DIVING APPARATUS on Which All Types Are
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www.mcdoa.org.uk DIVING APPARATUS OF ALL TYPES Original Designers and Manufacturers of " Self- Contained " Apparatus on which all types are based. `ESSJEE' AQUALUNGS Marconi Siebe, Gorman Underwater Television Equipment Cutting and Welding Equipment Diver's Loudspeaking Telephones Underwater Lamps, etc. Davis Submarine Escape Apparatus Davis Submersible •Decompression Chambers Davis Submarine Escape Chambers including one-man type CONTRACTORS TO THE ADMIRALTY FOR OVER A ( I NTUICI SIEBE, G COITP L P EVERYTHING FOR SAFETY EVERYWHFRI • DAVIS RD. • CHESSINGTON • SURREY CO•NSY A UO I I O mnme e Vol. 4 H.M.S. VERNON No. 1 www.mcdoa.org.uk 0.11.46.1.09 Contractors to Admiralty, Ministry of Supply, Foreign Governments, Dock and Harbour Authorities, Pearling and Sponge Fishing Industries 6 FIRST DIP 1820 STILL DEVELOPING 1955 YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU WERE DRESSED by FLEMINGS OUR EXPERIENCE OVER NEARLY HALF A CENTURY ENSURES THAT YOU Ii UNIFORM AND CIVILIAN CLOTHING WILL BE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT AND WITH THE EXTRA TOUCH OF QUALITY C. E. HEINKE & Co. Ltd. THAT MEANS' SO MUCH S 1 ONDON, S.E. 1 Send your requirements to : PhimiHk..1 A. FLEMING 8c CO. Manu(;ICI II I I I 11(1II QUAI II Y DIVING GEAR (OUTFITTERS) LTD. int erch.ingeahle with .dl other makes Naval and Civilian Tailors and Outfitters CONTRACTORS TO THE ADMIRALTY I-IELMETS Local Branches: DRESSES II EDINBURGH ROAD, PORTSMOUTH HEINKE and TRAFALGAR INSTITUTE LONDON HOSE DIVERPHONE SETS Head Offices: HAY STREET and PORTLAND STREET, PORTSMOUTH COMPRESSORS, Etc. S Grams: • Nayserge' Portsmouth Phone: Portsmouth 74352 (2 lines) Experimental Designs Developed Branches at Chatham, Weymouth, Devonport, Gibraltar, Malta Members of the Intcrport Naval Traders' Association .1.......1111...00.1111111.1....011.....110.11.116.11.1111.11•1111.11•40.11.10...................m.011.....•.• •••••••• • .4. • • .1.. • www.mcdoa.org.uk www.mcdoa.org.uk CONTENTS R.N. Diving Magazine PAGE EDITORIAL STAFF Instructor Lieutenant K. C. LEWIS, B.Sc., R.N., Secretary. EDITORIAL $ I • 3 MR. S. J. NEWMAN, Snr. Cd. Gnr. (T.A.S.), R.N., Treasurer. TREASURER'S NOTES 3 Chief Petty Officer J. E. PEACH, Editor THE SUBMARINE RESCUE BELL 4 Vol. 4 March, 1956 No. 1 LAMENT TO A DIP CHICK • • • 11 NOTES FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN FLEET CLEARANCE DIVING TEAM • • • 12 EDITORIAL CHATHAM DIVING SCHOOL NOTES . • • . • • 13 Dear Readers, BREAKING THE WORLD'S DIVING RECORD (1948) ... 15 Since December's magazine was launched, the A MORAL ALPHABET D 17 Editor, Petty Officer Burt Farmer, has been drafted to H.M.S. Kingfisher, one of the R.N's submarine rescue NOTES FROM CLEARANCE DIVING TEAM, POOLE (AMPHIBIOUS) 19 ships. A vote of thanks for his stalwart support of the NOTES FROM 50TH C.D.T. 19 magazine will be echoed by all readers; we also join to wish him good luck in the future. THE ARMCHAIR DIVER 20 As Petty Officer Farmer relieved me on Kingfisher NOTES FROM THE FAR EAST CLEARANCE DIVING TEAM 0 • 0 21 I suppose the magazine staff put their heads together U.D.E. (PORTLAND) CLEARANCE DIVING TEAM 23 and decided I would be a natural choice for the next Editor. I received this news with much trepidation. "NIAGARA" RECALL 0 I I • 25 Who has ever heard of an Editor with shovel thumbs ? However, I have accepted the work and have started "SAVEGI!ARD" • 0 • SALVAGE SECTION 29 learning the one finger method of typing and hope soon A-TISHoo, WHAT A VI HAVIM • • 0 31 to progress to two. Nuivs vuum 11.111 , TAI m)()NiA" 32 It is with sad regret that we note the passing away on January 29th, 1956, of a Diving Colleague, Lt.-Cdr. Maclean Foreman, and our deepest Tit !ALS HI, „. 33 syopathy goes to his bereaved family. NGTIN 110 IWN SI HI I II "PliGUCTGleti" DIVING I hope all regular subscribers of news letters and stories will continue AN! „ 35 in their support, and what about some 'New Blood.' Please try and get your material away early in each quarter and so help to get the magazine I INI)I InVATIM-SWIMMVIeS SIWTION :36 out on time. "MAII)STONV" 37 Our next edition is due in June, so until then, cheerio ! EDITOR. AND PICK-UP Duo L" DOWN UNDER 38 1 )1‘.1,1R'S liOOKSIIELE 39 TREASURER'S NOTES THEY DIVE TO WORK ... 42 Dear Readers, NOTES FROM DEVONPORT DIVING SCHOOL ... 