The Com Line
Newsletter of the California Classic Equipment Divers
Published Quarterly by Dorothy Barstad
Membership - Charles Orr and Duke Drake
1036 Gulf Ave. Wilmington, CA 90744 - www.geocities.com/cced_barstad
Aquarium of The Pacific
1st Annual Divers' Day Rally
March 17, 2002
We will be participating in the Divers' Day Rally atThe Aquarium of the Pacific
in Long Beach, California on March 17. We will be diving
throughout the day in a 27 foot glass tank and will
be using both hard hat and vintage scuba gear. Air is
being furnished with "K" bottles provided by
Compressed Air Specialities. We will have a display
set up along with displays and booths from the
Historical Diving Society, the Catalina Chamber of
Commerce, California Diving News and a host of
other organizations underneath the Aquarium's 88-foot blue whale model in the Great Hall of the Pacific.
Since we will be diving in tanks occupied by live sea
creatures and what can only be considered as a
"fragile environment," only experienced divers will
be allowed in the water. Those interested in
participating should try to attend the next two
CCED Meetings at the L.A. Maritime Museum and
the College of Oceaneering Rally. The meetings are
scheduled for January 18 and March 15, with the
COO Rally to be held on February 2. We will need
lots of help tending, communications, overseeing the
air supply and the display, loading and unloading
gear, taking pictures, etc. There will be a great many
details to work out to make this a truly successful
event.
Certified divers will receive free admission by
presenting valid proof of certification with photo
I.D. Our members will also be admitted free by
presenting the new membership card which is
enclosed. The public may also enjoy this event for
the regular admission - $16.95 Adult (12+), $13.95
Senior (60+) and $9.95 Child (3-11). In addition to
all of the Divers' Day festivities, guests will enjoy the
Pacific Galleries, Lorikeet Forest Exhibit, Jellies:
Phantoms of the Deep, and the Weedy Sea Dragon
Exhibit. The Café Scuba will be open for lunch.
There is also a very nice gift shop.
This event has been in the planning stage for several
months and should be loads of fun. If you plan to
dive or help in any way, contact Charlie Orr (310)
834-7051 (e-mail: Neverbent@aol.com) - ASAP
COO Rally - November 3, 2001
The rally at the COO was our best yet. We had a
total of twelve divers. "Big Al" Pilkington was the
first in the water at 9:15 a.m. using Mark Howell's
rebreather. Equipment used for the day included
Charlie Orr's Kirby hat and Chinese hat, as well as
Mark Howell's Chinese hat.
The big event of the day was a dive made by Ken
McElvain. Ken was a Navy Salvage Diver and this
was his first dive in heavy gear in 51 years. "Way to
go Ken!"
Members present were, Mark Howell, Charlie Orr,
Ken McElvain, Harold Nething, Jocko Robinson,
Brad Speer, Al Pilkington, Bill Kurka, and Lance
Meyer. The two drawing winners were, Cory
Embree who dove the Kirby hat and Walter Kenzie
who dove the Chinese hat.
After the rally, everyone meet at the Union War
Surplus in San Pedro, where Jocko got us all a good
deal on a Navy MK 3 Seal Knife. The gang then
moved on down the street to the Whale and Ale
where we swapped stories and discussed the days events.
Again, our sincere thanks to the folks at the College
of Oceaneering for putting up with us for the day
and the great BBQ hamburgers. ~ Charlie Orr
February 2 - College of Oceaneering Rally (272 S. Fries Ave., Wilmington) - 9:00 a.m. until
3:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to participate. Bring
along any new gear you want to try out and plan on
having a good time. The COO Rally's offer an
excellent opportunity for the newer members to dive
for the first time in the heavy gear, for all of us to
learn or sharpen tending skills, and to try out any
new gear in a relatively safe environment.
As always, help will be needed to load and unload
the gear. Meet at the COO at 8:00 a.m. if you can
lend a hand. The COO will be providing a lunch of
BBQ burgers for everyone. If you want to dive, have
new gear to try out or need more information call
Charlie at (310) 834-7051.
Note: If you plan to dive at the Aquarium of the
Pacific on March 17, you should also attend the
COO Rally if possible!!!
