BUTOSCOPIC TURRET (Galeazzi)

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In 1935 the Italian Galeazzi chose a cylindrical shape for his sphere, which is much easier to develop than an articulated armoured diving suit.
Already in 1913 Neufeldt and Kuhnke designed an articulated armoured diving suit.

This sphere from Galeazzi established in 1929 a world depth record of 200 metre when she dived on the wreck of the British P&O steamer EGYPT on her outward voyage to India, the EGYPT sank during thick fog after a collision with the French steamer SEINE in a position off Ushant in less than 20 minutes on 20 May 1922.
After a long search by many companies, the wreck was located standing on an even keel by the Italian Society for Marine Recovery.
The diver in the sphere advised the salvage vessel ARTIGLO (a converted trawler of 446 tons) by phone where she had to place the explosives to reach the strong room where the specie was kept.
22 June 1932 the first gold billion and silver were brought to the surface.
The salvage work to recover the specie was completed in 1933.

The sphere made of steel with 12 viewing ports has a height of 1.5m and a diameter 0.9m.
The diver entered the sphere underneath, and the sphere was connected by a cable to a derrick or crane when lowered from a ship above the diving site.
The diver sits in a saddle on a rotating frame and by turning has an excellent view all around and above them.
In the base of the sphere is the ballast which keeps the sphere upright. In a case of emergency the diver can release the ballast for an immediately ascend to the surface.
A telephone cable is connected from the sphere to the ship above the diving site, and the diver below can give instructions where to place the explosive to open a safe or a strong room,.
Many types of spheres have been made, and she are mostly used for underwater observation.
Butoscopic turrets were used in 1951 when the English submarine HMS AFFRAY sank and this type of turret was used during the phase of locating the lost submarine and again, in the recovery work of a Comet aircraft which crashed in the Mediterranean on 10 January 1954,

Monaco1962 10c sg741, scott?

Source: Various internet sites. Watercraft Philately No 9/32