of the Keys can be especially harsh on certain materials.

You might being saying to yourself "Why are these objects so high maintenance? A small change in temperature or relative humidity doesn't affect me...and I'm a living thing!" Well, this may be true, but it has actually been determined that some objects are 100 times more sensitive to fluctuations in relative humidity than human beings (Cassar 1995)! Acidic paper, which is basically all paper ever produced until acid-free paper became an option in the 1950's, is a great example of this. For paper, the colder and drier it is, the better. In fact, if the storage temperature where reduced from 70°F to 40°F and the relative humidity from 50% to 5%, the potential lifespan of a piece of acidic paper would multiply by one thousand (Applebaum 1991)! That's the difference between preserving something for 50 years and 50,000 years!

Standard practice for general museum collections dictates a constant "ideal" temperature of 65 to 70° F and a constant relative humidity somewhere between 47 and 55% (Bachmann and Rushfield 1992; Simmons 2006). It can be a difficult task to achieve these conditions in the Keys, but we are trying to get as close to them as possible without completely blowing up our electricity bill. So next time you visit the museum and it seems a little chillier, just remember, it's all in the name of conservation! In the meantime, keep an eye out for those hobos!

References

Applebaum, Barbara (1991). Guide to environmental protection of collections. Madison, Connecticut: Sound View Press. Print.

Bachmann, K. and Rushfield, R.A. (1992). Principles of Storage. In K. Bachmann (Ed.), Conservation Concerns: A Guide for Collectors and Curators, pp. 5-10. Washington; London: Smithsonian Institute Press. Print.

Cassar, May (1995). Environmental Management: Guidelines for Museums and Galleries. London; New York: Routledge. Print.

Simmons, J.E. (2006). Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies. Washington: American Association of Museums. Print.

Getting A Handle on Things

2011-06-21T15:27:00.045-04:00

Well, it's my second week here at the History of Diving Museum and I feel like I'm finally starting to get the hang of things. Erin and I have been photographing, cataloging and labeling objects in the museum's collections and I've learned more about diving in the last week than I had in the previous 26 years! One particularly interesting object that needed "collections attention" was a dagger handle salvaged from a Spanish shipwreck by Arthur McKee, known to many as the "father of modern treasure hunting."

Art "Silver Bar" McKee (1910-1979) made a name for himself in the Florida Keys before scuba diving became a popular recreational activity. One of the few "celebrity divers," Art appeared both in LIFE Magazine and on the Dave Garroway Show in the 1950's. He is credited, along with Ed Link and Mendel Peterson, for the invention of the underwater metal detector, jet propulsion vehicle and sift cage. Art was also no stranger to museum collections, starting the world's first "Museum of Sunken Treasure" in 1949, just north of here on Plantation Key (now the Montessori School). In its time, Art's Museum of Sunken Treasure was the premier tourist attraction in the Upper Keys, composed of many local artifacts. Treasures from the shipwrecks of the 1733 Spanish Plate Fleet really built up Art's collection in the early days, as he salvaged them for years after receiving information regarding their fate from the Archive of the Indies in Spain in the late 1930's.
The ill-fated Spanish Fleet left port from Havana, Cuba on July 13, 1733 (Friday the 13th), bound for Spain and loaded with precious cargo. Little did they know of the approaching hurricane that two days later would ground most of the twenty-two ships in the shallow waters of the Keys. Luckily for the Spanish, the hurricane was not a severe one, resulting in many survivors and the opportunity to recover many of the treasures themselves. Still, they couldn't salvage everything, leaving plenty behind for Art McKee to uncover more than 200 years later.

The dagger handle, now on display at the History of Diving Museum, was one of the objects left behind by the Spanish and recovered by Art McKee. It is a wonderful piece of craftmanship, with a design resembling the head of a lion. When I first handled it in my cotton gloves, I couldn't help but imagine whose hands had gripped it in the past, and for what purpose? Art McKee liked it so much that he posed for a portrait with it (also seen in the exhibit)! Perhaps its original owner thought it so commonplace that they discarded it on purpose. Or perhaps it was lost in the mad scramble to shore after the ships ran aground! No one will ever know its exact history for sure, but it will fuel imaginations for years to come. That's part of what's so great about museums! Art certainly recognized that and his imaginative and adventuresome spirit lives on in the "Art McKee and the Treasure Hunters" gallery at the History of Diving Museum. If you are interested in seeing the dagger handle, be sure to visit the museum soon, as it is currently on loan from the collection of Carl Fismer!

Black and white photos of Art McKee courtesy of the State Archives of Florida.

Getting My Feet Wet

2011-06-16T16:13:00.006-04:00

Greetings everyone!

