www.mcdoa.org.uk pk i;:ile- /V4 t, 4 10111 The design is simple and strong, I ho ":411%60 elatnping mechuunistn has been int• proved, and t he valve is Ii. 0( Don • M A GAAS/ corrosive chr .•1 lid ed Safety AIR RESERVE VALVE The seta are fitted with an air rrservu valve. in It cannot. Ix' Ileeidl Olt 'Reserve' %%lieu oy r is Comfort empty. The valve has n 'on which can wear or jam; KAMEN The new nylon webbing harness is designed without a waist- strap, to make a weight bolt mom The Esageo 'Mistral' Aqualung by comfortable to wear. The central Slob°, Gorman based on the famous quick-release attachment helps you Cousteau-Cagnan design has ell the take off the set before leaving the latest refinements that research has water, or jettison it in emergency. suggested I experiment realised.• TWIN CYLINDER CONVERSION DEMAND VALVE The double-lever You can VIM vert your 'Mistral' action reduces opening. resistance Aqualung into a twin set. VOlkeimiii10111loltlll1iIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'IIIIIIN I lt to a minimum, and the single stage * Write to us for full Maas of Mr reduction gives Max air thus. Essore M . rho 81114. Gomm .Pratror - Waite NW Aymara. 81E11E, GOItMAN & CO. LTI). 10l; Neptune Works. Duels Road. 1.: ekesanaton. Surrey. ISIEBE ta Telephone: Elnibrldste 590o w itt 1 iiilllimminn"1111111111111111111111111111111111111111U11111111iiiiimiumm111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111110111ImumU111111illi Manchester OMee: 274, Deanigate. Telephone: Ptomaine moo GORMAN 4.)., V.:** COMM. 4 CO IC, 14411144. Vol. 8 No. I .M.S. VERNON www.mcdoa.org.uk 21- www.mcdoa.org.uk diving into We specialise in civvy EVERYTHING street? FOR THE UNDERWATER SPORTSMAN including the latest designs and all the better makes of LUNGS DIVING SUITS SWIMMING GEAR & EQUIPMENT Whether you go on diving for fun or take it up professionally, make sure you get the best equipment. Heinke's have been making diving gear for 140 years; they are the only people in the world who manufacture a com- plete range of equipment in their own factory. It doesn't cost much to start right. Heinke kits enable you to begin with basic necessities and May we send you our add more advanced facilities when NEW LIST and you need them. And everything, folder of illustrated leaflets from the simple snorkel tube to FREE—of course the de luxe twin aqualung, is Heinke — a great name in diving. Write to us for our latest cata- logue. 126 HANWORTH ROAD HEINKE DELTA SUITS HEINKE LUNGS HOUNSLOW, MIDDX. Heinke Delta Suits arc designed to Heinke-Lungs arc used by leading divers in at give complete protection to divers in parts of the world. Heinke venturi pit two-stage cold or polluted water. Manufactured demand valves are made to exceptionally high Tel. HOUnslow 6 7 2 2 standards of accuracy; and their advanced design in neoprene, they are impervious to ensures minimum cracking resistant., maaimum oil, sunlight or ozone, and will stand cylinder duration, constant breathing character- up to the rugged conditions encoun- istics and adequate air supply throughout the tered by professional divers pressure range 'PAY-AS-YOU-PLAY' DEFERRED TERMS ARRANGED C. E. HEINKE & COMPANY LTD 87 GRANGE ROAD, LONDON, S.E.I III. BERMONDSEY 4461.1 www.mcdoa.org.uk www.mcdoa.org.uk R.N. Diving Magazine EDITORIAL STAFF Contents Chief Petty Officer R. L. BENFIELD, Editor. Lieutenant H. E. CAISLEY, Treasurer. Instructor Lieutenant J. P. JEFFERSON, B.Sc., R.N., Secretary. PAGE L/Sea. M. J. BRASSINGTON, Cartoonist. THE LIFE OF `DEEPWATER' - PART II . 3 Vol 8 February 1961 No. 1 YARD MEN'S SUPERB JOB 11 PORT DIVING UNIT, LONDONDERRY 13 The Life of `Deepwater' (Part II) UNDERWATER AT CORFU 15 by CAPT. W. 0. SHELFORD, R.N. (Retd.) FIRE DOWN BELOW .. 17 4 EEPWATER' sailed for her and told the engine room staff to do first 'Training Cruise' on a their damndest. SALVAGE IN CANADA .. 