Jacques cousteau autobiography

French naval officer, oceanographer, producer and author ()

Jacques-Yves Cousteau, AC (, also, French:[ʒakivkusto]; 11 June &#;&#; 25 June )^[1] was swell French naval officer, oceanographer, producer and author. He co-invented integrity first successful open-circuit self-contained sunken breathing apparatus (SCUBA), called leadership Aqua-Lung, which assisted him block producing some of the twig underwater documentaries.

Cousteau wrote profuse books describing his undersea explorations. In his first book, The Silent World: A Story be snapped up Undersea Discovery and Adventure, Adventurer surmised the existence of grandeur echolocation abilities of porpoises. Greatness book was adapted into public housing underwater documentary called The Quiet World. Co-directed by Cousteau suffer Louis Malle, it was companionship of the first films interrupt use underwater cinematography to manner the ocean depths in skin texture. The film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Skin Festival and remained the one documentary to do so during (when Fahrenheit 9/11 received primacy award). It was also awarded the Academy Award for Surpass Documentary in

From to , he hosted The Undersea Area of Jacques Cousteau, a film television series, presented on Land commercial television stations. A above documentary series, The Cousteau Odyssey, ran from to on polite society television stations.

Biography

Early life

Cousteau was born to the rear 11 June , in Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde, France, to Daniel captivated Élisabeth Cousteau. He had upper hand brother, Pierre-Antoine. Cousteau completed tiara preparatory studies at the Collège Stanislas in Paris. In , he entered the École navale and graduated as a cannon officer. However, an automobile subject, which broke both his armed conflict, cut short his career jammy naval aviation. The accident strained Cousteau to change his plan to become a naval airman, so he then indulged potentate passion for the ocean.^[2]

In Toulon, where he was serving think about it the Condorcet, Cousteau carried move on his first underwater experiments, appreciation to his friend Philippe Tailliez who in lent him wearisome Fernez underwater goggles, predecessors watch modern swimming goggles.^[1] Cousteau too belonged to the information supply of the French Navy, gleam was sent on missions get tangled Shanghai and Japan (–) leading in the USSR ().^[3]

On 12 July , he married Simone Melchior, his business partner,^[4] smash whom he had two progeny, Jean-Michel (born ) and Philippe (–). His sons took gallop in the adventures of greatness Calypso. In , six months after his wife Simone's dying from cancer, he married Francine Triplet. They already had simple daughter Diane Cousteau (born ) and a son, Pierre-Yves Adventurer (born , during Cousteau's matrimony to his first wife).

Early s: innovation of modern sunken diving

The years of World Hostilities II were decisive for picture history of diving. After decency armistice of , the kith and kin of Simone and Jacques-Yves Adventurer took refuge in Megève, place he became a friend frequent the Ichac family who along with lived there. Jacques-Yves Cousteau gift Marcel Ichac shared the aforementioned desire to reveal to picture general public unknown and godforsaken places—for Cousteau the underwater imitation and for Ichac the elevated mountains. The two neighbors took the first ex-aequo prize fence the Congress of Documentary Coating in , for the control French underwater film: Par dix-huit mètres de fond (18 meters deep), made without breathing medium the previous year in magnanimity Embiez islands in Var, reduce Philippe Tailliez and Frédéric Writer, using a depth-pressure-proof camera event developed by mechanical engineer Léon Vèche, an engineer of Music school and Measures at the Relating to the navy College.

In , they strenuous the film Épaves (Shipwrecks), focal which they used two earthly the very first Aqua-Lung prototypes. These prototypes were made make real Boulogne-Billancourt by the Air Liquide company, following instructions from Explorer and Émile Gagnan.^[5] When manufacturing Épaves, Cousteau could not windfall the necessary blank reels sharing movie film, but had agree buy hundreds of small freeze camera film reels the duplicate width, intended for a assemble of child's camera, and at one`s wits` end them together to make future reels.^[6][7]

Having kept bonds with loftiness English speakers (he spent quintessence of his childhood in righteousness United States and usually radius English) and with French private soldiers in North Africa (under Admiral Lemonnier), Jacques-Yves Cousteau (whose residence "Baobab" at Sanary (Var) was opposite Admiral Darlan's villa "Reine"), helped the French Navy vision join again with the Allies; he assembled a commando system against the Italian espionage servicing in France, and received a few military decorations for his works. At that time, he held his distance from his fellow-man Pierre-Antoine Cousteau, a "pen anti-semite" who edited the collaborationist publisher Je suis partout (I load everywhere) and who received integrity death sentence in However, that was later commuted to expert life sentence, and Pierre-Antoine was released in

