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The History of Oilfield Diving
An Industrial Adventure by Christopher Swann
The book is truly encyclopedic of oil diving history in all its aspects. There are two indexes. A general index, and a people index. Combined, the two indexes total 35 pages. You will find them invaluable when information searching various events and people. 850 pages. B&W photos with 8-page color section. Nine maps. Bibliographical references. Appendixes. Hardcover: 7 x 10 inches, with dust jacket. Fully indexed. Price: $80, plus $11 domestic USPS Priority Mail. CA residents add $6.20 sales tax (total cost = $97.20). Overseas residents contact HDS office at hds@hds.org for P&P rates.

Military Diving TM5-475
War Department Technical Manual, 1944
This U.S. Army issue manual covers the Mark V helmet, dress, shoes, weight belt, knife, air control, non-return valve, telephones, air compressor, oil separator, and associated information necessary for the soldier to understand how to use the equipment. The Ohio shallow water mask is included and there are numerous photographs that accompany the text. This September 1944 manual superseded the September 1943 manual and was published by the War Department when G.C. Marshall was Chief of Staff. There are 11 chapters covering, Physical and Mental Qualifications, Physics of Diving, Diving Fear, Air Supply, Dressing, Tending and Mooring, The Descent, Working on the Bottom, Ascent and Decompression, Diving Injuries and Their Treatment, Underwater Demolitions and Underwater Cutting and Welding. The manual is reproduced in complete original form by a laser copier with card stock cover. 80 pages, b & w photos, diagrams, charts, contents, index. Price: $11, plus $5 domestic P&P. CA residents add 7.75% sales tax. Overseas residents contact HDS office at hds@hds.org for P&P rates.

The Bellstone
The Greek Sponge Divers of the Aegean
by Michael N. Kalafatas
For centuries, the young men of the Dodecanese Islands earned their living by diving for sponges. They would descend to the bottom of the sea on just a single breath of air, using as a weight and rudder a flat, marble diving stone called a “bellstone.” This ancient technique known as “naked diving” was used until the deep sea diving dress was introduced into the sponge fishing industry in 1863. This new diving suit allowed the diver to remain underwater for long periods of time, increasing his productivity a hundred fold, but it also brought a dramatic change to the biomechanics of diving. Instead of working on just one breath of air, the diver was supplied a continuos stream of compressed air from the surface pump. If he surfaced from the depths too quickly he would suffer “the bends.” Between 1866 and 1895 on the island of Kalymnos alone, 800 young men died of the bends and 200 more were paralyzed. Michael N. Kalafatas’s grandfather, born on the island of Symi witnessed these events. In 1995, Kalafatas discovered an epic poem entitled Winter Dream written by his grandfather, Metrophanes Kalafatas. The poem, composed a century earlier in Greek, recounts the plight of sponge divers confronted with this new technology. Michael had the poem translated, and using it as his own bellstone, dove into his family’s past and into the history of diving. His research carries the reader from the Dodecanese Islands in the nineteenth century to Constantinople and the Black Sea as well as to contemporary Tarpon Springs, Florida, and Melbourne, Australia, - the far flung outposts of the Greek sponge-diving diaspora. Michael’s historical journey is not only a deeply personal one, but one that also celebrates the families, history and culture of the Greek sponge divers. Hardbound 287 pages, b & w photos, bibliography. Price: $29.95, plus $8.50 for domestic P&P. CA residents add 7.75% sales tax. Over seas residents contact HDS office at hds@hds.org for P&P rates.  

History of Spearfishing and Scuba Diving in Australia
The First 80 Years 1917 to 1997
by Tom Byron
A comprehensive accounting of the history of recreational diving in Australia. This book takes the reader back in time through the history of spearfishing and then scuba diving from 1917 when Alex Wickham commenced spearfishing in Sydney Harbor. The chronicle section of the book provides a year-by-year accounting of events and developments. It uses the writings of the original divers who started recording diving history through various magazines, newspaper articles and other media of the time. There some great stories in this section as well as a record of the personalities in spearfishing and scuba diving. The book covers the huge technological strides accomplished during the last century. It details the transitions from Hawaiian slings to pneumatic spearguns, from woolen jerseys to wet and dry suits, the old dive tables to computerized decompression meters, and chest-mounted Aqua Lungs to mixed gas rebreathers, and much more. The book details the history of recreational diving in Australia, with an emphasis on spear fishing, and it provides a wealth of relevant information that will be of interest to any international spearfishing and recreational scuba historian. There are over 250 photos dating from the early 1920s almost all of which will never have been seen outside the region. Additional sections include spearfishing contest results from 1953 to 1997, Scuba Diving Instructor Organizations, the History of Sport Diving Magazines in Australia, Underwater Photographer of the Year winners and an index. “This book will not only be of great interest to anyone researching diving history, but also an inspiration to anyone considering writing a book about diving history. Tom Byron has provided a wonderful record of his nations recreational diving heritage. I highly recommend it!” Leslie Leaney, Editor, Historical Diver Magazine. Hardbound 8 1/4” x 11 1/4”, 311 pages, b&w photos, charts, diagrams, illustrations, index. Price: $50, plus $9.50 domestic p&p. CA res ad 7.75% sales tax. Overseas p&p contact HDS office at hds@hds.org or fax 805-938-0550