My name is Austin and I'm interning this summer at your favorite place for all things sub-aquatic, The History of Diving Museum! I'm a Museum Studies graduate student at the University of Florida in Gainesville (Go Gators!) and this is my first true excursion to the Florida Keys. So far, my experience has been everything I could have hoped for (and more). The people have been wonderful, warm and welcoming, as have the beautiful blue waters of Islamorada. I feel very "at home" here in the Keys thanks in large part to the generous hospitality of the History of Diving Museum staff, who have gone out of their way to ensure my comfort. Although, I imagine it's difficult to ever be that uncomfortable in a place like this!

Over the next eight weeks I will be updating you on my adventures in the museum's collections, where Erin is graciously instructing me on proper organization, storage and conservation techniques. My background is in archaeology (and we don't have much diveable water in Gainesville), so this is all relatively new to me. Nevertheless, the items in the History of Diving's collection are fantastically interesting and I really look forward to learning more about them and diving in general! There's no better place to do it than in the Florida Keys! I'll be taking the museum's "Eat. Sleep. Immerse Yourself." slogan to heart this summer and hope to meet all of you in the process!

Part II, the U.S. Navy Mark V

2011-05-29T13:05:00.000-04:00

Hello HDM blog-followers! Good to have you back with us for Part II of the U.S. Navy Mark V saga! This blog entry will provide an overview of the components of the Mark V. For those of you who missed Part I, (the history of the Mark V) I urge you to reference back here before reading this blog.

"The U.S. Navy Mark V is the most coveted and recognized diving helmet in the world. It embodies helmeted diving with its bold look, functional design and long-standing history in American diving."

Stream-lining of the Mark Helmets

An earlier age of diving pioneers held the belief that the more extravagant and involved a diving apparatus, the more sophisticated it was, and therefore, the better it would be to convey a diver to depth. By the turn of the twentieth century, helmet manufacturers came to this realization that the more extravagant the design, the better chance something would fail, and there began a shift toward simplicity.

The U.S. Navy Mark V was created during the diving craze of the early twentieth century, when many different helmets were produced and knowledge about diving was becoming increasingly common. By 1917, G. L. Stillson completed the design of the Mark V, but at the time, no one could have foreseen the impact it would have on the history of diving.

This, of course, begs the question, what was different about this helmet that separated it from helmets of the same generation? Well, when Stillson called for the standardization of the Navy dive program, they needed not only good equipment, but it had to be the best. Main considerations were that it had to be easily fixable, comprehensible by the average enlisted-man, and sufficient for deep-dives. The combination of these requirements produced a well-built unit that would be used by the U.S. Navy for more than fifty years!

The design of the helmet, the placement of the components, and the size and weight considerations were completed by a process of trial and error. Four helmets were constructed and tried: the Marks I, II, III, and IV, and the best aspects from these four designs were used to build the Mark V helmet.

Early Mark Helmets: I-IV

Two companies manufactured the early Mark helmets. The Morse Company of Boston was first commissioned to build helmets to the navy standard. The identifying feature of the Morse helmets is the oval shaped side ports. The Shrader Company of New York was commissioned to build early Mark helmets as well but with their design instead, has circular side ports. Below are the Mark I-IV helmets made by Morse and Shrader:

The protagonist, the Mark V...

The Navy used the Marks I-IV, as shown above, with great success for many years, but with four designs in circulation, there still wasn't a standard helmet for the diving program (which was the original purpose of improving the diving program). Incorporating various design features of the earlier Mark helmets, allowed for the Mark V helmet to take on a common shape and features.

The Navy commissioned four companies to produce the Mark V diving helmets. They continued the already existing tradition with the Shrader and Morse Companies, but added the Diving Equipment and Supply Company (DESCO) of Milwaukee and the Miller-Dunn Company of Miami.

Morse Mark V

Schrader Mark V

DESCO Mark V

Miller-Dunn Mark V

Mark V Expanded

The strategic placement of the components separated the Mark V from all other helmets. The Mark V remained the U.S. navy standard from 1915 to 1979 while it remained largely unchanged.

Front View

Side View

Top View

Symbolism of the Mark V

The longevity of the helmet's application both militarily and commercially are are symbolic of the United States military at large. It stands as an identity of the ingenuity and design associated with the military similarly to the M16 rifle and the M113 tank.

If you ever get a chance to dive a Mark V you will understand why they are among the best ever made.

The World-Wide Impact of the South Florida Divinhood

2011-02-19T13:16:00.084-05:00

Florida Keys historians have emphasized treasure salvage, but overlooked that this started with an invention called the South Florida Divinhood. Biologists alike have forgotten that modern marine biology orginated with the same apparatus, and at the same time, diving historians have overlooked that the same Divinhood started recreational sports diving right here in the Florida Keys. Likewise, each of these developments had an international impact, and in each, the Divinhood served a key role as the catalyst. Here we will explore these interesting adventures and the impact of the South Florida Divinhood.

