Your Story Hour

Uncle Jon: Hey everybody, come on. Your Story Hour is on. Welcome to Your Story Hour. I'm Aunt Nikki. And I'm Uncle Jon, and we're here to bring you today's inspiring story. I'm feeling in the mood for jokes today, Aunt Nikki.

Aunt Nikki: Oh, you are, are you? I'm game, Uncle Jon. What have you got for me?

Uncle Jon: What sea creatures make good carpenters?

Aunt Nikki: Hmm, I think I have a pretty good idea about what sea creature might make a good carpenter. Would it be a hammerhead shark?

Uncle Jon: You got it, Aunt Nikki. Hammerhead shark is the right answer. And what about, how do you make an octopus laugh?

Aunt Nikki: I can't say I've ever made an octopus laugh, so I don't know. You've stumped me on this one, Uncle Jon.

Uncle Jon: Well, this is what you need to make an octopus laugh: 10 tickles.

Aunt Nikki: 10 tickles? Oh, I got it! Tentacles! You got it. So, what got you thinking about sea creatures like sharks and octopuses?

Uncle Jon: I guess it's because much of today's story takes place in the ocean. The deep sea is a foreign place to most of us landlubbers. Much of what we know about the ocean comes from those brave explorers who don scuba gear and sink down into the depths to film the wonders there.

Aunt Nikki: That's true.

Uncle Jon: The main character of our story not only invented the scuba gear that is used by deep sea divers, he and his friends also developed a camera system for filming underwater.

Aunt Nikki: A pretty impressive feat.

Uncle Jon: I thought you'd be interested. So let's hop aboard with Aunt Carole as she tells us the story of The Sea Musketeers.

Aunt Carole: Jacques Cousteau was born on June 11, 1910, a time when adventurers were racing to reach the South Pole. Jacques, however, went on no adventures. While other French boys his age were climbing trees and having fun outdoors, Jacques could only watch through his window. You see, Jacques was sickly and weak with anemia, and his parents kept him indoors.

Jacques Cousteau (Young): Maman, I want to play outside with Pierre.

Guest (Female): Jacques, you know it's not healthy for you to run around with your brother. Here, why don't you read a pirate story instead?

Jacques Cousteau (Young): All right.

Aunt Carole: Jacques might have been confined inside for the rest of his childhood if his father hadn't started working for Mr. Higgins, a wealthy American businessman who believed in the power of fresh air and exercise.

Guest (Male): Daniel, what your boy needs isn't to be cooped up all day. Let me teach him to swim.

Jacques Cousteau (Young): Mama, Papa! Look at me!

Guest (Female): Very good, Jacques.

Daniel Cousteau: He sure takes to water like a fish.

Guest (Male): I told you, all your boy needs is fresh air and exercise.

Aunt Carole: Jacques loved swimming. And as he grew older, he also developed a love of mechanical engineering.

Daniel Cousteau: Here, Jacques. I've brought you a copy of the magazine Popular Mechanics. I thought it might interest you.

Jacques Cousteau (Young): Thank you, Papa. Here are some detailed plans on how to build a crane. I want to make one.

Aunt Carole: Jacques went to work making a model of the crane featured in the magazine. When he was finished, the crane was as tall as he was. It was fully functional with pulleys and cranks that allowed the crane to turn around and move forward and backward. Shortly afterward, he started a new hobby.

Jacques Cousteau (Young): This article about movie cameras is so interesting. If I save up my allowance, I can buy one to play with.

Guest (Male): Young man, are you sure you'd like this hand-crank movie camera?

Jacques Cousteau (Young): Yes, sir.

Guest (Male): You see, it's very expensive.

Jacques Cousteau (Young): Yes, I know, sir. That's why I've been saving my money for three whole months.

Guest (Male): Well then, here you go.

Aunt Carole: The moment Jacques got home, he immediately set about taking the camera completely apart.

Jacques Cousteau (Young): I see. The film runs through here.

Aunt Carole: He took note of all the pieces and how they fit, and then put the camera back together again. From that day onward, Jacques started filming the world around him. When he was 14, he recorded his first full-length film, a movie of his cousin's wedding.

