50s Frogs Magazine Vol. 12
Page 12
LT James F Cahill. Jr. LT USNR
Training Class Early WWII
Jim was an outstanding athlete in high and college playing halfback on football team at Holy Cross and Boston College. He served a LT in WWII and Korean War. He joined one of the first classes of Underwater Demolition Teams, code name “Amphibious Rogers” preceding the formation of Navy SEALs.
Jim met selection critieria of his military unit seeking hardship, maturity, self-reliance, and deep sense of responsibility for vital missions. under hazardous conditions and psychologically prepared.
He served as head of Boston Harbor security and honorably discharged in 1954. At the end of his active duty, he transferred to the Virgin Islands to participate in the filming of te motion picture “Frogman” and took lead in developing the commercial and recreational scuba diving industry. He is credited as being the
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first person to scuba in New England waters.
In the 1950s, Jim founded the Hui Kal scuba training camp Children’s Island in Salem along with his business partner, Buster Crabbe the well known “Tarzan” actor. He was a consultant to actor Lloyd Bridges in the Tv series in late 50s.
He then founded and served as president of New Divers Inc., headquartered in Beverly, which became one of the nation’s first chain of commercial scuba diving stores and training centers. Jim expanded New England Divers’ operations to loc- ations across the US. He operated at home in Beverly location where he taught scuba and swimming lessons and maintained the largest supply of scuba equipment on East Coast.
As a scuba pioneer, he assisted many state and local police departments as well as the USN, USCG snd AF in investigations, rescue missions and training sessions.
One case received headlines was Clark murder where he recovered the murder weapon in the (cont)
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