Description of a Diving Machine, consisting of Description of a Diving Machine suitable for use in rivers (1797) and A Brief Supplement to the History and Description of a Diving Machine, together with the explanation of a lantern or lamp which burns in any vitiated air, and in water (1822)
by Karl Heinrich
Klingert Karl Heinrich Klingert was an ingenious inventor and mechanic, but an unlikely designer of diving equipment as he lived several hundred miles from the sea, in Eastern Europe. Nevertheless at the end of the eighteenth century he invented and constructed several items of diving apparatus, the last of which was an “open’ helmet that also made use of a cylinder of compressed air from which the diver was able to breathe independently from the surface. Klingert’s designs, however, were not put into practice despite their publication in two of his books: “Description of a Diving Machine suitable for use in rivers” (1797) and “A Brief Supplement to the History and Description of a Diving Machine, together with the explanation of a lantern or lamp which burns in any vitiated air, and in water” (1822). The “open” helmet was re-invented shortly afterwards and led to a revolution in diving. Much later the use of compressed air became commonplace. This publication represents the first time that the complete text and illustrations of Klingert’s two books, which describe in detail his pioneering equipment, are published in English. There is also an authoritative 11 page introduction written by Historical Diver Magazine’s German editor, Michael Jung, greatly expanding on his article in issue number 16, Summer 1998. Published by the HDS in UK and limited to 500 copies. Case bound with dust jacket, 51 pages, with illustrations. Price: $30 plus $9 domestic p&p. CA res. add 7.75% Sales tax. For overseas P&P contact the HDS office at hds@hds.org or Fax 805-938-0550.

Divers In Time
Australia’s Untold History
by Jeff Maynard
This is the latest book from HDS member Jeff Maynard, and follows his successful title Niagara’s Gold. The content primarily focuses on Australia diving history and equipment, although references to USA and UK divers and equipment are present. There is a large section on that most beloved area of Australian diving history, The Pearl Divers, with research into its origins and characters. The Inventors chapter records the Kelley Suit, the Buchcanan-Gordon Suit, inventions of Yasukichi Murakami, the American Victor Berge mask, Clifford Anti Paralysis Suit and others. Internationally notable divers such as Johnno Johnson, Noel Monkman, Ted Eldred, and Maurice Batterham surface in the text, as do items of Australian manufactured equipment like the Porpoise scuba regulator and the Robison diving helmets of WWII. Some interesting regional revelations such as Captain Dale’s human torpedo of 1905 are included, and there is a chapter on the history of the Royal Australian Navy Divers which includes some interesting frogman information. There are several historical helmet diving photos that have probably not been seen in America before, and reproduced at a size sufficient that readers can make out most of the details. Other chapters include The Salvage Divers and The Scuba Divers. Sections titled “A Beginners Guide to Helmet Spotting,” “Helmets - Real, Replicas and Rip Offs,” and “Where to see our diving history on display” are not found in any other books and certainly add to the character of this most welcome addition to international diving history. Softbound, 159 pages, b&w photos, illustrations, prints, bibliography, index. Price $32, domestic p&p $9, CA res add 7.75% sales tax. For overseas p&p contact the HDS office at hds@hds.org , or Fax 805-938-0550.

The Ten Kings of the Sea
The Salvage of Santa Isabella’s Treasure
by Jacques Mayol and Pierre Mayol
The Ten Kings of the Sea is a fictional story based upon Pierre and Jacques Mayol’s shared underwater experiences and discoveries. their interest in the lost continent of Atlantis led them to the Atlantic ocean, the Bahamas and the mysteries of Bimini and other islands of the Bahamas. Along the way, Jacques discovered a Spanish galleon sunk some 300 years ago. This shipwreck became a primary inspiration for this novel. In this novel, Pierre and Jacques have attempted to open a new window into the mystery of the ocean, and into the mythological link between man and the sea, - connections that have always intrigued us. This book has been a success in Italy, France and Japan. It is now available in America. Softbound, 256 pages.
Price $19.50, plus $6 domestic p&p. Contact HDS office at hds@hds.org for overseas p&p.