Display and Dry Dress-in at the
Yuma Crossing State Historic Park
As has been the custom the past three years during
the last two weeks of November, a display to honor
Al Christie and his crew who worked on the
Colorado River Siphon in the early 1900's was set
up at the Yuma Crossing State Historic Park in
Arizona.
On December 1, a brief program was presented with
Pearl Harbor Survivor, Les Ritchie as the guest
speaker. John Chapman also spoke of his experience
at Pearl Harbor and his career as a Navy Deep Sea
Diver. Many of those who attended were WWII
veterans and fellow members of the PHS chapter.
A dry dress-in demonstration was then preformed
with Les as the diver and John as tender assisted by
Charlie Orr and Gerry Emert, the Park Manager. As
the gear was being packed up two young Marines
dropped by, so the gear was quickly brought back
and Deric Ingalls was dressed-in. This young Marine
informed us that he would be going to Afghanistan
after the first of the year.
The Yuma Crossing Park continues to gather dive
gear and pictures to complete the permanent exhibit
of the history of the construction of the Colorado
River Irrigation Project. They have now purchased
one of the Chinese helmets to add to the display and
to use as part of their educational program for
school age children. The display is being built in the
building that once held the offices for the Bureau of
Reclamation (now the Bureau of Land Management)
who were responsible for this engineering feat that
brought water to the Yuma Valley.
6th annual "Dive into History
@ Whalers Cove Carmel, California
CCED members take first place
On October 20th the Historical Diving Society and
the California State Reserve at Point Lobos
presented the 6th annual "Dive Into History." Several
members from southern California made the trip up
north to participate in the old scuba gear and diving
equipment contest. In order to win you had to get
into the water and actually use the old diving gear.
The sun shown brightly that morning and the water
was a chilly 53 degrees. Visibility was great! This
was the first time in six years that you could see
more than a few feet; in the past a plankton bloom
had made the water less than desirable. As the divers
dressed-in aided by Ace Parnell, Kent Rockwell
described the equipment the divers were using. The
news media were present, clicking away with their
cameras and video. Of particular interest was the age
of the diving gear. Kent did a great job describing
each piece of gear, often making comparisons to its
modern counterpart.
Two CCED members tied for first place, Mark
Howell and Jocko Robinson. Mark wore a 1958
green Aquala dry suit with a front tunnel entry and
sealed with a Desco clamp. His 1953 Aqua Lung
regulator with wet mouthpiece was connected to a
pair of 1952 USN surplus oxygen tanks. The U.S.
Divers post valves were cross connected
with an early 50's pig tail manifold. For
safety a Co2 powered "Life Guard" hung
below his white cotton duck weight
belt. Face plate was a mid 50's green Voit,
and fins were brown gum-rubber duck feet
by Spearfisherman
Jocko wore a 1959 Dive N Surf wet suit. His 1951 Aqua Lung double
hose regulator was connected to a pair of WW11
surplus O2 tanks with a very interesting home built
manifold. Someone in the past did a great job
fabricating a manifold from solid brass that still
functions perfect 50 years later. His weight belt was
from the mid-50's with the round steel weights. Fins
were 1951 Italian; they looked very much like black
Churchill Fins the UDT's used during World War11.
Face plate was a black oval Sportsways from about
1960.
The two first place winners emerged from the water
after a short dive, proving that old diving gear with
proper maintenance and care can be fun and
educational to use. Of particular interest was the
water integrity of Mark's dry suit. When the clamp
was removed and the tunnel opened, he was bone
dry. The face gasket and the wrist seals were also
dry--not bad for a 50's vintage dry suit.
First prize was a 2-volume set of Deep Diving and
Submarine Operations. After the mornings activities
in Whalers Cove, divers and the other participants
enjoyed a great Bar-B-Q of tri-tip and chicken. This
was a great way to spend a Saturday, diving and
sharing stories of the early days, which to some of us
seem like only yesterday. It's not only fun but also
educational, and this is what the Historical Diving
Society is all about.~ Mark Howell
What's Happening?
Membership Card - Enclosed is your new, official
CCED membership card. Member numbers are now
permanently assigned. Be sure to bring it to the
Aquarium of the Pacific for a free admission on
Divers' Day.
