Diving in the 19th Century

Question
I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, but I'll try anyway - If a ship sank somewhere off the coast of South America in the mid 19th century, was diving equipment developed to a sufficient level to be able to go down to the wreckage and possibly retrieve bodies? If so, what was the earliest time this was possible, if not, then when was this technology developed? I'm only asking about the technology, by the way, not whether police/detectives/government actually used it at this time.

Answer
Hi Hal,

You pose an interesting question and I'll be happy to provide some information on the history of diving for you.

The short answer to your question is, Yes, diving was sufficiently developed to permit underwater salvage in the mid 1800's.  Whether divers could reach the ship you mentioned would depend on the depth of the wreck.  Diving in the mid 1800's was limited by the ability to pump air to the depth needed for salvage.  The concept of providing compressed air in a portable tank for a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) had not been invented yet.  Even when divers could reach a wreck, they were restrained by cumbersome helmets with hoses reaching to the surface so were not free to enter wrecks or other confined spaces.  Diving was mostly a walking exercise since the weight of the equipment did not permit swimming with fins as we do today.  The weight was necessary in order to keep the diver underwater with all the inherent buoyancy contained in the air in both the hoses and the diving helmet.  Even today, divers must wear weight to compensate for the inherent buoyancy in helmets, masks, exposure suits and other pieces of equipment that trap gas.

Hal, to help you put your question in perspective, here's a brief chronology of the development of modern salvage diving:

1500's - Diving Bells were developed that permitted divers to breath air trapped in the inverted  bell.  The bell was lowered to the salvage site and permitted divers to leave the bell for short trips to the salvage site and freed them from the need to return to the surface to breathe.

1650 - First effective air pump for divers was developed.  It developed enough pressure to pump air to shallow depths to fill/replenish a diving bell.

1690 - Diving Bell with barrels of air attached that could be resupplied through hoses from the surface.  Divers breathed air from the barrels through smaller hoses which entered the diving bell.

1830's - A surface supplied air helmet was developed that was good enough to permit extended dives to depths approaching 60 feet.

This takes us to the point of your question.  As you can see, salvage diving was possible but was limited to depths of around 60 feet.

Starting in the late 1800's, diving technology began to advance rapidly and scuba units (for the military) were developed by World War One.  That technology made its way into civilian use in the 1940's.

Hal, I hope this answer provides the information you needed.  If I can help you further, please write back.

Sincerely,
Mike Giles
Mike's Dive Center
mikescuba.com