Ah, I didn't realize you were on an umbilical. Whose project was that? (Just finished reading Peter Hunt's book about the Doria.)
Saturation Systems in 73.
Bob Hollis’ article on the Scuba Diving Magazine Web site is a little melodramatic and incomplete, but generally accurate.
Jack McKenney’s 2-part article in the January & February ’74 Skin Diver Magazine issues are the most accurate piece written on the project. We were the first group to make a sat dive on her (two technically) and removed the double outer hull doors to the first class foyer. That opening was enlarged by Oceaneering divers in 1981 for Peter Gimbel’s Expedition — creating Gimbel’s hole. Oceaneering divers removed tens, if not hundreds, of tons of debris. Only one of the three safes in that area was recovered.
Gimbel proved our conclusion to abort the dive after surveying the inside was correct: It would cost far more to salvage the safes than was in them. At least we had an excuse… young, cocky, and stupid. I still feel sorry for our investors and the whole crew — most were friends, shipmates, and neighbors. I doubt any of us ever worked so hard.
Saturation Systems became a manufacturer after that dive and built two large chambers for Oceaneering, one of which was the main living chamber on the sat complex used on the Gimbel expedition. It is a small world.
A group made an attempt at sat on her in 1968, but is virtually forgotten. They used a home-built habitat made from wood called the
Early Bird. They were sort of a Who’s-Who of commercial diving pioneers. Alan Krasberg (innovative engineer from Westinghouse) put the project together with Nick Zinkowski (Author of
Commercial Oil-Field Diving). The supporting team included Winston Chee (Westinghouse engineer, later Assistant Engineering Manager at Taylor Diving & Salvage).
Al Giddings was on the photo team. Unfortunately, they got skunked by weather and the budget. Too bad really, it would have been a spectacular accomplishment.