The Aqua-Lung is the first successful and safe open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, designed in 1942 during the German occupation of France by the naval officer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the engineer Emile Gagnan. Their breakthrough combined an improved demand regulator, which supplies air only when the diver inhales, with high-pressure air tanks carried on the diver's back, and the system was patented in 1945. Cousteau registered the Aqua-Lung trademark and licensed it first to the U.S. Divers company and then, in 1948, to Siebe Gorman of England, spreading the device through the Commonwealth and establishing the technical foundation of modern recreational and professional scuba diving.
Facts
SignificanceThe first open-circuit scuba apparatus to achieve worldwide popularity and commercial success. 1 FAQs
Was the Aqua-Lung the first scuba apparatus ever built?
It was the first open-circuit scuba apparatus to achieve worldwide popularity and commercial success.
The source is careful on this point. It describes the Aqua-Lung as the first open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus to achieve worldwide popularity and commercial success, which is a narrower claim than being the first scuba device of any kind. Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan were issued a patent for it in 1943.
Connections
In Field
Source Aqua-Lung, Wikipedia
Invented By
Source Aqua-Lung, Wikipedia
Source Aqua-Lung, Wikipedia
Sources
1. Aqua-Lung, Wikipedia
Invention and patent section, passage beginning: Cousteau and Gagnan were issued a patent
Cousteau and Gagnan were issued a patent some weeks later in 1943.
Lead section section, passage beginning: Aqua-Lung was the first open-circuit, se
Aqua-Lung was the first open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (or "scuba") to achieve worldwide popularity and commercial success.
- In Group: Underwater Diving Technology, Lead section, passage beginning: Aqua-Lung was the first open-circuit
In Field: Marine Engineering, Introduction
Aqua-Lung was the first open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (or "scuba") to achieve worldwide popularity and commercial success.
Invented By: Émile Gagnan, Introduction
The Aqua-Lung was invented in France during the winter of 1942-1943 by two Frenchmen: engineer Émile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau
Invented By: Jacques Cousteau, Introduction
The Aqua-Lung was invented in France during the winter of 1942-1943 by two Frenchmen: engineer Émile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau
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