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12 bolt

Helmet procuced prior to 1904. It has "Andrew J. Morse and son" stamped into the breastplate.

12 bolt helmet from around 1904. It has a latticed guards and no nametag. The exhaust and the air inlet elbow were removed.

Commercial 4 light helmet from around 1915. The spitcock and the "sacrificial zinc" (an anti-electrolysis agent used to retard corrosion) have been removed. The corselet features two nipples for weights. On the rectangular nametag it says: "MORSE DIVING EQUIPMENT COMPANY INC. SUCCESSORS.
 

Commercial diver Eugene J. Carl had this helmet specially made by The Morse Company in 1921. It is made from a  919 Mark V
bonnet and a commercial breastplate with a commercial locking device. (helmet was made in 1921 from a 1919 MkV bonnet)
 

The exhaust has the original 8 point exhaust wheel. The helmet retains most of the original tinning and is in very good all
around condition. To find out more about this helmet and its original owner from 1921 follow the link to the Hall of Fame

Pictures and information courtesy of Jack Schrader
 

Helmet number 1662 with early style, rectangular nametag. Picture contributed by our friend Enzo.
 

Helmet # 1745. Photo courtesy of Scott Pookee
 

12 bolt beauty. Notice the comm wire on the front and the air inlet elbow on the back of the neckring.
This helmet receives air from the breastplate instead of the bonnet.

Classic 12 bolt design with four lights.

Morse 12 bolt commercial helmet from 1924. Courtesy of Robert Croot.

A twelve bolt three light A.J. Morse & Son. Inc.
This helmet is serial # 1489,  stamped on all straps and both neck rings, circa early 19-teens.  The two front brass cans contain the two ends of a
Western Electronics telephone hand piece system that has been modified. The mouthpiece is marked 557B and the earpiece marked 395B. The workmanship is skillfully done and the helmet is truly a unique piece. It has only one center air channel but there are solder marks where the other channels have been. It
also has a conversion to breastplate feed that is very skillfully done. However, they left the original bonnet feed in place.

Photo courtesy: Leslie Leaney

Helmet number 2249. On the tag it says: "A.J. Morse and Son"

Mark V

This is the maker’s badge of what is now the earliest Mk V helmet we have found. It was made on 12 July 1916 with the serial number 2204.
The production of this style of helmet was started in 1916 and this would suggest that the serial number run started at 2000 or even 2200.
 
Full view pictures of the earliest MK V helmet known to exist which is in almost perfect condition.
 
This pictures shows the serial number which is stamped on to the brales.

Thanks to John Durham of Durham Diving Services for supplying this photo.

Morse was the first company that produced Mark V helmets for the US Navy. This started in 1916. Below you see helmet # 2211 on the left and helmet # 2374 on the right. The helmet on the left is a Mk V prototype from 1916. The helmet on the right dates from November 2nd 1917. There are several differences between these helmets, such as: 

Many thanks to our friend Ray Mathieson.

 



This hat dates from May 1919.

One of our viewers did not believe his eyes when he was scuba-diving in the Gulf of Mexico. He saw something round sticking from the sand and when he pulled it out, it turned out to be a molten diving helmet. We tried to find out how it got in this condition. The only thing we found was that it was a Morse MkV. Probably there was a fire at one time on a diving vessel. Ever seen anything like it ?

At customers demand Morse still produces Mark V helmets today, according to US Navy specifications.
Official HDSUSA photo. Courtesy of Leslie Leaney.

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