SCUBA
An ancient diver picking items off the ocean floor.
Diving dates all the way back to the sixth century B.C. but has since changed dramatically. Diving was done in shallow waters mainly in depths of a hundred feet or less in search of food, sponges, coral, mother-of-pearl, and other such items which could be used for survival or profit.
Diving has always been used for military purposes, even since ancient times. In the past, divers set barriers against foreign ships, sabotaged enemy ships, and removed impediments set by others. In 328 B.C. Alexander the Great sent divers to a Lebanon Harbor to remove obstacles. Legend has it that Alexander was so skeptical of his men’s work that he went down himself to inspect it.
Diving has always been used for military purposes, even since ancient times. In the past, divers set barriers against foreign ships, sabotaged enemy ships, and removed impediments set by others. In 328 B.C. Alexander the Great sent divers to a Lebanon Harbor to remove obstacles. Legend has it that Alexander was so skeptical of his men’s work that he went down himself to inspect it.
A necessary step for the advancement of diving was an air supply. An air supply was necessary in order for divers to be submerged at deeper depths for longer lengths of time. The earliest form of an air supply came from the simplistic usage of reeds and pipes. For obvious reasons reeds and pipes provided restrictions. Longer reeds could not be used as the water pressure at great depths exceeds the human bodies capability of breathing in the air from the pipe.
In 1531 a diving bell was created which allowed divers to stay beneath the water for hours at a time. A diving bell is similar to an upside down bucket submerged beneath the water. The diving bell created a pocket of air that divers could utilize. Diver’s could perform jobs within the comfort of the bell or outside of the bell for short periods of time. In 1775, expanding upon the idea of the diving bell John Lethbridge created the first diving dress. Similar, to the diving bell the diving dress trapped air within a suit. |
The limitations of the diving bell and diving dress led to continual advancements. In the nineteenth century the first pump was created. This invention gave divers the ability to stay underwater for even greater lengths of time as air was able to be continually pumped from the surface. Deep sea diving suits used today originated from this period. Augustus Seibe created a version of the Deane diving suit in 1840 that resembles the deep sea diving suits of today. However, as divers continued to go deeper and deeper, physiological effects occurred. An illness referred to as “bends” began affecting divers and in some extreme cases even lead to deaths. This created skepticism; people began to believe that the human body was not capable of deep dives. Nitrogen narcosis began to affect divers which caused oxygen/helium mixes to be used instead of solely oxygen. Further research lead to the realization that these “diving sicknesses” could in fact be prevented. Eventually, Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatuses (SCUBA) were created. The First publicly available SCUBA tank was created in 1878 by H.A. Fluess. SCUBA was a breakthrough in that it allowed divers to stay underwater for long lengths of time without relying upon surface support. With the creation of SCUBA came a surge in diving activities. SCUBA opened the door for public usage of diving. |
During the Vietnam War SCUBA was an extremely important technological tool because of its versatile nature. However, SCUBA was not emphasized by the media as it was predominantly involved in covert operations. Consequently, SCUBA’s role in the Vietnam War is oftentimes completely overlooked.At the start of the war, Navy Sea Air Land (SEAL) Expeditionary Forces used SCUBA for hydrographic surveys of the Vietnam coastline. As the war progressed, SCUBA began to be used during the Vietnam War by Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams for the disarmament of bombs. Navy Diver’s trained in Explosive Ordnance Disposal would swim in front of naval ships checking for mines and bombs. In this way, naval divers were able to ensure safe passage of Naval Vessels. This also allowed for the functionality of the United States in the war as it provided the ability to continuously deliver troops, equipment, and Amphibious Assault Vehicles.