Miller and Dunn

An exaggeratedly optimistic view describes one of the newest cities in the United States, Miami, Florida: "There is nothing finer in the world, than Miami with an up-to-date, go ahead class of people." It was a great place to live and make money, and if you couldn't succeed in Miami, you would be a failure anywhere. Here was the best jail, an ice cream factory, free mail delivery, electricity, a telephone system, and four newspapers. Henry Flagler had built a complete infrastructure with all the modern conveniences to make Miami a tropical paradise and playground, prompting development, enterprise, and opportunities.

It was in this vibrant "can-do" environment that 37 year-old William F. Miller arrived from Evanston, Illinois in 1902. He quickly and eagerly participated in the new and ample opportunities. Miller is shown here standing by the mast of his sail boat with his wife Carrie closest.

William Miller invested in many businesses, but as fate would have it, he met the captain and craftsman William S. Dunn. By 1913, Miller and Dunn partnered in hardware, plumbing, and tinning businesses in the center of town on Avenue D. Where Miller was an excellent business man, Dunn was on the opposite end of the spectrum and could build just about anything with his hands. Dunn made a number of useful inventions for the surrounding South Florida waters as he had the tools and materials necessary from his hardware and tinning stores.

The Divinhood

To quote a common cliche, "Necessity is the mother of invention!" The craftsman William Dunn found a growing need for a diving apparatus to recover items that had fallen into the Miami waterways. What he built was a simple diving helmet from a cylindrically shaped wooden nail barrel.

The final product was an open-bottom helmet called the Divinhood. It was a copper design that was light, simple, very practical, and easy to use. The patent would show a single viewing port, a handle on top to easily lift it over the diver's head, and an ordinary garden hose fitting that provided air to the diver. Imprinted on the helmet was the trademark "Dunn Divinhood." The secret to its success and popularity was that it was so well adaptable it was perfect for diving in the warm, shallow waters of Miami and the Florida Keys.

Miller and Dunn began commercially manufacturing the Divinhood and advertised its application for a wide range of uses. Actually, a series of three Divinhood styles were developed: the Style 1 in 1916, the Style 2 in 1926, and the Style 3 in 1937. Alongside the helmet, Miller and Dunn developed compact double cylinder pumps in three improving designs for each successive Divinhood Style.

The World-Wide Impact

Some of the most common questions people ask are: "What were the helmets used for? Why make diving helmets? And, who needs them and for what?" The open-bottom helmet was so functional, it became a key technology in starting many fields related to diving. Accordingly each helmet style is credited with sparking a groundbreaking achievement: sports diving with the Style 1, marine biology with the Style 2, and underwater photography and modern treasure diving with the Style 3.

The Style 1 helmet was marketed to boaters seeking on site repairs and recovery of lost objects, but it was also useful for sports diving by non-diver amateurs and adventurers, mainly because of it's ease and simplicity. A popular advertisement for the Divinhood claimed that "A diving apparatus so simple anyone can use it."

The Style 2 is credited with starting modern marine biology. The first scientist to discover the great potential of the simple Divinhood for underwater study and exploration was Dr. William Beebe. At the time, Dr. Beebe was the Director of Tropical Research at the New York Zoological Society. In 1926, during his cruise on his ship called the Arcturus, Beebe fortuitously acquired the newly procured Divinhood and packed it in its compact crate amongst the cargo. His first dive was more than just an eye-opener for him. It exposed him to the unknown wonders of marine life and an easy way for sub-surface study. Upon entering the water, he instantly became converted from ornithology to marine biology. After he introduced the Divinhood Style 2 for underwater study and photography, many other biologists followed his lead. The Style 2 was also widely used for motion pictures, initially by Beebe, and later by Hans Hass and R W Miner.

Lastly, the Style 3 was becoming more common-place for those seeking access to the underwater environment, but the most interesting and picturesque character to use it was Art McKee, today a Florida Keys legend. A native of New Jersey, McKee was trained as a diver in heavy closed helmet gear. As the war approached, he took a job laying the pipeline under the Keys' bridges for the Aqueduct Authority and for the Navy. Art then discovered the Divinhood Style 3 and adopted it as his favorite helmet. Shedding the warm, heavy gear associated with full diving-dress, Art began a long attachment to his open-bottom Divinhood. He preferred it even when early SCUBA became available and was used by all his diving companions and associates (note Art in the picture on the left using the Divinhood while the others use modern diving apparatuses). Art McKee used the helmet preferentially for pipe-laying, treasure salvage, and to initiate sports diving for tourists in the Florida Keys before SCUBA in 1948. Of the many applications of the Divinhood, McKee initiated modern salvage diving using the Divinhood Style 3 and became known as the Father of Treasure Salvage and also "Silver Bar McKee."