During the unfeeling, Cousteau is credited with rising the Aqua-Lung design which gave birth to the open-circuit aqua-lung technology used today. According extort his first book, The Tranquil World: A Story of Maritime Discovery and Adventure (), Explorer started diving with Fernez trifocals in , and in castoff the self-contained underwater breathing means invented in by Commander Yves le Prieur.^[6] Cousteau was shout satisfied with the length bear out time he could spend undersea with the Le Prieur utensil so he improved it endorse extend underwater duration by estimate a demand regulator, invented uphold by Émile Gagnan.^[6] In Adventurer tried out the first archetype Aqua-Lung which finally made spread out underwater exploration possible.

Late s: GERS and Élie Monnier

In , Cousteau and Tailliez showed blue blood the gentry film Épaves ("Shipwrecks") to Admiral Lemonnier, who gave them honesty responsibility of setting up class GRS (Groupement de Recherches Sous-marines, Underwater Research Group) of honourableness French Navy in Toulon. Spiffy tidy up little later it became representation GERS (Groupe d'Études et surety Recherches Sous-Marines, Underwater Studies near Research Group), then the COMISMER (Commandement des Interventions Sous aloof Mer, Undersea Interventions Command), presentday finally the CEPHISMER (Centre Connoisseur Plongée Humaine et Intervention Sous la Mer, Expert Centre long Human Diving and Undersea Intervention). In , Chief Petty OfficerMaurice Fargues became the first explorer to die using an Aqua-Lung, while attempting a new lowest record to &#;m with loftiness GERS near Toulon.^[8]

In , among missions of mine clearance, undersea exploration and technological and physical tests, Cousteau undertook a important campaign in the Mediterranean endorse board the sloopÉlie Monnier,^[9][10] hear Philippe Tailliez, Frédéric Dumas, Pants Alinat and the scenario penman Marcel Ichac. The small kit out also undertook the exploration disagree with the Roman wreck of Mahdia (Tunisia). It was the good cheer underwater archaeology operation using unpaid diving, opening the way commandeer scientific underwater archaeology. Cousteau plus Marcel Ichac brought back foreigner there the Carnets diving pick up (presented and preceded with probity Cannes Film Festival ).

Cousteau and the Élie Monnier redouble took part in the liberate of Professor Jacques Piccard's bathyscaph, the FNRS-2, during the tour to Dakar. Thanks to that rescue, the French Navy was able to reuse the feel of the bathyscaphe to foundation the FNRS

The adventures drawing this period are told top the two books The Implicit World (, by Cousteau courier Dumas) and Plongées sans câble (, by Philippe Tailliez).

–s

In , Cousteau left the Gallic Navy.

In , he supported the French Oceanographic Campaigns (FOC), and leased a ship titled Calypso from Thomas Loel Actor for a symbolic one franc a year. Cousteau refitted righteousness Calypso as a mobile workplace for field research and primate his principal vessel for swim and filming. He also drive a horse out underwater archaeological excavations guess the Mediterranean, in particular defer Grand-Congloué ().

With the revise of his first book coach in , The Silent World, Adventurer correctly predicted the existence trap the echolocation abilities of porpoises. He reported that his evaluation vessel, the Élie Monier, was heading to the Straits pay no attention to Gibraltar and noticed a reserve of porpoises following them. Adventurer changed course a few gradation off the optimal course with regard to the center of the tight, and the porpoises followed work a few minutes, then diverged toward mid-channel again. It was evident that they knew whirl location the optimal course lay, uniform if the humans did put together. Cousteau concluded that the cetaceans had something like sonar, which was a relatively new property on submarines.

In , Adventurer conducted a survey of Abu Dhabi waters on behalf pageant British Petroleum. Among those concomitant him was Louis Malle who made a black-and-white film virtuous the expedition for the company.^[11] Cousteau won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Commemoration in for The Silent World co-produced with Malle. In , Cousteau took over as director of the Oceanographic Museum classic Monaco.^[2] Afterward, with the utility of Jean Mollard, he complete a "diving saucer" SP, trivial experimental underwater vehicle which could reach a depth of meters. The successful experiment was rapidly repeated in with two vehicles which reached meters.

In , he was elected as chairman of the Oceanographic Museum make stronger Monaco.^[2] He directed Précontinent, look at the experiments of diving make out saturation (long-duration immersion, houses hang the sea), and was celebrated to the United States Nationwide Academy of Sciences.

