On May 4, we had the honor of diving the College of Oceaneering's new president, Dr. Nick Trongale, in the Desco Kirby hat. (We think he's hooked now.) We also had the Readey family, Peter, Sharon and son, Christian, from Steam Machines Inc. After Peter demonstrated the rebreathers, he and his son both dove the standard gear together. Christian is only 13 years old, which makes him one of our youngest divers (Travis Robinson was 12). A total of 19 dives were made; two with a Steam Machines Rebreather, two with Scuba and 15 with standard gear.
This was probably our most memorable event to date at the
COO. We even had Clowns making balloon hats for the kids.
Larry Howe stopped by to share photos taken at the Aquarium
of The Pacific, and then helped us with the clean up at the end
of the day. And as always, the COO provided everyone with a
great BBQ lunch.
The COO drawing winners were James Paul and Miguel Uribe.
Miguels' family was there to cheer him on. His son, with the
assistance of Jocko Robinson, spoke with his dad over the coms
while in the water. James took to the old gear like a pro and
wants to dive with us again. The two students also had the
honor of being tended by veteran Navy divers
Ken McElvain and Harold Nething.
Many thanks to all the members and COO
staff that helped lug the gear up the stairs
and to clean up afterwards. And, a BIG thank
you to the COO for giving us the opportunity
to dive at their facility.
August 10, 2002 - This date has been set for our next COO Rally. We will start diving about 9:00 a.m. and continue until about 4:00 p.m. If you can help with the gear, be there by 8:00 a.m. Don't miss out on a good time! Call Charlie @ (310) 834-7051 for more details.
Banning's Landing Dive and Display June 23, 2002
Or - how to boogie woogie in hard hat gear. Sunday's celebration at the Banning's Landing Cultural Center in Wilmington may be the highlight of the year. Carried away by the beat of the Southland Band, Jocko Robinson danced out of the water and onto the dance floor dressed in the Chinese heavy gear, while Mark Howell cut a rug in his double hose scuba. The crowd roared with laughter as two ladies from the audience joined them on the dance floor. Something you would have to see to believe!
Diving started about 10:00 a.m. using the Desco-Kirby and a Chinese hat. Scuba divers using double hose gear worked as safety divers and searched the bottom for old bottles. Divers included "Big" Al Pilkington, Eva Trusty, Mark Howell, Ben Briggs, Bill Kurka, Al Perez, Brian (Rude Dog) Koneval, and Robert Landreth from Steam Machines. Jocko Robinson and his son, Travis, dove together, both in hard hat gear, waving to the onlookers who gathered along the wall overlooking the old Landing. Ken McElvain spent the day tending, Charlie Orr monitored the compressor, "Mom" Orr took care of the display with help from John Hilliard. Peter, Sharon and Christian Ready of Steam Machines also dropped by to visit.
At noon the Folklorico Dancers preformed traditional Mexican dances dressed in their colorful native costumes. Following the dancers, the Southland Band played for the next two hours - classic rock, blues, r&b, and top 40s.
The party broke up about 4:00 p.m. Everyone leaving with a smile on their face and looking forward to next year at The Landing.
Plans are being made for the 4th Annual Dive Demonstration and Display at the L.A. Maritime Museum on August 31(Labor Day weekend). We will be diving from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. from the Museum's tugboat, Angel's Gate. The Museum is located at Berth 84 (foot of 6th St.) in San Pedro.
This dive will be limited to heavy gear - no scuba or rebreathers. Only CCED members who have previously dove the heavy gear will be allowed to dive. However, all members are encouraged to participate as there is always plenty to do. Help will be needed to monitor the compressor/air bottles, monitor the coms, act as tenders, oversee the display, load and unload equipment, etc.
If you would like to dive and have not checked out on the heavy gear, be sure to attended the COO Rally on August 10. If you want to dive or can help in any way, contact Charlie Orr (310) 834-7051 or simply show up around 8:00 a.m. at the Museum.
The Santa Barbara City College is offering the Heavy Gear Workshop from July 19-21. Instructors will include professional divers Bob Christiansen, Bob Kirby, Don Barthelmes, Dan Vasey, and Scrap Lundy. Helmets used will be the Mark V, Abalone and Kirby-Morgan air hat. Class is limited to 20 people. Cost is $375 which includes all materials, instruction, and a BBQ lunch on Saturday.
