JOE SAVOIE STAINLESS STEEL

New Faceplate lens and Headliner Included

Sold by Private Treaty. Listed as a matter of record!

DIMENSIONS: 10" H x 13 1/2" W x 14" D                                                                 Weight 30 lbs

Presented is one of the desirable light weight stainless dive helmets designed and made by Joe Savoie of Boutte, Louisiana in the 1970's. Joe revolutionized dive helmet designs with his carefully engineered stainless components and rubber neck dam. He passed away at age 70 on march 10 1996. This helmet was originally owned by M. G. who purchased it directly from Joe in 1977 and used it for the next 15 years until he moved to a Kirby Morgan . It has been in his closet for the last 25 years until just recently.The helmet is in remarkably good condition with everything intact and has some special accoutrement's consisting of a new face plate and headliner set.

 

Joe's original Style 1 design was based on an Italian race car driver's helmet with fiberglass body and flip-up face mask with his machined stainless fittings, and innovative rubber neck dam. It became immediately popular in the Commercial Diving Industry. This Style 2 helmet has a fixed face shield, and improved air control and exhaust valves.The first of the Style 2 helmets continued to use the fiber racing shell which was changed to steel in 1971. In total Joe produced several hundred different types and styles in both fiberglass and stainless steel for air and mixed gas and a few with a number of demand regulators.

LIKE ALL OLD HELMETS IT SHOULD NOT BE DIVED WITHOUT BEING CERTIFIED

Left side with fixed faceplate and exhaust valve

Right side showing opposite air valve

Bottom of collar showing neck dam

Inside of helmet showing headliner and straps

PROVENANCE: The helmet was originally owned by M G, a west coast diver, who traveled world wide. He purchased it directly from Joe in 1974 and dove it for 15 years before moving to a Kirby Morgan. He was meticulous about his gear and had a ne replacement face plate and new headliner set for it. It has been in his closet for the last 25 years.

 

HIS SIMPLIFIED BIOGRAPHY: The son of an avid Scuba Diver who served in the Navy in WW II, the owner of this helmet learned how to dive from his father at the early age of ten. They would take charter boats out of Los Angeles and dive old street cars that were dumped offshore to make reefs. It was at this early age that the son knew he wanted to become a professional diver. He even made money selling diving for golf balls he recovered from the water traps back to the golfers. After graduating high school he went to the Commercial Diving Center of Wilmington, California and graduated with Class D-52 in September, 1971. Shortly thereafter, he left for the Gulf of Mexico and worked there before he headed to Florida. There he found a job working for a small salvage company which had the contract to salvage the Oriental Warrior, a ship which had had sunk off Jacksonville. During this time he met some of the managers at Murphy Pacific Marine Salvage. When his job on the Oriental Warrior ended, he moved back to California and then went with the Murphy Pacific crew to clear the Suez Canal. From there he was busy diving on to various Murphy Pacific salvage jobs in South America, the Caribbean, Central America, and Alaska.

 

In 1977, M went to work for Crowley Maritime Corporation where he continued doing salvage work, marine construction, and pipeline. In 1981, he took a job with Associated Pacific Constructors in Morro Bay, CA. He continued work in diving, salvage, and offshore pipeline work. In the 1990s he became a barge captain for Associated Pacific Constructors and continued to supervise diving and salvage operations. M retired from Associated Pacific in 2006 and still lives in Morro Bay close to his children and grandchildren.

The pictures in Alaska were taken in 1975 and those with the blue water were taken at the Sueze Canal in 1977.

 

 

MARKINGS: The initials, JS appears on both exhaust valves with Joe's signature beneath. The double digit serial number is stamped on the intake elbow.

Left side valve and markings

Right side valve and markings

CONDITION: There is one small dent on the left. front top. The fitted lens has yellowed slightly with age. There is a small spot at the front center with crazing. The interior liner shows the normal marks of use with nothing significant to comment on. There is a metal bracket in the front which might show in the pictures which held a microphone which has been removed. The air dam rubber where it was turned under has cracked on the surface, but looks to be usable. The owner at one time polished the ridge that runs down the center of the helmet. The air dam collar was removed for taking the pictures because of a lead weight on the bottom. The replacement lens has a few minor scratches.

 

COMPARABLE EBAY SALE : On August 11, 2011 a stainless air/gas Savoie helmet sold on eBay for$8550.00. The listing stated it had been modified by a commercial diver and that the original liner and faceplate were replacements.

 

New lens and headliner set

International buyers welcome. We have satisfied customers in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Chile, Republic of China, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Estonia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Nova Scotia, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, St. Maarten, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, USVI and the Eastern Caribbean.

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