Underwater house, Plymouth
Wall Art and Photo Gifts from Mary Evans Picture Library
Underwater house, Plymouth
Divers working on the Sealab II project, Britains first permanent underwater laboratory, 30 feet below the waves off the coast of Plymouth, Devon. A couple of years after the expedition to Paradise Bay (see Underwater House Malta), David Baume from Enfield College of Technology and his team of sub-aqua enthusiasts made another attempt to construct an underwater home, this time off a breakwater in the middle of Plymouth Sound. Instead of using rubberised fabric, the new structure featured a massive cylindrical steel tank. This was lowered into the harbour and weighed down with several tons of pig iron ingots. These were lowered beneath the tank by means of a fairly primitive pulley system and then had to be manhandled off the trolley and positioned under the house. The water was almost pitch dark, extremely dirty and very cold. It took more than 200 dives to complete the operation and ensure that, when filled with air, the cylinder would stay on the bottom of the harbour rather than rise to the surface and turn turtle, with potentially fatal consequences for those inside. But finally the underwater house was ready for occupancy and fitted with the special air scrubber that David and his team had developed to ensure the air remained fresh. Several members of the team spent considerable periods of time living beneath the waves, turning the workbench into a bunk bed for overnight stays. Date: early 1970s
Media ID 14347928
© Mary Evans Picture Library/DAVID LEWIS HODGSON
Aqua Baume College Diver Divers Diving Enfield Laboratory Operations Permanent Plymouth Scientist Sealab Technology Underwater
MADE IN THE UK
Safe Shipping with 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
FREE PERSONALISATION*
We are proud to offer a range of customisation features including Personalised Captions, Color Filters and Picture Zoom Tools
FREE COLORIZATION SERVICE
You can choose advanced AI Colorization for this picture at no extra charge!
SECURE PAYMENTS
We happily accept a wide range of payment options so you can pay for the things you need in the way that is most convenient for you
* Options may vary by product and licensing agreement. Zoomed Pictures can be adjusted in the Basket.