Naval Forces Under The Sea
A Look Back, A Look Ahead
The Naval Forces Under The Sea Symposium was held at the U.S. Naval Academy in March 2001, and briefly reviewed in HDM issue of Spring 2001. The symposium provided an opportunity to highlight the U.S.N.’s significant developments in science and technology related to diving, special warfare, and submarine research and rescue. It also presented a speakers program that contained the living icons of U.S.N. Undersea Warfare from the past 60 years. This book, sponsored by the United State Naval Academy and Office of Naval Research, records practically every word of every presentation, and includes numerous images from them. It is an historical record of U.S.N. diving and submarine rescue, including Naval Special Warfare origins. The symposium was a once-in-a-lifetime event that will not be forgotten by those lucky enough to attend. This book provides an opportunity to read exactly what was presented. Casebound, 350 pages, full color. $58 plus $10 domestic p&p. CA res. add 7.75% sales tax. For overseas p&p contact HDS office at hds@hds.org or fax 805-938-0550

Trois Inventeurs Meconnus
by
Capitaine Jacques Michel
The original Musee J. Vaylet, Espalion Edition. The story of Rouquayrol Denayrouze and the development of their 1860’s demand scuba unit that went into service with the French Navy and commercial diving companies during the latter 1800s. Profusely illustrated with rare period wood prints, photographs and diagrams. The text is French but the book contains a wealth of rare visual information for anyone interested in self contained or surface supplied equipment of the 1800s. Equipment featured includes Augustus Siebe, Cabirol, Lemaire d’Augerville, Galibert, Le Prieur, Cousteau Gagnan, Comex, La Spirotechnique, one-atmosphere suits by Carmagnole and Neufeldt Knuhke, plus numerous photos and prints of Rouquayrol Denayrouze units including the Aerophore and several prints from the original Jules Verne book 20,000 Leagues Under The Seas. This is a rare opportunity to acquire this very important book on diving history. There was only one printing, in 1980. These are the original copies from the museum, and are complete with dust jackets. Hardbound in dust jacket. 1980, editions Musée Joseph Vaylet, Espalion, France. 220 pages, color and b&w photos, prints.
$35, plus $9 domestic p&p. For overseas p&p contact HDS office at hds@hds.org. CA residents add 7.75 % sales tax.

THE HISTORY of RUSSIAN DIVING
An HDS Russia publication:
Includes diving history from the earliest times and much Russian diving history that has never before been published in English. Soft bound, 82 pages, black and white illustrations, Russian and English language. Limited to 999 numbered copies.
Price $10.00, plus $4.50 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.
All proceeds go to HDS Russia.

 

 

The History of Russian Diving, Issue 2
The Historical Diving Society of Russia has published the second issue of its journal, The History of Russian Diving, and once again readers will find it to be a valuable addition to the body of literature in this field. Any reader is sure to learn a great deal of new information in this bilingual thirty-six page, soft-cover magazine. In format, the HDS Russia publication differs somewhat from those of its sister societies that publish on a standard number of issues per year. Rather than a magazine-style publication with a number of articles on unrelated subjects, the Russian journal takes a form more like a monograph, with the bulk of the publication dealing with a single topic. This allows the authors to go into much more depth than a typical magazine article would allow. This approach worked well for Russia in its first issue and works just as well in this, their second publication. The subject of this second publication will be a familiar one to readers of HDSUSA’s Historical Diver Magazine, as it centers around the history of the Japanese Ohgushi Respirator. Most of what little was known about this fascinating equipment until relatively recently was set forth in a 1970 article published in the British dive magazine Triton. In Historical Diver No. 8 (1996), Nyle Monday expanded on that information with material drawn from Japanese and other sources. In one of those unforeseeable quirks of fate, half way around the world, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Dr. Alexander Sledkov happened upon the latter article and recognize the Japanese gear as something used in Russia as well. Dr. Sledkov, the founder of the Historical Diving Society- Russia, and Mr. Monday met in 2002 at the HDSUSA’s 10th Anniversary Conference in Santa Barbara and began a collaboration which resulted in this publication. Members who attended the 2003 Rally in Key Largo, Florida, got a preview of the Japanese side of this story, but there is still much new material to be found in this journal. As was the case with Dr. Sledkov’s first effort, the reader will not only learn a great deal about the history of diving, but also gain a great deal of insight into the workings of the government of the former Soviet Union. Of considerable interest in this respect was the formation of EPRON (the Expedition for Special Purpose Undersea Works) in 1923 under the auspices of the Unified State Political Board (OGPU), which would become the KGB in 1954. EPRON became a major training institution for divers in the Soviet Union, and eventually was incorporated into the military establishment when WWII created a gigantic demand for the salvage and rescue skills of its members. Eventually this organization was disbanded, but following the failure of Russian rescue efforts in the recent tragic loss of the submarine Kursk, a movement has begun to reestablish EPRON to insure that Russia will never find itself so helpless again. In effect, the international nature of the Ohgushi story is mirrored in the different participants who provided the facts of this story. Bits of the tale came from sources scattered all over the world, including from members of our sister societies in Great Britain, Germany, and Italy. This is precisely the type of cooperative effort for which the HDS was originated to foster. Members wishing to add a copy of this heavily illustrated publication to their library may obtain a copy from the HDSUSA. Do not wait, as there are only a limited number of copies available.  Soft bound, 40 pages, black & white illustrations, Russian and English Language. Limited to 500 copies. $10, plus $4.50 domestic p&p, Ca. res. add 7.75% sales tax. Overseas orders contact HDS office at hds@hds.org for p&p rates. All proceeds go to HDS Russia.

