page_title: Siebe Gorman CDBA
section_title: Modes of setting up the CDBA
hierarchical_section_title: Siebe Gorman CDBA / Modes of setting up the CDBA
caption_attribution_description: English: CGI image of three frogmen riding a Subskimmer underwater. Their breathing sets are the Siebe Gorman CDBA rebreather.
context_page_description: The Clearance Divers Breathing Apparatus is a type of rebreather made by Siebe Gorman in England.
  The British Royal Navy used it for many years. It was for underwater work rather than for combat diving. The main oxygen cylinders are on the diver's back. The oxygen cylinders at the front of the diver are for bailout. In its basic mode it was an oxygen rebreather; but some of the cylinders could be replaced by diluent cylinders for nitrox mode, and then the set was sometimes called CDMBA. The Royal Navy was using nitrox from 1944, but did not reveal its nitrox techniques, and in the 1960s and afterwards civilian divers had to retread the same ground and develop nitrox diving independently. In later years it was called DSSCCD from "Diving Set, Self-Contained, Clearance Diver".
context_section_description: The front cylinders were intended as a bailout; the main cylinders are on the back.
  For a short dive the set could be used without the back cylinders, using only the front cylinders; this made the set very light and compact and suitable for getting through small holes. Even with the back cylinders the diver is much more compact and streamlined and agile than most recreational open circuit scuba.
  The front and the back of the harness can unclip from each other at the shoulders. There is no automatic gas control: so safe use of the set relied entirely on training.
caption: Computer-generated image of three frogmen riding a Subskimmer underwater. Their breathing sets are the Siebe Gorman CDBA.
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