U.S. Navy Mark V Diving Helmet Replica

"It's not a sin to get knocked down;
it's a sin to stay down."

, Master Diver Carl Brashear, U.S. Navy, 1948 to 1979

The U.S. Navy Mark V diving helmet was the Navy's standard deep sea helmet from 1916 into the early 1980s, worn by Navy divers on salvage, rescue and ship repair work for most of the century.

In May 1939 the submarine USS Squalus sank in 240 feet of water off the Isles of Shoals, New Hampshire. Navy divers in Mark V rigs rigged the McCann rescue chamber that brought all 33 survivors to the surface, and four of them, including Orson Crandall, received the Medal of Honor.

Carl Brashear lost a leg below the knee in a 1966 salvage accident, trained in a Mark V rig to prove he could still dive, and in 1968 became the first amputee returned to full Navy diving duty.

• The original bonnet was spun copper with bronze fittings, screwed onto a breastplate sealed to a rubberized canvas suit
• Helmet and breastplate weighed a little over 55 pounds; the full standard rig, about 200 pounds

About This Piece

• Decorative replica of the U.S. Navy Mark V diving helmet, made for display
• Dark finish with solid brass details
• Shipping weight: 11.25 lb

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