Homemade and Commercial Imitations

The Miller-Dunn helmets were so functional they became widely imitated and replicated by others for their simplicity and usefulness. Craftsmen in their garages started using household items to build their very own version of the Divinhood. What they produced were many oddly shaped helmets with no two alike; however, they all shared one common feature: the open-bottom concept.

Maybe the most famous customized helmet was designed for marine biologist, underwater educator and photographer, Hans Hass. Distance and brewing pre-war tensions encouraged him to have a helmet made in Vienna by a tinsmith with the concept of the Divinhood in mind. Like Beebe, with this helmet he could now walk leisurely around the seabed and explore the reef.

Realizing there was a demand for open-bottom helmets, many commercial manufacturers mimicked the concept. Companies that at one time exclusively built the helmets for the full diving dress were now producing open-bottom helmets that were as functionally sound as the Divinhoods. For instance, the Hammond Company also of Miami, Florida built quite possibly the best open-bottom helmet design. The Divinhood required four weights to overcome the force produced by the contained air. The Hammond helmet, on the other hand, was constructed of heavy brass and was absent of any additional weights. It was also very large with a huge viewing port. It was an absolutely fantastic design.

Today, the open-bottom concept the Miller-Dunn Company popularized is still existence today. The modern SeaWalker invented for resort diving is still used in parts of Japan for the same desired simplicity as the early Divinhood. The helmet fits comfortably over the shoulders, and one can walk the ocean floor. The yellow AquaBell was also a popular recreational diving unit through the 1960's. It was mainly used by beach combers that would bring the plastic helmet along on their trip, fill the yellow ring with sand, and use the specially designed pump to supply air to the bell.

The Significant Impact that is the Miller-Dunn Divinhood

Although the Divinhood is now considered an obsolete technology with the advent of replacements such as SCUBA, fiber-glass helmets for commercial diving and submarines, their technological significance to the history of science and technology serves as an important learning tool. At the History of Diving Museum, the history of the Divinhood helmet is paramount to the story we tell here. It encompasses a large segment of the museum, a segment in history that exhibits six displays in the museum. Furthermore, the Divinhood Style 2 is the logo for the History of Diving Museum because of its significance to South Florida, the Florida Keys legend Art McKee, and its groundbreaking design making it the logical identity of the museum.

Improbable Diving Machines

2010-10-11T13:53:00.119-04:00

Welcome back to the History of Diving Museum Collections Blog! You may have noticed we have taken a month long hiatus from online diving history. We are pleased to be sharing all new topics on items within the museum's collection. In our second series, we will cover part II of the U.S. Navy Mark V, rebreathers, and much more, with pictures and information that won't be found anywhere else!

This blog takes us back to the earliest of diving techniques...

The first exhibits at the History of Diving Museum illustrate a historical timeline, which reinforces the idea that there has always been a natural fascination for man to explore the deep sea, and before submarines, diving helmets and SCUBA, man employed a wide array of techniques to get there. As early as the first traces of mankind in ancient Mesopotamia, evidence confirms that diving techniques were used for a variety of applications.

As with any history, we tend to interpret it linearly, meaning we look directly at what led to our successful technologies. This approach to history, however, neglects key developments that can prove very significant to its interpretation. In the historical timeline, improbable diving machines present that segment in history almost lost because of an indirect link to the diving techniques of today.

The "Improbable Diving Machines" exhibit pays tribute to fanciful machines that were complicated, involved, and often times, functionally unsound. Many are oddly shaped with unusual designs, but however strange they appear, they are significant to the history of diving; they stand as proof that man did whatever was necessary to venture beneath the sea, regardless of the risks involved. For this reason, improbable diving machines belong in the timeline of diving.

Many of the improbable machines displayed in the exhibit have an easily identifiable design flaw. For instance, most visitors to the museum can point out the flaw in the the leather hood and snorkel concept (pictured on the right). This whimsical machine was limited by the pressure on the diver's chest, which would have prevented him from inhaling air more than one or two feet deep (hence the length of the average snorkel). Another limitation is that the snorkel is made of leather, a collapsible material, which also would have failed because of the effects of the hydrostatic pressure. This apparatus has a unique design, and with certain tweaks (shortened length of the snorkel and constructed with a solid composite) it might have worked.

Although this exhibit is named for the improbability of the successful application of these machines, not all would have failed...

