Black rubber fin is with a strap at the heel with black tape holding it together. There is a section for the foot and the rubber of the fin has been hand carved into the shape desired. This is a working model for Owen Churchill's swim fin design, 1939. Churchill was the first to design and patent the swim fin and his were the only manufactured fins from 1940 to 1947. According to Churchill, they were used by the United States underwater demolition teams of the U.S. Navy and the British Admiralty during World War II.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.