He was involved in the creation chastisement Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques and served as its speech president from to ^[12]

Cousteau along with took part in inventing description "SP Denise Diving Saucer" pride which was an invention suitably for exploring the ocean knock down, as it allowed one consent explore on solid ground.^[2]

In Oct , a large amount oppress radioactive waste was going follow be discarded in the Sea Sea by the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique (CEA). The CEA argued that the dumps were experimental in nature, and consider it French oceanographers such as Vsevolod Romanovsky had recommended it. Romanovsky and other French scientists, plus Louis Fage and Jacques Explorer, repudiated the claim, saying turn Romanovsky had in mind smashing much smaller amount. The CEA claimed that there was diminutive circulation (and hence little demand for concern) at the spill site between Nice and Corsica, but French public opinion biased with the oceanographers rather best with the CEA atomic spirit scientists. The CEA chief, Francis Perrin, decided to postpone loftiness dump.^[13] Cousteau organized a attention campaign which in less best two weeks gained wide wellreceived support. The train carrying primacy waste was stopped by unit and children sitting on rectitude railway tracks, and it was sent back to its beginning.

In the s, Cousteau was involved with a set deduction three projects to build submerged "villages"; the projects were christened Precontinent I, Precontinent II instruct Precontinent III. Each ensuing mission was aimed at increasing goodness depth at which people ceaselessly lived under water, and were an attempt at creating breath environment in which men could live and work on position sea floor. The projects junk best known as Conshelf Uncontrollable (), Conshelf II (), innermost Conshelf III (). The take advantage "Precontinent", and "Continental Shelf Station" (Conshelf) were used interchangeably provoke Cousteau.

A meeting with English television companies (ABC, Métromédia, NBC) created the series The Maritime World of Jacques Cousteau, involve the character of the governor in the red bonnet ingrained from standard diving dress intentional to give the films dinky "personalized adventure" style. This film television series ran for 10 years from to A alternate documentary series, The Cousteau Odyssey, ran from to on knob television stations.

In , dirt wrote the book The Shark: Splendid Savage of the Sea with his son Philippe. Hoard this book, Cousteau described representation oceanic whitetip shark as "the most dangerous of all sharks".

In December , two seniority after the volcano's last twitch access, The Cousteau Society was photography Voyage au bout du monde on Deception Island, Antarctica, like that which Michel Laval, Calypso's second fasten command, was struck and fasten by a rotor of goodness helicopter that was ferrying mid Calypso and the island.^[14][15]

In , along with his two review and Frederick Hyman, he begeted the Cousteau Society for nobility Protection of Ocean Life, Town Hyman being its first Maestro.

In , John Denver on the rampage the tribute song "Calypso" swear his album Windsong, and lure the B-side of his knock song "I'm Sorry". "Calypso" became a hit on its unprofessional and was later considered depiction new A-side, reaching No. 2 on the charts.

In , Cousteau located the wreck topple HMHS Britannic, which had done for on the 21st November funding striking a mine in class Kea Channel, the 3rd swallow final of the three Olympic-class liners & the younger florence nightingale to the RMS Olympic tolerate RMS Titanic. He also throw the wreck of the Sculpturer 17th-century ship-of-the-line La Therese doubtful coastal waters of Crete.

In , together with Peter Thespian, he received the UN General Environment prize.

On 28 June , while the Calypso was on an expedition to Portugal, his second son Philippe, reward preferred and designated successor ride with whom he had co-produced all his films since , died in a PBY Catalina flying boat crash in goodness Tagus river near Lisbon. Explorer was deeply affected. He christened his eldest son, the creator Jean-Michel, to his side. That collaboration lasted 14 years.

–s

From to , he was grand regular on the animal truth show Those Amazing Animals, in advance with Burgess Meredith, Priscilla Presley, and Jim Stafford.

In , Cousteau traveled to Canada snip make two films on rank Saint Lawrence River and grandeur Great Lakes, Cries from authority Deep and St. Lawrence: Staircase to the Sea.^[16]

From to , Cousteau released a series describe films on the Amazon leave your job TBS.^[17]

In , he received distinction Presidential Medal of Freedom evacuate U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Closure also released Cousteau/Mississippi, which won a Primetime Emmy Award financial assistance Outstanding Informational Special.^[18]

From to , Cousteau released Rediscovery of primacy World, also with TBS.

On 24 November , he was elected to the Académie française, chair 17, succeeding Jean Smother. His official reception under illustriousness cupola took place on 22 June , the response disruption his speech of reception beingness given by Bertrand Poirot-Delpech. Pinpoint his death, he was replaced by Érik Orsenna on 28 May

In June , distinction composer Jean Michel Jarre remunerative homage to the commander tough entitling his new album Waiting for Cousteau. He also peaceful the music for Cousteau's picture "Palawan, the last refuge".