Take for example Frederic Drieberg's "Le Triton," a surprisingly complex diving machine first conceptualized in 1805. The backpack contained two bellows activated by the diver moving his head back and forth. The bellows received air supply from the surface that supply air to the diver and also to his lamp. This early attempt at underwater lighting recognized that candle flame needs fresh air just as the diver would. The design, although highly unlikely to be of any purposeful application, could have worked in shallow-water. Along with this diving apparatus, the History of Diving Museum also displays Drieberg's original book "The Memoir of a New Diving Machine called Triton" illustrating this spectacular apparatus (written in 1811).

Another improbable diving machine on display at the museum is the"copper kettle," designed by Karl Heinrich Klingert, a German-born mechanical engineer. Credited as an innovator in diving, his copper kettle shares many similiarities to the diving helmet, which wouldn't be developed commercially for nearly a century. One of the first examples of self-contained diving, Klingert's design used a large reservoir piston or could be supplied from the surface. The copper kettle was used successfully in 1797, when a diver wearing Klingert's outfit removed a submerged tree limb from the River Oder in Germany.

Although Drieberg's "Le Triton" and Klingert's "copper kettle" never became the standard diving equipmet, they are significant from the standpoint that there was great risk involved. They provide a broader understanding of man as an explorer, a maverick, and a dare devil that put life in harm's way to explore the unknown. The "Improbable Diving Machines" exhibit is significant to explain a segment in history where many different machines were tried, not to become pioneers in diving, but to better access the world around us.

The U.S. Navy Mark V

2010-08-16T11:27:00.091-04:00

It's hard to believe, but the History of Diving Museum Collections Blog is entering into its third month of online diving history! The focus of this blog has been to inform readers on the history of artifacts within the collection. So far, I have chosen only those items with great significance to diving and Florida Keys history. Although diving bells, Art McKee, the first American diving helmet and the last petroleum lamp are very important, I have somehow neglected quite possibly the most important piece of diving history...

The U.S. Navy Mark V is the most coveted and recognized diving helmet in the world. It embodies helmeted diving with its bold look, functional design and long-standing history in American diving. Navy Dive Master Carl Brashear (his story was the inspiration for the movie Men of Honor) used a Mark V during his career. Today, it symbolizes not only an important segment in diving history, but also stands as one of the most important technologies in the history of the world.

On to the history...

The U.S. Navy discovered a growing need for a standardized diving program. To the surprise of many, at the turn of the century the Navy had neither a standardized procedure or equipment for the diving program. Consequently, they were diving any and all equipment available, often with little knowledge of the dangers associated with diving.

In 1912, Navy Gunner G.D. Stillson wrote a letter to the Bureau of Construction and Repair (Bureau of Ships as it is called today) concerning the current diving program or lack thereof! He assembled a team and began a critical analysis of existing diving procedures. In the following years, Stillson and his team were commissioned to evaluate, improve and redesign every part of the diving program.

This evaluation produced two major developments. By 1915 G. D. Stillson, through the intercession of the Bureau of Construction and Repair, completed the first U.S. Navy guideline for diving known as the Report on Deep Diving Tests. This report served as the framework for Navy diving in the years to come. In it, Stillson discussed the necessary decompression times for deep dives, principles of pressure and most importantly, the equipment fostered through the program.

In Stillson's evaluations, he tested a wide variety of diving equipment, mostly those from the Schrader and Morse Companies, but also equipment from Draeger and Siebe. In the two years leading up to the completion of the Report on Deep Diving Tests, a standardized equipment would be developed for the U.S. Navy, giving birth to the Mark I!

The Mark V helmet, the standardization of the diving program and the self evaluation of the program, symbolizes the future of the U.S. military as we know it. Mark, a work frequently associated with military hardware, simply means a 'standard' or 'variant.'

Stillson and the Navy experimented with four versions of the Mark helmets, the Mark I, II,III and IV. The Mark V combined the best aspects from the previous four helmets. The final version was completed in 1917 and remained largely unchanged until its decommission in 1984. It is believed that only a mere 7,000 to 10,000 were ever constructed.

Four companies were commissioned to build the Mark V. The first Mark V helmet was made by the Morse Company; it is also the most common. Schrader, Desco and Miller-Dunn were also commissioned to build the Mark V. The Miami based Miller-Dunn Company produced the fewest helmets making them the rarest by today's standard. Out of the hundred or so helmets manufactured by the Miller-Dunn Company, the History of Diving Museum has two on display.

A Mark V helium rebreather version was also developed. The helmet has a large helium scrubber on the back. Of course, adding a large helium scrubber serves as a reservoir for more air, adding increased force buoying the apparatus and diver to the surface. To offset this affect, the helium Mark V needed increased weight to compensate for this added force. The boots are larger and lace just below the knee (a rather stunning look for those who have seen the design). The 'Banana Exhaust' was moved from the back of the helmet to the top where it was excluded from its original placement due to the scrubber. Lastly, the dumbbell lock was moved from the rear of the helmet to the front.

