Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Denmark

[David Wilson]

Now for the Nauti-Scope Flexible snorkel below left:

Danish: "508.278 Flexibel-SNORKEL med almindelig kugleventil og støddæmperslange. Vejledende udsalgspris ... kr. 13,85 (heri medregnet statsafgift)."
English: "508.278 Flexible SNORKEL with a standard ball valve and a corrugated hose. Suggested retail price: DKK 13.85 (including state tax)."

While the Flexible model on the right came with a straight open-topped barrel, the snorkel on the left featured an inverted "J"-shaped barrel with a conventionall ping-pong-ball-in-a-cage style valve at the supply end. Both breathing tubes were fitted with one-piece pliable corrugated rubber elbow mouthpieces at the demand end. The valved version tacitly targets beginners.

Nearly all mid-twentieth-century flexible-hose snorkels were open at the supply end. Flexible-hose models topped with bends and valves were exceedingly rare back then. I have only managed to locate one other example of the latter:

The image above from the 1958 underwater catalogue of Lillywhites of London. The manufacturer is identified in the 1956 underwater catalogue of Cogswell & Harrison of London: "Abbey double-bend metal tube with ball valve and corrugated mouthpiece." "Abbey" denotes the Abbey-Corinthian Games Company brand. This firm is best known as a manufacturer of toys and games, e.g.

One of its most famous products was a "bagatelle", which resembled a pinball machine:

Abbey Corinthian dabbled for a short while in basic underwater gear during the late 1950s. Once again, information is somewhat sparse.

That's enough for today. When I return, I will review a couple of Nauti-Scope masks with built-in snorkels.

 

[David Wilson]

Time for a look at Nauti-Scope snorkel-masks. First the "standard" model.

Danish: "808.243 Snorkel-DYKKERMASKE, i standard udførelse og let og anerkendt konstruktion. Vejledende udsalgspris... kr. 19,85 (heri medregnet statsafgift)."
English: "808.243 Snorkel DIVING MASK, in a standard finish and a lightweight and recognised design. Suggested retail price: DKK 19.85 (including state tax)."

Note the split strap and the proprietary buckle arrangement also found on the Nauti-Scope Pamorama mask:

The model comes with a single inverted-J-shaped snorkel topped with a conventional ping-pong-ball-in-a-cage style shut-off valve at the supply end and opening at the demand end into the mask through a socket on the right-hand side. The valve resembles the one atop the Nauti-Scope Standard breathing tube below left:

Examples of snorkel-masks with ball-valves and right-hand snorkel sockets from other manufacturers:

Turnbull M2 Father Neptune (Australia)

Barakuda Junior (West Germany)

From what I have observed from the online and printed literature, most single-snorkel models seem to have their tubes emerging from a socket positioned either top centre or on the left-hand side of the mask.

 

[David Wilson]

Secondly, the Nauti-Scope "De-luxe" model.

Danish: "508.277 De-luxe SNORKELMASKE med Flexibel special-snorkel og saltvandsbestandig metalramme (konstruktion af ing. Jan Uhre). Vejledende udsalgspris... kr. 36,00 (heri medregnet statsalgilt)."
English: "508.277 De-luxe SNORKEL MASK with Flexible special snorkel and saltwater-resistant metal rim (designed by engineer Jan Uhre). Suggested retail price ... DKK 36.00 (including state sales tax)."

I think this snorkel-mask can safely be described as unique. What we appear to have here is a combination of the steel-rimmed Nauti-Scope Senior diving mask below right:

with the Nauti-Scope Flexible corrugated-hose ball-valve snorkel below left:

This model is unprecedented because the demand end of the single snorkel minus its mouthpiece enters the mask through the glass lens and not via a socket perforating the rubber body. Due to the flexibility of the hose fitted to the bottom of the snorkel, an additional strap is necessary over the head to retain the ball-valve topped tube in the correct centre "swan-neck" position. This ingenious though whimsical design is down to Denmark's answer to Jacques Cousteau, Jan Uhre, who was discussed at some length earlier in this thread.

