Siebe Gorman Diving Helmet Serial Numbers: What They Mean and How to Decode Them

10.89 AMERICAN DIVING HELMET. Genuine hard hat diving helmet made by America's first and foremost maker, "MORSE DIVING EUIPMENT COMPANY, INC, BOSTON, MASS. U.S.A." as embossed on the oval maker's tag riveted to the breastplate. This all copper and brass helmet is Morse's innovative shallow water version used extensively by the U.S. Navy and the commercial fleet for ships' hull inspections, and underwater pier and bridge work. It did not require the diver to use the bulky canvas dress needed for diving with a Mark V. This helmet is serial numbered "62-79" as stamped on the faceplate indicating at date of 1962. It is in good overall condition showing extensive signs of actual use. The revolutionary contoured faceplate is near prefect (a very important condition factor in these helmets). Complete with all 4 original lug nuts. 3475

10.88 HARD HAT DIVER's PATCH. Extremely rare, early 1900's cloth label bearing the trademark of the first and most famous deep sea diving helmet makers "SIEBE GORMAN & CO, LTD." This cotton cloth patch depicts a 6 bolt helmet flanked by the words 'DIVER BRAND.' It measures 2 by 2 inches and is in excellent condition. A super scarce, beautifully preserved relic from the early days of hard hat diving. 95

siebe gorman diving helmet serial numbers

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10.86 DEEP SEA DIVING HELMET. Authentic early 1900's hard hat diving helmet of Oriental manufacture. This genuine diving helmet is made of spun copper with cast brass fittings. It is the 3 light type having a screw-on face plate and side ports with protective grills. This 12 bolt helmet is complete with all four chest plate brales and wing nuts. The single air supply gooseneck is equipped with a built-in non-return valve leading to 2 interior air vents to provide anti-fogging dry air over the ports. It has an internal chin button on the diver's right which discharges air to the knurled exhaust valve on the exterior. Exemplary of its early construction the bonnet was made in two parts which were then brazed together. This indicates it was made before advancements in metal spinning allowed one-piece fabrication. Attesting to its active service life this helmet has numerous dents, dings and solder repairs expected of an old veteran of the sea. It has acquired a deep rich age patina. 16 inches high by 14 inches wide by 16 inches front to back and weighing 40 pounds. Circa 1920 or earlier. A great look! 1950 Currently a nearly identical diving helmet is offered on eBay for $5,023.56. Item number 124888804622

10.78 FAMOUS DIVING PHOTOS. Set of 3 original silverplate photographs depicting hard hat diver William Walker in full dress ready to descend into the murky depths surrounding the foundation of Winchester Cathedral circa 1910 or earlier. These antique images are original photographic prints for half penny post cards measuring 3 by 5 inches. Perfect original condition. A very rare set of images documenting a most important moment in diving history. 150/trio At the turn-of-the-last century when large cracks were noted in the foundation of Winchester Cathedral, fears were it was in imminent danger of collapsing. Winchester lies in the Itchen River Valley, resting on peaty soil with a high water table. Early efforts to underpin its waterlogged foundations failed. The cracks, which appeared in the Cathedral's massive walls and vaulted ceilings, were wide enough to accommodate roosting owls! Chunks of stone were falling to the floor on its east end. As a last resort an architect was brought in for consultation. He suggested underpinning the building's medieval south and east walls with modern foundations. The plan was to dig narrow trenches underneath the walls of the building and fill them with concrete 13 feet below the water table. At its inception, the plan seemed untenable. Water flooded into the trenches as fast as the workmen could dig it out. Even a steam pump couldn't overtake the incoming water. Finally a plan was devised to employ a deep sea diver to do the work. William Walker, an experienced diver from the Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, was called in. Beginning in1906, he labored under the water below the Cathedral for six hours a day at depths up to 20 feet. Working in total darkness, he used his bare hands to feel his way through the muddy water. His cumbersome canvas diving suit took a long time to don and remove. So when he stopped for lunch, he simply removed his helmet to eat and smoke his pipe -- which he thought would kill off germs. It took six years to excavate the flooded trenches and fill them with bags of concrete. When he finally finished, the groundwater was pumped out and the new concrete walls were safely underpinned by layers of bricks. By 1911, the team of 150 workmen, including Walker, packed the foundations with an estimated 25,000 bags of concrete, 115,000 concrete blocks, and 900,000 bricks! In honor of his service Walker was presented to George V and Queen Mary on July 15, 1912. He was later made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO). Sadly, at the age of just 49 he died as a result of the great Spanish flu epidemic in 1918.