In the late 1970's, the Mark helmets changed completely. No longer a metallic base, the Marks are now fiber glass which changed the identity forever. HDM displays a newer version from the Mark line. The Morse Mark XII is the successor to their line of copper helmets. The top part of the helmet can be used alone for swim diving with air supplied by a hose from the surface, or a backpack or used with a 12-bolt attachment. It is much lighter than the original Mark V diving dress.

The Mark V is the icon of helmeted diving, thus this blog cannot be completed without a more in depth look at the helmet. This will be a two-part blog; the second part will provide an overview of the components on the Mark V. If you would like to learn more about what made this helmet one of the best manufactured technologies of the twentieth century, stay tuned for our next blog! The History of Diving Museum is the largest collection of historical diving apparatus in the world, we're proud to be your source for diving history!

Sources:

http://diveamarkv.com/4.html (accessed 08/28/2010)

http://www.divingheritage/markvkern.htm (accessed 08/28/2010)

http://www.pricesforantiques.com/ (accessed 08/28/2010)

Petroleum Underwater Diver's Light, Cabirol, France c.1860

2010-08-02T12:45:00.001-04:00

The History of Diving Museum (HDM) displays many artifacts that are one of a kind, the first or simply the rarest in existence. However, out of the many priceless artifacts, the Cabirol Petroleum lamp is extremely rare and cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Significant from both a technological and conceptual standpoint, the Cabirol Petroleum lamp was designed in 1860 by Joseph Cabirol in France. This grand petroleum lamp was made before electricity was used in underwater lighting! The Cabirol lamp predated the transition from open flame to electricity.

Now, to take a step back, it is best to understand the history of electricity to appreciate the significance of the Cabirol lamp. A late 19th century design, it barely missed the jump from oil lighting to electricity (a fuel that would be outsourced shortly thereafter). The discovery of electricity dates back to 3rd century B.C.E. during the time of the Ancient Egyptians. Texts confirm an understanding of electrical charge created by fish. However, electricity and positive energy would remain an intellectual phenomenon for the next two-thousand years. Many credit Benjamin Franklin with the first discovery and application of electric charge in his famous, 'kite in a thunderstorm' experiment, but truthfully, it wasn't until the 19th century that Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Otto Blathy, Anyos Jedlik, Sir Charles Parsons, George Westinghouse, Ernst Werner von Siemens, and Lord Kelvin transformed electricity from an intellectual curiosity to an essential tool for everyday life.

From a design standpoint, the fuel source (petroleum) was held in the bottom canister. To keep the flame burning in the crystal sphere, a steady supply of oxygen was needed -- just as a diver would need fresh air. The air was provided by a dedicated 2-piston air pump contained in the pump box. The air was pumped through a set of rubberized hoses (in 1860!), down the lamp. The hot gases were then channeled out the top and through the pipes surrounding the crystal globe, where the hot fumes were coolest to prevent scorching rubber return hoses.

Due to a fortuitous accident, this rare lamp was preserved for 150 years! The petroleum flame was lit and the lamp was quickly closed to make it watertight. But before the lamp was lowered into the water, the crystal globe became too hot and cracked -- as can be seen on the lamp! Because the lamp was broken, it was condemned to a removed warehouse, where it was forgotten for a century and a half.

The lamp is displayed in the "Abyss" exhibit at HDM.

The Cabirol Company

Cabirol is also known in the historical diving community for its contribution to helmeted diving. Around 1842, the company began producing helmets; their inclusion of a top window separated their design from that of the Morse Company. Although few still remain, the HDM collection owns a Cabirol helmet. An extremely rare artifact in its own right, missing the front port and brails, its dull color suggests the uncommon nature of the item.

At the time, the Cabirol Company was highly regarded in France and respected for their contributions in diving. The French, in their typical decadent fashion, prominently displayed divers etched in stone with the inscription "Famille Cabirol-Ferrus" on the steps of the Cabirol factory. To our dismay, two larger divers surrounded the doors of the factory, carrying none other than the Cabirol petroleum lamp.

Today, the Cabirol Company is no longer in existence. Once a small company in France, Cabirol was almost forgotten in diving history. HDM serves as the company's greatest monument and appreciation for their contribution to diving history.