18 Saturday evening early in Early next morning we were off September 1947. The weather was as again, breasting a rising sea down lovely as only an early Autumn A SHORT HISTORY OF NAVAL BOMB AND MINE DISPOSAL 21 Channel with both engines going evening can make it, and with fine. About tea-time that afternoon the prospect of the weekend at GREETINGS FROM YOUR KIWI COUSINS .. we rounded Land's End to find half 25 sea and three weeks in Loch Fyne a gale blowing and a steep sea run- during Scotland's best time of the ning under our Port quarter. Deep- REPAIRS TO TI;Itf, STEM OF H.M.S. `APoui.o. by SHALLOW WATER year, I felt that life was pretty good. water began to roll alarmingly but DIVERS 29 We moved steadily down Spithead, ploughed steadily on for another round the Isle of Wight and headed hour or so, when both engines RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT — IT'S HELL 31 down Channel into the setting sun. stopped suddenly. Off St. Catherine's my com- Apparently the heavy rolling had NEWS FROM Guzz 25 placency received a sudden cold disturbed water that must have been douche as the Port Engine came to a lurking unsuspected in the oil tanks, SPEARFISHING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 35 grinding stop. We made slow speed and we now had it in the fuel lines on the other engine for an anxious of both engines. After about an IRANIAN DIVERS VISIT KHARG ISLAND 36 half hour, until Jerry Lane, my Chief, hour of wallowing lifelessly in the came up to the Charthause bearing trough of the sea with many an NEWS AND VIEWS FROM R.N.P.L. a newspaper parcel. From this he anxious glance at the cliffs of Corn- 37 spilled a number of jagged oily wall getting ever closer to leeward, pieces of steel all over the clean we were able to start up again. BUDDY LINES 41.. chart, explaining as he did so that By this time it was dark and they used to constitute the crown of raining and the sea was getting ANY VOLUNTEERS? , . 45 No. 4 Port Piston. However, he worse. The rolling was frightening cheerfully assured me, we carried a in the extreme; the ship was going spare piston and if I could anchor over to leeward some 45° or more for a few hours he would fit it in and hanging there as though she No. 4. So back we went to St. would never recover. I remembered Helen's Roads, let go the anchor that although we *ad done an — 2 --- —3 www.mcdoa.org.uk www.mcdoa.org.uk `Inclining Experiment' in the Dock- approach the Port under such con- yard and the Constructor had worked ditions'. This Mariner wasted no I was half way down the ladder At last we dragged ourselves away out the results and assured me the time in regaining the bridge and to my cabin before I answered: and liiiped back to Portsmouth. ship was stable, I had never had the altering Course back towards Land's Poor Deepwater spent most of the `This, Chief, happens to be Fal- next few months in Dockyard hands official 'Stability Statement' from the End; it was the only thing left to do. mouth.' Admiralty and I began to wonder being refitted .again and having At least, on a Southerly course, the various modifications done. We did whether a decimal point or some- rolling and lurching was less; she was I gather it was as well that I thing had gone astray. didn't hear his comments. however get in some sea time in a good ship in a head sea and life Spithead, doing trials of Submarine Staggering down from the bridge seemed less alarming. Jerry said the Immersion Suits, Submarine Escape for a quick warm up, I came upon starboard engine might suffer from After breakfast and a clean up, I Rate of Ascent trials, and comparat- the watch on deck, a bunch of sea- the same troubles as the other at any reviewed the position. It seemed a ive tests of various types of gas sick National Servicemen huddled in moment, but he thought the could pity to send the 'Deeps' back by cutting torches in deep water. Per- the lee shelter-deck. 'Sam' Stanley, nurse it for another few hours. 1 told train and call the whole trip off. haps our most important work was Petty Officer of the Watch was him we'd make for Penzance which, There must be water deep enough the preliminary testing of the Oxy- haranguing them: allowing for a safe margin round to do some diving not too far out Helium gear, trying American hel- `Call this rolling? Nothing — Land's End, should take us four or in the bay for the starboard engine mets against the British and getting why I was in a ship once which five hours. He begged me not to to take us out and back, so that the to know the American panel and rolled so much we had to rig a prolong the agony unnecessarily. whole thing would not be a waste of controls. time. The chart showed a depth of spud-net over the funnel to stop the By 1 a.m. we were well clear to the By the early summer of 1947 we Stokers falling out of the boiler- Southward of all the land, and I of 32 fathoms close under the shelter of the land near the Manacle Rocks. felt fairly confident that we really room !' gratefully headed up Channel again. could get to Inveraray. The piston I arrived back on the bridge in At the same time, the rain stopped, and there we were headed at dawn on the Monday morning.