That same year, Jacques entered military school and formed a film production company with his friends. The years flew by in a happy flurry of filmmaking, and before he knew it, Jacques Cousteau was attending the French Naval Academy. During his year-long training cruise, Lieutenant Cousteau recorded movies of the exotic sites in Bali, Vietnam, and California. When he returned, he showed the movies to his family.

Guest (Female): What a fascinating movie. Who are those men?

Jacques Cousteau: Those are Japanese pearl divers.

Daniel Cousteau: Look at our Jacques, all grown up and traveling the world. Where are you going next?

Jacques Cousteau: Actually, I want to become a pilot.

Aunt Carole: Jacques entered the pilot program and did well in his studies. He looked forward to a new career in flying airplanes. But just before his final exams, he suffered a terrible blow. Jacques had borrowed his father's sports car to drive to a friend's wedding in the mountains.

The road was steep and curvy, and night had already fallen. As Jacques was approaching a sharp hairpin curve, the headlights on his car suddenly went out.

Jacques Cousteau: Oh no! I can't see anything!

Aunt Carole: When Jacques came to, the first thing he noticed was that his car was flipped over. He was bleeding heavily and could tell that something was very wrong with his arms. He couldn't move them.

Guest (Male): Monsieur Cousteau, you are very lucky to be alive.

Jacques Cousteau: What's the verdict, Doc? Can you fix me?

Guest (Male): You have several cracked ribs, a crushed lung, and both of your arms are broken. The left one in five places.

Jacques Cousteau: But I'll get better, right, Doc?

Guest (Male): With severe injuries like these, you can never be certain. Well, Jacques, your arm is badly infected. We may have to amputate it.

Jacques Cousteau: No! You can't amputate my arm! I'm a pilot. I need my hands to fly.

Guest (Male): Well then, we'll try our best to save your life without amputating your arm. But, my boy, I'm afraid your days as a pilot are over.

Aunt Carole: Jacques' dreams of becoming a pilot were shattered, just like his broken arms. Though he convinced the doctor not to amputate his left arm, it lay limply by his side, paralyzed. Even after eight months of physical therapy, he could barely move his fingers. During this time of recovery, the Navy stationed him in Toulon, a town on the southern coast of France. There he became fast friends with Philippe, a fellow officer.

Philippe Tailliez: Jacques, my friend, tomorrow you should go swimming in the ocean with me. I think it would help strengthen your arm.

Jacques Cousteau: All right, Philippe. I'll meet you there. This is glorious!

Philippe Tailliez: I knew you'd like it, my friend.

Jacques Cousteau: You are right, Philippe. Swimming helped me as a little boy. I shouldn't be surprised that it would help me again.

Philippe Tailliez: Well, while you exercise, I am going to spearfish.

Jacques Cousteau: What's all your gear?

Philippe Tailliez: To swim underwater successfully, you need to move like a fish. That's what I want to be: a man-fish. So I use these fins on my feet. They are made from metal saw blades and rubber. And I wear goggles over my eyes so I can see underwater. And this sawed-off piece of garden hose is a snorkel that lets me breathe. See?

Jacques Cousteau: You're a genius, my friend. Someday I'm going to join you, fins, goggles, and all.

Aunt Carole: Jacques faithfully swam in the ocean with Philippe every day, and his arms began to steadily improve. Though one of his arms would remain slightly twisted for the rest of his life, he began to feel normal again. One evening, he was visiting his parents in Paris and making a movie of the party they were attending.

Simone Cousteau: Hello, Monsieur. My name is Simone. I noticed you here in the corner with the movie camera.

Jacques Cousteau: Yes, I enjoy filming events along my travels. I'm Jacques Cousteau.

Simone Cousteau: Travels? Have you traveled much, Jacques?

Jacques Cousteau: Yes, during a tour in the Navy. We went to Cambodia, Japan.

Simone Cousteau: I lived in Japan for a few years when I was little. My father's an admiral, you see. Where do your travels take you now?