SUBMARINE RESEARCHES ON THE WRECKS OF HIS MAJESTY'S LATE SHIPS ROYAL GEORGE, BOYNE AND OTHERS
by C.A. Deane

This book was originally published in England in 1835. It is the first book about diving using the “open” diving helmet and dress, with air pumped down from the surface. This apparatus, with a little modification, soon became the familiar “hard-hat” or standard heavy gear diving equipment, that went into use around the world. It was invented by Charles Deane and his younger brother John, and was originally intended for breathing in smokefilled rooms. The Deane brothers successfully carried out naval and commercial salvage, and civil engineering projects under water. In this book Charles Deane illustrates, with extensive notes, some of his diving operations. By 1835 he had been so successful that he mounted a Submarine Exhibition in Regent Street, London, for which he obtained royal patronage. A series of huge oil paintings, a collection of artifacts recovered from wrecks, and the diving apparatus itself were placed on show. Submarine Researches was published principally to promote the Exhibition, but it also provides us now with a valuable record of the first years of the diving industry. The authoritative introduction tells the story of these pioneering years. Published by the Historical Diving Society in England. Hard bound, b&w illustrations.
Price $35.00,
plus $9 domestic S&H;
Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.

THE PEARL-SHELLERS OF TORRES STRAITS
by Regina Ganter
A well researched title charting the progress of the pearl-shelling industry and its divers from its heyday to the 1960’s. The Torres Strait was a maritime crossroads for many centuries and was home to an exotic international mix of divers working to recover pearl shell. The author is an academic at the University of Queensland and her manuscript won the inaugural Australian Historical Association prize in Australian History in 1992. Reviewed in HDM # 30. We have a very limited supply. Soft bound 299 pages, b&w photos, charts, appendix, glossary, extensive chapter notes, bibliography, index.
Price $23.00, plus $6 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.

THE WHITE DIVERS OF BROOME
by John Bailey
The extraordinary true story of the 12 Royal-Navy trained British divers sent to Australia as part of the White Australia Policy of the early 1900’s. Set against the backdrop of Broome, the famous “Port of Pearls,” it describes a world where pearl shell mattered more than human life. Reviewed in HDM # 29. Soft bound, 301 pages, b&w photos, endnote references.
Price $25.00, plus $6 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.

THE BLACK PRINCE AND THE SEA DEVILS: The Story of Valerio Borghese and the Elite Units of the Decima Mas
OUT OF STOCK
by Jack Greene and Alessandro Massignani
The exploits of Valerio Borghese and the daring Italian frogmen of the Decima Mas are probably a familiar topic to most readers of Historical Diver. Almost every history of diving includes at least a passing mention of these pioneers, and several books, such as Schofield and Carisella’s Frogmen: First Battles and, most importantly, Valerio Borghese’s own Sea Devils, are completely devoted to telling the tale. While these books do a great job telling a portion of the story, they are not without their limitations. Even Borghese’s own book, while an invaluable source written by the major player in the drama, suffers from precisely that – it was written by someone who had something to gain by telling the story in a certain way. In this exciting new volume, Jack Greene, a prolific author on military topics, and Alessandro Massignani, a well known Italian writer on Naval subjects, take a major step beyond their predecessors and provide their readers with a new, well documented history of a fascinating era of diving history.

