Post by sea.explorer on May 22, 2006 7:34:05 GMT -8
I had a very productive week at the Cousteau Society warehouse in Virginia. I spent Monday in the warehouse organizing and identifying equipment. It is unbelievable how much there is in that warehouse. It was like entering a time warp. There were boxes of Spiro Mistral parts, and even Mistrals still in the box. They definitely have enough parts to keep their fleet of regs in working order for a long time to come. They continue to dive with mistrals on current expedition in the Red Sea. There were boxes of masks and fins with many still in original packaging. There are two hovercrafts, the diving saucer, two smaller submersibles called Sea Fleas, and Falco’s small sub in the collection. There is a recompression chamber and a submersible deco chamber. There is a selection of tanks and tank systems that span the years. There are over a hundred suits, silver and the classic black and yellow, as well as various custom drysuits. There are helmets, scooters, cameras, underwater lighting and large amounts of equipment salvaged from Calypso.
Tuesday was spent in the office researching. Working with the Society’s historian we were able to identify and label a batch of old slides and we uncovered several boxes of slides and photos that had been stored away and forgotten. Wednesday was back in the warehouse and the day was spent photographing the various pieces of equipment. I set up a photo booth and lighting so the images turned out well. I will post a few teasers later in the week but the majority will be posted at flashbackscuba.com later in the year. I am totally revamping the site into an online museum that will showcase my collection and research. Thursday was spent back in the Gallery/Museum. I added some new items to the public display and updated some older displays. There is a small but interesting selection of equipment and photos on public display at the headquarters in Hampton if you are ever passing through. I spent the afternoon visiting a couple of museums including the Mariners Museum in Newport News. They have a wonderful collection there as well as a full boat building shop. They are nearing completion of a large new exhibit area that will house the turret and other artifacts recovered from the Monitor. Friday was my final day in the warehouse and I spent the time organizing the equipment and regulator parts for future display on the Calypso and use on possible future expeditions.
It appears that the legal battles over ownership of Calypso have been resolved and restoration should commence in the near future. Stay tuned for more developments on that project as it unfolds. I spent the remaining evening hours working on my replica projects. I will definitely have a complete hydrodynamic housing and helmet for the Wazee get together which should be interesting. I also had the opportunity to visit my cousin who ran the Navy Diving School a few years back. It was interesting to see photos and talk to him about that. The facilities they have down there are unbelievable. Besides the webpage project I am working on a presentation for Wazee that will hopefully include a slide show of photos collected on this trip as well as other information I have gathered over the years. It will be something new and hopefully enjoyable for newcomers and veterans of that event. The opportunity to photograph the items in the Cousteau collection will add a great deal of information to accompany my collection of original Cousteau equipment and it is an important step in preserving the history for future generations. I would like to extend sincere thanks to staff of the Cousteau Society for there generous contribution of time and resources. It was a great trip and a unique opportunity.
-Ryan
Tuesday was spent in the office researching. Working with the Society’s historian we were able to identify and label a batch of old slides and we uncovered several boxes of slides and photos that had been stored away and forgotten. Wednesday was back in the warehouse and the day was spent photographing the various pieces of equipment. I set up a photo booth and lighting so the images turned out well. I will post a few teasers later in the week but the majority will be posted at flashbackscuba.com later in the year. I am totally revamping the site into an online museum that will showcase my collection and research. Thursday was spent back in the Gallery/Museum. I added some new items to the public display and updated some older displays. There is a small but interesting selection of equipment and photos on public display at the headquarters in Hampton if you are ever passing through. I spent the afternoon visiting a couple of museums including the Mariners Museum in Newport News. They have a wonderful collection there as well as a full boat building shop. They are nearing completion of a large new exhibit area that will house the turret and other artifacts recovered from the Monitor. Friday was my final day in the warehouse and I spent the time organizing the equipment and regulator parts for future display on the Calypso and use on possible future expeditions.
It appears that the legal battles over ownership of Calypso have been resolved and restoration should commence in the near future. Stay tuned for more developments on that project as it unfolds. I spent the remaining evening hours working on my replica projects. I will definitely have a complete hydrodynamic housing and helmet for the Wazee get together which should be interesting. I also had the opportunity to visit my cousin who ran the Navy Diving School a few years back. It was interesting to see photos and talk to him about that. The facilities they have down there are unbelievable. Besides the webpage project I am working on a presentation for Wazee that will hopefully include a slide show of photos collected on this trip as well as other information I have gathered over the years. It will be something new and hopefully enjoyable for newcomers and veterans of that event. The opportunity to photograph the items in the Cousteau collection will add a great deal of information to accompany my collection of original Cousteau equipment and it is an important step in preserving the history for future generations. I would like to extend sincere thanks to staff of the Cousteau Society for there generous contribution of time and resources. It was a great trip and a unique opportunity.
-Ryan
