Rockland -  The Sail, Power, & Steam Museum (SPSM) has unveiled a new Diving Exhibit, now open to the public at the museum at 75 Mechanic St., Rockland, Maine. 

This unique exhibit was most recently part of The Diving Locker, a scuba diving museum, located in Gloucester, Massachusetts, owned and operated by Mr. Paul Harling. Mr. Harling donated an appreciable amount of vintage and rare diving equipment to Capt. Jim Sharp in 2016, who has now created an entire exhibit at SPSM.

Harling learned about the Sail, Power, & Steam Museum and Co-Founder Capt. Jim Sharp’s love of all-things-nautical, through a mutual associates, Doug Parsons and Mr. Peter Souza. Souza is a singer of shanties in the Gloucester, MA community but is also the Vice President for Operations at Schooner Adventure, Inc., also of Gloucester. Parsons is a volunteer and has been instrumental in the rebuild of Adventure when birthed in Gloucester.

The historic knockabout Gloucester schooner Adventure was donated to the City of Gloucester in 1988 by Capt. Jim Sharp who owned and sailed her for more than 24 years out of Camden, Maine, as part of the Windjammer fleet that carried passengers.

The Diving Locker Museum closed in 2015 and had served as a gathering place for divers and history buffs, that fostered a community around the appreciation of diving history.  Almost single-handedly, Harling gathered and preserved diving artifacts and through his museum, educated visitors about the evolution of diving technology and its impact on marine exploration.

Now housed at SPSM, some of Harling’s collection on display features equipment raging from a homemade rig (the circa 19th century Clam Shell Diving Contraction), that Harling used to make his first dive in 1949, to contemporary helmets produced by Morse Diving, one of the oldest manufacturers of diving equipment until it closed in 2015.

SPSM now features numerous Morse Diving Inc. pieces, particularly a U.S. Navy Mark V - the first ‘Trimix’ mixed gas rig ever used to salvage submarine Squalus in 1939 (Morse Diving, Inc.). With a blend of oxygen, nitrogen, and helium, Trimix helped to reduce the risk of narcosis (a state of stupor, drowsiness, or unconsciousness produced by, in this case, the mentioned blend of gases) and it reduced the risk of oxygen toxicity.

Interestingly, the Mark V was nicknamed the “Widow Maker” by Navy divers.  This ominous name is due to the Mark V’s association with high-risk diving operations. First, the helmet weighs over 100-lbs., making it physically demanding for divers to use; next, it posed safety risks due to the design that included potential hazardous materials when exposed to water; and finally, during the height of its use, it was standard equipment for extremely hazardous diving missions that sometimes resulted in loss of life, hence the ominous nickname.

Overall, the combination of its weight, design flaws, and the perilous nature of deep-sea diving contributed to the Mark V's fearsome reputation.

Though no longer in operation, Morse Diving Inc.’s assets were acquired in 2016 by then, the leading equipment supply company – the Diving Equipment and Supply Company (DESCO), which has since taken over all of Morse’s operations.

On display at SPSM is in fact, a DESCO “air hat,” one of the many innovations discovered by the 89-year-old company that remains a standard in deep diving equipment.  The Air Hat Diving Helmet was considered a true workhorse, used continually throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries. 

DESCO’s legendary Air Hat, also known as the Free Flow or Pot Hat is renowned for its simple, yet highly effective design, exceptional durability, and outstanding safety record. It has remained in continuous service around the world for

decades. It is a testament to the quality of its design that DESCO continues to manufacture this model today, with new examples selling for well over $7,000.

Throughout history, DESCO also has supplied various military branches, particularly the U.S. Navy with essential equipment such as its own USN Mark V and Helium Helmets, also part of SPSM’s new exhibit.

Additionally, SPSM’s display also features a Divator Mark II Mask, 2000, made by Interspiro of Sweden. It’s a specialized full-face diving mask designed for use in challenging underwater conditions and features several key attributes that enhance its functionality and comfort for divers.

The Divator Mark II is ideal for divers today who need reliable performance in cold or polluted waters, providing both comfort and safety during dives. Founded nearly 100 years ago, Interspiro's innovations include advanced breathing apparatus and communication systems designed to ensure safety in hazardous situations. Their offerings cater to military, police, industrial sectors, and rescue services globally.

The Sail, Power, and Steam Museum and its Midcoast Sailing Center are located at the Old Snow Shipyard, 75 Mechanic Street, Rockland, Maine and is open to the public from May to October from Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Its mission is to: Celebrate, honor, experience, and share the story of Maine’s maritime heritage.  For more information, visit www.sailpowersteammuseum.org and www.midcoastsailingcenter.org, or email sailpowersteammuseum@gmail.com, or call 207-701-7627.