The standard diving dress was used from its invention in 1837 until replaced by the rise of SCUBA and other modern diving outfits in the 1960's. In this 1873 illustration from the Illustrated London News, we see the basic features of it: A helmet, supplied with air from the surface, and a waterproof canvas suit. The helmet is screwed on to the suit with wingnuts, which can be seen being tightened by one of the support crew on the left of the picture.

A standard diving dress consists of a metallic (copper, brass or bronze) diving helmet, an airline or hose from a surface supplied diving air pump, a canvas diving suit, diving knife and boots. An important part of the equipment is the addition of lead weights, generally on the chest, back and boots, to counteract the buoyancy of the helmet and diving suit. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 481 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2939 × 3666 pixel, file size: 5. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 481 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2939 × 3666 pixel, file size: 5. ... may refer to: Scuba diving, the use of a self-contained breathing set to stay underwater for periods of time. ... The Illustrated London News was a magazine founded by Herbert Ingram and his friend Mark Lemon, the editor of Punch magazine. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic pinkish red Standard atomic weight 63. ... For other uses, see Brass (disambiguation). ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... Diving helmets are worn by divers who need to speak and hear underwater. ... Air hoses are used in underwater diving (e. ... Surface supplied diver at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California Surface supplied diving refers to divers using equipment supplied with breathing gas using an umbilical cord from the surface, often from a diving support vessel but possibly, indirectly via a diving bell. ... Look up air in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Three-bolts equipment with hand pump, from Naval Museum of Tallinn. ... Two divers, one wearing a 1 atmosphere diving suit and the other standard diving dress, preparing to explore the wreck of the RMS Lusitania, 1935 A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. ... A knife is a sharp-edged (single or double edged) instrument consisting of a thin blade used for cutting and fitted with a handle. ... For Pb as an abbreviation, see PB. General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series Post-transition metals or poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish gray Standard atomic weight 207. ... In physics, buoyancy is the upward force on an object produced by the surrounding fluid (i. ...

This type of diving equipment is also known as hard-hat equipment or a "John Brown" rig, so-called after the British company that built many of the helmets. It was commonly used for underwater civil engineering, commercial diving and naval diving. HMS Indefatigable being launched at Clydebank. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Underwater diving. ... Naval diving is a branch of professional diving carried out by world navies. ...

Typology

• Three-bolts equipment - Russian diving equipment
• Hard-hat - British diving equipment

Diving knife. ... A hard hat is a type of helmet predominately used in workplace environments such as construction sites to protect the head from injury such as from falling objects, debris and bad weather. ...

History

The watershed development in hardhat diving was the "closed" dress, in 1837 by Augustus Siebe, where the helmet was sealed to the suit making the suit watertight. The helmet could not flood no matter how the diver moved, resulting in safer and more efficient underwater work. The overall design changed little over the years until superseded in the 1960s when SCUBA, modern fiberglass helmet designs, and saturation diving became slightly more common. Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 (MDCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Augustus Siebe (1788-1872) was a German chiefly known for his contributions to diving equipment. ... An underwater scene just beneath the surface. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... A scuba diver in usual sport diving gear SCUBA is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. ... Saturation diving is a diving technique that allow divers to remain at great depth for long periods of time, by living under pressure in special living chamber complexes affixed to a diving support vessel, oil platform or other floating work station. ...

Gallery

Hardhat diver entering water at Stoney Cove, England standard diving dress 1 I took this myself with a camera This image has been (or is hereby) released into the public domain by its creator, Mark. ...

Historical Diving Society diving at Stoney Cove, England standard diving dress 2 I took this myself with a camera This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Historical Diving Society was formed in the United Kingdom in 1990 to preserve the history of diving and its equipment. ...

U.S. Navy diving dress being lowered into the water Diving suit - source: family of Rupert C. King File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

External links

• The Historical Diving Society
• US Naval Undersea Museum
• Mixed Gas Diving Helmets
• Pumps