Jacques Cousteau: Well, mostly the ocean. My friend Philippe and I swim every day, and he introduced me to the most amazing invention: goggles. You'd never guess at all the colors and shapes of the ocean life, schools of blue and orange fish. It's so beautiful. I dream of capturing it all on film.

Simone Cousteau: I'd love for you to show me the ocean, Jacques.

Jacques Cousteau: Then I promise to take you someday.

Aunt Carole: True to his promise, Jacques shared the beauty of the underwater world with Simone. He traveled to Paris to visit her whenever he could, and she, in turn, visited him in Toulon. The two fell in love and were married on July 12, 1937. As a couple, they continued to join Philippe at the ocean, and soon a new face joined their crew.

Philippe Tailliez: Jacques, Simone, I'd like you to meet Didi. He's a spear-fisher like me.

Jacques Cousteau: How do you do, Didi?

Frédéric Dumas: Nice to meet you, Madame. Philippe here is a right man-fish and invited me to explore the ocean with you all.

Philippe Tailliez: I think you may be the man-fish. You can hold your breath and dive down 20 meters deep.

Jacques Cousteau: Impressive.

Philippe Tailliez: Not only that, but one day he speared 280 pounds of fish in just two hours.

Simone Cousteau: Well, I'm impressed with all three of you men. You are like the three musketeers.

Jacques Cousteau: You mean the Sea Musketeers?

Simone Cousteau: Most certainly.

Jacques Cousteau: Yes, we shall be the Sea Musketeers. And you, Simone, shall be our honorary member.

Aunt Carole: The main goal of the Sea Musketeers was to explore the ocean, and Jacques was always looking for ways to improve their equipment so they could go deeper and stay underwater longer.

Philippe Tailliez: Jacques, what are you doing?

Jacques Cousteau: We're always cold when we dive, and I thought maybe covering my body in grease would keep me warmer. I'm even colder with the grease. Next time, let's try wearing rubber suits. It'll be impossible for you to dive to any depth in that rubber suit. You're floating on the waves like a buoy. Do you think wearing a belt with weights fastened to it would help me sink?

Philippe Tailliez: I don't know, but I'm sure you'll find out.

Aunt Carole: The biggest problem the Sea Musketeers faced was how to breathe underwater. In those days, divers wore a metal contraption called the atmospheric diving suit. Its air hose was attached to a pump above water, so divers could only go as far as the hose was long. The suit did allow divers to stay underwater for hours at a time and was useful for building ships and repairing bridges.

But it was very impractical for someone who wanted to explore the nooks and crannies of the ocean floor. Jacques decided to design his own air supply system. He got one of the men on his Navy ship to build him an air tank and then filled it with pure oxygen. Then he used a bit of rubber tubing to connect the air tank to his mask. All that remained was to test it out.

Jacques Cousteau: All right, my fellow Sea Musketeers. You stay here in the boat and make sure that nothing goes wrong while I descend.

Frédéric Dumas: If it goes badly, I can dive deep to rescue you. Just remember, my limit is 20 meters.

Aunt Carole: Jacques' friends watched as he slowly sank under the waves. They knew the dangers he faced. As a diver goes deeper, nitrogen gases build up in his body. A diver must be careful to ascend to the surface slowly, allowing his body to release the nitrogen trapped in his bloodstream. Otherwise, he faces crippling pain and sometimes even death.

Jacques appeared to be doing well at first, but around 15 meters down, his spine cramped and he bent backwards. Quickly, he took off the belt of weights he was wearing so that it would be possible for him to rise to the surface. And then he passed out.

Aunt Nikki: Oh no, Uncle Jon, that sounds scary.

Uncle Jon: Yes, it does, Aunt Nikki. But Jacques' desire to explore the ocean was so strong that he was willing to take risks.

Aunt Nikki: Hmm, because reaching the goal would make the struggle worthwhile.

Uncle Jon: Exactly. You know, girls and boys, Your Story Hour has a number of stories about brave adventurers, people like David Livingstone who explored deep into Africa, and Matthew Henson who helped lead expeditions to the North Pole.