Morse Diving Helmet: Serial No.1

2010-07-15T11:08:00.001-04:00

The History of Diving Museum displays the largest collection of historical diving aparatus in the world. Out of the hundreds of diving helmets on display, Dr. Sally Bauer (co-founder of the History of Diving Museum) values one helmet in particular as most significant to the museum. The Morse diving helmet, inscribed with the serial No. 1, represents the intrinsic value and rarity of the History of Diving Museum collection. It is the first helmet mass produced in the U.S., and is potentially the most sought after diving helmet in the world. It was manufactured in Boston, Massachusetts during the Civil War era.

Dr. Joe and Sally Bauer acquired the helmet in the early 2000's. At this juncture, the Bauers had been collecting historical diving apparatus for the better part of 30 years. The collection took them to virtually every corner of the world. Sally is quoted as saying, "it is the story of how each item was acquired that makes collecting special." This acquisition has its own unique story that adds to the allure of its history.

There were few collectors with the passion of Joe and Sally Bauer. Known in the diving community for their aggressive pursuit of the rarest historical diving equipment, they were contacted about a helmet worth their attention. The acquisition of this helmet took them to Michigan to a cowboy themed hotel and restaurant. The restaurant was covered with all sorts of items, some with no western theme whatsoever. Amongst many picked items were multiple diving helmets; however, Joe and Sally were there to see one in particular: the Morse helmet inscribed with serial No. 1.

At first glance, Joe and Sally were mortified by the careless storage of a one of a kind artifact; the helmet sat on the 3rd story railing, a casual glance would have sent the helmet crashing to the floor. The Bauers recognized the rarity of the helmet and carefully removed it from the railing.

It is these types of stories that kept the Bauers collecting, and allowed for the inception of the History of Diving Museum. The museum allows for proper care and exhibition of the helmet. It now sits prominently in the "Parade of the Nations" exhibit.

The History of the Morse Company, manufacturer of the first American diving helmet.

The Morse Company was established in 1837, making them the oldest manufacturer of diving equipment in the world. Originally, the Morse Company was a partnership between Morse and Fletcher for the manufacture of brass goods at the corner of Waters and Congress Streets, Boston, MA. In 1864, the firm changed it name to the Andrew J. Morse and Sons Company which it continued to use until 1940. It would later be renamed the Morse Diving Inc.

Morse is one of the most well-respected names in diving. Many artifacts in the History of Diving Museum owe their design to the Morse Company. However, Morse's most significant contribution would come with the production of the most well-known diving helmet ever built, the Mark V. The majority of Mark V helmets were manufactured by the Morse Company. Morse is also credited with manufacturing the next generation Mark 12 free flow diving helmet used by the US Navy for almost 20 years.

Today, Morse Diving is located in Rockland, Massachusetts and remains one of the largest suppliers of commercial and recreational diving equipment.

You can visit their website at http://www.MorseDiving.com/

Art McKee: The Father of Modern Treasure Hunting

2010-07-06T18:50:00.019-04:00

The evolution of modern salvage diving can be understood through life of one man. Arthur McKee Jr., considered the "father of modern treasure hunting," was the first to recognize that the reef-riddled Florida Keys provided a precious landscape for wrecked ships carrying even more precious cargo. He would be the first to salvage these ships, and in the process, become a pioneer in the salvage industry and the history of diving.

Art McKee (1910-1979) rose from meek beginnings before making his mark on history. A native of Bridgetown, New Jersey, he had a natural fascination for the underwater environment. As a young boy he is noted to have read books such as: On the Bottom by Commander Ellsberg and I Dive for Treasure by Lieutenant Harry E. Riesenberg, foreshadowing an early passion for his later achievements.

Art's first experience in diving came at the coat tails of a major storm that devastated the South Jersey Shore in 1934. A hard-hat diver commissioned young Art McKee to assist in the salvage effort of the collapsed bridge that connected east and west Bridgetown. At the time, McKee was a mere line tender and assistant of sorts but would continue in bridge building efforts to someday become a hard-hat diver himself.

As fate would have it, McKee suffered a knee injury in 1936 forcing him to South Florida where he could rehabilitate in the warm South Florida water year-round. Initially, he was hired to assist in repairing the underwater pipeline that supplied freshwater from Homestead to Key West, a trade he was familiar with from his days in New Jersey.

A key development in the Art McKee story was when he replaced the standard diving equipment with an open-bottom helmet because the full diving-dress was too warm for the south Florida waters. He replaced it with the Miller-Dunn "Divinhood," (pictured on the left with Art McKee) a design absent of a diving suit. He found the apparatus practical not only for its cooler temperature but for the simplicity of the unit. The standard diving-dress would take a team to suit-up a diver, whereas the Divinhood could be used by a single diver with only the help of a pump operator. Even with the advent of swim-diving, Art remained loyal to the apparatus, a technology he believed much of his career was owed.

