Morse Diving
Morse Diving is an American manufacturer of diving equipment. It was founded in 1837 as Morse & Fletcher in Boston MA. The name was changed in 1864 to A J Morse and Son and it remained under that name until 1905 when the company was incorporated and Inc. was added to the name. In 1940 the company was purchased and the name was changed to Morse Diving Equipment Company Incorporated and later moved its operations to Rockland, MA and continued under that name until 1998 when it was purchased by Kenneth Downey, an employee, and did business under the name of Morse Diving Inc. Downey sold the company in 2014 to Watson "Robbie" Holland, and the name changed, yet again, to Morse International. A legal dispute arose between Downey and Watson that resulted in Downey filing bankruptcy and as a result Diving Equipment and Supply Company (DESCO) gained ownership in 2016. DESCO reverted to the name A J Morse & Son. DESCO's business plan is to bring back the quality and products associated with the earlier name and plans on re-introducing a breast plate feed (air being fed into the breast plate rather than the bonnet) on a design from the 1910s as its first offering.
Morse Diving is the oldest manufacturer of diving equipment in the world and the 412th oldest officially recorded company ever, sharing its founding year (1837) with Tiffany and Co.
Morse Diving Equipment Company was one of the primary manufacturers of the famous United States Navy Mark V diving helmet; during World War II, other manufacturers of this helmet were Schrader, DESCO (Diving Equipment and Salvage Company), and Miller-Dunn. Morse also manufactured the next generation Mark 12 free flow diving helmet which was used by the US Navy for almost 20 years.
Morse Diving was based in Rockland, Massachusetts as a prime supplier and distributor of commercial diving equipment, scuba gear, and other diving-related items to commercial and government users.
DESCO also continues to use their original DESCO equipment to produce Mark V helmets under their name as well.[1]