1954 Scuba Diving Equipment

[urmaddad]

I'm curious as to what make this scuba diving equipment is. The only clue is a date of 1954.

 

[David Wilson]

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I know nothing about rebreathers, but might there be some connection between the devices in the picture and the war surplus MSA Mark III oxygen rebreathers at Photos MSA Mark III? At the very least, the holes in the housing seem to match.

 

[Gone for diving]

I would say its definitely a rebreather,

It does sorta look like it,
That is a long hose for a pendulum rebreather,
Wob must be quite bad, at least the dead space is less with a small bore hose

 

[Akimbo]

I know nothing about rebreathers, but might there be some connection between the devices in the picture and the war surplus MSA Mark III oxygen rebreathers at Photos MSA Mark III? At the very least, the holes in the housing seem to match.

Agreed. Here is a link with more info:

MSA Mark III Oxygen Rebreather For Aircraft Use US Navy WW2 WWII + 6 Canisters | #1946475388

999 Remington BlvdUnit: DBolingbrook, IL 60440MSA Mark III Oxygen Rebreather For Aircraft Use US Navy WW2 WWII + 6 CanistersTitle: MSA Mark III Oxygen Rebreather For Aircraft Use US Navy WW2 WWII + 6

www.worthpoint.com

You have to wonder what the designers were thinking with such a long inhalation/exhalation hose. I guess that CO2 is not as big a problem at altitude.

 

[broncobowsher]

Radium backlit pressure gauge no less.
I was thinking of where the couple start diving, first time ever, one of which with a rebreather. This says 1960s. But it is a different style now that I look at it.

Yes, this stuff did exist.

 

[Mike Lev]

Only one of there models were for scuba use. The rest for miners.

 

[Akimbo]

Only one of there models were for scuba use. The rest for miners.

Apparently one model was for military aircraft. See the link on post #4.

The military was using Christian J. Lambertsen's LARU rebreather underwater. It is a good bet that there were a lot of the MSA units made for aircraft in war war surplus stores in the late 1940s through the 1960s. The bags/counterlungs and hoses were probably globs of sticky gum after that.

I doubt that the LARUs made it to the surplus market because they were made in very small quantities. The dramatically-reduced post-war UDT started training on them soon after the war. Underwater activities of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) were absorbed by the Navy UDT after the war. The various units that merged to become the UDT were not using breathing apparatus, except for the OSS.