Good People

[coldwaterlloyd]

Merry Christmas Bob and Sue , All the best for the New Year , thanks for your many contributions .

Lloyd

 

[JMBL]

Merry Christmas Bob and Sue , All the best for the New Year , thanks for your many contributions .

Lloyd

Can't say better ! Merry Xmas !

 

[Bob Evans]

The Museum is very saddened to learn of the passing of Richard "Dick" Marcinko. "Demo Dick" was a retired U.S. Navy SEAL commander and Vietnam War veteran. He was the first commanding officer of SEAL Team SIX.
In January 1967, Marcinko deployed to Vietnam with 2nd Platoon, SEAL Team TWO. On May 18, 1967, Marcinko led his men in an assault on Ilo Ilo Hon where they killed many Viet Cong and destroyed six of their sampans. This became known as the Navy's most successful SEAL operation in the Mekong Delta. Because of his strong leadership and great success, the North Vietnamese Army placed a bounty on his head, payable to anyone who could capture and kill him. Marcinko was never caught; he went on to be awarded the first of four Bronze Stars, as well as a Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and the Silver Star.
After returning stateside and serving as Officer-in-Charge of 8th Platoon from Dec 1967 to June 1968, Marcinko went back to Vietnam with SEAL Team TWO. During the Tet Offensive, Marcinko ordered his platoon to assist U.S. Army Special Forces at Châu Đốc. What began as an urban street battle evolved into an intense rescue mission of American nurses and a schoolteacher trapped in the city's church and hospital.
After completing his second tour in Vietnam and following a two-year stateside staff assignment, Marcinko was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and assigned as the Naval Attache to Cambodia in 1973. He served in Cambodia for a year and a half before returning stateside to assume command of SEAL Team TWO from 1974 to 1976.
During the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, Marcinko was one of two Navy representatives for a Joint Chiefs of Staff task force known as the Terrorist Action Team (TAT). TAT's purpose was to develop a plan to free American hostages in Iran, which ultimately culminated with Operation Eagle Claw. After this tragic operation, the Navy recognized a need for a full-time dedicated counter-terrorist team and tasked Marcinko with its design and development.
Marcinko was selected by the Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Thomas B. Hayward, as the first commanding officer of this new unit. At the time, the Navy had only two SEAL Teams. Marcinko named the unit "SEAL Team SIX" in order to fool other nations, notably the Soviet Union, into believing that the United States had at least three other SEAL Teams that they were unaware of. The creator of SEAL Team SIX, Marcinko hand-selected the Team's members from across the existing SEAL Teams and Underwater Demolition Teams, including a special counter-terrorist tactics section of SEAL Team TWO, codenamed MOB-6. SEAL Team SIX became the Navy's premier counter-terrorist and hostage rescue unit. Marcinko commanded SEAL Team SIX for three years, from August 1980 to July 1983.
Dick Marcinko played a very unique part in SEAL history, leaving a legacy like no other. “Demo Dick” is considered the United States’ premier counterterrorism operator. We send our deepest sympathies to his family, teammates, and friends.
4 Comments
George Brandt
Here’s another post you’ll like:
https://www.facebook.com/100050480356494/posts/469459948080013/?d=n
· Reply · 8h
Bob Evans
Before our friend Gene Kelly passed on, he told me he ran many operations with Dick. Dick also used my American made Force Fins.




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[Bob Evans]

Jeffrey Gallant and his Dive Almanac https://divingalmanac.com/ have shared all of diving history with us, plus he has used Force Fins for over 25 years. Thanks, Jeffrey. Dive Almanac's Jeffrey Gallant - Diving's Scribe - Force Fin

 

[Bob Evans]

Today reviewing photo files from years ago, found this cool picture of Robert Flores. 715 Kimbal Street Santa Barbara, California. Robert Flores runs Force Fin with Susanne Chess. So proud of him. Over 30 years now.

 

[Bob Evans]

Larry Elsevier was a special friend. I used a Cochran dive computer and Mike Cochran was a Force Fin user. Both our Companys were under fire from a FAKE DIVING MAGAZINE Testing views. Interesting times. Plan to write the entire story since Susanne and I finally won the battle, with the Publisher. Signed a nondisclosure, so can't spill all the beans. But as Mark Twain stated " Don't mess with the press for they have barrels of ink"

 

[Bob Evans]

Today our good friend Captain Fred Calhoun passed on. I will share some stories about diving with the Captain and his wife CC. Fred was one super fan for Force fins. He was a true diving legend.

