While out in Virginia this past week to visit my older brother, niece, and nephew, I set out to explore a bit of Hampton on my own. I ended up downtown and somewhat aimlessly wandering around. As I searched for a simple cup of espresso (somewhat of a rare find it seems) I ran into an octagonal building on one of the docks which bore the name: The Cousteau Society

wha, Wha, What?! My thoughts rendered. There were vehicles outside the building calling to me. I thought to myself, “No way!” After procuring my espresso at a little place in the round-about for the nearby hotel, I walked over to the building. Having never heard of the Cousteau Society in my adult years, and having spent part of my youth enjoying the documentaries about Jacques Cousteau’s work and research, I was thoroughly excited to find this.

It seems as though the people in the building are a little more focused on chartering tours than what they have in the building. At least this was my impression. You may find some misprints and spelling errors on the information labels (not doing it justice).  Regardless, there were some really great artifacts (original artifacts!) and information along with photos on the walls. Also, there was no charge or anything to check this stuff out. A small building full of large accomplishments.

Below are some photos along with some excerpts of info:

This is a pair of submersibles designed by Jacques Cousteau and built of steel by Sud Aviation, Marseilles, France in 1969. Operating as “buddies,” the two one-man submersibles could work as deep as 1,600 feet.

The Sea Flea carries weights and water ballast with which to control its buoyancy. It is powered by 125-V batteries and propelled by water jets driven by a two-horsepower electrical motor. The maneuverable sub can maintain a cruising speed of 0.8 knots for two hours, and a maximum speed of 1.1 knots for 1.5 hours. It has three viewing ports, a hydraulic arm and claw, and mounts for lights and cameras.

In an emergency, the Sea Flea provides life support for 12 hours from oxygen carried within the pressure hull and protable scuba gear.

• Length: 2.9 meters
• Beam: 1.89 meters
• Height: 1.34 meters
• Weight: 2,404.04 kilograms

The pressure divers are exposed to at depth causes excess nitrogen to build up in the body. Divers must resurface gradually allowing the nitrogen to be reabsorbed by the body. This prevents the onset of decompression sickness which can be fatal.
The Galeazzi decompression bell allows divers to decompress [off board] ship in a warm and dry environment. This reduces fatigue and adds an additional margin of safety. The bell was also used as an emergency re-compression chamber aboard ship, and incorporated as an emergency escape device during the Conshelf III experiment.