Florida Keys historians have emphasized treasure salvage, but overlooked that this started with an invention called the South Florida Divinhood. Biologists alike have forgotten that modern marine biology orginated with the same apparatus, and at the same time, diving historians have overlooked that the same Divinhood started recreational sports diving right here in the Florida Keys. Likewise, each of these developments had an international impact, and in each, the Divinhood served a key role as the catalyst. Here we will explore these interesting adventures and the impact of the South Florida Divinhood.

Miller and Dunn

An exaggeratedly optimistic view describes one of the newest cities in the United States, Miami, Florida: “There is nothing finer in the world, than Miami with an up-to-date, go ahead class of people.” It was a great place to live and make money, and if you couldn’t succeed in Miami, you would be a failure anywhere. Here was the best jail, an ice cream factory, free mail delivery, electricity, a telephone system, and four newspapers. Henry Flagler had built a complete infrastructure with all the modern conveniences to make Miami a tropical paradise and playground, prompting development, enterprise, and opportunities.

It was in this vibrant “can-do” environment that 37 year-old William F. Miller arrived from Evanston, Illinois in 1902. He quickly and eagerly participated in the new and ample opportunities. Miller is shown here standing by the mast of his sail boat with his wife Carrie closest.

William Miller invested in many businesses, but as fate would have it, he met the captain and craftsman William S. Dunn. By 1913, Miller and Dunn partnered in hardware, plumbing, and tinning businesses in the center of town on Avenue D. Where Miller was an excellent business man, Dunn was on the opposite end of the spectrum and could build just about anything with his hands. Dunn made a number of useful inventions for the surrounding South Florida waters as he had the tools and materials necessary from his hardware and tinning stores.

The Divinhood

To quote a common cliche, “Necessity is the mother of invention!” The craftsman William Dunn found a growing need for a diving apparatus to recover items that had fallen into the Miami waterways. What he built was a simple diving helmet from a cylindrically shaped wooden nail barrel.

The final product was an open-bottom helmet called the Divinhood. It was a copper design that was light, simple, very practical, and easy to use. The patent would show a single viewing port, a handle on top to easily lift it over the diver’s head, and an ordinary garden hose fitting that provided air to the diver. Imprinted on the helmet was the trademark “Dunn Divinhood.” The secret to its success and popularity was that it was so well adaptable it was perfect for diving in the warm, shallow waters of Miami and the Florida Keys.

Miller and Dunn began commercially manufacturing the Divinhood and advertised its application for a wide range of uses. Actually, a series of three Divinhood styles were developed: the Style 1 in 1916, the Style 2 in 1926, and the Style 3 in 1937. Alongside the helmet, Miller and Dunn developed compact double cylinder pumps in three improving designs for each successive Divinhood Style.

The World-Wide Impact

Some of the most common questions people ask are: “What were the helmets used for? Why make diving helmets? And, who needs them and for what?” The open-bottom helmet was so functional, it became a key technology in starting many fields related to diving. Accordingly each helmet style is credited with sparking a groundbreaking achievement: sports diving with the Style 1, marine biology with the Style 2, and underwater photography and modern treasure diving with the Style 3.

The Style 1 helmet was marketed to boaters seeking on site repairs and recovery of lost objects, but it was also useful for sports diving by non-diver amateurs and adventurers, mainly because of it’s ease and simplicity. A popular advertisement for the Divinhood claimed that “A diving apparatus so simple anyone can use it.”

The Style 2 is credited with starting modern marine biology. The first scientist to discover the great potential of the simple Divinhood for underwater study and exploration was Dr. William Beebe. At the time, Dr. Beebe was the Director of Tropical Research at the New York Zoological Society. In 1926, during his cruise on his ship called the Arcturus, Beebe fortuitously acquired the newly procured Divinhood and packed it in its compact crate amongst the cargo. His first dive was more than just an eye-opener for him. It exposed him to the unknown wonders of marine life and an easy way for sub-surface study. Upon entering the water, he instantly became converted from ornithology to marine biology. After he introduced the Divinhood Style 2 for underwater study and photography, many other biologists followed his lead. The Style 2 was also widely used for motion pictures, initially by Beebe, and later by Hans Hass and R W Miner.

