This is a shortened version of our Swedish website. Only the most popular pages are translated.
The diving tank house (Dyktankhuset) located at Galärvarvet, Royal Djurgården in Stockholm, between the Vasa Museum and the Alcohol Museum, is the heart of the association’s activities. Our purpose is to spread knowledge about diving from older times through various activities, collect objects, manuals/technical descriptions and document everything that has had and has significance for the development of diving. We hope you will find our website interesting and entice you to visit the Diving Tank House to gain more knowledge about diving in a historical perspective, in the present and in the future. The diving tank house is under the government authority The Swedish Maritime and Transport History Museums, SMTM.
Did you know that you can book special viewings? Write to us and tell us about your wishes.
Latest news from SDHF
The birthday party
At the end of May, the Swedish Diving History Association celebrated its 45th birthday.
Thanks to the association, Dyktankhuset was also able to celebrate its 90th anniversary. Association
was formed to save the house from being demolished and it succeeded. The association thus became probably the world’s oldest diving historical association!
In glorious summer sun and heat, around thirty guests gathered in the tent outside
The diving tank house and was told by Hans Örnhagen (one of the “rescuers”) the fascinating story of how it happened. You can read about this yourself at About Dyktankhuset
A toast was made to both the house and the association, and they enjoyed themselves
the specially ordered cakes.
Photo: Björn Axel Johansson
In the afternoon, the party moved to Vrak – Museum of Wrecks to listen as the Chairman of the British Diving Historical Society, Mike O’Meara, told about the salvage of roughly 400 gold bars from HMS Edinburgh in 1981. One real feat. The evening passed in pleasant company with good food and drink. Our club master arranged as usual so no one left the party hungry.
The diving tank house
During the spring, the house received a nice refresh. The outer wall of the old boiler room has been repaired and polished and is now as good as it gets new despite the years. Likewise, the stairs down into the water, where our deep dives take place, have been renovated. The ice had caused it. We thank the Swedish Maritime and Transport History Museums, SMTM, for this.
Do you know Alderney
Alderney is one of England’s Channel Islands. It is not far from the French coast. The island is not that big and the population is not that big either, about 2,500 people. The island, like the other Channel Islands, has a relatively high degree of self-determination, which they often use to show off their island. As it is an island, a lot is about the island, the birdlife, there is a colony of puffins, and the sea on all possible ways and forms and of course the island has a diving club, Alderney, Diving Club.
In 1998 the diving club celebrated its 21st birthday. The island’s rulers thought it should be noticed. They decided and issued a set of stamps with diving motifs.
- 1. The first mark in the series represents the famous LETHBRIDGE barrel named after its English inventor John Lethbridge in 1715, constructed from a wooden barrel, from which his arms protruded through waterproof cloth sleeves and his hands, smeared with oil. one could dive for 30 minutes and breathe the air. It was then brought to the surface where it was filled with fresh air with a small bellows for the next dive. It enabled its inventor to save many Spanish, English and French galleons and he made a fortune from it.
- 2. The second stamp shows the famous open helmet DEANE. Drn was invented by John Deane and his brother Charles in 1820. It all started when they were in England and a fire in which several horses were at risk of burning inside. To save the horses and get through the smoke, medieval armor was used and air was pumped in with the help of a water pump from the fire department. The rescue was successful. Later, the equipment was modernized with a leather helmet and air supply with bellows (against smoke). Then it became diving equipment, with which they salvaged cannons and valuable cargo from famous ships such as the GUERNSEY LILY, MARY ROSE, which was recognized by the Admiralty, they got a patent for the helmet and became full-time divers.
- 3. The third stamp shows the Siebe Gorman helmet expelling the air with a ridge vent. The helmet is adapted to the hermetic suit. It was used in rescues of Spanish and English ships such as the Royal George and many others.
- 4. This stamp shows the Heinke helmet similar to the Siebe Gorman with more or less advantages and superior features. The helmet was used in 1902 when it was salvaged from the shipwreck in Corblets Bay on Alderney.
- 5. This stamp shows Cousteau-Gagnan diving equipment with emergency valve, cyclops and fins in the 1940s
- 6. The final stamp shows the modern evolution of a fiberglass Superlite helmet – Kirby Morgan. produced in England and the USA for the modern oil industry and used in salvaging vessels such as the oil tanker MV POINT LAW, in Peace Bay.
The stamp series is considered unique, but is still available, for example at Antique diving helmets is run by a Spanish collector of classic diving helmets, lead shoes, knives, etc.
News on the website
The movie archive
Is-igloo, the sound has been improved and the film has also been provided with Swedish subtitles
Welcome!
Looking forward to meeting you at one/some of our events during the year!
Swedish Diving History Association
