Wreck of the "Midnight Hour" on vintage DH

[george_austin]

Diving aboard Selky Charters' Sundiver Express out of Long Beach, CA. Capt. Kyaa Heller ---

A trip to the backside of Catalina Island (Farnsworth Banks) and the west end - where Jerry Seawell dives the yellow hosed USD reg on the wreck of the "Midnight Hour" 9/11/15

112-121fsw
DT - 25 min
vis 60 ft


[video=youtube;GvTNMpdbrJw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvTNMpdbrJw[/video]


---------- Post added September 13th, 2015 at 12:39 PM ----------

[video=youtube;NyN4NR57hLY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyN4NR57hLY[/video]

 

[Fish&beer]

Here are some short reciprocal video clips of George diving on the Midnight Hour. It was fun seeing his swim around Tech divers in his minimum DH gear. Overall it was a fun two days of diving DH off Catalina.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCoZAdrrsPc

 

[Fish&beer]

OOPS! Here is an updated video on our dive on "the Midnight hour"

Jerry


[video=youtube;XuodIE7Rh1c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuodIE7Rh1c[/video]

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Very nicely done, Jerry.SeaRat

 

[Sam Miller III]

Some bits and pieces from my file...

Farnsworth Banks should be a high priority on all who dive.

Therefore I am sharing Ed Mossbrooks's and my and experiences as the first recreational divers to dive the "Banks."


I first to dove Farnsworth banks in 1958 or 1959, gosh I hadn't realized that is approaching 60 years ago. It was a "secret dive location' known and dove by only a few until Jake Jacobs published his book and a dive buddy Bob Rutherford published an article in the June 1960 edition of Skin Diver Magazine

What a difference all those years have made.......FYI:

"I was the President of the Sea Sabres dive club in 1959-60. The previous President Bob Ruethford, who had founded the Aquatic Center in Newport Beach, had seen hunks of purple coral (allopura California) brought in by commercial abalone divers. Over a few drinks Bob discovered they found it at a place called Farnsworth banks. Selected member of the Sea Sabres and the scientific community at Kirkoff marine institute in Corona Del Mar made a number of trips to the banks on the private boat called the "Aqua Duck."

Bob,a true diving pioneer who is famous for many first in diving (see www.legendsof diving: Sea sabres signaling system) who relished publicity, published an article in Skin Diver magazine in June 1960 "California divers discover Rare purple coral' which was fine but his topside pictures clearly showed Ben Weston Point in the background. That same month Jake Jacobs the then head diver at Marine Land of the Pacific published "Marine land diver" (--Dodd, Meade & company NYC, LCC 60-9655 --I have an inscribed copy) in which Jake also discusses the purple coral of Farnsworth -- So the secret of Farnsworth was out.

As the president of the then undisputed most active dive club in all of SoCal and possibly the US I made the decision to dive " Farnsworth banks". I contacted the dive boat captains at that time, all refused to charter to Farnsworth as if it was some foreign or strange exotic place. Finally Dick Petters, who owned the newest dive charter boat of the fleet, the 42 foot "Out Rider " agreed to a charter at $7.00 per person but with the stipulation "only in the winter when there are no boats fishing there and the water will be calm" (FYI the Outrider sunk about 1967 when returning from a trip to Catalina)

In early December 1960 we loaded the boat. It had no compressor - as many as three- four or even five tanks per person was stashed all over the boat. The water was like glass and the trip over and back was like riding on silk.

Using Ben Weston Point as a reference and relying on the recently developed depth finder Captain Peters made numerous runs in all directions across the banks trying to locate a pinnacle.

Finally a suitable pinnacle was located and the anchor was dropped--right in the middle of a school of hungry welcoming sharks. "The are only blues, lets dive! " some one shouted. With only a nano second of hesitation on that bright sunny day in December 1960, Ed Mossbrooke (who now lives in Fountain Valley) became the first recreational diver to dive the Banks from a charter boat, immediately followed by the rest of the divers.
I was using the then very popular "Orange County twin 44s." Harry Vetter, LA Co Underwater Instructor and NAUI Instructor #4 was using surplus USN single aluminum 90s, the others were using every thing from a single 70 to twin 72s. All breathed from a variety of double hose regulators, most used the recently introduced wet suits which were home made, although the SPG had been introduced it was considered unreliable and was seldom used, and of course floatation devices were still fifteen years in the future. At that time we were diving with the state of the art equipment but today we would be considered "antique, retro or old school."

It was a different world at that time with no thought for the future or the conservation of the precious natural resources. We came for hunks of the famous purple coral of Farnsworth banks and we harvested hunks of purple coral. In addition most harvested a limit of ten scallops, and the then limit of ten bugs, with Harry Vetter getting the largest at 13+ pounds. I some how in my four dives that day managed also to spear a rather "large fish," which because we were not equipped for large fish took some doing to horse it on the boat.