Lastly, the Style 3 was becoming more common-place for those seeking access to the underwater environment, but the most interesting and picturesque character to use it was Art McKee, today a Florida Keys legend. A native of New Jersey, McKee was trained as a diver in heavy closed helmet gear. As the war approached, he took a job laying the pipeline under the Keys’ bridges for the Aqueduct Authority and for the Navy. Art then discovered the Divinhood Style 3 and adopted it as his favorite helmet. Shedding the warm, heavy gear associated with full diving-dress, Art began a long attachment to his open-bottom Divinhood. He preferred it even when early SCUBA became available and was used by all his diving companions and associates (note Art in the picture on the left using the Divinhood while the others use modern diving apparatuses). Art McKee used the helmet preferentially for pipe-laying, treasure salvage, and to initiate sports diving for tourists in the Florida Keys before SCUBA in 1948. Of the many applications of the Divinhood, McKee initiated modern salvage diving using the Divinhood Style 3 and became known as the Father of Treasure Salvage and also “Silver Bar McKee.”

Homemade and Commercial Imitations

The Miller-Dunn helmets were so functional they became widely imitated and replicated by others for their simplicity and usefulness. Craftsmen in their garages started using household items to build their very own version of the Divinhood. What they produced were many oddly shaped helmets with no two alike; however, they all shared one common feature: the open-bottom concept.

Maybe the most famous customized helmet was designed for marine biologist, underwater educator and photographer, Hans Hass. Distance and brewing pre-war tensions encouraged him to have a helmet made in Vienna by a tinsmith with the concept of the Divinhood in mind. Like Beebe, with this helmet he could now walk leisurely around the seabed and explore the reef.

Realizing there was a demand for open-bottom helmets, many commercial manufacturers mimicked the concept. Companies that at one time exclusively built the helmets for the full diving dress were now producing open-bottom helmets that were as functionally sound as the Divinhoods. For instance, the Hammond Company also of Miami, Florida built quite possibly the best open-bottom helmet design. The Divinhood required four weights to overcome the force produced by the contained air. The Hammond helmet, on the other hand, was constructed of heavy brass and was absent of any additional weights. It was also very large with a huge viewing port. It was an absolutely fantastic design.

Today, the open-bottom concept the Miller-Dunn Company popularized is still existence today. The modern SeaWalker invented for resort diving is still used in parts of Japan for the same desired simplicity as the early Divinhood. The helmet fits comfortably over the shoulders, and one can walk the ocean floor. The yellow AquaBell was also a popular recreational diving unit through the 1960′s. It was mainly used by beach combers that would bring the plastic helmet along on their trip, fill the yellow ring with sand, and use the specially designed pump to supply air to the bell.

The Significant Impact that is the Miller-Dunn Divinhood

Although the Divinhood is now considered an obsolete technology with the advent of replacements such as SCUBA, fiber-glass helmets for commercial diving and submarines, their technological significance to the history of science and technology serves as an important learning tool. At the History of Diving Museum, the history of the Divinhood helmet is paramount to the story we tell here. It encompasses a large segment of the museum, a segment in history that exhibits six displays in the museum. Furthermore, the Divinhood Style 2 is the logo for the History of Diving Museum because of its significance to South Florida, the Florida Keys legend Art McKee, and its groundbreaking design making it the logical identity of the museum.

The U.S. Navy Mark V is the most coveted and recognized diving helmet in the world. It embodies helmeted diving with its bold look, functional design and long-standing history in American diving. Navy Dive Master Carl Brashear (his story was the inspiration for the movie Men of Honor) used a Mark V during his career. Today, it symbolizes not only an important segment in diving history, but also stands as one of the most important technologies in the history of the world.

On to the history…

The U.S. Navy discovered a growing need for a standardized diving program. To the surprise of many, at the turn of the century the Navy had neither a standardized procedure or equipment for the diving program. Consequently, they were diving any and all equipment available, often with little knowledge of the dangers associated with diving.

In 1912, Navy Gunner G.D. Stillson wrote a letter to the Bureau of Construction and Repair (Bureau of Ships as it is called today) concerning the current diving program or lack thereof! He assembled a team and began a critical analysis of existing diving procedures. In the following years, Stillson and his team were commissioned to evaluate, improve and redesign every part of the diving program.

This evaluation produced two major developments. By 1915 G. D. Stillson, through the intercession of the Bureau of Construction and Repair, completed the first U.S. Navy guideline for diving known as the Report on Deep Diving Tests. This report served as the framework for Navy diving in the years to come. In it, Stillson discussed the necessary decompression times for deep dives, principles of pressure and most importantly, the equipment fostered through the program.

In Stillson’s evaluations, he tested a wide variety of diving equipment, mostly those from the Schrader and Morse Companies, but also equipment from Draeger and Siebe. In the two years leading up to the completion of the Report on Deep Diving Tests, a standardized equipment would be developed for the U.S. Navy, giving birth to the Mark I!