Aunt Nikki: Mm-hmm. There's also the Wright brothers who explored the world of aviation.

Uncle Jon: Mm-hmm. And then there's the world of science. Alexander Fleming and his discoveries with penicillin.

Aunt Nikki: Marie Curie and her discoveries with radium.

Uncle Jon: The list of stories could go on and on. However, it's about time that we get back to Jacques Cousteau and our story for today called The Sea Musketeers.

Aunt Carole: Jacques Cousteau survived his brush with death and was more determined than ever to explore the ocean and bring its beauty to people who couldn't visit the watery wonderland themselves. One of the problems he needed to solve was how to keep a camera dry underwater. Jacques came up with an interesting solution.

Jacques Cousteau: If I seal the camera in this fruit jar, it shouldn't get wet.

Aunt Carole: Jacques tested his camera in 1938. He dove six meters underwater, turned the camera upward, and filmed Simone splashing on the surface. Then they rushed home and developed the film in a darkroom he created in their bathroom. Joy of joys, the underwater camera worked! Their joy increased later that year when Jean-Michel was born.

Two years later, their family grew again with the birth of Philippe. This happy event was overshadowed, however, with World War II and Germany invading France. Jacques started using his underwater skills to assist the Navy. Recording the enemy's underwater movements can be very useful during wartime.

A friend of Jacques' ground a new camera lens, and another friend built a better watertight case. It had handles and could be maneuvered easily underwater. Jacques also worked to create lightweight batteries that could be used with portable lights to make it bright enough to film in the ocean depths. But a new problem arose: movie film couldn't be obtained during wartime.

So he and Simone stayed up all night in their darkroom splicing together negatives made for a still camera to make the film usable for movies. Finally, they could use their new camera. In 1942, Jacques and Didi were ready to begin a filming adventure.

Jacques Cousteau: This camera weighs 20 pounds. I'm glad it doesn't seem this heavy when we're in the water. You ready to catch a fish, Sea Musketeer?

Frédéric Dumas: I'm ready. Remember, take a deep breath. You'll have to stay underwater as long as me.

Jacques Cousteau: Right with you.

Aunt Carole: Jacques' film of Didi spearfishing was a success. But he knew that to make better films, he'd need to be able to breathe underwater for extended periods of time without being tethered to a boat. His previous experiments with a tank of pure oxygen had come to a painful end. However, other divers were successfully experimenting with tanks of compressed air.

The biggest issue was how to turn the air on and off to conserve it as long as possible. The current trend was a valve which could be opened and closed by hand, but it wasted a lot of air during this process and the tank would quickly run out. Jacques thought long and hard about this problem and designed a mouthpiece that could regulate air delivery instead.

The best feature of the mouthpiece was that it would allow him to exhale air bubbles so that toxic nitrogen wouldn't stay trapped in his body.

Simone Cousteau: Jacques, your idea is perfect. It means you'd be able to dive without worrying about poisoning yourself.

Jacques Cousteau: Wouldn't it be amazing, my dear?

Simone Cousteau: Yes. Now we just need to get someone to make it for you.

Guest (Male): And so you have a project for an engineer.

Jacques Cousteau: Yes, sir. Do you think you could make me something like this?

Emile Gagnan: Hmm. The valve would release air when you inhale.

Jacques Cousteau: Yes, it would be controlled by the tongue's natural movement during breathing.

Emile Gagnan: Well, this looks similar to a regulator I'm working on for cars. For a diving apparatus, we'd need the exhaust and intake to be in the same area, right about here. But I think it just might work.

Jacques Cousteau: Excellent. We'll call it the Aqualung.

Aunt Carole: Jacques Cousteau and the French engineer Emile Gagnan went through several versions before they perfected the Aqualung. Eventually, they designed a device that could make the pressure of compressed air match the pressure of the water at any depth. Then Jacques waited anxiously while the Aqualung was being manufactured.

Simone Cousteau: Jacques, a package has arrived from Paris.

Jacques Cousteau: It must be the Aqualung. Christmas has arrived in June this year.

