Sea-Net mask

[АлександрД]

sorry for small offtopic....

In Russia we have very nice folk saying
When water is not solid - water is warm!

 

[KEWDOS]

View attachment 458995 The image above is from page 65 of Bruce S. Wright's The Frogmen of Burma. The copy on my bookshelf was published in London by William Kimber & Co. Ltd in 1970. Wright is the man in "original frogman gear" in the photograph. Here is another wartime picture of Wright:
View attachment 458996
Exploring the Legacy of Leopold's Students | Bruce S. Wright

Here's what I think is the first mention of Sea-Net in the book on page 23:
View attachment 458998

and what may be the first mention of Frank Rodecker on page 40:
View attachment 459000

Here's an image of Frank Rodecker:
View attachment 459004

hi

I AM a uk published author. [Quentin Rees ] have uncovered much new material ref SRU with wright and rodecker etc. have managed to contact relative of Wright and have more info etc. the purpose was to add to already researched ww2 documentation much of which does not feature within Wrights book F of B.
would be interested in any leads or contact details of Rodecker relatives, pucs etc etc.

 

[KEWDOS]

@ShawanoDiver

Very interesting that a Sea Net mask would be found in cold Wisconsin and in mint condition !

At the time of its production run - 1949 (?) to 1954 Skin & Scuba diving manufacturing and most participants were concentrated in Southern California. I suspect there is an interesting story how it arrived in the northern US and who owned it ant why they owned it. I would suggest that you retrace the ownership and collect the genealogy of the mask and document the line of ownership from SoCal to Wisconsin

Very Rare ! and to a serious Collector - or a Student of dive history very valuable.

Locally the mask was known as the UDT mask- I don't recall ever seeing the mask so identified - It might have been in honor of Frank Rodecker, which I will discuss in the following paragraphs

The mask is not the original Sea Net manufactured mask. The original was designed and patented in 1940 by the late great Frank Rodecker* along the lines of the Japanese Ama mask. They were round shape and rather flimsy in construction, but some how, some way, have survived the passage of time and are now also collectors items.

Your mask is the second and last mask produced by Pops Romano's company "Sea Net" prior to his death in 1954 and the closing of this company by his heirs. (according to local legend his heirs thought there was no future in recreational diving )

Re Frank Rodecker (@David Wilson note)

Suggest that you obtain and read .The Frogmen of Burma, Lt.Comdr Bruce S Wright , 1968, Clarke, Irwin & Company, Toronto-- 162 pages, illustrated

In January,1941 (prior to US entering WW 11 in December 1941) the Canadian armed forces wanted a UDT type operation-- They all were placed on TDY to California where Frank was temporarily made a LT in the RCN and instructed them in surfing and diving.

After WW 11 Frank also established the "Frankie the frogman club" via Sea Net....From that time forward he was known as "Frankie the frogman"

We were in the same skin diving club and remained in occasional contact via telephone and old fashioned letter. Sadly about 25 years ago I received a letter from his dear wife Charlotte, that Frank had passed away from emphysema - he was a life long smoker.

SDM

A fantastic find, certainly one to look after, the mask dates from the 1940/50 Skin Diver magazine carried a SeaNet add in their very first 1951 issue
David Wilson who is the man on all things masks, fins snorkels, posts on this site so it would be an advantage to trawl through his posting.but you might get lucky if he reads your posting to give an in-depth answer.

john68

hi

I AM a uk published author. [Quentin Rees ] have uncovered much new material ref SRU with wright and rodecker etc. have managed to contact relative of Wright and have more info etc. the purpose was to add to already researched ww2 documentation much of which does not feature within Wrights book F of B.
would be interested in any leads or contact details of Rodecker relatives, pucs etc etc.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Frank was a very heavy cigarette smoker and contracted a respiratory/heart condition. He retired from the LA Co Life guards and moved to a California Mountain community for fresh pure breathing air.

We were in occasional contact for a number of years during the pre e mail era mostly chatting about people , places, and things of the past.

Then one day about 25 -30 (?) years ago I received a letter from his wife Charlotte that Frank had passed away. That was my last contact . I strongly suspect that his wife has subsequently passed away.

Frank had been married several times- I also suspect all his wives are no longer with us. We never chatted about children -- he may or may not have had children .

There are two long shots for information
Laura Lee Sturgil- Meistral -- late in life she married Bob of the Ski N dive - Body glove family. You can possibly contact her via the company
Jay Riffe of the Spear Gun Company - his brother late John worked for Pops Romano in early 1950s.
Also contact Jay via his company

These are the best leads I can offer at this time. Good luck in your research

Please reman in contact and keep us informed as to your progress

Cheers from California - where it all began

Sam Miller, 111

cc
@Akimbo
@David Wilson
@MaxBottomtime (does business with Div N surf)


@Marie13 CE

 

[David Wilson]

hi

I AM a uk published author. [Quentin Rees ] have uncovered much new material ref SRU with wright and rodecker etc. have managed to contact relative of Wright and have more info etc. the purpose was to add to already researched ww2 documentation much of which does not feature within Wrights book F of B.
would be interested in any leads or contact details of Rodecker relatives, pucs etc etc.

The author of the Cockleshell Heroes books? I see Sam has responded with some good leads and the names of some individuals to follow up on. I'm afraid my own knowledge of Frank Rodecker is confined to what I've read in Wright's Frogmen of Burma.

In the matter of Sea Net, the following fim was shot in 1944 illustrating the use of the company's gear:

 

[Mike Lev]

Hello Mr.Rees you keep mentioning Wright and Rodecker.But you forgot about Hal Messinger.The other American over there.Hal and Frank both worked for Sea Net Mfg.Hal has almost all the patents held on most of the Sea Dive masks.He was a jobber for Sea Net.I thought he was a Lt. over there also.You might be able to track some of his family.Just a thought.Good luck.Mike.

 

[captain]

My sister who was born in 1925 and was 19 years my elder had a Sea Net mask. I remember it well when I was in grammar school in the early 1950's. I don't know when or where she acquired it but it was in Louisiana. Last I recall of it was it had turned to goo in the Louisiana heat.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@captain
Sea Net masks were constructed of very hard almost inflexible rubber and did not and are still not deteriorating after all these years of abuse and use.

If the mask turned to gummy mess it was a post WW11 European mask. Most common in the US at that time was the Squale which had a feathered skirt which turned gummy after a few submersions.

SDM

 

[Akimbo]

If the mask turned to gummy mess it was a post WW11 European mask. Most common in the US at that time was the Squale which had a feathered skirt which turned gummy after a few submersions.

Just another possibility. It "might" have been an earlier mask but was stored too close to chemicals such as gasoline fumes, combustion byproducts from a furnace or water heater, and/or too much UV/sun exposure. The only material used on masks that is largely immune to UV and chemical attack is Silicon.

 

[captain]

It was not a Squale, I had several Squales. Turned to goo may be too strong a term but it did deteriorate and become unusable. Yes it was a hard rubber. People who have never lived in the south don't appreciate the effects of the heat on materials. We did not have air conditioning until the late 50's so the mast was subject to the heat almost year round. Louisiana has two seasons , summer, March to December, and winter January to February.