 

[Bob Evans]

Captain Fred Calhoun was a Force Fin fan since the beginning in 1983. Found his response to the FAKE FIN test. You do have to be in politics to feel the Sting of those who want you out of their market. Dive shops at the time that carried our American-made products were told by major manufacturers not to carry our products. No Joking. We spent so much time defending ourselves. They always tried to use creditable sources to undermine our progress, like UCLA and Undercurrents. When you see your product mentioned more than the other products you know you are over the target.

 

[Bob Evans]

One of my Mentors passed on, Bob Kirby. He helped me with many ideas over the past 40 years. Hard to tell you all about our special relationship. One day will share all of my files of Bob Kirby stored at Hollywood Vaults. Fair winds for Bob and love to Claudia and Tr0y Kirby.

Dear friends,

It is with the greatest sadness that I inform you of the passing of
the industry's great friend and true diving pioneer, Bob Kirby, who
passed away June 1, at his home in California.

Bob's diving career spanned seven decades and his achievements in both
diving and aviation earned him lasting international recognition.

Bob left the US Navy in the 1950's to become a California abalone
diver. He quickly used his skills as a remarkable metalsmith to design
a mixed - gas recirculating diving helmet with a small team of
colleagues at Associated Divers. Bob's design of helmet was a major
factor in the successful expansion of deep water mixed gas diving that
flourished in Santa Barbara, California, in the early 1960's, and
gradually spread around the globe.

In 1965 Bob joined forces with Bev Morgan, and created the Kirby
Morgan company that was to revolutionize the equipment of military and
commercial diving.

Bob and Bev designed and created modern lightweight fiberglass helmets
that replaced the traditional copper and brass helmets that had been
the diving industry standard for over century. It is estimated that
their company Kirby Morgan Diving Systems International now has a more
that 80% market share of the global surface supplied diving equipment
market. Some estimates are even higher.

In addition to his contributions to diving equipment development, Bob
also donated his time and considerable expertise in educating the
younger divers who he taught at the Marine Divining Technology Center
at Santa Barbara City College, and also at specialist traditional
diving equipment courses for the Historical Diving Society USA
(HDSUSA). As a Director of HDSUSA Bob was also instrumental in
developing the inaugural diving exhibits at Santa Barbara Maritime
Museum, which he and his wife Claudia were valued members of.

His friend, film director James Cameron, hired Bob to develop and
build the unique helmets for his blockbuster film The Abyss, and Bob
later took the time to record much of his career in his book Hard Hat
Divers Wear Dresses. More recently his contributions to helmet design
have been featured in the Kirby Morgan You Tube Video series Diving
Into The Past.

Bob's career achievements were recognized with the HDSUSA Diving
Pioneer Award, the Academy of Underwater Arts & Sciences NOGI Award,
and induction in to the Commercial Diving Hall of Fame.

Those of us fortunate enough to have been befriended or mentored by
Bob were blessed with the good fortune of time spent with an
honorable, ethical, and immensely talented diver and educator, whose
name will live on as long as there are professional divers working in
all the worlds oceans and waterways.

President Kennedy once said "That one man can make a difference, And
everyman should try."

Bob was one of those Americans who did both, and every member of the
international diving industry owes him sincere thanks for that.

He will be missed by many.

Fair winds and following seas old friend.

Leslie Leaney

His friend

London, England
June 2, 2022

DSC_0891-fw.jpg

 

[Akimbo]

One of my Mentors passed on, Bob Kirby.

For those that don't know the name, he is the Kirby of Kirby Morgan. I discuss him quite a bit in this thread:

Bev Morgan, Diving Industry Pioneer

Bev Morgan's legendary humility has obscured his diverse contributions to diving Very few Scuba divers have heard of Bev Morgan. Most that have only think of commercial and military diving. Au contraire mon ami. His legacy is reflected in every aspect of Scuba diving. Recreational Scuba...

scubaboard.com

His book, Hard Hat Divers Wear Dresses, is a great read.

May be rest in peace.