No immediately comparable models from other manufacturers, but the following snorkel-masks from the 1950s do come close:

Hurricane Automatic (France)

Typhoon Universal Ball Valve (England)

Like both Nauti-Scope snorkel masks, the Typhoon Super Star covers the eyes and nose only, while the Hurricane Automatic is a full-face model enabling nose and mouth breathing when its valve is open.

That's sufficient product description for today. I shall return in a few days' time to review the Nauti-Scope range of fins, with the promise of another surprise design!

 

[David Wilson]

A little history before we embark on Nauti-Scope fins. Here I am indebted to Sven Erik Jørgensen's Danish-language article "Svømmefinner" (Swim fins) for the pages above describing and illustrating Denmark's earliest swim fin usage. According to Jørgensen, "The first swimming fins to arrive in Denmark were probably the Dunlop fins that the SLIDE group’s three divers brought from England when they sailed across the North Sea in 1943 to carry out sabotage operations in Denmark." Pictured below Dunlop Admiralty Pattern fins, made in England during and after World War II to replicate Owen Churchill's American design:

Jørgensen continues: "This was also the type of fin deployed by the (Danish) Navy’s first underwater swimmers in 1951 during searches for sunken torpedoes at Torpedo Station Kongsøre. Later, the Navy purchased the French Propuls fin." Edouard Godel's "Propuls" fin designs pictured below:
First version

Second version

The name "Propuls" pays homage to Godel's predecessor, Louis de Corlieu, who called the original fins he invented "propulseurs" (propellers).

Jørgensen again: "The first new recreational divers, who arrived around 1950, will of course have acquired their fins on holiday trips to the Mediterranean or have mail-ordered them from dealers abroad. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, when recreational diving evolved from a minority activity to a more widespread pastime, marketing of underwater swimming equipment increased in Denmark. As for fins, they initially found their way to Denmark from smaller manufacturers such as Barakuda in Hamburg and S.E.S.S.A. in Sanary-sur-Mer. Later on, fins from the major manufacturers such as Nemrod, Mares, Cressi, US Divers and La Spirotechnique also became available in Denmark."

 

[David Wilson]

Jørgensen: "During the 1950s and before better alternative fins were introduced, French “Fish Tail” fins remained popular fins among Denmark’s first sports divers. Pictured above held by Filip Nielsen and on their own below:

I haven't managed to pin down information elsewhere about these French-made adjustable open-heel fins with their side rails and three-ribbed blades, so I would be grateful for further enlightenment from anyone in the know. In the meantime, some further images of Danish divers carrying or wearing "Fish-Tails":

 

[David Wilson]

The ready availability of imported fins on the country's recreational diving equipment market might have led Denmark to eschew domestic production altogether, as many other similarly-sized nations had done. Jørgensen assures us, however, that "interest grew in marketing swim fins and opportunities arose to establish production facilities in Denmark. The first fin to be made in Denmark and to be marketed there was a Churchill-type fin. The fin was actually an exact copy of the Churchill fin. The fins were named RIPO and manufactured by Autogummi Centralen in the ‘50s. The fins were constructed from natural rubber in at least two sizes." And here are several images of the RIPO fin design from the Danish rubber car part manufacturer Autogummi Centralen:

Danish: "RIPO Finne — Patent beskyttet. Licenshaver for Danmark, Norge og Sverige."
English: "RIPO Fin — Patent protected. Licensee for Denmark, Norway and Sweden."
The text “Patent Protected — licensee for Denmark, Norway and Sweden” on the RIPO fins shows that Autogummi Centralen had entered into an agreement with the manufacturer of Churchill fins.

Danish: "No 2. Venstre fod. Op."
English: "No 2. Left foot. Top."
The text “Licensee for Denmark, Norway and Sweden” on the RIPO fins shows that the Danish manufacturer had reached an agreement with the American manufacturer of Churchill fins.​

 

[David Wilson]

In several days' time I shall return to this thread to carry out my promise to review the range of fins manufactured by Denmark's Nauti-Scope brand.

