Il y a quelques temps, j'ai reçu un email d'une personne me félicitant pour le contenu de mon blog et des articles relatifs à la COMEX, il m'a remercié de lui avoir rappelé tant de bons souvenirs liés à cette période où il officiait pour le Grand H.G. Delauze, je lui ai alors proposé de publier quelques lignes sur ses activités au sein de cette belle entreprise.
Il a d'abord refusé car "me mettre en avant n'est pas ma tasse de thé", j'imagine que passer sa vie à plusieurs dizaines (parfois même centaines) de mètres sous la surface rend humble ... Mais il a finalement accepté, et je l'en remercie
Frédéric débute sa carrière à la COMEX en 1990 comme plongeur puis superviseur et enfin super-intendant (donc dans l'ancienne terminologie plongeur: chef d'équipe) puis chef de chantier, il a arrêté en 2008 où il est passé dernière un ordinateur mais toujours pour la plongée Offshore ...
Des anecdotes il y en a des tas, mais les photos pas tant que ça:
"Nous avons commencé à faire des photos avec le numérique, et à partir de la vente de COMEX service à Stolt Nielsen en 1994, on sentait que les Français devenaient indésirables au bénéfice des Anglais.
Ensuite l'activité est repartie mais avec pas mal de nouveaux plongeurs pour Stolt offshore (joint venture Stolt ETPM) mais la Comex n'était plus là, à part avec les dinosaures que nous étions devenus ..."
Durant toutes ces années, et lors de ses très nombreuses plongées (on parle ici de plus de 200 interventions par an) Fred à fait de tout, aussi bien de la soudure, du raccordement de pipelines, des ancrages et de l'entretien de plateformes, des tests pour le nouveaux matériel dans les locaux de la COMEX à Marseille, de la préparation de chantiers lourds et coûteux... il était donc amené à intervenir à différentes profondeurs, jusqu'à pratiquement 200m, et à respirer de nombreux mélanges gazeux, de l'air à l'Heliox (avec des dosages différents selon la profondeur d'action).
Quelques photos de ses divelogs (carnets de plongées)
Some time ago, I received an email from someone congratulating me on the contents of the website and especially on the Comex-related articles. This man thanked me for reminding him of all the good memories of this period spent working for the great HG Delauze. Thus I offered him to publish a few lines on his activities in this beautiful company.
He first refused as « pushing (him)self forward wasn’t (his) cup of tea ». I guess that, spending your life a few dozens meters under the surface makes you humble… But he finally agreed and I thank him for that.
Frédéric begins his career at Comex in 1990 as diver and supervisor, then as superintendent (actually, the ‘team leader’ in the formerly-used terminology) and finally as foreman. He discontinued and sat behind a computer, still working on offshore diving.
So many anecdotes but not so many pictures…
« We began snapping with digital cameras and when COMEX service was sold to Stolt Nielsen in 1994, we felt that the French were slowly becoming unwanted for the benefit of the English.
Then business was starting back again with a few new divers from Stolt Offshore (joint venture Stolt ETPM) but there was no Comex anymore, except the dinosaurs we had become in the meantime... »
For all those years during his diving sessions – some 200 every year – Fred did a bit of everything - welding, pipeline connecting, mooring, platform maintenance, testing new materials in Comex’s Marseille premises, preparing cumbersome and costly sites. He had to dive at various depths, almost 200 meters down hence inhaling several gas mixtures, from air to Heliox (varying depending on the depth).
Here are a few pictures from his divelogs.
Some time ago, I received an email from someone congratulating me on the contents of the website and especially on the Comex-related articles. This man thanked me for reminding him of all the good memories of this period spent working for the great HG Delauze. Thus I offered him to publish a few lines on his activities in this beautiful company.
He first refused as « pushing (him)self forward wasn’t (his) cup of tea ». I guess that, spending your life a few dozens meters under the surface makes you humble… But he finally agreed and I thank him for that.
Frédéric begins his career at Comex in 1990 as diver and supervisor, then as superintendent (actually, the ‘team leader’ in the formerly-used terminology) and finally as foreman. He discontinued and sat behind a computer, still working on offshore diving.
So many anecdotes but not so many pictures…
« We began snapping with digital cameras and when COMEX service was sold to Stolt Nielsen in 1994, we felt that the French were slowly becoming unwanted for the benefit of the English.
Then business was starting back again with a few new divers from Stolt Offshore (joint venture Stolt ETPM) but there was no Comex anymore, except the dinosaurs we had become in the meantime... »
For all those years during his diving sessions – some 200 every year – Fred did a bit of everything - welding, pipeline connecting, mooring, platform maintenance, testing new materials in Comex’s Marseille premises, preparing cumbersome and costly sites. He had to dive at various depths, almost 200 meters down hence inhaling several gas mixtures, from air to Heliox (varying depending on the depth).
Here are a few pictures from his divelogs.
Il est intervenu dans un grand nombres de pays (Gabon, Grèce, Congo, Niger, Nigeria, Arabie Saoudite...), souvent pour la branche Offshore de la COMEX, à la recherche de l'or noir (qui a permis de générer de grosses rentrées d'argent pouvant financer alors une pléiade d'innovations et de recherches capables de sans cesse repousser les limites de la profondeur, de développer le meilleur matériel et les techniques les plus avancées, alors enviées de par le monde)
Quelques photos en action (Escravos, N'kossa, Libondo, Thessalonique...)
He operated in different countries (such as Gabon, Greece, Congo, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia…), very often for the Comex offshore branch, searching for black gold – which would give rise to large income that could consequently finance diverse innovations and research that would push the limits set by depth, that could help develop the best material and the most advances techniques that the world would envy.
Some pictures below (Escravos, N'kossa, Libondo, Thessaloniki...)
