The Com Line

Newsletter of the California Classic Equipment Divers

Published Quarterly by Dorothy Barstad
Membership - Charles Orr and Duke Drake

RALLY - MAY 15

We have been invited back to the College of Oceaneering (COO) in Wilmington to participate in their student appreciation day on May 15 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. We will be diving the Japanese TOA 4-light, two Chinese 12-bolts, along with two MkV's.

If you plan on participating as a diver, please contact Charlie Orr (310) 834-7051 by May 9th, so everyone will have an opportunity "to get wet." If you have your own equipment in good working condition, and want to try it out, bring it along. Please advise if you are planning on diving your own gear so that arrangements can be made for a mandatory inspection and for laydown space. It is recommended that divers bring sweat clothes and heavy socks to wear while diving.

First time divers will be instructed on use of the equipment and will be required to "tender" and dress in at least one other diver. Also, required is at least one dive in the light-weight helmets before being allowed to dive a MkV.

Volunteers will also be needed to load and unload equipment. Please meet in the COO parking lot by 8:00 a.m. if you can lend a hand.

We hope to see many of you there!

A Brief History of DESCO

Known to commercial divers throughout the world DESCO was first organized in 1937 as a Wisconsin Corporation under the name of Diving Equipment and Salvage Company. It's organization was the result of several events which occurred during the proceeding years.

During the 1930's, a Milwaukee diver, Max Gene Nohl, had received national publicity as a result of his salvage operation on a sunken steamship, the "John Dwight." This brought him to the attention of a Hollywood producer, Col. John D. Craig, who was interested in the possible salvage of the torpedoed Cunard Line "Lusitania," which lay in 312 feet of water off the Irish coast. At that time, no equipment or reliable techniques were available for diving operations at such depth, and it was obvious that such a project would require both physical experimentation and an advance in equipment design.

Although no actual attempt was ever made to salvage the Lusitania, its challenge caused Nohl to join forces with two other Milwaukeeans. The first was Jack Browne who was a diver. The second was Edgar End, MD, of the Marquette University School of Medicine, who was a pioneer in the new science of hyperbaric physiology and medicine.

Browne and Nohl worked together on the design of a new type of lightweight, self-contained, diving suit. At the same time they worked with Dr. End to explore the promising possibility of preventing nitrogen narcosis by having the diver breathe a mixture of helium and oxygen rather than air.

The first result of this collaboration was the incorporation of DESCO as the manufacturer of the newly designed equipment. Norman Kuehn, a Milwau-kee businessman, largely financed the new corporation. Browne and Nohl became its first full-time employees. Browne was also one of its shareholders.

The second result of this collaboration was that, on December 1, 1937 in the cold waters of Lake Michigan, Max Nohl succeeded in diving to a depth of 420 feet, thereby breaking a depth record which had been held by US Navy Diver Frank Crilley, since 1915. Nohl accomplished this feat using DESCO's new equipment and breathing a heliox mixture prescribed by Dr. End.

World War II brought large Navy contracts for diving equipment to DESCO. They included not only conventional hard-hat gear, but also the design, development and manufacturer of an oxygen rebreather, known as the "B Lung." This, for the first time, permitted Navy divers to swim freely under the surface, in the manner of SCUBA divers today, but without producing the bubbles which might disclose their position under water. By V-J Day, DESCO was producing more diving equipment than any other company in the world!

By then, DESCO had its own pressurized wet tank, and on April 27, 1945, Jack Browne used this tank to "dive" to still a new record depth of 550 feet. As in the case of Nohl's earlier dive, he breathed a heliox mixture under the supervision of Dr. End. Both dives were milestones in the development of modern techniques of mixed-gas diving.

In 1946, Norman Kuehn and Jack Browne sold the company to another Milwaukee businessman, Alfred Dorst. Under Dorst, the company continued to design and manufacturer U.S. Navy and commercial diving equipment, but he also broadened it's product line to include a variety of sporting goods, including water skis, aquaplanes, swim fins, spear-guns, and simplified oxygen rebreathers, such as the "A Lung," intended for use by sports divers. At about this time, the company changed it's name to "Diving Equipment and Supply Company, Inc" (DESCO).

After the Korean War, which again brought an increase in U.S. Navy contracts and orders, the ownership changed hands several times, and during this period it went out of the sporting goods business. Ever since, it has concentrated solely, as it did at the start, on the design and manufacture of commercial and U.S. Navy diving equipment.

In 1960 Max Nohl and his wife were tragically killed in an automobile accident.