Art's first experience in salvaging came when his preparation as a hard-hat diver met opportunity. He was notified by a local fisherman about a cannon protruding from ballast stones a short distance from Key Largo. What first appeared to be scrapped metal turned out to be remnants from the wrecked ship, Capitana el Rui (from the Spanish treasure fleet that wrecked in 1733). Art McKee spent the next 20 years salvaging the wreck, but this was only the beginning of his legacy in the salvage industry.

The turning point in Art's career was when he discovered his first silver bar. Locally, his legend as a salvage diver was growing. Art was contacted by Dr. Barney Crile, chief surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, about a wreck off Looe Key. Dr. Crile commissioned Art McKee to investigate the site, in what turned out to be the "Ivory Wreck" (a slave ship that wrecked in the 1700's). Named for its contents, together they recovered ivory tusks and silver bars. Dr. Crile recorded the salvaging of the wreck in his book entitled, Treasure Diving Holidays, which contains pictures of Art McKee, ivory tusks, and the Miller-Dunn Divinhood.

Before long, Art had acquired a large collection, and realizing the general public was interested in his new found trade, the logical progression was to open a museum to display his artifacts. The Museum of Sunken Treasure was initially located in Treasure Harbor in Plantation Key, where the building structure remains to this day. As Art continued in his career and the collection continued to grow, the limited space at the first museum proved inadequate to house the collection. The final landing spot for the museum was in Art McKee's Treasure Castle. Today, most would recognize it as the Montessori School or Treasure Village. When the museum opened it was a major landmark and the premier tourist attraction in the Upper Keys.

Much of Art McKee's success is owed to his extremely driven and charismatic personality. Art was featured in LIFE Magazine and appeared on the Dave Garroway Show, proof that Art McKee had truly become famous. He persuaded some of the world's best underwater minds to join him in salvage efforts. Ed Link (best known for the invention of the Link Trainer) and Mendel Peterson (curator and head of archaeology at the Smithsonian Institute) became involved in various capacities with Art McKee. Together, they assume credit for developing the tools for modern salvage diving. They invented the underwater metal detector, jet propulsion vehicle, and sifting cage.

Although Art McKee achieved great success as a salvage diver, it was his insatiable appetite for adventure that kept him searching. He was one of the first to excavate Port Royal, but his dying wish was to find the wreck of the Genoves. The mother-load of wrecks, the Genoves contained 3 million pesos of gold and silver. Art McKee launched several expeditions with no success, but shortly before his death in 1979, he discovered the wreck of the Genoves.

Today, information on the life of Art McKee is scant, and his achievements in the salvage industry are just a part of the history of the wrecks that he salvaged. However, diving history allows for the proper avenue for his life to be memorialized. The History of Diving Museum has a single diver on the outside of the building. Due to his impact on diving and the Florida Keys, the museum chose to portray Art McKee as part of the mural on the building's facade, and inside the museum the Treasure Room displays an exhibit commemorating the extraordinary life of Art McKee.

The "Diving Bell"

2010-06-28T12:43:00.001-04:00

Welcome to Dive into History: The History of Diving Museum Collections Blog! This is our newest medium to share diving history. This section is devoted to displaying, describing and offering history about the History of Diving Museum's collection. Check in with us weekly, as we will offer a new bit of history and pictorials.

The month of June at the museum was all about diving bells...

One of the well-known, but easily overlooked wonders of applied science is the diving bell. The diving bell is an airtight chamber that is suspended underwater as a workstation for a single or multiple divers; it will refresh divers with air without having to come to the surface, allowing a diver to remain underwater for extended periods of time. The apparatus is named for its resemblance to a bell, in that it is narrow at the top and open at the bottom.

The diving bell allowed for the exploration of our depths longer than any other diving apparatus known to man. Dr. Joe Bauer, co-founder of the History of Diving Museum, addressed the significance of the diving bell to the field of diving by saying, "Over the millennia, the diving bell has been the most important concept and invention in diving."

Dr. Bauer's interpretation is overwhelmingly accurate and true; in fact, the history of the diving bell spans back to the 4th Century B.C.E., during the time of Greek Philosopher, Aristotle and Macedonian King, Alexander the Great; both of whom were bell divers. However, the diving bell wouldn't reach its climatic point until the 17th century C.E. when Dr. Edmund Halley improved the design.

Dr. Halley, best known for the discovery of the comet that bears his name, added an air replenishing system to overcome the affects of atmospheric pressure. He also recorded his findings in the most well-read scientific compilation in existence, the Philosophical Transactions.

However, his most significant contribution to the history of diving came when he built the first-known diving helmet that was the precursor to all others. The History of Diving Museum displays this information in more fanciful detail, to include a replica of Halley's diving bell and helmet.