In some respects, the title The Black Prince and the Sea Devils, gives some hint of its content. It might be thought of as two books contained in a single binding. On one hand the volume details the history of Decima Mas and the Italian underwater effort from their earliest origins in 1915 through 1945, and even beyond. At the same time, the reader is provided with a comprehensive biography of Valerio Borghese, the “black prince” himself. While much of the former story has been told in the past, the dramatic of life of Borghese, particularly pertaining to his postwar activities, has seldom (if ever) been presented in English.

The authors drew their information from an impressive array of sources, including letters, interviews, published materials, and archives in at least half a dozen countries. It is evident that the authors have made a thorough survey of the literature, and yet they do not hesitate to question the many rumors which have circulated about Borghese and his activities. The early war operations of X Mas are well documented. These brave sailors carried out 22 attacks between 1941 and the Italian armistice of 8 Sept. 1943, 12 of which were successful. When Italy withdrew from the war, most of the Italian military establishment either disbanded or surrendered to the Allies. Borghese, however, elected to join the Germans. He took with him some 1500 men, but in a short time had recruited so many other ex-Italian soldiers and sailors that some Allied intelligence sources put their eventual strength at 50,000 men. This new Decima Mas operated both on land and sea, and was particularly active in anti-partisan activities on Italy’s eastern border.

Yet, despite his anti-Allied activities, Borghese aroused the suspicions of Mussolini, who had been rescued from imprisonment by the famous German commando, Otto Skorzeny, and was then living under German protection. Mussolini had formed a new government, the Republica Sociale Italiana (RSI), and yet Borghese was operating as an independent force, directly collaborating with the Wehrmacht. Afraid Borghese was attempting to form his own government, Mussolini placed Borghese under arrest in January 1944, but eventually influential friends intervened on his behalf and Borghese was released.

When the Allies succeeded in occupying Italy, Borghese’s name was high on the “wanted” list, and on 19 May 1945 he was arrested by American MP’s in Rome. His trial was to go on for years, and it wasn’t until 17 Feb 1949 that he was found guilty of collaborating with the Germans and sentenced to 12 years in prison. This was actually something of a victory as he was found not guilty of war crimes, and in fact the judge in the case ended up reducing the sentence to the four years Borghese had already served!

Most of the previous works on Borghese end at this point, but Greene and Massignani are far from done. The postwar career of the “Black Prince” was as fascinating as his war service, and even more mysterious. His involvement in right-wing politics was well known, but other rumored operations, such as the sinking of the Soviet battleship “Novorossiysk”, are still the subject of heated discussion. The authors are careful to offer the available reliable evidence and then allow the reader to draw his own conclusion.

Borghese eventually became a respected bank president, but he never lost his taste for right-wing politics. Indeed, it was his involvement in an apparent coup against the Italian government that eventually forced him to flee to Spain, where he resided until his death on 26 August 1974. It was only then that he was able to return to his beloved Italy. He was buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, in the Vatican, on 1 Sept. 1974, near Pope Paul V, who was also a Borghese.

The Black Prince and the Sea Devil is a fine addition to the literature of World War II, and even more valuable to students of diving history. The authors have uncovered a great deal of new information, at least to readers who have not had access to Italian language publications. It is a “must buy” for HDS members with an interest in military diving, and a fine addition to any diver’s library. - Nyle C. Monday, Historical Diver Magazine

Hard bound in d/j. (2004) 284 pp., illus, maps, appendix, index, notes $27.50, plus $6 domestic p&p. CA res. add 7.75% sales tax. Overseas orders contact HDS office at hds@hds.org for p&p rates. OUT OF STOCK

CALL TO ADVENTURE
by Hillary Hauser
The Society has recently acquired several new copies of this book written and individually signed by one diving’s foremost female writers. Hauser was part of the Skin Diver magazine team during the latter part of the last century and has written several books on diving, as well as articles for over 25 different magazines. In this book she tells of the adventures in the careers of some of diving’s most influential international leaders and historic figures: Hannes Keller, Jack McKenney, Dick Anderson, Ed Link, Jacques Yves Cousteau, Joe MacInnis, Ron and Valerie Taylor, Carleton Ray, Sylvia Earle, Eugenie Clark, Rodney Fox, Glen Miller, Jean Michel Cousteau, Bob Ballard, John Lilly, Bob Marx, and Chris Newbert. Their adventures cover a wide range of experiences from the great white sharks of Blue Water White Death, to life under the Arctic ice and dredging for gold in California. The book is well illustrated with images from photographers like David Doubilet, Al Giddings, Jack McKenney, Carl Roessler, Ron Taylor, Bob Evans and others.

