US Navy Ended SEALAB by 1970 After 1969 Diver Death at 610 Feet
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Aug 18
US Navy Ended SEALAB by 1970 After 1969 Diver Death at 610 Feet
1 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Aug 18
Summary
Berry Cannon, a 33-year-old civilian engineer, died during a 17 February 1969 repair dive after SEALAB III began leaking helium soon after deployment off San Clemente Island.
A Navy inquiry said Cannon died of carbon dioxide asphyxiation because the baralyme canister in his breathing rig was empty, though some divers later argued electrocution better fit the evidence.
The death halted SEALAB that day and led the Navy to terminate its saturation-diving experiments, winding up the broader program by 1970.
SEALAB had shown promise: SEALAB I operated at 192 feet in 1964, and SEALAB II sustained 45 days of occupation at 205 feet in 1965.
Saturation diving survived commercially through deck chambers and diving bells, while underwater habitats largely vanished; Aquarius Reef Base at 60 feet off Key Largo is the only research lab still operating.