 

[David Wilson]

On to Nauti-Scope fins. The images above appear in Sven Erik Jørgensen's Danish-language article "Svømmefinner" (Swim fins). The caption reads (my translation) "Jan Uhre photographed at the (Danish) Navy’s Diving School in 1997, with a Nauti Scope "Senior" fin of his own design. There were also 'Junior' and 'Youth' fins. These were of the same design as 'Senior' and one or both types were made of plastic." You may recall that Jan Uhre is considered to be somewhat akin to the father of modern diving in Denmark.

 

[David Wilson]

The Nauti-Scope range of swimming fins comprised two models, both designed by Jan Uhre: "Svømme-finner" and "W-svømme-fødder". Let's start with the former.

Danish: "808.260 Junior-SVØMME-FINNER (konstruktion: Jan Uhre) Vejledende udsalgspris,.. kr. 14,50. 281 Ynglinge-SVØMME-FINNER. Vejledende udsalgspris... kr. 15,50. 262 Senior-SVØMME-FINNER. Vejledende udsalgspris ... kr. 16,80."
English: "808,260 Junior SWIM FINS (Design: Jan Uhre) Suggested retail price: DKK 14.50. 281 Youth Swim Fins. Suggested retail price: DKK 15.50. 262 Senior Swim Fins. Suggested retail price: DKK 16.80."

The minimalist catalogue description above referring to the availability of these fins in three sizes (Junior, Youth, Senior) and their recommended retail prices does little justice to Uhre's unique design. The "Vademecum del cacciatore subacqueo", an annual Italian-language review of underwater fishing equipment from the 1950s, gave the following positive account (my translation): "NAUTI SCOPE. Of Danish origin. Non-floating type comprising a sheet of green or blue rubber wrapped around foot and secured with strap and cotton cord. Very practical, light and yielding undoubtedly good performances, especially when swimming upwards. Made in three sizes."

Later diving equipment historians continue to recognise the uniqueness of Uhre's invention. At HDS España - Efemerides, the Historical Diving Society of Spain reviews a number of fins from the 1950s, among them the Nauti-Scope model pictured above and captioned (my translation): "Included more for their curiosity value than for their effective underwater use, these fins are made in Denmark. Non-floating type comprising a sheet of green or blue rubber wrapped around the foot and secured with a strap and a cotton cord." Not a ringing endorsement then.

Luigi Fabbri's wonderful Blu Time History website has a page dedicated to the Nauti-Scope fin and featuring the image above. The accompanying English-language datasheet traces its introduction back to 1956.

 

[David Wilson]

And now for the second model in the Nauti-Scope range.

Danish: "508.268 W-SVØMME-FØDDER er en ny, specielt konstrueret model til Nauti-Scope. Vejledende udsalgspris .... kr. (fremkommer først i størr. 36-39 og senere i andre)."
English: "508,268 W-SWIM FINS are a new, specially designed model for Nauti-Scope. Suggested retail price: DKK. (Sizes 36-39 first, other sizes later)."

These more conventional-looking Nauti-Scope fins were exported to other countries. They appeared in the 1960 catalogue of the International Divers Corporation of Canada, where the picture above is captioned "NAUTISCOPE. An adjustable fin of strong, durable plastic. To fit medium and large, $ 2.95." The 1964 catalogue of Kesko of Finland also featured the product:

The Finnish-language caption roughly translates thus: "NAUTISCOPE ROCKET. Plastic Danish fins intended for young people. Adjustable fastening straps. These fins are the most effective in their class. Colour: Azure blue. Sizes: 35-38."

Note the fin material: plastic. During the 1950s, plastic fins passed for downmarket products targeting holiday snorkellers who prioritised economy over comfort and performance. Here is a final reference to Nauti-Scope use of plastic in the manufacture of fins from Ergänzungen zum Artikel in der Tauchhistorie 8:

The German caption translates as follows: "Senior” fin designed by Jan Uhre. There were also “Junior” and “Favourite” (Youth) fins. They differed in size, but were identical in design, and one or both were made of plastic."

That's it for today and also for basic diving gear from mid-twentieth century Denmark. Time for a new thread to review fins, masks etc from another Scandinavian country: Sweden. Stay tuned.