Soft bound 8 1/2” x 11”, 1987, 208 pages, with color and b&w photos, glossary, index, and signed by the author. HDS special price of $15, plus $9 domestic p&p. For overseas p&p contact the HDS office at hds@hds.org.

DEEP DIVING AND SUBMARINE OPERATIONS 
by Sir Robert H. Davis

Limited edition published to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Siebe Gorman.

"The best book on diving I have ever read."
-Bev Morgan, Chairman, Diving Systems International

"Superb. I started diving 50 years ago, and every time I pick up this book I learn something new." -Jean Michel Cousteau
 
 

"The definitive book for the working diver and historian. The most used book in my library."
___-E.R. Cross Technifacts column, Skin Diver Magazine

Published in a two volume hardcover set in reflex blue, gold embossed covers with matching dust jackets. The set comes in a reflex blue presentation slip case. Introductions by Nick Baker and Leslie Leaney. 712 pages more than 650 photographs, line drawings and illustrations. Each set individually numbered. For a review and chronology refer to Historical DiverNo 6.
Limited edition of 1,500 copies only. Price $175.00, plus $11.00 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.


DIVING PIONEERS An oral 
history of diving in America 
by Eric Hanauer

1994 1st Edition

Records the adventures of the pioneering divers who helped to establish scuba diving in America. REVIEWED IN HD #5. A valuable diving book for the historian and casual reader alike. 269 pages. B&W photos.

Softcover $20.00, plus $6 domestic S&H; Overseas contacthds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.


THE CALIFORNIA ABALONE INDUSTRY
A Pictorial History 
by A. L. "Scrap" Lundy

1997 1st Edition

A full historical accounting of this diving industry covering the efforts of the Chinese, the original 19th century Japanese divers and the Caucasian divers of the 20th century. An abundance of rare photos and information. REVIEWED IN HD #10. 240 pages, 324 photos, charts, tables, bibliography, glossary, index.
Softcover $44, plus $9 domestic S&H; - Last copy left, this book is now out of print.Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.


DEEP WATER MAN

by Dale Vinette

Deep Water Man, by Dale Vinette Written by retired U.S. Navy Master Diver Dale Vinette about his commercial and military diving career. Starting in 1934 with a home-made shallow water helmet from an article in Popular Mechanics Magazine, the author recalls several commercial diving jobs during the 1930s. His diving adventures cover the Great Lakes, Fort Peck Dam, Montana, repairing a gold-mining dredge in N.W. Territories, Canada, and the Yanqui River Dam in Sonora, Mexico. WWII experiences include Pier 88, work with British Special Forces underwater explosives unit, cutting the harbor nets at Oran, Algeria, Browne rebreathers, diving operations to save the crew of the submarine U.S.S. Pickerel, and more. Vinette's decorations include the Navy Cross, Silver Star and Bronze Star for his military combat and rescue experiences. The names of numerous commercial and military divers are recorded as are details of the various locations and there are numerous photos of diving operations. Soft bound, 8 1/2 x 11, 127 pages, b&w photos, diagrams, maps, glossary of terms.
Softcover $20.00, plus $5 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.


HANS HASS and his journeys to BONAIRE

by Michael Jung

Written by Historical Diver's German Editor Michael Jung and featuring early Hass photographs from the 1939 expedition. Published to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Hans Hass's initial visit when he became the first person to dive, photograph and film the coral reefs of Bonaire. His return visit on Xarifa in 1953 is also covered. 1999 English language paper back, 56 pages, black and white photographs.
CLICK HERE FOR REVIEW
Softcover $15.00, plus $5.50 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org
CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.