The Mark V helmet, the standardization of the diving program and the self evaluation of the program, symbolizes the future of the U.S. military as we know it. Mark, a work frequently associated with military hardware, simply means a ‘standard’ or ‘variant.’

Stillson and the Navy experimented with four versions of the Mark helmets, the Mark I, II,III and IV. The Mark V combined the best aspects from the previous four helmets. The final version was completed in 1917 and remained largely unchanged until its decommission in 1984. It is believed that only a mere 7,000 to 10,000 were ever constructed.

Four companies were commissioned to build the Mark V. The first Mark V helmet was made by the Morse Company; it is also the most common. Schrader, Desco and Miller-Dunn were also commissioned to build the Mark V. The Miami based Miller-Dunn Company produced the fewest helmets making them the rarest by today’s standard. Out of the hundred or so helmets manufactured by the Miller-Dunn Company, the History of Diving Museum has two on display.

A Mark V helium rebreather version was also developed. The helmet has a large helium scrubber on the back. Of course, adding a large helium scrubber serves as a reservoir for more air, adding increased force buoying the apparatus and diver to the surface. To offset this affect, the helium Mark V needed increased weight to compensate for this added force. The boots are larger and lace just below the knee (a rather stunning look for those who have seen the design). The ‘Banana Exhaust’ was moved from the back of the helmet to the top where it was excluded from its original placement due to the scrubber. Lastly, the dumbbell lock was moved from the rear of the helmet to the front.

In the late 1970′s, the Mark helmets changed completely. No longer a metallic base, the Marks are now fiber glass which changed the identity forever. HDM displays a newer version from the Mark line. The Morse Mark XII is the successor to their line of copper helmets. The top part of the helmet can be used alone for swim diving with air supplied by a hose from the surface, or a backpack or used with a 12-bolt attachment. It is much lighter than the original Mark V diving dress.

The Mark V is the icon of helmeted diving, thus this blog cannot be completed without a more in depth look at the helmet. This will be a two-part blog; the second part will provide an overview of the components on the Mark V. If you would like to learn more about what made this helmet one of the best manufactured technologies of the twentieth century, stay tuned for our next blog! The History of Diving Museum is the largest collection of historical diving apparatus in the world, we’re proud to be your source for diving history!

Sources:

http://diveamarkv.com/4.html (accessed 08/28/2010)

http://www.divingheritage/markvkern.htm (accessed 08/28/2010)

http://www.pricesforantiques.com/ (accessed 08/28/2010)

Significant from both a technological and conceptual standpoint, the Cabirol Petroleum lamp was designed in 1860 by Joseph Cabirol in France. This grand petroleum lamp was made before electricity was used in underwater lighting! The Cabirol lamp predated the transition from open flame to electricity.

Now, to take a step back, it is best to understand the history of electricity to appreciate the significance of the Cabirol lamp. A late 19th century design, it barely missed the jump from oil lighting to electricity (a fuel that would be outsourced shortly thereafter). The discovery of electricity dates back to 3rd century B.C.E. during the time of the Ancient Egyptians. Texts confirm an understanding of electrical charge created by fish. However, electricity and positive energy would remain an intellectual phenomenon for the next two-thousand years. Many credit Benjamin Franklin with the first discovery and application of electric charge in his famous, ‘kite in a thunderstorm’ experiment, but truthfully, it wasn’t until the 19th century that Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Otto Blathy, Anyos Jedlik, Sir Charles Parsons, George Westinghouse, Ernst Werner von Siemens, and Lord Kelvin transformed electricity from an intellectual curiosity to an essential tool for everyday life.

From a design standpoint, the fuel source (petroleum) was held in the bottom canister. To keep the flame burning in the crystal sphere, a steady supply of oxygen was needed — just as a diver would need fresh air. The air was provided by a dedicated 2-piston air pump contained in the pump box. The air was pumped through a set of rubberized hoses (in 1860!), down the lamp. The hot gases were then channeled out the top and through the pipes surrounding the crystal globe, where the hot fumes were coolest to prevent scorching rubber return hoses.

Due to a fortuitous accident, this rare lamp was preserved for 150 years! The petroleum flame was lit and the lamp was quickly closed to make it watertight. But before the lamp was lowered into the water, the crystal globe became too hot and cracked — as can be seen on the lamp! Because the lamp was broken, it was condemned to a removed warehouse, where it was forgotten for a century and a half.

The lamp is displayed in the “Abyss” exhibit at HDM.