10.77 HARD HAT DIVING CHEST VALVE. Genuine, heavy duty World War II vintage, solid bronze air inlet valve used by hard hat divers to regulate the amount of incoming air they received. Such apparatus was crucial to stabilize both the diver's breathing and his buoyancy. This heavy, precision-cast bronze relic consists of a 5-pointed handle leading to a gooseneck which connects to the surface airline hose. The opposite end was connected by a short length of hose to the helmet inlet air gooseneck itself. The original all brass clip for attachment to the helmet is still present. 7 3/4 inches long by 6 inches high and 2 inches thick at the widest. Perfect original condition exhibiting a wonderful statuary bronze patina surface. This component is an essential key element when exhibiting a full dress diving helmet known as a "Jake." SOLD

10.19 MARK V DIVING HELMET. This is it! The ultimate! Offered here is an original, very sought after, and by far most collected hard hat diving helmet ever -- an authentic World War II era U.S. Navy Mark V. Even more special, this is an early example manufactured by the venerable Morse Diving Equipment Company of Boston, bearing much of its original tin finish! The front of this handsome helmet bears the embossed cast brass oval breastplate maker's tag reading:

This helmet is made of heavy spun copper with cast brass fittings and thick glass ports. The interior is tinned and the bonnet has air channels leading from the air intake goose neck over the three ports. The phone communicator gooseneck contains its original components with cap and the fittings for holding the transducer are present. The chin button and spit cock are in place and function properly. On the exterior, all fittings are original and in tact. The neck ring serial numbers of the bonnet and breastplate match, coinciding with the number stamped on the left rear brale. The front two brales bear markings "FRONT" and the rear two brales are marked "MORSE BOSTON / MADE IN U.S.A." respectively. The entire unit, weighing 55 pounds, is in excellent totally original condition! There are of course the expected minor dents, dings and mild surface corrosion expected of a working helmet! SOLD

Morse was best known for its development of the Mark 5 helmet system for the United States Navy in 1914. Ultimately, 3 other companies: A. Shrader's Son, Diving Equipment & Salvage Company (later "DESCO") and finally Miller-Dunn, also produced Mark V helmets for the Navy throughout World War II. But Morse was the originator. Morse founder, A.J. Morse, also discovered the carbon dioxide absorbing qualities of soda ash which he developed and marketed under the name "Sodasorb," used both in the diving and the soft drink industries. Besides diving helmets, the Morse company manufactured dive pumps, knives, boots, dresses, fire hoses and a wide range of other hard hat diving apparatus.

10.94 MARK V DIVING HELMET. This is it! The ultimate! Offered here is the very sought after, and by far most collected hard hat diving helmet ever -- an authentic World War II era U.S. Navy Mark V. But even more special, this is a scarce example by the Miller Dunn Company of Miami, was not polished and is in its as "last used" finish! The front of this handsome helmet bears the embossed lead breastplate maker's tag reading:

This helmet is made of heavy spun copper with cast brass fittings and thick glass ports. The interior is tinned and the bonnet has air channels leading from the air intake goose neck over the three ports. The phone communicator gooseneck contains its original components with cap and the fittings for holding the transducer are present. The chin button is in place and functions properly. On the exterior, all fittings are original and in tact. Each of the four brales bear serial numbers matching that of the breastplate tag. The entire unit, weighing 50 pounds, is in excellent totally original condition! There are of course the expected minor dents and dings in the top of the bonnet from actual diving! SOLD

The now legendary Miller-Dunn Company of Miami is shrouded in a good deal of mystery, even though it is documented that the company produced hard hat diving helmets over the course of more than 30 years. Begun in 1915 as a partnership between a plumber and machinist the company was best known for its shallow water "Divinhood" designs which were patented in the United States and abroad. In his monumental reference book "Helmets of the Deep" by Leon Lyons, 1988, Leon Lyons, Hollywood, Florida, Mr. Lyons writes on page 133, "The number two and 3 styles are most popular among collectors of nautical antiques. They have such a strange look about them. One should also mention the Mark V as a much sought-after helmet." Of the 4 major producers of the Mark V helmet, before and during World War II, Miller-Dunn's output was the smallest. Added to the fact that only a handful of this little known company's helmets now survive, the example offered here is made all the more desirable. 2ff7e9595c