THE WORLD OF ZARH PRITCHARD
by Nancy Dustin Wall Moure
with an introduction by Tom Burgess
Known as "The Merman," Zahr Pritchard was, quite literally, the first man to develop methods for applying oil paints to canvas while underwater. As a consequence, he became the first to descend in a deep sea diving helmet and dress to paint underseas vistas and marine life - an involvement that he adopted as his life's work. Beginning in the 1880's, Pritchard was experimenting in Scotland - sketching underwater scenery using breath-held descents facilitated with goggles. By 1906, in Tahiti, he had crafter his diving and painting techniques and he held his first exhibit in San Francisco in the very month of the great earthquake. Thereafter, for more than thirty years, The Merman sold his art to the wealthiest of society and to members of royalty in countries across the globe. Museums in America, Europe and the Orient include works of Pritchard in their holdings. This book is a well researched record of this foremost underwater painters career, with extensive notes, a bibliography and appendix of titles. Includes spectacular images of underwater scenery published in full color. A unique (and almost unknown outside of HDS-USA) title for the library of anyone interested in underwater imagery, the sea or fine art. 64 pages.
Softcover $25.00, plus $5 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.

DIVING AND DEEP SEA OPERATIONS
by Training Office Puget Sound Navy Yard 1943

This manual sources the 1924 US Navy Diving Manual, the 1938 Submarine Safety Respiration and Rescue Devices, the Advanced Mine School Course for Divers and other authoritative sources. It covers Mk V equipment, air pump, procedures, welding, qualifications, rigging, O2 treatment for caisson disease, the shallow water diving apparatus and much more. There are illustrations covering the Mk V, the cutting torch, diving lamp, jetting nozzle, submarine salvage, submarine escape apparatus and the Miller Dunn shallow water Divinhood, etc. This is a rare WW II manual published as a vocational course for training civilian divers. Cleanly color laser copied and photocopied from an original 1943 manual loaned by Torrance Parker. 8 1/2" x 11", 117 pages.

Softcover $12.00, plus $6 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.

USS SQUALUS
The Diving Log of the USS FALCON
during the rescue and salvage of the USS SQUALUS

24 May 1939 - 12 September 1939.

From the personal files of CAPT Albert R. Behnke, MC, USN (Ret)

This publication is a spiral bound photocopy of the original log of dives made during the U.S.N. operations on the submarine Squalus. Included are: Sibitzky's 232 foot air dive to successfully attach the bell down haul cable; the dramatic bell runs that saved the surviving crew; the early operational U.S.N. mixed dives; the final recovery dives. Each dive is dated and timed and includesthe name of the diver, the task set, the time on the submarine/task, the outcome of the dive, and the typed dive report of the diver complete with the signature of the diver over his typed name and rank. U.S.N. divers Badders, Crandall, McDonald and Mihalowski were awarded the Medal of Honor for their work on the Squalus. Diving operations have been recorded in numerous books for over 60 years. Blow All Ballast, The Rescuer, Mud, Muscles and Miracles, and The Terrible Hours are some. Here are the real facts from the real dives as reported by the real divers. A uunique and historic diving document.
UHMS, card covered, spiral bound, 145 photocopy pages, text only. $16.00 plus $6 domestic S&H;
Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.

SCHRADER DIVING APPARATUS 1935 Catalog

The Schrader Company was founded by August Schrader in 1844 and continued to produce diving apparatus until just recently. This is the company's 1935 catalog dated June of that year. It contains illustrations and descriptions of their three deep water pumps, their one boxed shallow water pump, the commercial and U.S. Navy helmet, suits, telephones, weights, knives etc. The last page announces their "Shallow Water Diving Outfit" with an illustration of the Morse style shallow water helmet and pump that was noted in HDM # 17 page 37.
The catalog is directly photocopied from a rare original. 8 1/2" x 11", 18 pages. $10.00 plus $5 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.



A DEMONSTRATION OF THE DIVING ENGINE
by Jacob Rowe

Limited First Edition of 750 numbered copies.

The late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries saw an increased interest in the business of diving, and a proliferation of new designs of equipment. One of these divers was Jacob Rowe, who used the "barrel" type of apparatus to salvage materials from the bottom of the sea. Rowe was a man of great drive and determination, achieving two remarkable feats of marine salvage, during an era when underwater salvage was just beginning in earnest, Here for the first time, is printed his treatise on diving, describing in detail how his apparatus was constructed and used. Not only is Rowe's treatise the first known English monograph on diving, it is also one of only a handful of treatises on the subject, in any language written during the 18th century. Rowe's manuscript is accompanied by an accounting of his life and work by Mike Fardell and Nigel Philips. Published by the HDS-UK in association with The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England. 30 pages, facsimile manuscript and illustrations, hardbound in dust jacket.
Hardcover $30.00 plus $6 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.


