Archive for category: Hard Hat

In November 2018 I had the opportunity to visit this museum. The museum is in an old house and entry is via the enclosed verandah. As I entered the verandah I saw a diving helmet and pump.

On inspection the helmet appears to be a Siebe Gorman but with modifications. It had the serial number and the John Bevan, Chairman of the HDS (UK) was kind enough to date it for me as being made in the mid 1920s.

The pump was a bit of a mystery. The front looked like a Siebe Gorman but the lid was tented or A shaped. Unlike Siebe Gorman pumps it had flywheels with curved spokes. These were found on French and Russian pumps.

Again I asked the HDS (UK) and one of the members was able to find a diagram of a Siebe Gorman with the same type of lid but straight spoked handles. I was able to examine the pump closely and could not find any branding. This is most unlike Siebe Gorman who usually put their name in a number of places.

The display was there to represent the local oyster farmer who had used standard dress gear. However the gear was not represented as his but rather as having come from the Torres Strait Islands which was an Australian pearling ground.

The pictures show the helmet and pump on display and a picture of the oyster farmer in his standard dress gear. In this photo both the helmet and pump look to be Siebe Gorman gear.

The museum is well worth a visit and is listed in our Places of Interest section.

This week (11th April 2018) I was lucky enough to be able to visit this great maritime museum in Huskisson, near Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia.

The museum has several distinct sections of maritime related items.  In the room furthest from the entrance thy have a private collection.  This collection would be the envy of any maritime collector.  It includes swords, pistols, paintings, navigation equipment and many other items.  The room before it has a collection of navigation and surveying instruments.

The largest collection is in the room immediately off the entrance.  It includes local history regarding the establishment of the area and local maritime history such as that on the local boat builders.  It is in this room that the standard dress diving equipment is displayed.  This was used on the NSW south coast in the early 1900s.  It consists of a Siebe Gorman single cylinder pump, a Siebe Gorman pearler helmet, hose, dress, boots, knife and fake chest weights.

  

 

They also have a small Sydney Harbour Ferry, the Lady Denman, inside the museum.  This ferry was built locally and sent to the museum after many years on Sydney Harbour.  Outside the museum building there are other historic vessels.

Full contact details can be found on our web site here: Places of Interest

#hdsauspac #standarddressdiving #hardhatdiving

John Johnstone (Johnno) was borne in England and emigrated to Australia as a young man.
He was already well known as a diver in Australia when he was asked to take part in the salvage of the Niagara. This ship had been travelling from England to the US loaded with gold bullion to pay the US for supplies provided in WWII. After stopping in Sydney it moved on to Auckland. A German ship had recently mined the shipping lane out of Auckland and the Niagara hit a mine and sank quickly on leaving the harbour.
For this operation Johnno did not actually dive. The team copied the diving bell used by the Italians to salvage the Artiglio. From the diving bell Johnno, or his brother who had been seconded from the RAN, would direct the grab that was used to first tear away the ship and then to bring up the gold. The team recovered almost all the gold making it the most successful salvage to that time. As there was a war on and the gold belonged to the crown, the team received nothing but their standard pay. Read more

Max Gleeson, author of several excellent books on NSW shipwrecks, and the Yongala, and cinematographer, has kindly made available online a video of the NAUI Helmet Diving Course held in Portland, Victoria.