Navy divers used this open-bottom Miller-Dunn Divinhood Style 3 helmet during World War II to complete ship and equipment repairs in water less than 60 feet deep. Compared to cumbersome closed systems like the Mark V, open helmets were light and simple to use. A surface pump forced air into the helmet while weights attached to the helmet’s base kept it from lifting off the diver’s head. The introduction of SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) gear following the war curbed the popularity of open helmets. SCUBA simplified shallow-water diving by removing the need for the helmets, air hoses, and surface air pumps that open-helmet systems required.
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