1943 USN Diving Manual

After America entered WW II, the U.S.N. faced an escalating problem of salvage, construction and repair workaround the world. This expansive diving manual was produced to assist U.S.N. divers in tackling these problems and introduced several new diving techniques and items of equipment. It replaced the 1924 manual and is the first manual published that encompasses the resultsof the successful U.S.N. diving operations with surface supplied oxy-helium. It introduces the U.S.N. Mark V helium helmet, as well as three shallow water systems, including the ORCO Berge mask. Contest include: development of diving and and training of navy divers; shallow water diving apparatus; equipment maintenance: physics of diving; dive planning; dressing the diver; tending the diver; working on the bottom; diving with the helmet only; compressed air illness; diving accidents; deeper diving by use of oxy-helium mixture; salvage and special gear; and more.
Softbound, 267 pages, b&w photos, illustrations, graphs, index, and complete with fold-out diagrams. Tape bound spine, blue card stock cover, first generation photocopy on 32 lb paper, from an original 1943 U.S.N. Manual.

Softcover $30.00, plus $5 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.


1918 U.S. NAVY DIVING SCHOOL STUDENT COURSE NOTES
 

The original handwritten course notes of U.S. Navy diver Frank W. Himsel reproduced in full, with accompanying text and photos of himself in diving equipment. Additional photos of U.S. Navy divers using pre Mark V equipment, and photos of U.S.N. Mark I thru V helmets also included. Softcover $12.00, plus $5 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.



 U.S. NAVY SALVAGE MANUAL 1948
 

Photocopied from the original. 403 pages. B&W photocopy velo bound.

$24.00 plus $6 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.



NIAGARA'S GOLD
by Jeff Maynard

1996

The amazing true story of how eight tons of gold was salvaged from 400 feet beneath a German mine field during World War II. Fully illustrated. REVIEWED IN HD #8.

Softcover $20.00, plus $6 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.

SOLID BRASS
by Bob Wick
2001 1st edition

Exciting tales of commercial hard hat diving by HDS member Bob Wick. Bob covers his career from UDT, through the adventures of the California abalone industry, the oil patch, construction diving and up to Alaska's Cook Inlet. This book is also illustrated by Bob and has many thrilling revelations including true diving adventures with some names that will be familiar to many readers. Bob wrote this bookas a tribute to the people in these stories, some who are gone but will always be a part of the colorful history of the diving business. Hardbound 239 pages
with b&w photos, illustrations.

Hardcover $17.00, plus $6 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.

1925 MORSE DIVING CATALOG

Meticulously reproduced on heavy stock pages from a mint original with art deco styled color cover in red, gold and black with a gold helmet. One of the most elaborate American deepsea diving catalogs published. Packed full of pre-Depression era diving equipment. Ten different pumps, eight different helmets, U.S. Navy Outfits, knives, telephones, boots, dresses, equipment chests, weights, accessories, sections on decompression, signals, deep diving experiments, medical, dressing in, divers photos and more. A treasure trove of American diving equipment produced between the two World Wars. 59 pages of text and photographs. 8 1/4" x 10 1/2"
Softcover $30.00, plus $5 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.


BACK IN '02 
When there were wooden tanks & steel men
by Lance Rennka, Ed.D.

Lance Rennka has been scuba diving since 1957, training other divers since 1965, and training instructors since 1968. He has written manuals on the business of diving, worked as training director at the PAM International College in San Diego, California, treasure-hunted in the Caribbean and amassed a wealth of experiences that now, he is sharing with you.

If you're an experienced diver, this book will remind you why you love to dive, If you're just starting out, you need to know what the divers before you learned the hard way.

Softcover $13.95, plus $5 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.

BACK FROM THE DEEP
The strange story of the sister subs Squalus and Sculpin
by Carl LaVo

This epic World War II saga follows the USS Squalusand Sculpin as they play out their dramatic destinies in the Pacific. The author, a seasoned journalist, re-creates their entire perilous journey, beginning with the rigorous stateside training of the crew that was put to the test almost immediately. The Squalussank during a test dive in 1939, but thirty-three trapped crewmen were saved thanks to the revolutionary use of the McCann diving bell. The Sculpin'srole in that historic rescue is just the first of many incongruous twists of fate that brought the two subs together after the Squalus,was salvaged and rechristened the Sailfish. Their intertwined fates come to an eerie climax as the Sailfishunleashes a ten-hour attack on a Japanese aircraft carrier amid a raging typhoon, unwittingly killing twenty-two of the forry-three Americans captured from the sunken Sculpin.

Hardcover $16.00, plus $5 domestic S&H; Overseas contact hds@hds.org CA residents add 7.75% sales tax.
 
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