Leut Frederick Lowrie RAN
This year (2017) marks the 75th anniversary of RAN (navy) diving at HMAS Penguin. HMAS Penguin (II) (Balmoral) was commissioned on 14 July 1942. This post is about the first officer in charge of diving at HMAS Penguin.
Author Archive for: Allan
Entries by Allan Kessler
John Johnstone
John Johnstone (Johnno) was borne in England and emigrated to Australia as a young man. He was already well known as a diver in Australia when he was asked to take part in the salvage of the Niagara. This ship had been travelling from England to the US loaded with gold bullion to pay the […]
The Oil Drum Diver
by Des Williams HDS Aus-Pac During the 1930s, many young men were inspired by the deep sea exploring exploits hero of the time, William Beebe, who astounded the world with his descents in his bathysphere, to depths never reached by man until that time. Many home-made diving helmets were reported in the Australian press, a […]
Helmet Diving in Australia – The Earliest Record
by Des Williams – HDS Aus-Pac When was helmet diving first employed in Australia? This is a question we often get asked at the Historical Diving Society and one which we are now able to answer with some certainty, following our detailed historical research.
The “Porpoise” book reprint
Australian Diving Technology the World Copied By Des Walters, Des Williams, Mel Brown AM and Tony Gregory When La Spirotechnique and Aqua-Lung were only producing twin hose scuba and had never dreamed of a single hose system, along came an Australian who changed scuba diving forever. This is the complete story of the engineering brilliance […]
Walter Hamilton Gibbins
Walter Hamilton Gibbins – Australian Diving Pioneer (Article updated 5-Apr-2018 to correct Walter’s middle name) by Melven Brown Here we focus on one of Australia’s pioneer SCUBA divers. Australia has produced many outstanding scuba divers, underwater film-makers, equipment technicians, spear-fishers and innovators. It all started in the late 1940s, when the sport of spearfishing was […]
