Question Vintage DPVs

[Akimbo]

I must admit that I still call DPVs (Diver Propulsion Vehicle) scooters or tugs, probably thanks to Mike Nelson.

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This scooter was sold in small ads in the back of Skin Diver Magazine in the 1960s but I don't remember what they wanted for one.

I don't recall calling the Farallon scooters DPVs, which I would have remembered because DPV meant Dynamically Positioned Vessel in my sphere of visibility. When did DPV come into recreational diving vocabulary?

Does anyone remember Dimitri Rebikoff's Pegasus?

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They lost one on Bruno Villatte's 1968 Andrea Doria filming expedition. I seem to remember that they cost about 5x as much as a VW Beetle.

 

[happy-diver]

I remember Gina Lollobrigida

 

[Akimbo]

I remember Gina Lollobrigida

Who could forget?

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I must admit that I still call DPVs (Diver Propulsion Vehicle) scooters or tugs, probably thanks to Mike Nelson.

​

This scooter was sold in small ads in the back of Skin Diver Magazine in the 1960s but I don't remember what they wanted for one.

I don't recall calling the Farallon scooters DPVs, which I would have remembered because DPV meant Dynamically Positioned Vessel in my sphere of visibility. When did DPV come into recreational diving vocabulary?

Does anyone remember Dimitri Rebikoff's Pegasus?

​

They lost one on Bruno Villatte's 1968 Andrea Doria filming expedition. I seem to remember that they cost about 5x as much as a VW Beetle.

I saw Dimitri Rebikoff at Warm Mineral Springs in (I think) 1975. He came with some of his camera equipment, and by that time was quite plump. I watched him from the water when I was diving on the Warm Mineral Springs Underwater Archaeological Project with Sonny Cockrell and Larry Murphy. He was across the spring from me, and I never really met him, as he was gone when I got out of the water from a working dive. I think I’ve seen photos of his Pegasus in one of my old books. Note photo shows me (in the middle,with the helmet that probably saved our life when caught off the Oregon coast by huge swells) with Larry Murphy (right) and another diver at Warm Mineral Springs in 1975.

Larry Murphy

Murphy, Larry

core.tdar.org

Specialized Methodological, Technological, and Physiological Approaches To Deep Water Excavations of a Prehistoric Site at Warm Mineral Springs, FL (Larry Murphy) | the Digital Archaeological Record

Specialized Methodological, Technological, and Physiological Approaches To Deep Water Excavations of a Prehistoric Site at Warm Mineral Springs, FL

core.tdar.org

SeaRat

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Okay, over on the Vintage Scuba Supply/Vintage Diving website, we have a thread on DPVs.

anyone recognize this 2 man sub? | Vintage Scuba Diving Community Forum

Hi, I recently purchased this vintage two man sub. I believe it is a home built starting with an aluminum aircraft drop tank with two modified trolling motors. FIberglas seats. I suspect it was

vintagescuba.proboards.com

Within that thread, there lies this link:

PSUBS Pictures - Wet Subs

This shows a number of different wet subs used by divers in the early days.

There is also a "Personal Submersibles Organization, amateur submarine builders and underwater explorers."

They also have a Facebook group: PERSONAL SUBMERSIBLES ORGANIZATION (PSUBS) DISCUSSION GROUP | Facebook

SeaRat

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Here’s the Aerojet General Submarine video:


SeaRat

 

[Vicko]

Here in Europe scooter is still rarely called a dpv.
First piece of gear that impressed me was the aqua zep, a guy brought it in the dive center 5-6 years ago and I knew that sooner or later I would have to own one.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

This comes from my book, Handbook for Skin Divers, by George Bronson-Howard, from the early to mid-1950s. It shows the Aerojet General Miniature Submarine, which is also shown in the Periscope film above.

SeaRat

 

[Akimbo]

It is interesting that wet subs have never found a good use beyond SDVs (combat Swimmer Delivery Vehicles) and props in movies. I have often thought they could be useful on deep expedition projects to act as a pickup truck for emergency gas, tools, video gear, and a navigation aid.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

It is interesting that wet subs have never found a good use beyond SDVs (combat Swimmer Delivery Vehicles) and props in movies. I have often thought they could be useful on deep expedition projects to act as a pickup truck for emergency gas, tools, video gear, and a navigation aid.

This trailer, from Jacques Cousteau’s movie, World Without Sun, shows a DPV being used in precisely the manner you suggest above.

The Cousteau divers were transporting a new set of quad cylinders to the “Black Mask” divers from the Deep Cabin, who had just dived to over 300 feet.

Here is Cousteau’s grandson exploring their Conshelf II habitat areas.


SeaRat