Last year's workshop filled up early so you need to contact them immediately, if not sooner, if you are interested in attending. Several members of the CCED and also members of MOAV attended last summer and gave it two thumbs up all way. Contact Don Barthelmes at (805) 965-0581, ext. 2427 for mail or faxed request.
May 17, 2002 - Members attending were, Charlie Orr,
Ace Parnell, Al Pilkington, Bill Kurka, Ken McElvain,
Jocko Robinson and Dr. Pete Lee. The topics discussed
were the problems with drying the dresses and the right
talc to use. We also discussed the Banning's Landing
Dive Demonstration, the post cards for the Labor Day
rally, a new compressor and the order for the Chinese
hats. After the meeting Dr. Pete gave us a sneak preview
of the dive exhibit which opens in July. Decompression
followed at the Acapulco!
Next meeting - July 18, 2002. Discussion will be the
plans for the 4th Annual Dive Demonstration and Display
at the L.A. Maritime Museum on August 31.
"Early Aqua-Lung Identification Plates" - Written by Mark Howell will be published in a future issue of the Historical Diver Magazine. Due to the lack of space in the HDM, the article, the Time-Line Chart and all 19 photos of the regulators will be featured on our website in conjunction with the publication date. You will be able to simply click on the photos to enlarge for better viewing of the regulators. This is an excellent article for all of you who collect and dive the double hose scuba gear.
FBI Advisory - On May 24 the FBI issued an advisory that possibly terrorist elements were looking into gaining scuba diving capabilities to target such things as nuclear plants, cruise ships, or port facilities. Just something we should all be aware of anytime we are diving in or around the L.A. Harbor area.
Dive Into History - Dive Into History held at Pt. Lobo is being canceled. This has been a lot of work for Scrap Lundy and Bob Kirby, to whom we owe a big "Thank You" for all the time and energy they devoted to putting it together over the past six years. Hopefully, someone else will be able and willing to continue with it in the future as this was an event we all looked forward to each year.
Additional website - CCED now has a second website at http://cced_bars.tripod.com. This additional site is linked to our home on Geocities to give us more room for future events and articles.
We have a new T-Shirt, designed by Jocko Robinson of Dive 'n Surf, and available for members and family. The shirts are Hanes Beefy T's in either black or grey, with a Mark V Helmet on the back encircled with the name "California Classic Equipment Divers." The printing is a combination of black, grey, white and gold. On the front, left side, is a double-hose with twin bottles, also encircled with the group name. Sizes medium through XX-large. Cost is $15.00 plus $4.00 for mailing - total $19.00 if mailed. Limited number available! State size & color desired and send with check to Charlie Orr, 1036 Gulf Ave., Wilmington, CA 90744 or by phone @ (310) 834-7051 - E:mail: neverbent@aol.com
Dated April 30, 2002 from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs - Sherwood SCUBA LLC Recall of Maximus Regulators
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC), Sherwood SCUBA LLC, of Irvine,
Calif., is recalling about 14,000 Maximus SCUBA
regulators. The second stage orifices on these regulators
can be cracked, bent or broken. This can result in a loss of
breathing air underwater. Sherwood SCUBA has received
seven reports of broken second stage orifices on these
regulators. Two of the regulators broke during dives
underwater. No injuries were reported.
The Maximus regulators included in this recall have the
following model, serial numbers and connection types:
SRB5600 K600001 through K611834
SRB5600D2 DK60000 through DK62000
SRB5600CE EK60001 through EK62000
The serial numbers are laser marked on the top of the
second stage case next to the mouthpiece.
Recently I purchased a Yokohama dress on e-Bay that was
advertised as "mint condition - like new." Also, the seller
was located in Canada. When the dress arrived and I
opened the box, you could smell the rotting rubber. The
fabric was separating in several places, and the exposed
rubber had a dark color to it.
At first, the seller refused to give me a full refund or
reimbursement for the shipping. The cost of shipping was
$40 each way. Duty also had to be declared. The situation
was eventually ironed out and I did receive my money
back. The seller claimed "ignorance" as far as the
description of the dress, although he was in the business of
selling dive gear.
I guess the lesson out of all this is - when buying
something outside the US, take into consideration the cost
of shipping, cost of an international money order, and duty
charges. And, as in my case, if the price is terrific and the
photos are a little blurry, give the deal a little more
thought. ~ Charlie Orr
Ken was raised in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. He joined the Navy in December 1948 and went to Boot Camp and Engineering School in San Diego. It was while onboard his first ship, the U.S.S. Sperry (AS-12) in 1949, that he became interested in diving. This was the same ship fellow Navy diver, Harold Nething, made his fresh water tank dive (Issue #15). He attended the U.S. Navy Salvage School (class #30) from May to August of 1950 in Bayonne, NJ and served as a salvage diver until discharged in December 1952.