In May 1966, Tom and Marilyn Fifield purchased DESCO and in 1968 the business moved to its present location on Milwaukee Street in Milwaukee.

Mr. Fifield was responsible in the 1960's for the design and development of the DESCO diving Hat, which remains a standard piece of modern equipment for diving with air in relatively shallow water where mixed gases are not required. Also the company, in addition to its full line of conventional diving equipment, has continued to improve and manufacture its famous DESCO Full-Face Mask which originated in the early design efforts of Jack Browne and Max Nohl. The mask has probably been used in more total hours of commercial diving than any other piece of equipment made.

Diving equipment introduced by DESCO includes: The Jack Browne Light-Weight Suit, the Browne self-contained Hat - Model 100 (circa 1939), the Browne self-contained Hat - Model 106, the wrap-around front light Buie Helmet designed by E.D. Buie and DESCO for ordinance disposal during WW II (circa 1940), the copper and cast brass one-light hat known as a "shallow water type," the one-light "DESCO Pot" (circa late 1960's), the 4-light 12-bolt Abalone, the 4-light 12-bolt Sponge, the 4-light 12-bolt Mark V, and last but certainly not least, the impressive 4-light Mark V Helium Helmet.
~Duke Drake

Research sources:
The DESCO Internet Web Site
"Helmets of the Deep," by Leon Lyons
"20,000 Jobs Under the Sea," by Torrance Parker


What's Happening

Skin Diver Magazine - Leslie "Doc" Jacobs managed to get us a spot in the April issue of Skin Diver Magazine (Pg. 13). Also the HDS gave us a little space with a write up on our Sept. '98 Rally. We understand the Historical Diver is planning on running another article and pictures of the January '99 Rally in their June issue.

New Members - We have had a number of new members send in apps after the articles that appeared in Skin Diver and the Historical Divers magazines. Several were from the east coast, as well as the west coast and one from Hawaii!

Historical Diving Equipment Display in Yuma - Arrangements were made with the Yuma Crossing State Park in Yuma, Arizona to set up a display in honor of Al Christie, an old time diver from the early 1900. Mr. Christie worked on the siphon which was part of the Colorado River Irrigation system built in 1912. There was a lot of local interest in the display as well as TV and newspaper coverage.

The Movies - We were contacted and just finished a four hour interview with 20th Century Fox - Churchill Studios to consult on a movie, "Navy Diver," to be filmed this summer. We will be meeting with them again in the near future to discuss the possibility of using some of our members for the film.

"Belly Valve" and Exhaust Valve

The belly valve simply controls the inlet air when an inlet valve isn't incorporated in the helmet. It usually attaches to the breast plate or weight belt on the divers left side.

The three types of exhaust valves used by our group are the single spring without exterior control wheel, single spring with exterior control wheel, and a double spring with exterior control wheel.

Both single spring valves have "chin or head buttons" inside the helmet and when depressed, over rides the spring and exhausts the air. One type has a hand wheel on the outside to increase spring tension, but it also restricts travel on the chin button. When closed the chin button becomes immobile. This can lead to an accidental blow up. (We saw this happen at Rally #2).

The second type of single spring valve uses no exterior hand wheel. The valve stem extends through the exterior of the valve body and can be grasped between thumb and finger to keep the valve closed when spring pressure alone isn't enough.

The two spring valves are similar, but the hand wheel can be completely closed, and the diver can still exhaust air with the chin button.

Torrance Parkers, "20,000 Jobs Under the Sea," covers this much better than I can with this limited space. He also includes a nice cutaway drawing of each valve.

Interview with Torrance Parker

On March 25, I had the privilege to be present when Leslie Jacobs interviewed Torrance Parker. I believe I learned more about commercial diving in the short time I spent with Mr. Parker then in any book I have read on the subject.

Not only is Torrance Parker a living legend in the diving community, he's also a darn nice guy. We are lucky to have such a person as a new member of our group. ~Charlie Orr

Service Refused! (Almost)

Duke Drake, "Big Al" Pilkington and Charlie Orr spent the day diving. On their way home, they decided to stop for a bite to eat. Upon entering the restaurant, they were quickly stopped and informed neck ties were required.

Back at Duke's truck, they removed shoe laces from the dive boots and made a tie for "Big Al" and Charlie. The only thing left in the truck was a set of jumper cables, so Duke wrapped them around his neck, tied it in a knot, and they preceded back to the restaurant.

The maitre d' looked them over with a smirk, and said, "Well, o.k., but just don't start anything!"

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