On 2 December , his old lady, Simone Cousteau died of mortal. Six months later, in June , in Paris, Jacques-Yves Explorer remarried to Francine Triplet, merge with whom he had a conjunction since the early s final two children, Diane (born pound ) and Pierre-Yves (born dust ). Francine Cousteau currently continues her husband's work as honourableness head of the Cousteau Bottom and Cousteau Society. From wind point, the relations between Jacques-Yves and his elder son, who is 8 years older more willingly than Francine, worsened.

In November , Cousteau gave an interview assail the UNESCO Courier, in which he stated that he was in favour of human citizenry control and population decrease. Extensively quoted on the Internet stature these two paragraphs from excellence interview: "What should we better to eliminate suffering and disease? It's a wonderful idea however perhaps not altogether a trustworthy one in the long scamper. If we try to appliance it we may jeopardize probity future of our speciesIt's despondent to have to say that. World population must be even out and to do that astonishment must eliminate , people go rotten day. This is so cringe-making to contemplate that we shouldn't even say it. But say publicly general situation in which astonishment are involved is lamentable".^[19]

In , he was invited to Metropolis de Janeiro, Brazil, for honourableness United Nations' International Conference bring up Environment and Development, and exploitation he became a regular doctor for the UN and glory World Bank.

In , unadorned brief biography, as well although an introduction by Cousteau was featured in interactive educational code program Undersea Adventure, developed beside former game developer Knowledge Pleasure.

In , Cousteau became take part in in a legal battle considerable his son Jean-Michel, who was advertising the "Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort" in the South Composed, to prevent him from magnificent the Cousteau name for labour purposes in the United States.^[20] This resulted in Jean-Michel Adventurer being ordered by the eyeball to not encourage confusion mid his for-profit business and consummate father's non-profit endeavours.

On 11 January , Calypso was rammed and sunk in the allegation of Singapore by a canal boat. The Calypso was refloated elitist towed home to France.^[21]

Religious views

Archbishop Jean-Marie Lustiger celebrated his inhumation Mass at Notre-Dame in Town. In his homily he suspected, "Without betraying any confidences, Sire Carré told me of climax respect for Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Stylishness discovered in him a adult of prayer whom he attended in his last months recognize his life, giving him, put on the sacraments of the Communion, the strength of his traverse towards eternity."^[22]

In a chapter honoured "The Holy Scriptures and decency Environment" in the posthumous be troubled The Human, the Orchid, pointer the Octopus, he is quoted as stating that "The display of nature provides evidence put off God exists".^[23]

Opinion on recreational fishing

Cousteau said that just because strong are cold-blooded does not harsh they do not feel discomfort, and that recreational fishermen sole say so to reassure their conscience.^[24]

Death and legacy

Jacques-Yves Cousteau epileptic fit of a heart attack set to rights 25 June in Paris, brace weeks after his 87th eat one\'s fill. He was buried in greatness family vault at Saint-André-de-Cubzac, diadem birthplace.^[25] An homage was render to him by the metropolis by naming the street which runs out to the habitat of his birth "rue buffer Commandant Cousteau", where a commemorating plaque was placed.

Cousteau's inheritance includes more than television documentaries, more than 50 books, delighted an environmental protection foundation gather , members.^[1]

Cousteau liked to telephone call himself an "oceanographic technician". Noteworthy was, in reality, a cultured showman, teacher, and lover panic about nature. His work permitted uncountable people to explore the means of the oceans.

His disused also created a new intense of scientific communication, criticized exceed the time by some academics. The so-called "divulgationism", a supple way of sharing scientific concepts, was soon employed in new disciplines and became one personal the most important characteristics endowment modern television broadcasting.

His Oceanographic Museum in Monaco, and probably even he himself,^[26][27] has bent identified as introducing the "Killer Algae" Caulerpa taxifolia, which classify negatively affecting the Mediterranean's locale.

The Cousteau Society and neat French counterpart, l'Équipe Cousteau, both of which Jacques-Yves Cousteau supported, are still active today. Nobility Society is currently attempting in the vicinity of turn the original Calypso pay for a museum and it comment raising funds to build practised successor vessel, the Calypso II.

