August 29, 2006

Have Fun in a Boat But DON’T DROWN (Jun, 1950)

Have Fun in a Boat But DON’T DROWN

SWIMMIN’ time again, with a world of fun—and some serious hazards, too. As usual there’ll be tipped boats and other horseplay. G. E. Tatum, safety engineer for a public utility, offers common-sense advice on how to have fun and stay alive. In case your boat tips you overboard, Tatum says, rock it to slosh out as much water as possible, then crawl over the stern

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August 23, 2006

U.S. Navy Blimps Learn New Role for Sea Rescues (Mar, 1940)

Seems like that would be a pretty slow rescue…

U.S. Navy Blimps Learn New Role for Sea Rescues
With the aid of new airship inventions, U. S. Navy blimps can now “anchor” ” 100 feet above the sea, and pick up ill sailors or victims of shipwreck. A circular disk called a “drogue,” dropped into the sea at the end of a cable, keeps the craft’s nose pointed steadily into the wind.

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August 14, 2006

Electrocuting Whales and Machine Gunning Sea Lions (Nov, 1931)

ELECTROCUTING WHALES
BIRGER HOLM-HANSEN, a Norwegian engineer, has invented a device for the instantaneous electrocution of whales. It consists of a small but powerful generator which is carried in the whaleboat, and a flexible, insulated line conveying a current of high voltage to the harpoon. At the in-slant the harpoon hits the whale the current is thrown on and the electric charge shot into the monster.

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August 10, 2006

Fun Under Water (Apr, 1946)

Fun Under Water

War gear of “Frog Men” will create new sport, save lives

By HARRY SHERSHOW

OUT of the wealth of atom bombs, flame throwers, booby traps, and other World War II inventions, have come some devices that promise to survive and become indispensable in peace. Among them are oxygen-charged respiratory units, perfected for the Army and Navy for underwater offensives against the enemy. Like DDT and the jeep, these breathing machines will be of service to anyone who learns to use them.

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August 8, 2006

Why Don’t We Build… Underwater Tanks (Dec, 1950)

Why Don’t We Build… Underwater Tanks

We need such a weapon for beachhead invasions … we have already solved its technical problems.

By Frank Tinsley

EVEN at the outset of our World War II campaign of island conquest in the Pacific, it became evident that some form of armor was needed to spearhead landing operations. The old technique of wooden landing barges and surf-spattered Marines was obviously inadequate. To pit unprotected flesh and blood against an array of underwater obstacles, mines and wire entanglements, backed up by well concealed and heavily bunkered machine-gun nests, mortars and artillery, was a murderous waste of expensively trained men.

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August 5, 2006

Weights Keep Ship Bunk Level in Storm, Cut Seasickness (Jul, 1933)

Weights Keep Ship Bunk Level in Storm, Cut Seasickness
SEASICKNESS, that real terror of the sea, which often makes ocean travel an ordeal, is reduced 30 per cent by the development of a new type steamship bunk, inventors claim.

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August 1, 2006

House Boat Is an Old Oil Tank (Jun, 1939)

House Boat Is an Old Oil Tank
Made from an old 20,000-gallon oil tank, an unusual four-ton house boat built by Rene Tatro, of Kankakee, Ill., skims along the water at almost ten miles an hour. Powered by an old automobile engine, the curious craft has twin propellers and is balanced by five steel drums below the water level. Windows were cut out with an acetylene torch.

July 30, 2006

Gunboats To Fight Shark Menace (Mar, 1935)

This seems like a bit of overkill to me…

Gunboats To Fight Shark Menace
THE gunboats and seaplanes of three nations, England, Holland and Portugal, will soon combine in an attempt to drive dangerous tiger-sharks from their breeding grounds near the Island of Timor. The main weapons used will be torpedos dropped from circling planes and depth bombs released from the gunboats.

June 26, 2006

Build Your Own One-Man Submarine! (Sep, 1933)

This is apparently the second article in the Modern Mechanix series: “How to kill yourself underwater”. The first being Build Your Own Diving Helmet.

They are seriously talking about getting in this thing and being towed 15-30mph at a depth of at least 30 feet. But don’t worry because “The air inside the boat will be sufficient for approximately half an hour’s stay under water”.

Take Thrilling Underwater Cruise in ONE-MAN SUB

YOU get all the keen thrills of deep-sea diving and underwater cruising in this one-man submarine. Towed by a motor-boat, the novel craft will take you down to a depth of at least 30 feet, where you can explore the river or lake bed. Through a special conning tower you can watch the fish as you dart among them, the while maneuvering about like a real submarine.

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June 22, 2006

Build Your Own Diving Helmet (Jun, 1933)

This is another one of those things that would never get by the liability lawyers today.

BUILDING a DIVING Helmet

Improvement follows improvement in the design of home made diving helmets as amateur divers become more and more acquainted with their use. This one of Hoag’s is the last word in helmets so far published by good old M-M.

ALL the thrills of exploring the lake bottom are yours with this simply constructed diving helmet; and, if you do not dive too deep, you are in no particular danger, either. Besides its use in recovering lost outboard motors at a substantial profit, the helmet will give you one of the most interesting experiences of your life; for until you have breathed and walked at leisure under water, you have missed something. It will take a good deal of nerve to go down the first time, but after that it will just be fun.

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June 5, 2006

LATEST BOATING SPORT… Sailing Midget Ships (May, 1938)

These are really cool. I love the idea of making scale models that you can actually sail around in.

LATEST BOATING SPORT… Sailing Midget Ships

By ARTHUR A. STUART

AMATEUR boat builders in many parts of the world are going down to the sea in midget ships. They are putting off in men-of-war, square-rigged traders, ocean liners, and superdreadnoughts barely larger than rowboats, yet reproducing in every detail ships that are famous in nautical history.

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May 11, 2006

Soviet Engineers Building 80-foot “Glider” Boat (Nov, 1937)

Soviet Engineers Building 80-foot “Glider” Boat
SOVIET engineers are constructing a “glider” speedboat for service on the Black Sea. The boat will have two hulls and carry 150 people at a speed of over 40 m.p.h. Four aviation motors of 675 horsepower each will power the novel craft, which will be 80 feet long with a width of 40 feet. A model of the boat has been placed on public exhibition in Paris, France.

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