The Cabirol Company

Cabirol is also known in the historical diving community for its contribution to helmeted diving. Around 1842, the company began producing helmets; their inclusion of a top window separated their design from that of the Morse Company. Although few still remain, the HDM collection owns a Cabirol helmet. An extremely rare artifact in its own right, missing the front port and brails, its dull color suggests the uncommon nature of the item.

At the time, the Cabirol Company was highly regarded in France and respected for their contributions in diving. The French, in their typical decadent fashion, prominently displayed divers etched in stone with the inscription “Famille Cabirol-Ferrus” on the steps of the Cabirol factory. To our dismay, two larger divers surrounded the doors of the factory, carrying none other than the Cabirol petroleum lamp.

Today, the Cabirol Company is no longer in existence. Once a small company in France, Cabirol was almost forgotten in diving history. HDM serves as the company’s greatest monument and appreciation for their contribution to diving history.

The History of Diving Museum displays the largest collection of historical diving aparatus in the world. Out of the hundreds of diving helmets on display, Dr. Sally Bauer (co-founder of the History of Diving Museum) values one helmet in particular as most significant to the museum. The Morse diving helmet, inscribed with the serial No. 1, represents the intrinsic value and rarity of the History of Diving Museum collection. It is the first helmet mass produced in the U.S., and is potentially the most sought after diving helmet in the world. It was manufactured in Boston, Massachusetts during the Civil War era.

Dr. Joe and Sally Bauer acquired the helmet in the early 2000′s. At this juncture, the Bauers had been collecting historical diving apparatus for the better part of 30 years. The collection took them to virtually every corner of the world. Sally is quoted as saying, “it is the story of how each item was acquired that makes collecting special.” This acquisition has its own unique story that adds to the allure of its history.

There were few collectors with the passion of Joe and Sally Bauer. Known in the diving community for their aggressive pursuit of the rarest historical diving equipment, they were contacted about a helmet worth their attention. The acquisition of this helmet took them to Michigan to a cowboy themed hotel and restaurant. The restaurant was covered with all sorts of items, some with no western theme whatsoever. Amongst many picked items were multiple diving helmets; however, Joe and Sally were there to see one in particular: the Morse helmet inscribed with serial No. 1.

At first glance, Joe and Sally were mortified by the careless storage of a one of a kind artifact; the helmet sat on the 3rd story railing, a casual glance would have sent the helmet crashing to the floor. The Bauers recognized the rarity of the helmet and carefully removed it from the railing.

It is these types of stories that kept the Bauers collecting, and allowed for the inception of the History of Diving Museum. The museum allows for proper care and exhibition of the helmet. It now sits prominently in the “Parade of the Nations” exhibit.

The History of the Morse Company, manufacturer of the first American diving helmet.

The Morse Company was established in 1837, making them the oldest manufacturer of diving equipment in the world. Originally, the Morse Company was a partnership between Morse and Fletcher for the manufacture of brass goods at the corner of Waters and Congress Streets, Boston, MA. In 1864, the firm changed it name to the Andrew J. Morse and Sons Company which it continued to use until 1940. It would later be renamed the Morse Diving Inc.

Morse is one of the most well-respected names in diving. Many artifacts in the History of Diving Museum owe their design to the Morse Company. However, Morse’s most significant contribution would come with the production of the most well-known diving helmet ever built, the Mark V. The majority of Mark V helmets were manufactured by the Morse Company. Morse is also credited with manufacturing the next generation Mark 12 free flow diving helmet used by the US Navy for almost 20 years.

Today, Morse Diving is located in Rockland, Massachusetts and remains one of the largest suppliers of commercial and recreational diving equipment.

You can visit their website at http://www.MorseDiving.com/

Art McKee was born in Bridgetown, New Jersey in 1910. From the outset, McKee was enthralled by undersea exploration. He is noted to have read books such as: “On the Bottom,” by Commander Ellsberg and “I Dive For Treasure,” by Lieutenant Harry E. Riesenberg.

His first exposure to diving, however, came at the coat tails of a major storm that hit the South Jersey shore in 1934. A hard-hat diver commissioned young Art McKee to help salvage a collapsed bridge, the bridge conntected east and west bridgetown. At this point, McKee was a mere line tender and assistant of sorts, however in the following years, McKee would continue in bridgebuilding efforts and eventually become a hard-hat diver himself.

As legend has it, McKee sustained a knee injury in 1936, which forced him to move to South Florida where he could rehabilitate year-round. Initially, McKee worked repairing the freshwater pipeline from Homestead to Key West; an endeavor that allowed him to perfect his hard-hat diving skills.