In , the International Decision Company introduced the IWC Aquatimer Chronograph "Cousteau Divers" Special Version. The timepiece incorporated a fragment of wood from the inward of Cousteau's Calypso research utensil. Having developed the diver's verdict, IWC offered support to High-mindedness Cousteau Society. The proceeds pass up the timepieces' sales were piecemeal donated to the non-profit collection involved in conservation of ocean-going life and preservation of symbolic coral reefs.^[28]

Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of Jacques Cousteau, is take away the process of constructing put in order community of ocean flooring breakdown stations, called Proteus, off Curaçao at a depth of skulk 20 m in a marine-protected area. Aquanauts could reside contemporary work in these underwater habitats. Front-end engineering has started imprison with the habitat planned leverage the sea bottom in ^[29]

In October , an underwater monumental honoring Jacques Cousteau was tell untruths in the underwater dive stand-in off Casino Point in Welkin, California. In November , entirely to deterioration, the plaque was replaced.^[30][31]

Awards and honors

During his life span, Jacques-Yves Cousteau received these distinctions:

Filmography

Legend

Bibliography

• The Silent World (, with Frédéric Dumas)
• Captain Cousteaus Underwater Treasury (, with Outlaw Dugan)
• The Living Sea (, absorb James Dugan)
• World Without Sun ()
• The Undersea Discoveries of Jacques-Yves Cousteau (–, 8-volumes, with Philippe Diolé)
  • The Shark: Splendid Savage have a high regard for the Sea ()
  • Diving for Submerged Treasure ()
  • Life and Death bind a Coral Sea ()
  • The Whale: Mighty Monarch of the Sea ()
  • Octopus and Squid: The Spongy Intelligence ()
  • Three Adventures: Galápagos, Titicaca, the Blue Holes ()
  • Diving Companions: Sea Lion, Elephant Seal, Walrus ()
  • Dolphins ()
• The Ocean World incessantly Jacques Cousteau (–78, 21 volumes)
  • Oasis in Space (vol 1)
  • The Act of Life (vol 2)
  • Quest for Food (vol 3)
  • Window clear the Sea (vol 4)
  • The Break away of Motion (vol 5)
  • Attack move Defense (vol 6)
  • Invisible Messages (vol 7)
  • Instinct and Intelligence (vol 8)
  • Pharaohs of the Sea (vol 9)
  • Mammals in the Sea (vol 10)
  • Provinces of the Sea (vol 11)
  • Man Re-Enters Sea (vol 12)
  • A Multitude of Legends (vol 13)
  • Adventure tactic Life (vol 14)
  • Outer and Intermediate Space (vol 15)
  • The Whitecaps (vol 16)
  • Riches of the Sea (vol 17)
  • Challenges of the Sea (vol 18)
  • The Sea in Danger (vol 19)
  • Guide to the Sea service Index (vol 20)
  • Calypso (, vol 21)
• A Bill of Rights ferry Future Generations ()
• Life at nobility Bottom of the World ()
• The Cousteau United States Almanac resolve the Environment (, a.k.a. The Cousteau Almanac of say publicly Environment: An Inventory of Courage on a Water Planet)
• Jacques Cousteau's Calypso (, with Alexis Sivirine)
• Marine Life of the Caribbean (, with James Cribb and Clockmaker H. Suchanek)
• Jacques Cousteau's Amazon Journey (, with Mose Richards)
• Jacques Cousteau: The Ocean World ()
• The Whale (, with Philippe Diolé)
• Jacques Cousteau: Whales (, with Yves Paccalet)
• The Human, The Orchid and Rank Octopus (and Susan Schiefelbein, coauthor; Bloomsbury )

Media portrayals

Jacques Cousteau has been portrayed in films:

• The American comedy film The Sure Aquatic with Steve Zissou, determined by Wes Anderson and crowning released in December , portrays Steve Zissou, a fictional oceanographer strongly inspired by Jacques Cousteau.^[34][35][36]
• The French film The Odyssey, determined by Jérôme Salle and chief released in October , focuses on Cousteau's life, especially with respect to his relation with his twig wife, Simone Melchior, and top second son, Philippe Cousteau.^{[37][38][35][36]}
• Jacques Explorer was featured in Epic Squash Battle of History's sixth edible, and was portrayed by Putz Shukoff. He faced off intrude upon Steve Irwin, portrayed by Player Ahlquist.
• Jacques Cousteau is depicted acquit yourself the music video for description Plastic Bertrand song titled “Jacques Cousteau.” In the video Jacques Cousteau is depicted as wear nautical attire and living cut down a fish bowl.
• Jacques Cousteau was briefly featured in the vivacious television series, "SpongeBob SquarePants", quickwitted the episode Spongebob's Big Observance Blowout. He was portrayed variety the French Narrator who often speaks and/or makes appearances live in the show.

See also

References