Sir Robert Davis 1870 – 1965
Sir Robert Davis and Siebe Gorman
The history of the firm Siebe Gorman forms the backbone of modern diving and respiratory technology and actually begins with the arrival of Augustus Siebe in London in the early nineteenth century. This instrument maker, who originated from Prussia, laid the foundation for the company by perfecting the so-called open diving helmet in 1830, a design he transformed in 1837 into the revolutionary closed diving helmet. This design, in which the helmet was watertight connected to a canvas suit, enabled divers for the first time to work underwater for longer periods upright and in various postures without the suit immediately filling with water. The success of this invention was definitively confirmed during the salvage of the warship HMS Royal George, whereby Siebe’s superior technology set the standard for maritime operations worldwide.
After the death of Augustus Siebe in 1872, the company underwent various name changes and partnerships, but the most crucial phase in the company’s development began with the rise of Robert Davis. Davis joined the service at a young age as an office clerk and climbed to the position of general manager and eventual owner. Under his visionary leadership, Siebe Gorman’s focus shifted from mere mechanical improvements to existing designs towards fundamental scientific research. Sir Robert Davis understood that the physical limits of man underwater were determined not only by equipment, but mainly by physiology. He worked closely with leading scientists such as J.S. Haldane to identify the dangers of decompression sickness and develop safe ascent tables, which transformed the firm from a factory into a knowledge institute.
Siebe Gorman’s role in mining was equally groundbreaking, as the firm played a pioneering role in the development of closed-circuit breathing apparatus. Following countless mining disasters where toxic gases caused many casualties, the company developed the Proto- and Salvus devices. These devices made use of chemical absorbents to filter carbon dioxide from the exhaled air and enrich it with oxygen, allowing rescue workers to survive for hours in deadly atmospheres. This technology not only formed the basis for rescue operations in the deepest mine shafts of the British Empire, but also became the standard equipment for fire brigades that were confronted with dense smoke development in urban environments.
The company’s expertise proved invaluable during both World Wars, in which Siebe Gorman was responsible for the development of specialized equipment for human torpedoes and midget submarines. Sir Robert Davis remained the driving force during this period behind innovations such as escape equipment for submarines, including the famous Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus. His enormous contribution to maritime safety and the science of diving was eventually recognized with a knighthood, sealing the company’s status as a national pride of Great Britain.
In the post-war period, the firm remained a dominant player, although the market changed due to the rise of recreational sport diving and the introduction of the aqua-lung. Although Siebe Gorman stuck to the production of the traditional heavy helmet diving equipment for the commercial sector, their earlier innovations in the field of demand-controlled valves and portable cylinders directly contributed to the technological basis of modern sport diving. The history of Siebe Gorman is therefore not just the story of a commercial enterprise, but an account of technological evolution whereby the vision of Sir Robert Davis enabled man to survive in environments that were previously considered impassable.
Therebreathersite was founded by Jan Willem Bech in 1999. After a diving career of many years, he decided to start technical diving in 1999. He immediately noticed that at that time there was almost no website that contained the history of closed breathing systems. The start for the website led to a huge collection that offered about 1,300 pages of information until 2019. In 2019, a fresh start was made with the website now freely available online for everyone. Therebreathersite is a source of information for divers, researchers, technicians and students. I hope you enjoy browsing the content!
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