Ein Taucherlehrling erinnert sich: Taucherausbildung in den 1950er Jahren

The article sheds light on the history of deep-sea diver training in Warnemünde and Stralsund in the German Democratic Republic. The author describes his own training as a deep-sea diver on the basis of a private diary in which he kept a record of his assignments at the time. It was in 1956, at what was then the Institut für Hochseefischerei und Fischverarbeitung (Institute for Deep-Sea Fishery and Fish Processing) in Rostock, that the first diving group was established for research purposes. The training was carried out by the VEB Schiffsbergung und Taucherei (State-Owned Enterprise for Ship Salvage and Diving) in Stralsund (1950-1963) which later became the VEB Bagger-, Bugsier- und Bergungsreederei (State-Owned Enterprise Dredger, Towboat and Salvage Company) of Rostock. Winkler experienced his first assignment “under the helmet” on 21 February 1957 in the Alter Strom (Old Stream) in Warnemünde, from the lifting vessel HÜ 2, a barge with a lifting jack. Among other things, the author describes his repair tasks, the removal of plank pilings and the recovery of derelicts as well as scrap, giving detailed accounts of the equipment. Further topics are the social conditions during the training phase, and the examination requirements. The “Enactment on the Training and Examination for the Attainment of the Certificate of Competence as Commercial Diver and Diving Signaller” passed on 10 April 1975 represented a new legal basis for the practise of this occupation in the German Democratic Republic. A distinction was now made between helmet diving and swim diving. Winkler’s final examination was at the same time his final assignment wearing heavy helmet/tube diving equipment. Nowadays, diving for research purposes is the responsibility of trained scientists. Certified research divers are insured via their employers by their respective professional associations. The universities of Kiel, Oldenburg, Munich and Rostock and the Biologische Anstalt (Marine Biological Station) on Helgoland offer an additional qualification as "licensed research diver". Rostock is the only location in Germany which trains approximately twelve research divers per year