All too soon it was all over, the divers began returning to the Outrider, storing their equipment, game and hunks of purple coral. All that is but, Norma lee Smith who decided to decompress on the bow line and attracted every curious and hopefully not hungry shark from miles around investigate this morsel. Norma's only defense was to exhale copious amount of rapidly diminishing supply of air. She slowly with great caution made her way to the stern of the boat where she rapidly ascended thrust out her hands and was unceremoniously but also rapidly pulled over the gunnel onto the deck of the Outrider...So ended the first recreational dive trip to Farnsworth.

So many adventures, so many stories...

Dr. Samuel Miller,
LA co Underwater Instructor, NAUI instructor, PADI instructor etc


"The first dive revisited
Farnsworthbanks is a bank aka reef on the back side of Catalina Island, in the open ocean it is deep, cold and in the 1950s it was full sharks wanting a hand out from the fishing boats that often visted the banks. It was first dove in early 1950s by a hement diver which was aborted, then again in late 1950s which was also aborted due to currents. I went on several "exploratory SCUBA dives" with Sea Sabre Club President Bob Retherford (see Legends of Diving sea Sabre Sigaling System) and several members of the scientic community in 1959 -1960-

On occasion I exchange e mails with those remaining from the 1950 & 1960s dive tribe. Ed Mossbrooke was the very first recreational diver to dive Farnsworth in December 1960. What follows is extracted from an E mail from Mossbrook--the first recreational diver to dive "The Banks" I hope you you enjoy this exchange - an account of the first dive recreational dive on Fransworth banks

Ed's e mail:

"You forgot about my excitement about being the first to dive on the Banks.

As you recall I was the only one who had the newly introduced oil filled navy depth gauge, most of the rest were using capillary or bordan tube or no gauges and I was also the only one diving twin 72s. Therefore I was "volunteered" or was it "selected?" to be the first to dive and check out the diving location called Farnsworth.

I was standing on the swim step of the Outrider I was just about to enter the water when Norma Smith asked if I planned to put on my fins! In my excitement I had failed to put on my ducks. (ed note a fin==Duck Feet) It would have been a total disaster since we were all diving with out flotation and I would have sunk right to the bottom.

I entered the water and was well into my first dive and had leveled off at 180 feet when I noticed the strong current was suddenly caring me upwards right and into the peak of the pinnacle around 100 feet. Low and behold had a metal box with small railroad wheels and short cable which had a ball with spikes sticking out of it. Another derelict WW11 mine! But different than the others we had seen at Scotsmans cove and Catalina. At that moment I did an explosive decompression ascent (all most) and yelled to "Dick There is a mine on the peak of the reef!" Dick Petter replied "Not to worry as the local notice to mariners had a notice about the instrumented mine that was placed there to monitor currents and sea temperatures." The Sea Sabers on board had a hell of a laugh about this. The event would not have been as funny if he told me before I entered the water.

What about your over sized lift bag to bring up a vast amount of purple coral? WW11 surplus of course as most of our equipment was at that time. Recall we filled a big box with coral and you filled the lift bag from your mouth piece with air. It immediately began its journey to the surface to picking up speed as the air filled the body of the lift bag When the box hit the surface it sort of launched like a Polaris missile fired from a sub. I can still remember the raining down of Purple coral to the bottom and I only had enough air left to grab 1 of purple coral and start my assent.

Or Sheila Platt who was diving with Harry Vetter asked Harry before beginning their descent "How deep are we gong? replied Harry replied "To the bottom." And they did reach the bottom. Down the dove. 90, 100, 120 140, Sheila's depth gauge was only rated to 140, but ever deeper they sunk until the sand was reached at an estimated 240 feet. Between dives Sheila displayed her new Borden tube depth gauge, suck at 140 feet and full of water.

Or when you were followed to the boat by a rather substantial hammerhead. You were totally oblivious to it's presence. You just slowly took your time snorkeling back unaware that a large shark was interested in you as lunch. That is until you reached the swim-step and noticed that Dick Petter had his rifle pointed at you all the divers were congregated at the swim step with hands outstretched to yank you into the boat.

It was Sheila who later broke the tension when she said "Sam I was watching you play tag with that shark when I was eating a chicken for lunch --bones and all"

What adventures we had on every dive --


Ed Mosbrook"


***** note;



All the dives were made using "double hose regulators" Duck feet or Churchill fins and very crude often homemade equipment; masks,(Harry Vetter & I were using Sturgil homemade Masks- Legends of diving "The Mask" & Bio of Me and Harry Vetter ) wet suits (introduced a few years previous and were home made,) lift bags (were WW11 Surplus), we dove devoid of modern instrumentation, a few effective depth gauges, no SPGs, no thermometers!

Most of the divers on that first dive on Farnsworth in December 1960 are now diving in the big reef in the sky. Only a few remain and we remain in occasional contact

Sheila Platt, was the Office manager of Skin Diver magazine, always had a way with words. She had the honor of the first woman to dive to the bottom of Farnsworth on air according to Dick Petter 240 feet, but also was the first to reach that big reef in the sky about 2 years later from cancer



The Out rider was sold by Dick Petter and a few years later was sunk



Those were -- "The days of our dives..."sdm)

 

[george_austin]

Beautiful, Sam. - thanks for the very vivid stories!!