Simone Cousteau: It is the Aqualung. I'll round up the Sea Musketeers so we can test it out.

Jacques Cousteau: Here, this cove should do. Safely hidden from the enemy troops. Don't want them knowing we might have a way to breathe underwater.

Philippe Tailliez: For sure. Their Navy would make great use of this skill.

Jacques Cousteau: All right, strap me in.

Philippe Tailliez: There you go. Three cylinders of compressed air fastened securely on your back. And here's your weighted belt, so you won't just float.

Jacques Cousteau: Thank you. How do I look?

Simone Cousteau: With your flippers and diving mask, I'd say you look like a professional man-fish, one who's ready to breathe while exploring the Mediterranean floor.

Aunt Carole: The Sea Musketeers watched as Jacques waded into the ocean and sank under the waves. He took a deep breath and exhaled a stream of bubbles as he swam to the bottom. Simone, wearing goggles, snorkeled above him to make sure that everything went smoothly. If Jacques showed the slightest sign of distress, she would signal Didi, who would dive down and rescue her husband.

No sign of distress came, though, as Jacques experimented swimming in loops, somersaults, and barrel rolls. The Aqualung worked like a dream. For more than half an hour, Jacques explored the underwater world, finally emerging with enough seafood for everyone to feast on that evening.

Jacques Cousteau: This is delicious.

Frédéric Dumas: Brought to you by the Aqualung.

Jacques Cousteau: And of course, my wife's excellent cooking.

Simone Cousteau: You're very welcome. So, Sea Musketeers, what plans do you have for the Aqualung now?

Jacques Cousteau: I've ordered two more of them. So soon we can all dive together.

Aunt Carole: That summer, the Sea Musketeers went on 500 dives, and Didi reached a depth of 64 meters, more than three times deeper than he had been able to dive without the Aqualung. Throughout their dives, Jacques worked to update the Aqualung to make it more efficient. He also spent hours creating a movie which he aptly titled Shipwrecks, since they had been the focus of his work.

It won Best Short in the Cannes Film Festival. Even better, France was liberated the following year, and in 1945, World War II was officially over. With the military's focus shifting, the Sea Musketeers were broken up. Captain Jacques Cousteau was assigned a desk job with the Navy, and Philippe became a forest ranger.

But Jacques believed he would be much more useful as a diver and arranged for an admiral to get a special screening of Shipwrecks.

Guest (Male): What an excellent film, Captain Cousteau.

Jacques Cousteau: And I'm sure, Admiral, you could see how useful the Aqualung would be to the Navy. Why, my team could even search underwater for mines left after the occupation, so they wouldn't be triggered by unsuspecting ships.

Guest (Male): Ah, yes, I see. I hereby assign you to be the head of a new office, the Undersea Research Group.

Jacques Cousteau: Oh, thank you, Admiral. I shall require the services of my fellow diver Philippe, who has been reassigned inland.

Guest (Male): Whatever you need.

Aunt Carole: With the admiral's blessing, the Sea Musketeers were back in business, this time as the Undersea Research Group. Jacques and his crew began the dangerous process of locating mines off the French coast.

Jacques Cousteau: Now, men, the mines you'll be looking for are large steel balls with metal spikes coming out of them, like this. They'll be attached to the ocean floor by a cable. Remember, don't approach the mines. We don't want to accidentally set off an explosion that could sink a battleship.

Frédéric Dumas: We will be careful. We will be brave. And we will save our precious sea!

Aunt Carole: In addition to clearing the ocean of mines, the Undersea Research Group explored and filmed the abundant ocean life. Within several years, they had expanded from a one-room office to a three-story building with a machine shop, photography lab, and research laboratories. They longed to explore the seas beyond the purview of the Navy, but that would require getting a ship of their very own.

How could they possibly afford it? The answer came in the form of a wealthy Irish politician.

Guest (Male): I will purchase this lovely ship and charge you only one franc a year for its usage on two conditions.

Jacques Cousteau: Yes, sir?

Guest (Male): Never tell anyone that I paid for her.

Jacques Cousteau: All right. And the other condition?

