Hardhat diving; Mark V kit in Key Largo

[Glen Stone]

I worked for oceaneering in the early 90's and got to know Bob Ratcliffe, one of the early founders of the company. He told me lots of stories about his early helmet diving experiences in california. One of my favorites is that he used to dive for Abalone in the 1960's using a brass hardhat. A non diver friend would pilot his boat very slowly while he would walk along the bottom picking up abalone. One time he said the hose got caught in the propellor and his air supply was cut off and he was disconnected from his tether, and of course without an air supply, he was unable to inflate to the surface. At the time he said they were diving about 100 feet from the shore and he was able to actually walk along the bottom towards the shore and walk out of the water! Then he saw that his friend was still chugging away on the boat and was unaware of the situation and wasn't coming to help him! He had landed on a rocky shore with nobody around to help him take the helmet off. Luckily he said that he was a short distance from the PCH highway so he climbed across the rocks and across the embankment and onto the shoulder of the highway all while still wearing the heavy gear! Then he flagged a car down that stopped and helped him take the helmet off! Isn't that crazy!

 

[Akimbo]

@Glen Stone

That story might have had some influence on his design of the Rat Hat:

​

I happened upon Bob's shop on Stearns Wharf when he was building hats. He let me hang around and talk while he worked and eventually offered me a job, but I was already committed to join the Navy. Probably fortunate for me. I figure I would have probably ended up one of the early casualties in the North Sea.

 

[Glen Stone]

Awesome! What year would it have been when you met him? Yes for sure he wanted a lighter helmet that could be dove with a wetsuit rather than a bulky canvas drysuit. He surely would have had Abelone diving in mind because he did a lot of that. But he told me that he and friend won a contract in the texas gulf to demolish a rig that had fallen over from a storm and he claimed they could do it in half the time as the other guys that were using heavy helmets, and therefore much less in cost. They were awarded the contract because the Rat Hat enabled them to work much faster underwater. and hence the Oceaneering Corporation was born! It was truly a revelation in helmets at the time. Bob showed me a bunch of Rat Hat helmets he had in his garage at his house in Santa Barbara. I asked him if he would sell me one but he said they were prototypes otherwise he would. But he did give me a bunch of Rat Hat parts which I sell have today including a Rat Hat manual which has printed porno in it. He said it was the only way the divers would read the manual! lol crazy guy! Unfortunately the rat hat had some early design issues and it got out muscled by the Kirby helmets. I would love to have one, they are so rare...

 

[Glen Stone]

Diving heavy gear in training was an interesting experience, but I am thankful that I never had to do any work in it. The US Navy Mark V hat was easily the worst heavy gear I ever tried. The Seibe Gorman Admiralty 6-bolt was so much better, a distant second the the Kirby Morgan hats but miles ahead of the much younger Mark V design.

Anyone interested in heavy gear might find A Brief History of Diving (before 1943) interesting.

Did you ever dive a Mark 12?

 

[Akimbo]

Did you ever dive a Mark 12?

No, I was out years before they were in service. That hat was an epic fail.

 

[Kayakingphotos]

A MkV definitely can be used as a shallow water helmet thrown over the shoulders. A couple years ago we had a young lad who dove it that way. He even made his own diving dress to go with it. We kept him on a pretty short leash. This was at Dutch Springs in PA with the North East Diving Equipment Group.

 

[jpowers]

Did you ever get an answer to your question? I spoke to that guy in Key Largo about 3 or 4 years ago, as I've always really wanted to try it, as well. I wasn't able to work out the scheduling at the time and have wondered if he's still around. Seemed like a one-man operation.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Glen Stone
@Akimbo

"... he did give me a bunch of Rat Hat parts which I sell have today including a Rat Hat manual which has printed porno in it. He said it was the only way the divers would read the manual! lol crazy guy! "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been waiting for some time for some one to mention Bob's catalog …
I had a copy -- Once !
Thought it best to give it a toss

So you have a copy?
I suspect a rare item after the passage of all these years

Sam Miller, 111

 

[DangerousDan64]

Did you ever get an answer to your question? I spoke to that guy in Key Largo about 3 or 4 years ago, as I've always really wanted to try it, as well. I wasn't able to work out the scheduling at the time and have wondered if he's still around. Seemed like a one-man operation.

No. I got his name and number from someone at the diving museum there. Called and left a voicemail but he never called back. I ended up postponing the trip so I didn’t try again. I’m sure I will try calling him again when I am ready to go back. Hope that I can work it out. I would really like to experience it after having read so many books on the subject from that era.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Glen Stone
I use to exchange e mails with Leon on a regular basis, At the time he was interested in doing a "Knives of the deep" I had some rare ones he was interested in --then then the emails began dwindling down
I had a conversation with Leon and he was physically not doing well

I suspect the enlarged edition of Helmets of the deep or the Knives will ever be published

We are so very fortunate that we didn't send a deposit for the new book

SAM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


An old post but applicable as a references to this thread

HELMETS OF THE DEEP,

Always advisable to periodically check e bay or one of the other used book sellers for the current listings and sales of a book. On occasion books will, for some unknown reason, escalate many times over their original sales price in just a few short years. A very good example "Helmets of the deep," the definitive world class book on diving helmets;

HELMETS OF THE DEEP,
by
Leon G.Lyons,
St Augustine, Florida
Published 1987
ISBN #962-7256-01-3
LCCC # 87-090931
Oversized, 307 pages
Illustrated with pictures
verbiage is English, French and German


There were only 1000 books printed. 900 Presentation editions, hard cover with a dust jacket, and 100 Special edition hard cover leather bound.

Original cost: 900 Presentation editions $300.00 plus S&H (about $15.00 to California)

Original cost: Special editions $500.00 plus S&H (about $15.00 to California)



Last sales of Helmets of the deep on E bay

April 30,2007
#99 of 900 Presentation edition
Inscription dated 11/3/89
$2052 (US dollar amount)
Listed and sold in Australia--one bid
$2052.00

Date sold unknown
#300 of 900 Presentation edition
Inscribed by Leon Lyons to BAX
Book and dust cover damaged --fair to poor condition
$1575 US-- one bid

May 27, 2007
#766 of 900 Presentation edition
Mint with dust cover
Bidding began at $849.00--11 bids
Final Price $1313.00

October 27, 2006,
#845 Presentation Edition -13 bids
$2,148.01

October 31,2006
#61 Leather bound edition- 10 bids
$3,127.01

November 2, 2006
#378 Presentation edition
Small tear in cover-10 bids
$2,955.39


Not a bad investment--original price for the presentation edition was $300.00.
At the time of this posting no leather bound editions have not been reported sold.
Yes I have a copy: #500 of 1000 and it is inscribed

Leon is the owner of the Leon Lyons "Museum of Diving" in St Augustine, Florida --If you live in that area or traveling to Florida to escape the cold make certain you visit the museum.
He is currently working on "Knives of the deep" and a revised edition of Helmets so the deep

DD
Sam Miller III, Nov 11, 2009 IP Report