Siebe Gorman
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Siebe Gorman Ltd was a British company which developed diving equipment and breathing equipment and worked on commercial diving and marine salvage projects. The company advertised itself as 'Submarine Engineers'. It was founded by Augustus Siebe and his son-in-law, Gorman.
It was notable for developing the "closed" diving helmet of the standard diving dress and associated equipment. As the helmet was sealed to the diving suit, it was watertight, unlike the previous "open" helmet systems. The new equipment was safer and more efficient and revolutionised underwater work from the 1830s.
Standard diving suit equipment was their main manufacturing operation, producing diving helmets in copper and brass. They also made frogman's equipment for the British armed forces during World War 2, and later, sport scuba gear. See makes of rebreather.
Heinke Ltd in London also made diving gear and had connections with Siebe Gorman. See this link.
[edit] Siebe plc
The non-diving engineering side of Siebe Gorman which latterly became Siebe plc carried the Siebe name until it merged with BTR plc to form Invensys in 1999.
[edit] Timeline of Siebe plc
- See also Timeline of underwater technology.
- Early 19th century: After the Napoleonic War Augustus Siebe moved to London in England and settled at 5 Denmark Street in Soho in London, where he became an engineer.
- mid 1941: Siebe's factory in Lambeth was bombed during World War II.
- 1941: The company, already planning to leave London, moved to Chessington, Surrey and resumed manufacturing.
- 1948: Siebe Gorman was making aqualungs: see Aqua-lung#"Tadpoles".
- around 1950: Peak production of Standard Diver Dress.
- 1955 or after: Siebe stops making Standard Diver Dress.
- 1960's: Siebe started making scuba gear aimed at the public market (sometimes using the tradenames Essgee and Essjee), although they had made it earlier for work divers and the Navy. They also continued to make diving bell equipment and pressure chambers.
- 1961: Siebe Gorman takes over Heinke.
- 1975: Siebe Gorman moves to Cwmbran in Wales in 1975 and concentrates on firefighter's breathing equipment.
- 1985: Siebe acquires CompAir.
- 1987: Siebe acquires Barber-Colman Company. (industrial automation, commercial controls,etc. ).
- 1990: Siebe acquires The Foxboro Company (industrial automation).
- 1992: Siebe was still producing an escape gear system.
- 1994: Siebe acquires Triconex.
- 1995 October: Siebe Gorman still had their premises at [[Cwmbran].
- 1997: Siebe acquires APV plc (vessel manufacturer: plant not marine).
- 1998: Siebe acquires Eurotherm, Wonderware, and SimSci. (SimSci makes industrial controls) Siebe Gorman sold as part North Safety Products to Norcross Safety Products. At the end of 1998, the plant at Cwmbran was closed and production of breathing apparatus was transferred to Dukinfield in Manchester. Although oxygen rebreather manufacturing capability still existed at the relocation, no manufacture or overhaul was carried out at the new site.
- 1999: Siebe acquires Esscor.
- 1999: At the end of 1999 Norcross sold what had been Siebe Gorman as a going concern to an Iranian entrpreneuer Parvis Moradifor. The company was re-named Air Master Technology Limited from the name of the famous Siebe Gorman breathing apparatus.
- 1999: BTR plc and Siebe (briefly BTR Siebe) merge to create Invensys.
- 2000: Air Master Technology relocated to Swindon, Wiltshire.
- 2001: Air Master Technology ceased trading. Remaining assets believed to have ended up in Malaysia. A sad end to a famous manufacturer.
[edit] Product List
[edit] Rebreather equipment
This is a partial list of some of their rebreather equipment covering military and civilian, diving and non-diving. Taken from OXYGEN REBREATHER DATABASE, and afterwards edited.
- Aircrew Rebreather "Stelox" [1]
- Aerorlox (mine rescue, liquid oxygen)
- Siebe Gorman Novus SCBA [2]
- Amphibian Mark I to Mark IV [3]
- ATEA Siebe Gorman [4]
- Universal Rebreather or CDBA (Clearance Diver Breathing Apparatus)[5]
- DSEA Siebe Gorman[6]
- FireOX [7]
- Fleuss-Davis SCUBA apparatus (see Henry Fleuss)[8]
- Individual scrubber [9]
- Lungovox (a short-duration industrial oxygen rebreather in a backpack box)
- Minox [10]
- MRS suit [11]
- Oxylithe [12]
- P-Party (Mark I, Mark II, and Dutch ) [13]
- Proto[14]
- Proto ten
- Proton [15]
- Savox[16]
- Sladen suit (as used by the British Human torpedo crews)[17]
- Salvus A.N.S[18]
- Watchkeepersuit[19]
