Charles Earl Griswold (1935-1996) was a lifelong inventor, practical field hand and designer of odd and unusual items. Born in Davenport, Iowa and moved to Washington state at a young age. He was at the University of Washington in Industrial Design and Political Science. In his early years Chuck spent most of his time working with the Department of Oceanography, NASA, and the Coast Guard. He sailed with the icebreaker Northwind as a civilian scientist on two trips to the Far North Pacific. For several years Chuck maintained the only civilian submarine fleet in the Pacific Northwest, and he organized and taught a school for submariners (The Northwest Submarine Institute) in Seattle, Washington.

Chuck began diving before graduating from high school in 1953. His diving and technical skills led to his designing a decompression chamber which was used by Seattle’s Virginia Mason Hospital to treat recreational divers who developed the bends. He also assisted Rocket Research Corporation in developing and testing guidance motors for early space exploration.

During the 60’s and 70’s Chuck worked regularly as a commercial diver, favoring the Northwest style helmet (low volume) on a MKV or commercial breast plate. During the 80’s Chuck worked internationally, primarily as an inspector or consultant on underwater oil and gas field development. The Griswold Helmet was designed both from his own interest in historical diving apparatus and as an answer to the increasing number of collectors and decorators who just had to have a “real” diving helmet and were constantly offering to purchase his working hard hat gear. As a result, the Griswold Helmet is an authentic shallow water working helmet that can be dived.

Although the Griswold Helmet was completely designed, created, and cast in Seattle, Washington, Chuck chose to have the location BOSTON on the helmet because ” all diving helmets come from Boston.” The helmet was originally cast in iron by the Olympic Foundry in Seattle and 12 units of iron helmets were made and sold before 1974. Decorator pressure for a more classic helmet resulted in Zandt Brass Foundry casting 2 bronze helmets in 1974. The next four helmets cast by Ballard Brass were not made until 1989, after Chuck had “retired” from active water work. In 1994, he determined to cast and market more helmets in response to inquiries resulting from its inclusion in Best Publishing Company’s book A Pictorial History of Diving.

Another nice touch to the helmet’s design is its squared back, which allows it the capability to sit solidly on deck in a moderate sea.