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Heinke
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Charles Edwin Heinke (September 4, 1818–1869) was the son of a Prussian immigrant to England. His father Gottlif Frederick Heinke who was a coppersmith and had a great business at 103 Great Portland Street, London, since 1819. Charles was later to become a very successful manufacturer of diving equipment. His first helmet came to the market in and about 1844.
Charles started using solid brass for breast plate breastplate inspired by William F.
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Charles Edwin Heinke (September 4, 1818–1869) was the son of a Prussian immigrant to England. His father Gottlif Frederick Heinke who was a coppersmith and had a great business at 103 Great Portland Street, London, since 1819. Charles was later to become a very successful manufacturer of diving equipment. His first helmet came to the market in and about 1844.
Charles started using solid brass for breast plate breastplate inspired by William F. Saddler, instead of copper sheet. Heinke's window design featured three similarly shaped, circular windows. They did not had the outer protective grills like in other helmets providing better visibility for divers. This helped to keep the windows clean.
Heinke's main competitor was Siebe Gorman who also manufactured helmet and he constantly tried to improve on designs. He also introduced an additional exhaust valve on the front side of the breastplate, which we now call the "peppermill". This exhaust made it possible for the diver to ascend and descend much faster. Heinke became famous with the Pearler style helmet. These helmets had a square breastplate unlike the oval one used in Siebe and others. The idea was later copied by companies like Siebe after he took over Hienke, among others and even Morse of US. Charles Edwin Heinke died in 1869 but his company continued until it was taken over in 1961 by Siebe Gorman - as such the last Hienke helmet to come out of production was in 1961.
C.E. Hienke operated as C.E. Heinke, submarine engineer from 1844 until 1871, became a Company in 1871 and finally a Limited Co in 1922.
All Hienke helmets manufactured till 1905 featured the butterfly style wingnuts, after that regular wingnuts were used.
Unlike Siebe Gorman, who had only one series of numbers except for the last productions meant most probably for the Russian Navy, Heinke used many series of numbers.
Siebe Gorman took over C.E. Hienke 1961 and a few helmets was given the tag of "Siebe-Heinke" but eventually the name completely disappeared.
Heinke donated the Heinke Trophy to BSAC in 1958. The trophy is awarded annually to awarded annually to the BSAC Branch judged to have done the most to further the interests of its own members and of the BSAC.
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