44 I am pleased to inform you all that the circulation of our magazine continues to increase from strength to strength finding its way to all THE EMPLOYMENT BUREAU 45 corners of the earth. We have received gratifying letters from new R.N. DIVING BADGE ... I I I 47 readers in South Africa, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ceylon and the United States of America. www.mcdoa.org.uk www.mcdoa.org.uk I would like at this point to fl I all 41111 lriend:4, ‘114.1Iier service, When waterborne the bell is unhooked and, on the order from the ex-service or non-service, for their unfailing ,-,apport .111(1 particular one surface, the crew start hauling down. A 24" wire backhaul remains generous reader who is donating a yearly grant for the magazine and the attached to the bell and is paid out by hand together with the air pipes charities with which it is associated. and electric leads as the bell goes down. This serves as a preventor by The remainder of my news is less cheerful I am sorry to say. During which the bell can be hauled back to the surface if necessary. the last few months, the cost of paper, printing, and last but not least Making a Seal. postage, have all been increased with the sad but inevitable result that As the bell approaches the submarine the crew look down through the price of the magazine will have to go up to 1/6 (postage paid). This sighting ports into the lower compartment and see that all is clear. If so, increased price will take effect as from our next edition in June. All they continue hauling down until the air motor stalls. They then ship those subscribers who have paid for future editions will have their account adjusted accordingly. The editorial staff feel confident that you will all understand the SUPPLY HOSE •-• necessity for this unfortunate step, and are sure that you will continue EXHAUST to support this increasingly popular magazine. TREASURER. HOSE THE SUBMARINE RESCUE BELL by D.S.O., R.N. LIEUTENANT COMMANDER R. J. CLUTTERBUCK, co REDUCER H.M.S. Kingfisher Part 2 (Continued from Part 1, Vol. 3, No. 4) Air and Water Services. AIR Supply and exhaust air hoses from the surface lead into the upper com- MOTOR partment, being of 14" and 14" bore respectively. The supply leads to \A-t\ a manifold whence is is fed into the air motor, the ballast tanks or either ?'s \IE.WC compartment. The pressure in this system is controlled from the surface A\ \,.\—LSI and must be sufficient to overcome sea pressure at the required depth. \53 v It is usually 200 lb.13" at shallow depths. The exhaust hose can be QUICK ACTING connected either to the air motor discharge or to the upper compartment COCK vent. While the air motor is running this vent is kept shut to prevent a pressure building up inside the bell. There is also a flooding manifold by which water can be admitted to ballast tanks or to the lower compartment. The ballast and lower compartment have vents opening into the upper compartment. The lower compartment flood pipe has a large cock in to known as the quick-acting valve, the use of which will be explained later (fig. 4). Hauling Down. Once a downhaul has been connected, either by diver or messenger buoy, and the slack hauled up on the reel in the lower compartment, the bell is hoisted out by derrick and manned. The downhaul can overcome FIG. 4 a friction clutch between the reel and the air motor or can overhaul the air motor so that if it should be hove too taut it should not be carried away by a -long ratchet spanner on the hand turning gear and help the air motor into the water the lower the motion' of the ship. As the bell is lowered to bowse the bell well and firmly onto its seating. If the submarine has a compartment is vented until it is flooded. list they may find it necessary to shift some of the lead ballast to assist 4 www.mcdoa.org.uk www.mcdoa.org.uk canting the bell the required amount. It may also In' necessary to flood If the air in the submarine is very bad it is possible to drop down a some of the water ballast. hose from the bell manifold and supply some fresh while the bad can vent up through the bell to the surface. Also, of course, the bell can take When the crew think they have the bell seating all round, the lower down protosorb and oxygen cylinders to help alleviate conditions for those compartment and ballast tank floods are opened, keeping the sea valve who have to await the second trip. shut. They also open the ballast tank vent. They then throw open the quick-acting valve which immediately vents the lower compartment, The first load of survivors climb up and an equivalent weight of lead containing water at sea pressure, into the ballast tanks which only contain ballast is lowered into the submarine in exchange. Portable water ballast 'upper compartment pressure' i.e., nearly atmospheric.