Interview with Mike Cooke

Narrator: Cooke, Michael Charles, 1942-. Interviewer: Interviewed by James Ziolkoski. Interview Date and Location 14 March 2024, Victoria BC (Ziolkoski); 15 March 2024, Perth Australia (Cooke). Synopsis: This interview is with Mike Cooke, on his experiences as a naval and commercial diver. He describes his Navy career, including his experiences on HMCS Gatineau as a Ship’s Diver, and on HMCS Granby as a Clearance Diver. He also describes his career as a commercial diver, and his participation in several key events in the development of saturation diving. 0:00 – 0:41 – Introductions. 0:41 – 3:38 – Life before joining the Navy and enlistment. 3:38 – 5:39 – First involvement with diving operations. 5:39 – 6:50 – Description of tending a dive. 6:50 – 9:08 – Experiences as a sonar tech and with torpedo anti-submarine operations. 9:08 – 17:05 – Experiences with Clearance Diving training; differences between a Ship’s Diver and a Clearance Diver. 17:05 – 27:16 – Experiences as a Clearance Diver, posted to HMCS Gatineau and HMCS Granby. 27:16 – 34:24 – Reflections on Navy career and leaving the Navy, explanation of ranks. 34:24 – 49:53 – Experiences as a commercial diver. 35:54 – 41:10 – Experiences with saturation diving. 41:10 – 45:11 – Reflection on naval experience and commercial diving, saturation diving in the Navy. 45:11 – 49:01 – Limitations of saturation diving, physical effects of saturation diving. 51:19 – 53:55 – Reflecting on changing technology and diving. 53:55 – 56:05 – Reflecting on the role of Clearance Divers in the Navy. 56:05 – 58:59 – Concluding remarks.

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Ziolkoski, James
• Cooke, Michael Charles

Subject

• Soldiers
• Submarine warfare
• Saturation diving
• Submarines (Ships)
• Military history
• Canada. Royal Canadian Navy
• Scuba diving

Language

• eng

Identifier

• Interview #SC141_CM_919

Keyword

• HMCS Gatineau
• HMCS Granby
• Ship’s Diver
• Saturation diving
• Clearance Diver
• Commercial diving

Date created

• March 14, 2024 to March 15, 2024

Relation

• Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews (HIST 426, 2024).

Resource type

• Moving Image

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 00:58:59

Alternative title

• Exploring the Roles and Responsibilities of Clearance Divers in the Royal Canadian Navy

Physical Repository

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Genre

• oral histories (literary genre)
• interviews
• reminiscences
• video recordings (physical artifacts)

Archival item identifier

• Accession Number: 2025-002; Series 6; Item: 919

Fonds title

• Military oral history collection

Fonds identifier

• SC141

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection

Technical note

• Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2024. Recorded in digital format by interviewer. Keywords supplied by interviewer. Metadata by KD.

Rights

• This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca

DOI

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/75ap-2c96