Very early 1914 oxygen multi-role rebreather
The Salvus ANS
The Salvus oxygen rebreather is a multi-purpose device. It was used for firefighting, breathing in toxic atmospheres and for shallow diving up to 33 ft. The device also had application as an Amphibian device and was used for various special operations during WWII. The Admiralty deployed the apparatus due to its multi-purpose nature. Probably thousands of these breathers were produced. Siebe Gorman began production in 1914. The unit was originally equipped with a 1.4 liter cylinder with 120 bar of oxygen so 170 liters of oxygen was available. The CMF apparatus dosed 2.0 l/min allowing over an hour of breathing. The regulator had a manually operated bypass that could be opened with a tap. The apparatus had a relatively small scrubber that was worn in several positions, but the original one was worn on the hip. The pressure gauge served only for above-water applications. The counterlung was equipped with a pressure relief valve. Contributors to the design included Henry Fleuss after he was employed by Siebe Gorman Ltd.
Several people contributed to this page with contributions and photos, whom I would like to thank in this way for their much appreciated contribution!
Benoît Senne, Ake Larsson, Frederic Fouquart, Scottish Grampian Speleological Group Edinbourg, Anthony Appleyard, Fabio Bertolucci, David Dekker, Paul Ridges.
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