Art McKee eventually replaced the full diving-dress with the Miller-Dunn Divinhood. The Divinhood, invented in Miami, FL, is an open-bottom helmet design. He eventually became the poster-child for the Divinhood; even after swim-diving became popular, he continued to use the Divinhood for he believed much of his career was owed to the aparatus.

McKee, to his credit, made many important discoveries that allowed his persona to ascend to infamy. However, the most significant very well could have been the salvage of the “Ivory Wreck,” a slave ship that wrecked off Loo Key in the 1700′s. Although McKee recieved an enourmous amount of credit for his efforts, it was Dr. Barney Crile that tipped him off to its where abouts. Crile, a surgeon and head of the Cleveland Clinic, was vacationing with his family when the wreck was discovered.

Locally, McKee was growing in noteriety for his efforts as a salvage diver; Crile had heard of his reputation and commissioned him to assist in the salvage effort. Among many artifacts retrieved from the depths, the most significant were multiple silver bars and of course, Ivory tusks (an original is on display at the History of Diving Museum). Crile recorded these discoveries in his book entitled “Treasure Diving Holidays.” The book recounts the events of the salvage and contains pictures of Art McKee.

McKee’s salvage operations transformed this trade from leisure to a career path. Before long he collected so many artifacts that the next logical step was to open a museum. At first a small museum was adequate to house his artifacts, but eventually the collection grew so large he had to expand to a larger facility. The final landing spot would be the Museum of Sunken Treasure located at Treasure Harbor in Plantation Key, Florida. Today, most would recognize the once Sunken Treasure Museum as the Montessori School or formerly Treasure Village. When the museum opened, it was the premier tourist attraction in the Upper Keys; he even advertised the first glass bottom boat trips to salvage sites.

If Art McKee had ceased to continue his career in the field of diving, he would have already accomplished enough to make his mark permanently on history.

In the years following, he began marketing a travelling exhibit. On display were many artifacts to include a tusk from the “Ivory Wreck,” and more tantalizing to audiences, the silver bar.

McKee caught the attention of LIFE Magazine, where he appeared on multiple occasions. He also appeared on the Dave Garroway Show. To fully understand the magnitude of these achievements, imagine at the time, it was a significant achievement for a bridgebuilder and salvage diver from a small city in South Florida to appear on television and magazine. This was proof that McKee had truly become famous.

Art McKee was extremely charismatic in personality. Many people came to visit him because of their desire to discover for themselves the mysteries of the deep. Ed Link (aviation and marine specialist) and Mendel Peterson (curator and head of archaeology at the Smithsonian Institute) both came to work with McKee. Together these men invented the tools that allow for modern salvage diving. Together, they assume credit for developing the first underwater metal detector, jet propulsion vehicle and sifting cage.

Sadly, the life of such an instrumental figure in the field of diving was almost forgotten. Information on Art McKee’s life is scant, and his achievements in salvage diving are a just a part of the broader picture of the wrecks that he salvaged. However, the context of diving history allowed Art McKee’s legacy the proper avenue to be memorialized.

The History of Diving Museum stands as the greatest monument to his life, achievements and innovation. The museum was allowed a single diver to be painted on the building; The Guy Harvey and David Dunleavy mural depicts Art McKee atop his anchor searching the Florida Keys water.

Inside the museum, the Treasure Room displays Art McKee in his own exhibit in a myriad of ballast stones, coral, remnants from the Sunken Treasure Museum and his original inventions.

The month of June at the museum was all about diving bells…

One of the well-known, but easily overlooked wonders of applied science is the diving bell. The diving bell is an airtight chamber that is suspended underwater as a workstation for a single or multiple divers; it will refresh divers with air without having to come to the surface, allowing a diver to remain underwater for extended periods of time. The apparatus is named for its resemblance to a bell, in that it is narrow at the top and open at the bottom.

Dr. Bauer’s interpretation is overwhelmingly accurate and true; in fact, the history of the diving bell spans back to the 4th Century B.C.E., during the time of Greek Philosopher, Aristotle and Macedonian King, Alexander the Great; both of whom were bell divers. However, the diving bell wouldn’t reach its climatic point until the 17th century C.E. when Dr. Edmund Halley improved the design.

However, his most significant contribution to the history of diving came when he built the first-known diving helmet that was the precursor to all others. The History of Diving Museum displays this information in more fanciful detail, to include a replica of Halley’s diving bell and helmet.