John D. Craig; Photographer of Underwater Scenes, TV Host

John D. Craig, whose underwater photographic adventures ranged from the atomic bomb test sites on Bikini to the frigid floor off the Irish coast, where the Lusitania was torpedoed during World War I, has died.

Clint Denn, his friend and co-author with Craig of “Invitation to Skin and SCUBA Diving,” said Craig was 94 when he died Aug. 30 in Phoenix.

Author in 1938 of “Danger Is My Business,” Craig was on television for years, hosting five series and winning three Emmy Award nominations.

Among his many Southland appearances was as host of an adventure series on Channel 13 in 1955.

After years as an underwater adventurer in both the Pacific and Atlantic, Craig served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and was commanding officer of the Bikini A-bomb camera unit that followed the 1946 tests in the South Pacific.

His military awards included the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart. He flew more than 35 missions in Europe and Africa.

In 1937 he filmed divers trying to recover the gold bullion that went down with the Lusitania, and the following year he was part of a treasure-hunting team that tried to salvage the Mexican crown jewels lost off the Virginia coast.

Survivors include his wife, Millie, two daughters and seven grandchildren.