Above helmets: on the left is the 'UVS50' helmet ( no handle/hand-grip on top ) and on the right is the 'UVS50m' helmet ( with top hand-grip ) The bonnets of these helmets are identical to the bonnet of the Russian 12-bolt helmet which is much larger and more round in shape when compared to the bonnet of the Sja-3 and UVS50m helmet. Another feature of these civil helmets is the lacquered protection applied to the surfaces that is commonly found on German Draeger helmets. The Draeger helmets often have a thin layer of cellulose varnish which gives the metal a surface 'shine'. For some reason the hand-grip on top of the UVS50m helmets ( both on the 3-bolt version and on the 12-bolt version)  is positioned in reverse to the back of the helmet when compared to the hand-grip on the helmets manufactured by Factory No.3 and Factory No.28. Photographs David L.Dekker.

Civil 3 bolt Diving Helmet made at ‘Factory Number 21’ in Leningrad

12 bolt Diving Helmet made at ‘Factory Number 21’ in Leningrad

Above helmet: a 12-bolt helmet made at ‘Factory No. 21’. Most of the cellulose varnish on the metal surfaces of this helmet has worn away and the chopped air hose/communications cable indicates that this helmet was used for diving at some stage in its life. Photographs David L.Dekker

Above helmet: another 12-bolt helmet made at ‘Factory No.21’. This helmet has the hand-grip on top, which for some reason is reversed to the back when compared to the helmets made at Factory No.3 and Factory No.28. Photographs David L.Dekker

The badge on the helmet ( shown above ) is an example of the first-type, square version of the badge from this factory. It indicates:

"МРФ РСФСР" -  Министерство Речного Флота - Ministry of river fleet - Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика - Russian Soviet Federative Socialistic Republic.

"21ЭКСПЕДИЦ.ОТРЯД ПОДВОДРЕЧСТРОЯ" - 21-st Expedition party/group (of) Podvodrechstroy ( underwater works )

г. Ленинград - Leningrad

Special thanks to Pavel Borovikov for his help with the information. Photograph David L.Dekker

3 bolt /12 bolt ‘Combination Helmet’ made at ‘Factory Number 21’ in Leningrad

This 3-bolt/12-bolt combination helmet is one of the rarest of the modern Russian helmets. There are many newly made examples around, but to find a genuine old one is most unusual. The helmet shown in the above photos is the only truly old example I have ever found. The badge on this helmet shows this helmet as having serial number 10 and was made in 1970 at ‘Factory No. 21’ for the MRF ( Ministry of river fleet ) Photographs David L.Dekker.

Badges found on helmets from ‘Factory number 21’ in Leningrad

The badge on this helmet ( shown above ) is the third version of a badge from this particular factory. It indicates:

"Э" - экспедиционный - expedition

"О" - отряд - party (group, body, detachment)

21 - number of factory

1974 г. - "г" - short of "год" - year.

Special thanks to Pavel Borovikov for his help with the information. Photograph David L.Dekker.

The badge on the helmet ( shown above ) is the fourth version of a badge from this factory. A more recent one does exist but I am not sure if that one was really manufactured in Factory No.21 or Factory No.2130 as the date on them are not consistent and therefore do not correspond. The text on this ( genuine ) badge indicates:

МРФ - Министерство Речного Флота - Ministry of river fleet

2130 - my feeling - there is a mistake. It should be "21ЭО" - "21 экспедиционный отряд" - - 21-st Expedition party/group

Ш3 - the type of helmet - Sh-3

ТУ212 РСФСР 52-83 - the number of technical requirements

"масса" - mass (weight) 16 "кг" - kilo

ОТК/К - mark of technical quality control.

Special thanks to Pavel Borovikov for his help with the information. Photograph David L.Dekker

Diving Helmets made at ‘Factory Number 21’ in Leningrad

It seems that since 1943 the 12-bolt Russian helmets were manufactured in the same factory as the 3-bolt helmets ( e.g. Factory No.3, Leningrad ) However sometime during the late 1940's 12-bolt helmet production was switched to a workshop which I will call ‘Factory No.21’ in Leningrad. The full official name of the factory is: 21-й экспедиционный отряд подводно-технических работ Подводречстроя Министерства речного флота, which  means 21-st Expedition party (group / detachment) of Underwater works. This factory belongs to Подводречстрой - Podvodrechstroy - Underwater construction company of МРФ - Министерства речного флота - Ministry of river fleet. The factory was organized in the late of 1940’s and produced a line of diving equipment: free flow diving gear, air pumps, underwater light ВС-1, some underwater tools, and so on for civil, mainly Podvodrechstroy, companies, and  it exists up to now. I only have photos of the first helmets manufactured at Factory No.21 from internet sources and these are not from my own archive so I won’t publish them on this website. These first 12-bolt helmets from Factory No.21 have an oval badge which state that they were manufactured at Factory No.21. Later this badge becomes square in shape, but is still a little larger than equivalent badge on helmets produced by Factories No.3 and No.28. After Factory No.3 stopped manufacturing diving equipment in 1963, Factory No.28 continued with the production of 3 bolt helmets for the soviet military and for export. It seems as though from that date onwards, production of 12 bolt helmets continued and 3 bolt helmets for civil use commenced at Factory No.21 but these 3 bolt helmets were of a slightly different shape and finish. Special thanks to Pavel Borovikov for his help with the information for this chapter.

This is the very first version of a factory 21 badge and as you can see it was oval in shape. What it indicates is not completely clear to me and unfortunately I did not get this photo a few years ago because due to the war the Russians started here in Europe I have no more access to contacts in Russia who could explain me the details. All I can read is the large text in the center which says ‘DIVERS HELMET’ and that the helmet was built in Leningrad at factory 21 in 1955. Thanks to Andre Laurendeau for sharing this photograph, and some more photographs showing the helmet: see the next chapter