Gunner Stillson and the Development of Diving in the U.S. Navy

Prior to 1900, the practice of diving inside the United State Navy was primarily taught through on-the-job training. A course had been developed at the Navy's Torpedo Station at Newport, Rhode Island, but only a very limited number of personel went through that formal training. Shipboard divers learned from their shipmates and used whatever equipment happened to be at hand. It was as a result of this situation that Chief Gunner George Stillson felt compelled to write to the Department of the Navy and suggest that both training and equipment of Navy divers be standardized. Virtually every book on diving, civilian and military, mentions the subsequent achievements of Gunner Stillson, but almost nothing is known about the man himself. I am currently writing a book to rectify this situation. This presentation will give a brief overview of my research to date as well as cover the additional information I hope to locate during my Spring 2013 sabbatical.