Miller-Dunn Style 3 Divinhood Navy Issue

divisor line

U.S. NAVY SHALLOW WATER
MILLER- DUNN STYLE 3
DIVINHOOD

 

 
 

Helmet shown front and back image
 

 


 

 

 

DIMENSIONS OF
HELMET:
 24 1/2” H x 12 1/2″ W X
12” D    TOTAL
WEIGHT 59  1/2pounds

Back weight 18
pounds Front weight 8 pounds Helmet
weight
bare 33 1/2 pounds


Copyright

2013 by Land And Sea Collection.com, All Rights
Reserved
.

 

 

Presented

 


is
a shallow water 4 light Miller-Dunn Navy Divinhood
Style 3, one of the many made. But this one
was made by Miller-Dunn specifically for the Navy and not commercial use. The
Style 3 design improved on the visibility of the Style 2, and was more
strongly built, and was more comfortable to wear due principally
to the extended shoulders and
the increased visibility afforded by the additional three
ports. 
 It is complete in all respects and in
the same configuration delivered to the Navy. The helmet has reddish paint which has worn off
in places with some brown patina and green verdigris over.  It comes from a
retired airline pilot who has owned
it for many years and is now downsizing his
collection

.



This style helmet is one of the rugged looking of all diving
helmets and is a favorite of collectors. And is a good place
to begin a
collection.

 

Makers tag image
Maker’s
tag

Navy serial number image
Navy Serial Number
L278

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

MARKINGS, the tag

reads:

DIVINHOOD  Style 3

Navy Standard
U.S. 1195973 and Foreign Patents

Miller-Dunn Co. Miami, FL

NAVY SERIAL
NUMBER L278
is stamped on the main window
frame near the top on the
right side in line with the maker’s tag.

 

dent in helmet image
Dent on
shoulder

missing solder image

Small area of solder

loss

 

 
CONDITION and
MARKINGS:

This
helmet has had the glass in its ports replaced after it came out
of Navy service. The glass in the left port has a small round chip of
about 1/4 inch. There also is a portion of a seam at the rear
that has lost its solder.  Some of the screws are replacements and the screw at the top left front of the main
port is missing.
This helmet has not been modified, and except for the few replaced
parts, it is just as it was originally made for the
U.S.Navy.

THE LEAD WEIGHTS:

The front weight weighs 8 pounds and the rear
weight weighs 18 pounds. One hole on the rear plate is
slightly off and


doesn’t
line
up correctly. It needs to be re drilled. They are not original to the helmet,
but carry all the Miller Dunn markings of the period.

The studs and wing

nuts are replacements.

inside of helmet image
Inside showing the simplicity of
the
design

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BRIEF HISTORY OF
MILLER DUNN DIVING:

The Miami,
FL. company was founded around 1914 with a focus on shallow
water diving using helmets and simple equipment that did not require
special training. Its first helmet of consequence, was the No 1 Divinhood first introduced
around 1915 which was quickly adopted for use in all forms of shallow water work. The original
design was simplicity in its most fundamental sense. This was followed
by the No. 2 Divinhood which became the U.S. navy’s official shallow
water diving apparatus, and was part of the ships gear on many naval
vessels.

 

In 1939, just before the onslaught of
WW II, the No. 3 Divinhood was introduced. It was used by commercial
and navy divers worldwide for shallow water work.
During the the first days of World War
Two, only Morse and then Schrader were making dive helmets for the
navy. DESCO and Miller-Dunn went into production around 1943 with
DESCO becoming the number one producer, and Miller-Dunn making the
least. In total only about 7,000 MK V helmets were produced by all
four companies during the war years.
After the war, the need for helmets
decreased dramatically due in part to the large surplus of helmets
finding there way to the salvage equipment market. The business of
Miller-Dunn was adversely affected and the company ceased operations
sometime in the 1960’s.

 

 

 

 

left side of helmet

Left side
=”center”>=”center”>

Right side of helmet
                                      

Right
side=”center”>

 

 

This helmet is
for display only, and should not be dived unless
certified
by a competent
diving shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3/4 Right side of helmet image
3/4 side view of right
front
3/4 left side of helmet image
3/4 side view of left
front

 

 

divisor line
Shipping & Packaging

The cost of shipping, packing, handling, and insurance to your destination, will be calculated point to point and is an additional charge. You may email us to get these costs. We price our shipping honestly, but we expect to be reimbursed for the nominal cost of packaging materials and handling.

Our Unconditional 'No Nonsense' Guarantee

If not completely satisfied with your purchase it may be returned, if without damage, within three days of receipt in its original packaging. Return items must be insured for their full value. Only a prior email authorization by us for the return is required. Shipping charges are refundable if due to our error within the continental United States.

International buyers welcome, but inquire first. We have satisfied customers worldwide.

Standard Forms of Payment

Bank wire transfer, cashier’s check, money order, or personal check in which case the item will be held until cleared. Our prices are quoted net to us so that the use of credit cards or PayPal incur extra charges. Terms on overseas sales are different.

Established in 2003

Celebrating 18 Years of Exellence in Nautical Antiques

Join Our Mailing List


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Land and Sea Collection. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact