Home > Simone Melchior

Although never visible in the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau series, Simone played a key role in the operation at sea. Acting as mother, healer, nurse and psychiatrist to the all-male crew for 40 years, her nickname was "La Bergere," the Shepherdess.

Simone was born on January 19, 1919 in Toulon, France. Her father Henri Melchior and both grandfathers Jules Melchior (paternal) and Jean Baehme (maternal) were admirals in the French Navy. Simone's mother was Marguerite Melchior, affectionately called Guitte. She had two brothers: Maurice, and Simone's twin, Michel.

In 1924, Henri Melchior, as a director with Air Liquide (France's main producer of industrial gases), moved his family to Kobe, Japan. They lived at 38 Aka-yachi machi. Simone learned Japanese at the age of five years.

Simone met her future husband, Jacques, at a cocktail party in 1937. He was a naval officer of 25 and she was 17. They were married at Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, in Paris, on July 12, 1937.

After a honeymoon in Switzerland and Italy the Cousteaus settled in Mourillon , France. Jean-Michel was born May 6, 1938 and Philippe Pierre December 30, 1940. Both sons were born on the family's kitchen table.

In 1942, Simone's father provided financing and the manufacturing expertise of Emile Gagnan at Air Liquide to build Jacques Couteau's aqua lungAn aqua-lung (often spelt aqualung in Britain) is a type of SCUBA diving equipment consisting of a high pressure diving cylinder and a diving regulator that supplies the diver with breathing gas at ambient pressure. Aqualung is a concept album by the rock. Simone was indirectly to hold the key to this significant step in diving history. She was present in 19431943 is the common year starting on Friday. Events January January 4 End of term for Culbert Olson, 29th Governor of California. He is succeeded by Earl Warren. January 11 The United States and United Kingdom give up territorial rights in China. January 1 at the testing of the prototype for the aqua lung, in the Marne River outside Paris. The new invention was employed to locate and remove enemy mines after World War II.

The Cousteau family's underwater investigation and exploration led to the purchase of the minesweeper CalypsoCalypso might refer to one of several things: In Greek mythology, Calypso is the name of a sea nymph; Calypso music is a style of Caribbean folk music; Calypso is the name of a moon of Saturn; The Calypso was a ship sailed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau; John D on July 19, 1950 . Loel GuinnessThomas Loel Guinness (died 1989), a Member of Parliament, was most well-known for his first marriage to the Honourable Joan Yarde-Buller, a daughter of the third Lord Churston, who left him for Prince Aly Khan, the playboy eldest son of the Aga Khan III. bought the ship and leased it to Jacques. Simone sold her family jewels for the Calypsos fuel, and her fur to buy a compass and gyroscope. (1) The CalypsoCalypso might refer to one of several things: In Greek mythology, Calypso is the name of a sea nymph; Calypso music is a style of Caribbean folk music; Calypso is the name of a moon of Saturn; The Calypso was a ship sailed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau; John D set off in 1952Summary of notable events in 1952 . Events January events January 8 West Germany has 8 million refugees inside its borders. January 24 Sudden heavy snowfall in Algeria. January 24 Vincent Massey sworn in as first Canada-born Governor-General of Canada. on her maiden voyage, to the Red Sea. Simone was the only woman on board.

Describing his wife, Jacques Cousteau said, "She was the happiest out of camera range, in the crow's nest of CalypsoCalypso is the name of a ship that Jacques-Yves Cousteau, one of the most important researchers in oceanography, equipped as a mobile laboratory for field research. Calypso was originally a minesweeper with the hull number J-826 of the United States Navy., for example, scanning the sea for whales. Nothing would get by her." He continued, "She lives to spend hour after hour in the wind and the sun, watching, thinking, trying to unravel the mystery of the sea." (2) Simone died in 1990. She received a full military funeral, during which her ashes were scattered over the Sea of Monaco .