SEALAB 1 Revisited by Bernie Campoli
Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 4:31 pm
Bernie posted this some other spot and wanted me to share it with everyone here. ENJOY!
Ahoy,
I just resubscribed to SW to clear up a error that has been repeated many times on the subject of Tanks and regulators used on SEALAB 1,
Master Diver Robert Sheats ordered USD Aquamaster Regulators (16 my log book says) and as I had my gauges and tools with me he had me take them apart and rebuild each one to spec. "And take all those yellow off!" and put black one's on. Later we had to use the yellow hoses for replacement hoses, you may see some photos from SEALAB 1with divers with yellow and blacks hoses, thats the reason.
Tanks for Surface support divers and Underwater Photographers. There were NO Twin 90's on SEALAB 1!
USD Twin 72cu ft cylinders was what we had and used and there were many dives a day by all including Captain. Bond and Commander(at the time) Walt Mazzone,who was my dive buddy most of the time or C.J. Tuckfield. If I dove with Car. Mazzone we could get a 15min dive along with a stop aprox. 15 feet. now called a safety stop. My old Navy Log book lists 18 dives in support of SEALAB 1 below The 130 foot standard limit, all in the 190-220 depth range, as a USN Photographer/Diver. (NEC-8136)
At time we shot every thing on 35mm motion picture film, The underwater motion picture equipment consisted of a Sampson 35mm Underwater housing with a vintage (WW2) Bell and Howell 35mm camera with a Sampson 400 foot magazine, it weighted just over 100 lbs. trimmed for salt water. I like to call it the gopro camera of the 1960's. As the Nikonos camera was available we had just started using them, all stills we see were made with a 35mm lens which was the only lens available at the time,I had done a bunch of test prior to SEALAB and used Kodak Tri-X film processed in Acufine Developer rated at asa 250 give the best results.
SEALAB 1 took place at a Man Made structure named Argus Island aprox. 35 miles off Bermuda,it was sunk in the the US Navy in the 1970's,I left the US Navy in early 1966 and and a few months was hired by Ocean Systems Inc. submerged division and returned Argus Island with a submersible named "Cubmarine" to did cable surveys in around the tower and did many more Scuba divers while there.
It Was and I imagine now days even better as the Best Artificial Site I ever dove at Incredible visibility and lots of saline,but just as in 1964 weather ended our project.
Off topic Last weekend at "Beneath the Sea"I was awarded their "2017 Diver of the Year Award." for service at 78 years of age my daughter Andrea thinks that was Cool.
End of Rant.
Ahoy,
I just resubscribed to SW to clear up a error that has been repeated many times on the subject of Tanks and regulators used on SEALAB 1,
Master Diver Robert Sheats ordered USD Aquamaster Regulators (16 my log book says) and as I had my gauges and tools with me he had me take them apart and rebuild each one to spec. "And take all those yellow off!" and put black one's on. Later we had to use the yellow hoses for replacement hoses, you may see some photos from SEALAB 1with divers with yellow and blacks hoses, thats the reason.
Tanks for Surface support divers and Underwater Photographers. There were NO Twin 90's on SEALAB 1!
USD Twin 72cu ft cylinders was what we had and used and there were many dives a day by all including Captain. Bond and Commander(at the time) Walt Mazzone,who was my dive buddy most of the time or C.J. Tuckfield. If I dove with Car. Mazzone we could get a 15min dive along with a stop aprox. 15 feet. now called a safety stop. My old Navy Log book lists 18 dives in support of SEALAB 1 below The 130 foot standard limit, all in the 190-220 depth range, as a USN Photographer/Diver. (NEC-8136)
At time we shot every thing on 35mm motion picture film, The underwater motion picture equipment consisted of a Sampson 35mm Underwater housing with a vintage (WW2) Bell and Howell 35mm camera with a Sampson 400 foot magazine, it weighted just over 100 lbs. trimmed for salt water. I like to call it the gopro camera of the 1960's. As the Nikonos camera was available we had just started using them, all stills we see were made with a 35mm lens which was the only lens available at the time,I had done a bunch of test prior to SEALAB and used Kodak Tri-X film processed in Acufine Developer rated at asa 250 give the best results.
SEALAB 1 took place at a Man Made structure named Argus Island aprox. 35 miles off Bermuda,it was sunk in the the US Navy in the 1970's,I left the US Navy in early 1966 and and a few months was hired by Ocean Systems Inc. submerged division and returned Argus Island with a submersible named "Cubmarine" to did cable surveys in around the tower and did many more Scuba divers while there.
It Was and I imagine now days even better as the Best Artificial Site I ever dove at Incredible visibility and lots of saline,but just as in 1964 weather ended our project.
Off topic Last weekend at "Beneath the Sea"I was awarded their "2017 Diver of the Year Award." for service at 78 years of age my daughter Andrea thinks that was Cool.
End of Rant.
I'm thinkin' I've got just over 20 years to go.... With luck I'll still be around to witness the epiphany.... 
