4 lights, 12 bolts, weight. 13.170.kgrs.
This helmet belongs to the group that we have called “old Spanish helmets 1”.
It is distinguished from the others by its large volume, the side lights are made by Cabirol, the upper light is the same as that of Carbonell and German Medi, the tube spittoon faucet resembles the others without being the same as the one used by Cabirol, as we have indicated previously. Common elements appear such as brails and wing nuts without being exactly the same, the Maltese cross in two versions, one short and the other a little more elongated.
WE SHOW DIFFERENT HELMETS OF THE SAME STYLE
1.- Ferrol Naval Museum
Same brails, wing nuts, spittoon, machined front light, top light, Cabirol side lights, little volume
2.- Air Museum, Madrid
Same brails, wing nuts, spittoon, machined front light, Carbonell-German Medi , top light, Cabirol side lights, little volume
In the Air Museum of Madrid a diving dress is exhibited which is believed was used for seaplanes’ maintenance. This diving equipment is believed to be to check the sacrificial anode on the nacelles of their hydroplanes, without having to remove them from the water.
3.- Museum of the Torre del Oro, Seville
Same brails, wing nuts, spittoon, machined front light, Carbonell-German Medi type round side and top lights, little volume
Helmets from different private collections with the same or similar characteristics: brails, wing nuts, spittoon, machined front light and side and top lights and similar round shape and little volume. This makes us affirm that they could have been made by the same manufacturer.
As everyone knows, diving suits appeared in the period of industrialization at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Not all countries had their own diving suits. Spain from the beginning, the Navy, that is, the Diving Center (C.B..A.) in Cartagena, adopted the English Siebe Gorman, and forced Spanish manufacturers to adopt of its safety valve, and lights with grates, among other elements, for safety reasons. But other ministries such as Ports and Public Works adopted other brands, such as Cabirol, Heinke, or Draeger.
In a transitional period from 1910 to 1930, we believe that Spanish workshops created their own diving suits by copying or adding these elements, as well as other elements such as different types of boots with the “Sagar” brand and air pumps exactly like the Siebe Gorman 3 cylinders, but without marks or identification plate, we do not know exactly where they were made and who made them, but we could affirm that they were located in the north of Spain, due to the proximity of their naval bases and their Ferrol shipyards, Bilbao. Another common charateristic of these helmets is their bad condition due to their use, that is why most have ben restored and polished, to hide the repairs. Finally, it will be in Catalonia where the first Spanish diving suits appear, such as Carbonell, Spirotechnique, and Nemrod, with their specific plates or badges, which we could affirm would also come from the same workshop or craftsman at different times located in Barcelona. For more information consult Spanish helmet 1.
We are left with a little mystery that we may be able to reveal in the not too distant future...this is how history is made step by step.