Banning's Landing - No date has been set as yet
for the Banning's Landing Rally but details are being
worked out. It will probably take place sometime
around the first of June. We will keep you posted.
The Historical Diver Magazine - Produced by
Leslie Leaney and Andy Lentz for the HDS has
presented excellent articles during the past year.
Leslie Jacobs column "Voices of the Deep," is filled
with the adventures of some of the great commercial
divers such as Kenny Knott, Norma and Al Hanson,
and Murray Black. Kent Rockwell's "Scuba
Workshop" is well written and informative. Summer
and Fall 2001 was the story of Les Ritchie and his
experiences as a diver during WWII on the USS
Arizona by Dorothy Barstad. Mark Howell, another
CCED member, will have articles published later this
year. Mark has had several articles published in the
Firemen's Relief Association publication - The
Grapevine.
Postcard Reminders - Postcards will ONLY be
mailed when the date of an event is too close to
adequately notify members with The Com Line. For
those living in the Southern California/Los Angeles
area, you will find a card enclosed with a Calendar
of Events for the next three months. PLEASE post
on a bulletin board, refrigerator, etc.
Honey, have you seen my bundt pan???
Recently Mark Howell and I were invited to watch
divers from American Marine inspect pilings and do
an under water survey for abandon boats near the
L.A. Fire Dept. Station #49 in Wilmington.
The first thing we noticed was that they were still
using heavy gear. The diver, Wade Bliss, showed us
around while explaining the job. Another thing we
noticed was that there wasn't much polished brass.
Everything was well used, in good shape and well laid
out. The helmet was a Yokohama, the dress was a
KME. They were using chest lead and ankle weights,
3/8" inch Gates hose coiled in a figure eight, and an Amron two diver com box.
Mark noticed that the chest lead resembled sea shells
and asked Bliss about it. He sort of laughed and said
he had poured them himself using his wife's Bundt
cake pan!
In and out of the water, they all worked as a team,
safety being foremost. After Wade surfaced from his
first dive, we thanked everyone and said our good
bye's. I am also happy to say, it didn't take much to
convince Wade to join our group. ~ Charles Orr
California Wreck Divers Banquet
The California Wreck Divers will be having their
annual awards banquet and giant raffle on February
23rd at Marina Del Rey. We are pleased to announce
our guest speakers, James Cameron (director of
Titanic) and Mike Cameron (ROV designer and all
around high tech guy). Some of the prizes in the
raffle include a $1,600 Atomic regulator and a wet
suit. Several people will be inducted into the CWD
hall of fame. Don't wait, tickets are expected to sell
out early. Order online at www.cawreckdivers.org
or write to CWD Banquet Tickets, 25572 Sarita Dr.
Laguna Hills, CA 92653. $60 chicken, salmon,
London broil. ~Ben Briggs
Swap & Sell
- Antiques of the Sea, Sunset Beach - Erik Bakker
Nautical items, both old and new. If you are
looking for a specific item give him a call at (562)
592-1752.
- Compressed Air Specialties Inc. - Sue Stearns
1340 S Simpson Circle, Anaheim, CA 92806
Phone: (714) 991-8800
Remember Pearl Harbor
Since the September 11th terrorist attack we have all become more aware of the events in the past that
have affected the history of our country. Very few
under the age of 65 have any memory of the attack
on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Most WWII vets are now
in their late 70's and 80's with their ranks growing
smaller with each passing day.
It was a great honor to be invited to attend the flag
raising and ceremony at the U.S. Marine Corp Air
Station in Yuma on December 7, 2001 - the 60th
Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. As the flag
lifted into the morning breeze the Pearl Harbor
Survivors stood at attention with backs straight,
giving a smart salute to the symbol of our freedom
they have honored and defended through the years.~ Dorothy Barstad
A Way With Words
October 2001 - Taliban supreme leader, Mullah
Mohammed Omar: "The situation where we are
now, there are two things: either death or victory.
To those who are fighting and bombarding us, they
should understand the Afghan man is a fighter
willing to dye for jihad."
1944 - General George S. Patton: "I want you to
remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying
for his country. He won it by making the other poor
dumb bastard die for his county."
Issue #14 - January 16, 2002
Issue #15
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