The Original Sea Diamond Hunters!

[Michael Alexander]

Thanks Goofy.... 2 cents sounds a bit steep.....

[Malcolm Bertoni]

Still think the Pomona was not wrecked.  Known to be completely wrong though. 

I remember in 67 or 68 that a diver disappeared when diving off one of the MDC barges to inspect the pipes or something. It was thought that it was a great white or a killer whale.  Anyone hear anything like that?

[Michael Alexander]

How many of these barges were built? I just thought the shape of the Pomona and that one wreck on the coast look similar..

[Andrew Darné]

The wreck is definitely Barge77, it's at Panther Head at the southern end of Chameis Bay and was dumped onto the rocks by heavy seas in.

The a tug Collinstar, lies at the bottom of Chameis Bay, she capasized and sank taking 6 lives with her in February 1965 during a rescue attempt on the beached Collpontoon, which dragged her anchors in heavy seas.

Pomona was commissioned in June 1967 as the largest, heaviest and most complex vessel of its kind to be built in South Africa at a cost of R3 million. When Sam Collins turned his business focus back to the oil industry in the Persian Gulf he repurchased some of the tugs, barges and other craft in 1971, of which Pomona was one of them and used mainly for its extensive accomodation facilites.

Rockeater was an ex US Army coaster that was fitted out as an exploration and sampling vessel to search for the parts of the concession areas that would yield sufficient diamonds in payable quantities.

[Michael Alexander]

Thanks Andie.... I heard that the ROckeater is in fact a live reef of CapePint.... (anyone?)

[Andrew Darné]

Mike, where you get them colour pics of the barges? Mine are all b&w.

[Michael Alexander]

I used a colour camera when taking them    :emot19:

[Paula Gottsch (Willson)]

 :emot19:

[Michael Alexander]

I actually received some nice snaps on DVD today from Jim Murray (Yes, he is real) and there are a few of him and his gang diving with the MDC boats..... some in Technicolour others in B&W... will post when I catch up with my work....

[Malcolm Bertoni]

Mike

Ask Jim if he recalls an incident about a diver disappearing around 65-67 while diving off one of the MDC boats.

[Michael Alexander]

Indeed he does...

Ok.... The power of the internet.... I just phoned Jim to enquire about the incident and yes, he does know something about it....

It happened in either late 1963 or early 1964............. The chaps name was Dave, the surname no longer remembered.... The original unit of the ORU (Oceangraphic Research Unit) had just been formed, we think by Anglo American at that time to do groundbreaking underwater geology research. Their offices were next to the old security offices by the power station in those days. They had commissioned a sea going catamaran to be built in Durban for work up at Ebay.... The cat actually caught fire on her maiden voyage and had to be refitted... anyhow after it eventually arrived, it had been fitted out with video screens and camera's... they would send the divers overboard, always in pairs with the camera's to film the seabed..... the "rock doctors" , geologists would be on the boat viewing the seabed from the surface....

Anyhow on that fateful day, Dave and his diving partner went over the side with the camera.... A while into filming, Dave's partner signaled that his air was running out, with the hand to mouth sign, Dave indicated to him that he should surface, which he did leaving Dave on the seabed... the Divemaster, who is as close to being God on a diving boat was furious, and wanted Dave to come up, you only dive in pairs.... In those days they would look where the divers bubbles were breaking the surface and then throw thunderflash's away from the diver. Thunderflashes work under water and were a good way to indicate to a submberged diver to surface, immediately.... They threw the thunderflashes overboard and after about 5 minutes, nobody surfaced, the emergency diver was told to dive, which he did.... He followed the camera cable down to the bottom and all he found was the camera floating in the water, filming away, Dave was nowhere to be seen..... his body was never recovered and to this day nobody really knows what to him......

Dave was only 24 and was married with two children.........

[Gordon Brown]

There is a wonderfully informative book about the Marine Diamond Corporation and Sammy Collins. It's entitled "King of Sea Diamonds" The saga of Sam Collins by Roger Williams for anyone who has more than a passing interest in the subject. ISBN 0 949989 69 X. Regards Gordon

[Malcolm Bertoni]

Many thanks for that Mike.  I heard the story from one of the guys who worked on the barge when she was wrecked at Chameis. Bay.

By the way Gordon, I'd heard of the book but it is rather difficult to get and appears to be out of print (printed in 1996) and the only copies that I have seen advertised were ridiculously expensive (US$100+).  I'll keep looking.

[bobbysmith]

i recall a similar incident being spoken about at one of many of my fathers get to gethers with a couple of guys in om,their names were bob greenshields and bob redgraves who both worked for mdc,remember i was only 12 or 13 years old at the time.i was intrigued with the old diving helmet uncle bob greenshields had in his entrence to his house,got a foto somewhere of me wearing it.great big brass and glass contraption.these two men lived 2 or 3 house up from mr zandhuise,used to call in there on our way to the foofy slide,bob greenshields married pam gerrard and had a son called craig.pam gerrard in turn was the sister to aunty janet bester,mother of angela,wendy fellicity,ivan and dont recall the other name

[Gordon Brown]

Bobby some of the original characters who came over to work for CDM when Marine Diamond Corporation closed their mining operations were Kenny Aitken (to Stores with Mel de Bruin),BobGreenshields, Eddy Redgrave (to Work Study), Jock Carr (to Mining Dept as a foreman) and Jack Laubscher (also to Mining).A great bunch of guys. Eddy was a piano player and raconteur of note and oftentimes kept us in inebriated singing mode and stiches at the Rec club. Sadly all have gone now, but what a grand lot they were; a real asset to the mine.