Cousteau´s Conshelf experiments - where are the remains?

[Marcel Steuermann]

Hello Guys,

I just dived the Precontinent II/Conshelf II remains at Shab Rumi, Sudan.
What a unique place on Earth, and what an amazing experiment. The question occurred where the other remains of Conshelf II, and also Conshelf I and III are today.

Does anybody know, what happened to them?
Thanks for any answer...or rumour.....

Cheers,

 

[sphillips3]

I can't find anything definitive, but given Cousteau's environmental sensitivity I doubt that much of anything was left on the bottom.

I found this on YouTube

YouTube - Underwater habitat remains - L'habitat sous-marin demeure

Jacques Cousteaus 1965 film World Without Sun swept theater audiences into the Conshelf II experiment in underwater living. On board Alcyone, one aquanaut returns to the site: Claude Wesly. Five aquanauts lived in the Starfish House at 36 feet for a month, and two others stayed lower down in the Deep Cabin at 90 feet for a week, working as deep as 165 feet. The success of the mission opened the doors to hyperbaric stations that allow people to operate today much longer and deeper than they can in surface-to-surface dives. Although most of the structures were removed after the experiment, the Sea Urchin, a hangar for the Diving Saucer, remains on the sea floor as a living tribute to those underwater pioneers.

 

[james croft]

Environmental sensitivity?

Pass the dynamite!

 

[Ruoska]

...Cousteau's environmental sensitivity...

 

[DA Aquamaster]

No $hit. Cousteau is the guy who insisted on taking flares into pristine caves when perfectly suitable electric lights were available. Not just as back up, but as the primary light source. Not eactly what I would call environmentally concerned.

Dynamiting his way through coral heads to get the Calypso to a blue hole is just one of many other examples. I assume it was all just to get the shot of Calypso over the hole as they could have dove it out of their two Zodiacs. The man was about ego and image, not conservation despite his use of that ideal to raise money.

 

[Marcel Steuermann]

Okay, I agree to a certain point, but no hijacking of threads please...

Again - does anybody knows anything about the remains of the Precontinent Experiments?
Except for the submarine garage of Precontinent II, that´s in Sudan. I have been there.

Thanks for any answer,

 

[Ruoska]

Sorry Marcel.

I am under the impression that Conshelf II was left there as whole, the living quarters, hangar and the deep pod, and the elements have destroyed everything but what you saw there.

Don't know anything about I or III.

 

[MarkUK]

I too have dived the remnants of the Conshelf II experiment at Sha'ab Rumi - fascinating piece of history.

However, I was under the impression that when the experiment was over, most of the gear - the living quarters, labs, etc - were removed, leaving just the 'garage', 'tool shed' and a few other small bits and pieces. I believe the removed stuff was mothballed, then scrapped.

If the other bits had been left to the elements, I would have expected more debris, especially as the garage is shallow and is in excellent condition for its age, and the living quarters, etc, were deeper, so should have survived in even better condition.

Mark

 

[Marcel Steuermann]

Thanks for all infos so far, folks.

I agree with MarkUK, having dived Precon II in Sudan, I don´t think that the more valuable pieces - the starfish and the deep station, full of electric devices etc. - have been left there. As far as I know, they have been salvaged after the experiment. Some rumours say that these things have been brought into southern Sudan, but that doesn´t make much sense to me either. Guess they are either scrapped or are somewhere mothballed in France.
Still I wonder, if they really scrapped this huge "starfish"? Hard to believe...does anybody know more about it?

Thanks again

 

[Ruoska]

Oh well, I think you guys are right and I'm not – a strange feeling .

I agree it wouldn't make much sense to leave everything there, but for some reason I really was under the impression that was the case.