After leaving the Navy, Ken worked at the Standard Oil 
Refinery in El Segundo for 6½ years. A friend who had
become a fireman at the El Segundo Fire Department
talked him into taking the exam which placed him as #1 on
the employment list. He spent 27 years with the El
Segundo Fire Department, retiring on December 29, 1985.
In 1963, Long Beach State College was holding a scuba class for Firemen & Police in search and recovery. Ken and another engineer took the class and became divers for the Fire Department.
Ken has been married to Barbara for almost 50 years. They have three daughters and one son. The youngest daughter is a RN and a Major in the California National Guard.
Since joining the CCED last year, Ken seldom misses a meeting or event. Even though he is now 71 years old, he dove the Mark V at a COO Rally and at the Aquarium of the Pacific in March of this year. Well liked and highly respected, Ken is a valued member of our group.
The recent release of the movie "Windtalkers" has brought attention to the Navajo Code Talkers of WWII. The Marine Code Talkers, stationed on the front lines of battle, used a code based on their own native Navajo language to translate radio-transmitted orders issued from the code talkers at the command posts.
However, these Navajo's were not the first "code talkers." During the closing days of WWI, a group of Choctaws used their language to transmit messages which could not be deciphered by the Germans. To the listening Germans it sounded like someone had scrambled the transmission, but they had simply spoke in their native language.
Twenty five years later, WWII was a war with few secrets. Allied Intelligence had broken the German and Japanese communications codes. But the Japanese had also broken every code the Americans developed. Many of the top Japanese code breakers had been educated in the United States and were savvy even to local references and slang. Perhaps the Choctaw Code Talkers might have had some success again, but there had only been eight of them in that WWI test and they had long since been forgotten . . . . or had they?
Seventeen Comanches were assigned to the Comanche Signal Corps of the Army and, like the Choctaws before them, passed messages among themselves that could not be understood by the Germans. Little did the Germans listening-in realize that the words - posah-tai-vo - meant crazy white man, and were used to identify none other than Adolph Hitler.
Phillip Johnston, a World War I veteran, who came by covered wagon with his missionary family to settle on Navajo land in northern Arizona was so proficient in the Navajo language he was used as a translator by the time he was nine years old. He had heard of the Choctaw Code Talkers, and was convinced that the Navajo language would also be nearly impossible for an enemy to understand. In 1942, Johnston convinced Lt. Col. James E. Jones, a Marine signal officer, to let him put on a demonstration at Camp Elliott, near San Diego. Navajo volunteers translated typical military messages from English to Navajo, and sent the messages to another room where other Navajos translated them back to English within 20 seconds. Using coding machines to convey the same messages took 30 minutes. The Marines agreed to enlist Johnston and 30 Navajos to try their system in actual combat . . . but it had to be foolproof.
The first 29 Navajo recruits attended boot camp. Then, at Camp Pendleton in California, this first group created the Navajo code. Navajo is a spoken language handed down orally from generation to generation. The Code Talkers created a system of native words to represent characters of the English alphabet, so that they could spell out English words that had no Navajo equivalent. They also assigned their own expressions, like iron-fish to mean submarine, for over 400 important military terms. Each Code Talker memorized these special words. There were no written materials that could be captured. Once a Navajo code talker completed his training, he was sent to a Marine unit deployed in the Pacific theater. At Iwo Jima, Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer, declared, "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima."
The Japanese cracked every code that the Army and Navy came up with, except the Navajo code. It wasn't until 1968 when the code was declassified that the general population learned of this elite group. The Navajo code was so successful and valued that some code talkers were guarded by fellow Marines to protect them. According to the resolution honoring them, and the movie, the guards were told to kill the code talkers in case of imminent capture by the enemy. The Marine Corps denies that was the policy.
As of 1945, about 540 Navajos served as Marines. From 375 to 420 of those trained as code talkers; the rest served in other capacities. At a ceremony on July 26, 2001, the Navajo's were presented with Congressional Gold Medals by President Bush. At that time, only five of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers were still living.
Incredibly, one of America's most valuable secret weapons had been developed thousands of years before there even was a United States. It was the power of the Native American Language.