DESCO Diving Masks

The DESCO ‘Browne’ Full Face Diving Mask ( The standard Navy mask, first version )

This is the mask that started it all. The Navy needed a lightweight utility mask for jobs where heavy gear wasn't necessary or practical. DESCO developed the Browne Mask to meet this need. It was also the basis for a diving outfit. ( images & info www.descocorp.com  )

The first version of this US Navy mask had the unique feature of a 3 way valve attached to the breather bag. Air is fed through a non-return valve, and a three-way inhale valve which permits use of an optional breather bag assembly. The bag was intended to reduce air demand and ease breathing. It didn't function as well as hoped and eventually fell out of use. DESCO even stocked a cap to block the bag port. Air is exhausted on the left side of the mask through a rubber-disc exhaust valve ( images & info www.descocorp.com  )

The second version of this mask was simply a free flow mask ( images & info www.descocorp.com  )

The DESCO ‘Browne’ Full Face Diving Mask ( The standard Navy mask, second version )

The U.S. Navy Diving Outfit

The standard U.S. Navy Mask (Cat. No. 59069) complete with breather bag and Desco light weight canvas belt. The breather bag provide a reservoir of air which permits easier breathing under conditions where air supply is insufficient or delivery pressure is intermittent. The bag was intended to reduce air demand and ease breathing. It didn't function as well as hoped and eventually fell out of use. DESCO even stocked a cap to block the bag port.                                                                                                           ( images & info www.descocorp.com  )

The DESCO ‘Pulmonary Mask’

The Pulmonary Mask was a response to a need in the medical field. It never appeared in a DESCO catalog but a flyer was produced.                  ( images & info www.descocorp.com  )

The DESCO ‘Batelle Mask’

The Battelle Mask never made general production so no literature was produced. The Battelle Mask featured a snorkel tube running up the left side of the mask terminating in an exhaust valve.                                                                                                                          ( images & info www.descocorp.com  )

The DESCO Mask with Demand Valve (1)

This integral part of the Dolphin Lung is offered as a separate unit in order to give a versatility never before offered to the shallow water diver. With this combination of DESCO full face mask and chromed demand valve, both self contained and surface air supply diving is now made practical using the same piece of equipment. It can be used with a small, portable compressor exactly as the DESCO U.S. navy type shallow water mask or combining it with one of the Dolphin lung cylinder arrangements, it becomes a fine, automatic compressed air type lung. The demand valve is mounted on the mask in a position that affords breathing ease no matter what position the diver may be working in. It is designed to work at a pressure of 60 psi therefore requiring a pressure regulator if used with an air supply greater than that setting.                                                                           ( images & info www.descocorp.com  )

The DESCO Mask with Demand Valve (2)

The DESCO full face mask with demand valve is made available to those who especially want a piece of equipment that can be used in several ways. The unit as it stands can be used as a full face mask with surface feed air from either a large or small air compressor. In this way it will be similar to the DESCO mask used by the Navy. If it is to be used with regular compressed air bottles, it is important that a pressure regulator adjusted to 60 pounds be used, if a greater amount of pressure is to flow through the demand valve. This demand valve incorporated a snorkel device for swimming on the surface. The snorkel had a valve on the top which was closed manually before submerging. One photo shows a unit without the snorkel. We don't know if it is an early or late version.( images & info www.descocorp.com  )

DESCO Demand-Regulator Mask

The basic mask and head-harness are the same as used on the Commercial Free- Flow Mask. A rugged second stage regulator is, however, permanently attached to the right side of the mask. An air control valve is mounted on the stem of the regulator. When opened, this valve converts the mask into a standard free-flow mask. When closed, air is available to the diver, on demand, through the regulator. This improves communications by minimizing exhaust noise and also permits the diver to breathe comfortably at very low delivered air pressures. In order to avoid undesirable CO2 build up, the mask should not, however, be used in demand mode for excessive periods of time, especially under heavy work-load conditions When so operated it should periodically be ventilated by opening the air control valve. The mask comes equipped with a non-return valve.                                                                                                         ( images & info www.descocorp.com )

The following masks are currently available from DESCO:

DESCO ‘Pool Cleaning’ Mask

This is a simplified version of the Commercial Free Flow Mask which omits the air-control valve so that air is fed directly into the mask through a non-return valve and a brass elbow.                                                                                                    ( images & info www.descocorp.com  )

DESCO ‘Commercial Free Flow’ Mask

Air is delivered to the mask through a non return valve and an air -control valve mounted on the right side of the mask, and is directed inside the mask so as to defog the faceplate. It is exhausted on the left side of the mask through a rubber-disc one-way exhaust valve.                                                                                                                           ( images & info www.descocorp.com  )

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