He operated in different countries (such as Gabon, Greece, Congo, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia…), very often for the Comex offshore branch, searching for black gold – which would give rise to large income that could consequently finance diverse innovations and research that would push the limits set by depth, that could help develop the best material and the most advances techniques that the world would envy.
Some pictures below (Escravos, N'kossa, Libondo, Thessaloniki...)
Ici dans un caisson de saturation, on aperçoit un exemplaire de Rolex Sea Dweller COMEX réference 16600 sur la table devant Fred...
Here in a saturation chamber, we can see a Comex Rolex Sea Dweller ref 16600 on the table, in front of Fred…
Here in a saturation chamber, we can see a Comex Rolex Sea Dweller ref 16600 on the table, in front of Fred…
Ici une chambre à souder (intérieur et extérieur)
A welding chamber (inside and outside)
Lors de nos entretiens, Fred m'a souvent parlé d'une tourelle de saturation qu'il utilisait beaucoup, la ULIS
dont voici une plaquette PDF afin de vous faire une idée plus précise:
During our interviews, Fred often told me about a saturation bell he would use a lot, the ULIS. Here is a PDF leaflet to help you catch a better glimpse of what this is.
During our interviews, Fred often told me about a saturation bell he would use a lot, the ULIS. Here is a PDF leaflet to help you catch a better glimpse of what this is.
ici quelques photos:
A few more pictures :
A few more pictures :
Fred into the ULIS sat bell
Fred remontant à l'intérieur de l'ULIS
"la tourelle était minuscule, 1740mm de diamètre, à cela on enlève les tableaux de respirations, le narguilé plongeur (celui du Bellman était lové dehors car pas assez de place...) les biberons de secours, les casques...bref, très cosy comme qui dirait"
Tellement étroite et peu commode que l'un de ses amis et collègue, décédé depuis, avait fait ce dessin de ce qu'ils appelaient la "Vizirette" (surnom donné en référence à l'accessoire servant à appliquer la lessive Vizir qui ressemblait beaucoup à la tourelle ULIS)
« The sat bell was tiny – 1740 mm in diameter in which you have to include the breathing table, the diver’s hookah (the one of the Bellman had to be washed outside as there wasn’t enough room), the safety bottles… very cosy as you can imagine ! »
As it was so narrow and little convenient, a now-dead colleague and friend used to call it ‘la vizirette’ – nickname given to the plastic accessory used to put the Vizir washing product and which looked very much like the ULIS bell.
« The sat bell was tiny – 1740 mm in diameter in which you have to include the breathing table, the diver’s hookah (the one of the Bellman had to be washed outside as there wasn’t enough room), the safety bottles… very cosy as you can imagine ! »
As it was so narrow and little convenient, a now-dead colleague and friend used to call it ‘la vizirette’ – nickname given to the plastic accessory used to put the Vizir washing product and which looked very much like the ULIS bell.
Le métier de plongeur n'était pas un travail facile, mais Fred et ses amis savaient se réconforter comme il se doit, et comme on peut l'imaginer en voyant cette photo, ils n’étaient pas seulement sujet à l'ivresse des profondeurs...
Being a diver is not an easy job but Fred and his friend knew how to comfort one another and as can be seen on this picture, they did not just like to be drunk on the pleasures of the sea...
Aujourd'hui Fred reste incroyablement attaché à la COMEX (comme bon nombres "d' Anciens" avec qui j'ai eu le plaisir et la chance de m'entretenir), il en parle avec un énorme respect, pour ses anciens collaborateurs notamment.
Il garde quelques objets comme ses casques de scaphandrier ou cette plaque dont il se sert de porte-clefs, c'est un vrai baroudeur qui a connu une époque désormais révolue, je le remercie d'avoir partagé avec moi ses photos et quelques uns de ses souvenirs.
Today Fred has remained intimately attached to Comex, just as many other former workers who I have been lucky to talk to. He talks about it with tremendous respect including for his former colleagues.
He has kept a few objects like his diving helmets or this plate he uses now as a keyring. He is a true adventurer who had the chance to experience living a bygone era. I would like to thank him for all the shared memories and pictures.
Il garde quelques objets comme ses casques de scaphandrier ou cette plaque dont il se sert de porte-clefs, c'est un vrai baroudeur qui a connu une époque désormais révolue, je le remercie d'avoir partagé avec moi ses photos et quelques uns de ses souvenirs.
Today Fred has remained intimately attached to Comex, just as many other former workers who I have been lucky to talk to. He talks about it with tremendous respect including for his former colleagues.
He has kept a few objects like his diving helmets or this plate he uses now as a keyring. He is a true adventurer who had the chance to experience living a bygone era. I would like to thank him for all the shared memories and pictures.
Grace à Fred, et ce, malgré tout le confort que je peux avoir assis dans un fauteuil derrière mon écran d'ordinateur, il m'a été aisé d'envisager ce que pouvait être une telle vie, remplie de missions à effectuer, souvent d’imprévus, parfois de doutes mais avec à chaque fois, des lauriers à la fin.
Nota Bene : Toutes les photos sont la propriété de Frédéric Joly, merci de ne les partager qu’après avoir eu son accord.
Thanks to Fred, depsite all my comfort sitting in an armchair behind my computer screen , I have been able to catch a glimpse of what such a life – filled with missions to be done, mishaps and doubts sometimes - could be. It always ends up in glory.
NB : all pictures are Frédéric Joly’s property. Thanks for not sharing without his kind permission.
Thanks to Fred, depsite all my comfort sitting in an armchair behind my computer screen , I have been able to catch a glimpse of what such a life – filled with missions to be done, mishaps and doubts sometimes - could be. It always ends up in glory.
NB : all pictures are Frédéric Joly’s property. Thanks for not sharing without his kind permission.
