Vintage Double Hose

I have just finished To Hidden Depths by Philippe Tailliez. This is the English version of his 1954 book Plongees sans Cable. He writes of introducing Jacques Yves Cousteau to the sport of goggle fishing in 1936. Two years later he introduced Cousteau to Frederic Dumas and together the diving trio became the famed "Les Mousqemers" of the French Mediterranean coast. 1945 he became the first commanding officer of the Group "Etudes et de Recherches Sous-Marines G.E.R.S." This was the first military group to employ the Cousteau-Gagnan Aqua-Lung. Unlike Cousteau’s book he gives a bit more details of the war years. Early dives, while they completed the film Epaves (Sunken Ships), were done with permission and required Italians guards at Toulon and German guards at Marseilles (German Kriegmarine were in Marseilles). As the head of the GERS they take out mines and establish early diving protocols. Very enjoyable.

I've often wondered why the Germans allowed Cousteau & company to dive at all with the Aqualung. Or why the Kriegsmarine did not confiscate the equipment and adopt it for use by their own combat swimmers. Interesting stuff..

capn_tucker wrote:I've often wondered why the Germans allowed Cousteau & company to dive at all with the Aqualung. Or why the Kriegsmarine did not confiscate the equipment and adopt it for use by their own combat swimmers. Interesting stuff..

Well I think that's pretty obvious...Cousteau was in cahoots with the Germans. How else could he have gotten a hold of the tanks, compressors, etc and further Gagnan's design during war time?

He did some cool things, you can't take that away. But pioneer? I would label it more opportunist.

Douchebag wrote:

capn_tucker wrote:I've often wondered why the Germans allowed Cousteau & company to dive at all with the Aqualung. Or why the Kriegsmarine did not confiscate the equipment and adopt it for use by their own combat swimmers. Interesting stuff..

Well I think that's pretty obvious...Cousteau was in cahoots with the Germans. How else could he have gotten a hold of the tanks, compressors, etc and further Gagnan's design during war time?

He did some cool things, you can't take that away. But pioneer? I would label it more opportunist.

I still wonder if he provided the Germans with any of his test data. You'd think they would have been greatly interested in such a device..

Tailliez wrote he and Cousteau gave the German guards goggles so they could watch them dive while filming in order to calm the guards down. The Italians or the Germans were on the same boat they dove off the entire making of the film. Makes you wonder about the German tanks that were on EBay a while back. If they had not dove with the permission of the occupied forces in the presence it is doubtful they would have lived to see the end of the war. As it was they said they were often fired upon from the shore either out of fear or entertainment.

Interresting. Tim