DIVING PHOTOGRAPHS COMMERCIAL DIVING DAYS

Mick and Mac

This is Mac McNally and me during the one and only time we have worked together on a commercial diving project. This was on Dive support vessel Orelia, we are seen here in the transfer chamber prior to going into the diving bell 2001, 21 years after working on the Portsmouth Bomb disposal team. We still soar with the eagles by day, but not so much hooting with the owls.

Vietnam 1995

"The Fab Six" Stena Offshore Hyperbaric welding team 1995 in Vung Tau Vietnam, L to R, Andy Macdonald, Terry Grounsell, Mike O'Leary, Roy Melvin, Chris Jeffers, Steve Short.

Having a well deserved beer or two in Vung tau Vietnam in Jan 1995. L to R Andy Macdonald, Terry Grounsell, Steve Short and Chris Jeffers. The Gods of Hyperbaric Welding.

With Chris Jeffers

Me at over 180M on a wellhead in the North Sea

A famous name adorns the skyline over Marseilles

The Hydrosphere at Comex base,

Uncle John designed by John Houlder, she was Comex's flagship in the North Sea during the 70s and 80s.

Me standing alongside the forward diving bell of the Uncle John.

Doing a spot of surface air diving in Vietnam

The Comex Houlder Logo, they were the UK arm of Comex during the 80s

Stena Offshore logo

Stena Offshore Logo, another name from the past. Stena became a big player as a Diving Company in the late 80s, they were to buy out the interests of Comex in the UK. Stena themselves became the subject of a number of name changes and buy outs, what is left of Stena is now Technip, still a major player in the offshore industry.

BAD DAY IN A JIM SUIT.

Shorty Lougher told me about the amazing set of events that followed this photo. This is a 'Jim' suit the name given to the atmospheric dive suit, which allows the diver inside to remain at atmospheric pressure, whereby no decompression is required. The suit is designed to go to some incredible depths not easily reached by normal wet diving tecniques. On this particular day it was this divers first operational dive in a 'Jim' suit and as they lowered him over the side the ship, heaved and snapped the launch wire, the 'Jim' suit complete with diver inside plummeted uncontrollably to the seabed, some 620ft down. They managed to communicate with the lost diver with Throughwater comms system and managed to lower the crane wire down to him, which he connected to himself. To everybodys relief they managed to recover the Jim diver to the surface and whilst manhandling him back into his stowage rack, one of the deck crew accidentally pulled off the arm of the Jim suit. I understand that the diver retired from Jim suit diving at the end of that day.

Shorty on the left helping The Jim suit diver over the side just before the launch wire broke.

PHIL KEARNS AND JEAN PIERRE COLOM

Photo taken on Burullis pipeline repair project in Egypt 2004. Phil was an Ex Navy Clearance Diver we served together on MV Seaforth Clansman, Jean Pierre Colom,a French Diver Welder we have worked on many welding projects together over the years.

SECTION OF DAMAGED BURULLIS PIPELINE

This is the offending piece of damaged Burullis pipeline. The damage was caused by a trenching machine. Stolt offshore were given the task to cut out the damaged section and replace with new section of pipe approx a 2M section was removed and new section welded into place, all done on the seabed in a dry habitat.

MAX OUZENANE

French Diver welder Max Ouzenane, during the Oseberg Automatic welding trials in Jattawagen in Norway 1987

This Photo of Max is well worth adding, it is probably the only photo you will ever see of a Frenchman sporting a Union Jack