Philippe Cut

Philippe Cut , born the June 15th 1905 with Malo-the-Baths and dead the September 26th 2002 in Toulon

Sailor of career, his Felix father Cut then in station in Tahiti, tells in its letters the stories of plungers of pearls, which fascinate its young person sons (which had a brother, Jean, sailor also, and a sister, Monique). Philippe Cut, left the naval college in 1924, is affected in Toulon. It is impassioned for the underwater Apnée, hunting and images, and becomes the champion of swimming of the Navy. Inspired by the philosophy of the Swiss naturist Jacques Grob, met in Carqueiranne where he lived of gardening and underwater fishing, he takes already conscience of the brittleness of the sea: " the fertile coastal strip, rich colors and in poissons" , he in 1937, " write; is not broader than a fleuve". Officer destroyer on the " Condorcet" , Philippe Tailliez becomes acquainted with a young sign of vessel with which it will make discover the diving and nature: the gunner Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Impassioned cinema, owner of a camera, the latter dream to make underwater films at once, but for lack of time the dream will spend several years to be carried out, and it is German Hans Hass who will make first underwater film to the Antilles in 1939.

In 1938, Philippe Cut meeting in the islands of Embiez an already famous underwater hunter: Frederic Dumas. The trio Cut-Cousteau-Dumas (which Tailliez will call in 1975 " 3 Mousquemers ") the history of the diving will mark.

But the second world war will separate their team temporarily and Philippe Tailliez in particular will take part at the time of the Campagne of Syria, with the naval action opposing the marine of Vichy and the British marine.

Being then on leave of armistice and thus having time, they realized in 1942 and apnea the first French underwater film: " By eighteen meters basic " , follow-up the year according to by " Stray " , this time with the aqualung " Cousteau-Gagnan" invented for the occasion, and with the funds of the Marseilles company of reinflation " Marcellin". In 1945, the admiral gaullist Lemonnier, having viewed this film, entrusts to Philippe Tailliez the direction of the G.R.S. (Groupe of Underwater Research), which becomes the G.E.R.S. (Groupe of Studies and Underwater Research) in 1950 (and Cephismer today). He made there assign Cousteau and Dumas, and obtains a ship, the sloop " Elie Monnier" , with which the trio will fill of innumerable missions of mine clearance, underwater exploration, physiological tests (discovering the principle of the tables of diving), of underwater Archéologie (with Mahdia in Tunisia) and of support of the first Bathyscaphe S of Professor Jacques Piccard: FNRS II in 1949 with Dakar. These adventures are told in the book of Philippe Tailliez " Divings without câble" and in the book of James Dugan, Frederic Dumas and Jacques-Yves Cousteau " Le Monde of the silence" (former to film of the same name). In 1949, Philippe Cut share in Indo-China, leaving the direction of the G.E.R.S. with Cousteau and Jean Alinat.

On its return, it launches out with Hans Sellner in a innovating technological adventure: the construction of a bathyscaphe with liquid air (instead of gasoline, like hydrostatic principle), l'" Aquarius". For lack of financings, the technical realization is defective and the prototype runs during the tests: the principle of the bathyscaphe, in any event, is in lose speed vis-a-vis the R.O.V.

From 1960 to 1963, Philippe Tailliez is president of the National Technical Commission of the FE and one of the founding members of the CMAS (World Confédération of the Subaqueous Activities).

He invests himself in parallel in archeology underwater and led many building sites with the assistance of the Management of underwater archaeological research and Navy. He chairs, as of his creation (1982), the GRAN (Groupe of Research in Naval Archeology).

After 1960, date of its departure to the retirement of the Navy, it is devoted to environmental protection sailor. Fleeing the media contrary to Cousteau, it is nevertheless very active. Founding member of the Scientific committee of the National park of Port-Cross-country race, created in 1964 and of the oceanographical Institute Paul Ricard, it helps and advises with a constant generosity of many impassioned exploration, cinema and sea, of which some became famous.

Regarded as the " father of the diving under-marine" modern and the inspirer of the environmental conscience of Cousteau, Philippe Tailliez received many distinctions, in France and abroad, for his multiple contributions.

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