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Twelve Bolt Helmet The Twelve Bolt Helmet was manufactured continuously by Siebe Gorman from 1837 to 1975. It took its name from the number of bolts which project from the shoulder or ‘corselet’ piece. The rubber and canvas diving suit would be tightly clamped in place on these bolts, making a watertight seal. The top of the helmet could then be screwed in place and the diver descend. Used all over the world, the Twelve Bolt was copied by many other manufacturers, versions of it are still produced in some countries today. Its simplicity and robust reliability meant that divers could be quickly and easily trained in its use, and for many years it was the workhorse of the diving world. The twelve bolt helmet is the archetypal piece of Deep Sea Diving equipment. |
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The Diving Pump The success of Augustus Siebe (1788-1872) in developing early diving apparatus was a result, of his ability to construct diving helmets, and his established expertise in the manufacture of pumps; the production of the first practical diving apparatus, in the 1820s, was a result of improvements in air pumping and helmet technology. Siebe’s force pumps were of the highest quality, and gradually there arose a demand for more powerful and efficient machines. A wide variety of hand-powered pumps were produced, from ‘portable’ single cylinder lightweights designed for expeditionary work, to three or even four cylinder pumps for tasks requiring hard work and an even air supply. A twin cylinder design, first produced for the Royal Navy, possessed a dual capability allowing two divers to work at moderate depths or a single diver much deeper. |
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The Standard Diver Augustus Siebe first offered his improved 12 bolt diving apparatus to the Admiralty in 1837. It quickly became the official ‘Standard Pattern’ service diving equipment and was popularly known as Standard Dress. However the first forces divers were not from the Navy but the Royal Sappers and Miners (Royal Engineers), who established a diving school in the 1840s. They proved beyond doubt the efficiency and robust qualities of Augustus Siebe’s design. It was easy to use and maintain and provided the diver possessed qualities of self-reliance and cool thinking quite astounding underwater tasks could be carried out. Standard Dress revolutionised diving, making the underwater worker an essential part of both salvage and civil engineering. Without divers many of the great building projects of the Victorian era. bridges, lighthouses and tunnels which we still use today, could not have been built. |
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The Skyro Treasure The S.S. Skyro sank in deep water after striking a reef off Cape Finisterre in 1891 carrying a valuable cargo of silver bullion. Two salvage attempts failed due to the extreme depth and persistent bad weather, until in 1896, the Spanish diver, Erostarbe, using Siebe Gorman equipment, finally located the treasure at a depth of 20 fathoms. Erostarbe used dynamite to gain access to the cabin where the silver was stored. This was not easy, after five years on the sea bed the Skyro had broken up and the deck above the strong-room had collapsed to within 18” of the cabin floor. On the surface boisterous weather and strong currents made tending the diver difficult. Nevertheless Erostarbe clawed a path to the bullion and during several long, deep, dives recovered 59 bars of silver. |
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Divers Under Instruction Tanks were constructed for training both at the Siebe Gorman works in London and the Royal Navy base at Portsmouth, where new recruits were instructed in the diver’s ‘art’. The very first instructions to divers included the following list of ailments which precluded a man from going underwater: 1. Men with short necks, full blooded, and florid complexions. 2. Men who are very pale, whose lips are more blue than red, who are subject to cold hands and feet, men who have what is commonly called a languid circulation. 3. Men who are hard drinkers, and have suffered repeatedly and severely from venereal disease, or who have rheumatism, or sunstroke. On the other hand diving was seen as “an excellent remedy” for, “asthma, emphysema, or swelling of the integuments”. |
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