This Old Relic Has Been Sold.
Thank you!

SIEBE GORMAN ROYAL NAVY
 6 BOLT BREAST PLATE Ca 1934
 

NO STAND! 

 

In 1840, August Siebe invented the deep sea diving helmet as we know it today. A single Royal Navy Admiralty pattern breast plate without the bonnet is a unique offering!

SERIAL NUMBER  8366 
WEIGHT  BREAST PLATE 19 lbs
DIMENSIONS:    7 3/4“ H x 14“ W X 14 1/2“ D
DIAMETER OF NECK RING 8 15/16 inches 

Copyright 2016 by Land And Sea Collection™, All Rights Reserved

 

Presented is a Royal Navy Admiralty Pattern 6 bolt breast plate, sometimes called a corselet, with the low serial number of 8366 on the inside neck ring. In 2007, we sold a Siebe Gorman 6 bolt helmet that had a beast plate stamped 9529 which was dated to 1935 and is a bench mark for this one. The recent one was discovered in Pretoria, South Africa, where it has been handed down in a family for at  least the last 40 to 50 years. It had a very ugly look so we had it polished and lacquered for display. There was a bonnet with this helmet, but it was stolen in a burglary years ago which may account for some minor damage. The neck ring on the horizontal plane is bent which can be seen in some of the pictures. We do not have anyway of testing whether a bonnet will fit and have priced the item taking this into consideration. The maker's tag is badly worn from the weight that was hung from the two horns. An authentic, unused vintage plate is available that will only be sold with this item as an optional addition. 

 

>          Note the horizontal crease on the back and the neck ring curve

 

Right side view of Royal Navy 6 bolt breast plate shown over the leftside view

Top and bottom view of the Siebe Gorman breast plate

MARKINGS: The heavily worn maker's tag, reads with difficulty, Siebe Gorman & Co. Ltd., Submarine Engineers, London, Patent.  The front brail is marked, "Patent" "Front" "Patent"  and underneath is marked 66.  The rear brail is marked, "Back" in the  center. The nut  on the right rear is stuck so the rear brail has not been removed. 
 

Authentic Vintage tag

BRIEF HISTORY: Augustus Siebe the German-born founder of the firm which bears his name (1788-1872) is considered "the father of diving". Siebe's 'closed' diving helmet, first produced in 1840, allowed divers to dive safely to greater depths than ever before. Attached to a rubber suit, it became the 'Standard Dress' that revolutionized diving and made the underwater worker an essential part of both salvage operations and civil engineering. Many of the great building projects of the Victorian era - bridges, tunnels and lighthouses still in use today - could not have been built without divers. 

Siebe's design was so successful that it remained in use, essentially unchanged, until 1975. However, the Royal Navy required one of their own design, and the British Admiralty requested a helmet made to their specifications which used heavier materials in 1938. This was the Royal Navy six bolt helmet, as seen in this offering. The rest of the "Jake" was standard commercial equipment, except for the front weight which had a light fitted to it, to aid the diver. The chest weights weigh about 40lbs. each and are tied down to stop the helmet rising from the diver’s shoulders. The weights are hung from weight hangers on the front of the breast plate. 

The  Royal  Navy set  out   to  extend   the limits of deep diving and established a world depth record, in 1948, of 540-feet wearing a Siebe Gorman helmet of this design, but incorporating  a Davis Injector system, flexible dress, and  used the  fast dwindling  supplies of  American Lend-Lease helium. Petty-Officer Bollard set the depth record that was to last eight years. Not until 1956 would the baton pass to another.

 In October of that year, Senior Commissioned Boatswain George  Wookey, descended to a depth of 600-feet, setting record for a helmeted diver wearing flexible dress that still stands.  

OUR UNCONDITIONAL NO NONSENSE GUARANTEE: If not completely satisfied with your purchase it may be returned within five days of receipt in its original packaging if without damage. Return items must be insured for their full value. Only a prior email authorization from us for the return is required. Shipping charges are  included in this offer if an error is due to our fault.

SHIPPING & PACKING: The cost of shipping, packing, handling, and insurance to your destination is an additional charge. We price our shipping honestly, but we expect to be reimbursed for the nominal cost of packaging materials and handling. Within the continental United States, a helmet will generally ship for $125.00 depending on destination and amount of insurance.  We estimate this breast plate will ship by FedEx Ground Insured for to the 48 contiguous states for $85.00.

International buyers welcome, but inquire first.  We have satisfied customers in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Chile, 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, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, St. Maarten, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, USVI and the Eastern Caribbean.

ACCEPTED FORMS OF PAYMENT are Bank wire transfer, cashier's check, money order, or personal check in which case the item will be held until cleared. No credit cards or PayPal accepted.