Guest (Male): Never ask me for another dime again.

Jacques Cousteau: I give you my word.

Aunt Carole: The Calypso, Jacques' new ship, needed a lot of work to be outfitted for the Undersea Research Group. In addition to time, the project would require lots of money.

Jacques Cousteau: I just don't know how we're going to pay for everything.

Simone Cousteau: Here, Jacques. We can sell my jewels.

Jacques Cousteau: But Simone.

Simone Cousteau: We'll basically be living on the Calypso, and I'll have no need for them. We can sell my fur coats too.

Aunt Carole: Funds from the sale of Simone's jackets and jewels were used to purchase a new compass and gyroscope. They also outfitted the Calypso with a diving deck, observation tower, and underwater portholes where a film crew could capture ocean footage without leaving the ship. On November 24, 1951, the Calypso set out on its first mission, exploring the coral reefs of the Red Sea.

The team used a sonar system to locate sunken ships and underwater formations. Then they got to work. Divers collected seawater, plant life, and creatures to be analyzed and cataloged by scientists, and photographers filmed wonders of the ocean world that had never been seen before. Their expedition was a success, and the Undersea Research Group was ready for their next adventure.

Frédéric Dumas: Did you find any treasure in the shipwreck?

Jacques Cousteau: Yes, I think so. Take a look at these goblets. They look pretty old, don't they?

Frédéric Dumas: Yes. You should have them examined by an archaeologist.

Guest (Male): Captain Cousteau, I'm so glad you brought these goblets by the museum. They hail from ancient Rome, from the third century BC.

Aunt Carole: Jacques had indeed found treasure, and his team worked tirelessly, making more than 3,000 dives and collecting more than 10,000 artifacts that had been buried underwater for 2,000 years. This success inspired Jacques to explore even more, and he rebuilt his underwater cameras to be even better at capturing the beauty of the seas.

The team on the Calypso filmed and dove with porpoises, sharks, whales, sea turtles, and everyone's favorite, a spotted fish as long as a man's arm with a protruding lower lip.

Frédéric Dumas: Did you get a movie of me swimming with the giant gray grouper?

Jacques Cousteau: Yes, he looked to be at least 80 pounds.

Frédéric Dumas: Oh, but so friendly. All I had to do was give him a bit of meat, and he was happy to twirl through the water with me.

Jacques Cousteau: You and your fishy friend looked like you were dancing the waltz.

Frédéric Dumas: Ulysses the grouper is the world's first underwater ballroom dancer.

Aunt Carole: Ulysses was very friendly with all of the divers. In fact, he was so friendly that he repeatedly bumped into their equipment, photo-bombed underwater scenes, and became something of a pest. Eventually, he had to be trapped in a cage so that the team could capture footage for The Silent World, the first full-length underwater movie in color.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1956. Around this time, Cousteau started writing articles for National Geographic and became director of the Oceanographic Institute in Monaco. He also designed the diving saucer, a miniature yellow two-man submarine that would take a scientist 900 meters under the surface of the ocean for the very first time.

And in 1958, when Jacques Cousteau sailed the Calypso to the International Oceanographic Congress in New York, he was welcomed by a chorus of tugboats and fireboats in the harbor.

Guest (Male): It's Jacques Cousteau!

Aunt Nikki: It's no wonder people were cheering for Jacques Cousteau, Uncle Jon. He accomplished so much in his lifetime.

Uncle Jon: That's true, Aunt Nikki. In fact, we haven't even talked about some of his greatest adventures.

Aunt Nikki: Really?

Uncle Jon: Mm-hmm. Boys and girls, join us next time to hear the second part of his story. I'm sure you'll find it just as inspiring. It's almost time to go, but I'd like to take a moment to thank all of the caring adults who send donations so that we can share stories like this about inspiring men and women who make a difference in the world. Your generosity makes our program possible.

Uncle Jon: Mm-hmm. If you're listening right now and would like to support our program, we invite you to give online at yourstoryhour.org, or you can call our office at 800-987-7879. Thank you very much. We love you. Goodbye.