Mark V MOD-1 DESCO Diving Helmet Baseplate #1067 Bonnet #1545 - Authentic 1944 Helmet Start Price USD 1.00 Current Price USD 5,800.00 Time Left - Bid Count 15 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, July 02, 2008 End Time Monday, July 07, 2008 Location Worcestershire See more about 'Mark V MOD-1 DESCO Diving Helmet' Description Mark V MOD-1 Hard Hat Diving HelmetDESCO Breastplate #1067 (4-4-44)DESCO Bonnet #1545 (8-4-44) We are selling a largely authentic (not a replica) Mark V diving helmet made by DESCO in 1944, and recently verified by them. We purchased this from Bottom of the Harbour Nautical Antiques at The Rocks in Sydney on 31 October 1996, and they shipped it to our home in England. We are now ready for it to go to a new home --- we will pack it carefully and ship it worldwide.This helmet recently sold on eBay for $5,500 (item 110262140909). The purchaser had zero feedback but a navy.mil e-mail address. After winning he e-mailed me --- a week later --- to say, "I have been deployed in theater since early June, arriving home to find 326 unread email messages in my mailbox and my spouse of 26 years and my children relocated. I prefer not to go into further details however, we’ve sought counseling on many occasion with little success. My absence from home for military service aggravated an already tenuous relationship and this recent deployment made matters much worse. I was truly fortunate to win that bid since I have been searching for a helmet at a reasonable cost. It is an excellent price and a beautiful helmet and am sorry that I cannot be the new owner. I fear the purchase and possession would be even more detrimental to my finances which are now in doubt. I sincerely apologize for this because I am an honest man who pays his debts and I bid on this hat with the most honorable intentions."   The Mark V Helmet was designed by the U.S. Bureau of Construction and Repair in 1905 to address many of the problems encountered in diving.According to the Navy Diving Manual, “This deep-sea outfit was designed for extensive, rugged diving work and provided the diver maximum physical protection and some maneuverability. The 1905 MK V Diving Helmet had an elbow inlet with a safety valve that allowed air to enter the helmet, but not to escape back up the umbilical if the air supply were interrupted. Air was expelled from the helmet through an exhaust valve on the right side, below the port. The exhaust valve was vented toward the rear of the helmet to prevent escaping bubbles from interfering with the diver’s field of vision.     By 1916, several improvements had been made to the helmet, including a rudimentary communications system via a telephone cable and a regulating valve operated by an interior push button. The regulating valve allowed some control of the atmospheric pressure. A supplementary relief valve, known as the spitcock, was added to the left side of the helmet. A safety catch was also incorporated to keep the helmet attached to the breast plate. The exhaust valve and the communications system were improved by 1927, and the weight of the helmet was decreased to be more comfortable for the diver.“After 1927, the MK V changed very little. […] With its associated deep-sea dress and umbilical, the MK V was used for all submarine rescue and salvage work undertaken in peacetime and practically all salvage work undertaken during World War II. The MK V Diving Helmet was the standard U.S. Navy diving equipment until succeeded by the MK 12 Surface-Supplied Diving System (SSDS) in February 1980.” According to Jim Boyd's Capsule History of the U.S. Navy Mark V Diving Helmet "The MarkV really came into its own during World War II, when it was firmly established as the standard U.S. Navy diving rig and was used for nearly all dive training, heavy salvage, and repair work. With the demands of two nautical theaters of war, MkV production escalated to impressive levels. [...] Divers Equipment & Salvage Company (DESCO) of Milwaukee set up a large production line and began cranking out MkV's by the hundreds. During the war, DESCO employed 87 people in the production of diving gear. [...] Navy orders would be for 700 or 800 helmets at a time, and they would be shipped out in batches of 100 or 200. It is estimated that production of MkV's from the four manufacturers over the years ranges from 7,000 to 10,000 total units -- and DESCO still produce them to order." They sell for $5,595 according to the DESCO website.This Mark V MOD-1 was made by DESCO. The breast plate has the serial number 1067 stamped on the plate and on the inside of the neck ring, as well as the date 4-4-44. According to the very helpful Ric Koellner at DESCO, who has reviewed our photographs of the helmet, this serial number is consistent with their records for that date. The bonnet, however, is serial number 1545. Ric says, "1545 would have been dated 8-4-44 (August 4, 1944) so you can see in 4 months they produced at a minimum 478 helmets. Our records are incomplete but over the last 28 years I have acquired several hundred numbers/owners and both your numbers fall in the middle of the numbering/date sequence."While the breast plate and bonnet itself are authentic (as confirmed by DESCO), Ric says that only the upper port is genuine. The face plate is apparently for a MarkV, but from another manufacturer. The two side windows appear to have been fabricated by the diver himself, as well as the connections in the back. I understand that mismatched serial numbers are not uncommon since multiple divers worked at the same time, and often bonnet and breastplates were interchanged.The helmet does have the U.S. Navy inspection mark with the U S and anchor: photograph below.These photographs are of the actual helmet offered for sale. I have uploaded a gallery of images, all of which can be enlarged, to our online photo gallery at http://www.bark.ch/thumbnails.php?album=72Please note that if you visit our photo gallery, you will initially see the thumbnail images. Double-click o these to see the larger images. But I recommend that you double-click again to see the larger images (15 inches wide). We also have the high-resolution (300 dpi) images that could be sent to you if that would be helpful. Just let me know.We can ship worldwide --- using your account details at FedEx (or other courier company) if you receive a discount, or our own. For budget purposes, the cost of shipping outside the U.K. will be approximately £270.00 (US $526.00) in two boxes --- breastplate in one, bonnet in the other. The cost of shipping within the U.K. will be £75.00, or the helmet can be picked up in Worcestershire.A few administrative points:(1) Although the auction is in US$ the Mark V helmet is located in England. (I'm an American, living in England.)(2) I will gladly send you hi-res images and copies of the DESCO e-mail messages. I have done my best to research the origin of this helmet, but I'm not an expert in these matters so can't make any representations. It's really up to the purchaser to satisfy himself (or herself) that they know what they're buying.(3) In common with all sellers on eBay, we have had the occasional problem with non-paying bidders. We expect payment within three days following the end of the auction: please see payment terms. Please don't bid on this item unless you can make payment in accordance with our terms.Thank you for your interest in this Mark V MOD-1 DESCO helmet. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if I can be of assistance in any way.     Shipping: We will ship worldwide. As indicated above, for budget purposes the cost of shipping via FedEx to the States or elsewhere in the world -- other than the U.K. -- is £270.00 (US $526.00). The cost of shipping within the U.K. is £75.00. The helmet could also be picked up in sunny Worcstershire. Copyright © 2008 Craig W Walsh  On Jul-04-08 at 05:17:49 PDT, seller added the following information:SquareTrade © AP6.0 Place a Bid!