Rig 55

[Jenks]

Rig 55 was built in Baton rouge Louisiana , A jack up platform, she was small by modern standards. Whilst on the Rig I helped drill the first gas well in the Arabian Gulf.


Helicopter deck..



Derrick..



Derrick man at work..



The V door..



The block..



Views from the top of the Derrick..








Ike Landrum our Texan Driller... One Hard, Mean, SOB. But A brilliant driiler.



Blow out preventer..



Beneath the BOP where the drill string wnnt into the sea..



Drill crew at the end of a shift.. Twelve hours on... Of now till mid-night.



Das Island, where we arrived by DC3 and got the Chopper to the rig. Then two weeks later we got the DC3 back to Bahrein for a weeks R&R..



Tough old Days!


Jenks

[Robin128]

Thanks for those photos Jenks...those rigs look like a hell of a place for accidents.

[Alpha1]

A lot of people have died and still a lot being killed for oil.

[Jenks]

Thanks for those photos Jenks...those rigs look like a hell of a place for accidents.

Robin..

Yes it was a very dangerouse working enviroment, lots of heavy metal moving around. Some of the hand tools were pretty awesome, ever seen a 72'' Stillson pipe wrench! Lots of minor cuts bruises and abrasions but in my time thankfully no serious accidents. The company Had three rigs operating in the Gulf. Once a month they would host a party for the rig with the fewest (reported) accidents.

Jenks

[ovenpaa]

Ever thought of jotting some memoirs down Jenks?

[Christel]

Not a bad idea.

Do it before it is too late.

[Chuck]

Fascinating stuff Jenks, beats the hell out of flogging insurance etc for 36 years!..

Then again maybe the sex was better and more plentiful in my job :lol: :lol:

[Jenks]

Fascinating stuff Jenks, beats the hell out of flogging insurance etc for 36 years!..

Then again maybe the sex was better and more plentiful in my job :lol: :lol:

Chuck..

Then again maybe the sex was better and more plentiful in my job :lol: :lol:

Oh! I don't know about that. Certainly the two weeks on the Rig were pretty grim, but onshore, well we were young and had money, a combination that usually attracts the ladies. The ladies in this Case being from the Seychelles. Lovely black girls who were working in Bahrain as Nanny's and nurses. We used to have what we called 'Seashell Parties, Pretty wild affairs I recall. As to life on the Rig, pretty boring twelve hours on twelve hours off. Occasionally we had some excitement.One such occasion was when we drilled the gas well. Two pipes the largest being about Ten inches Diameter and the other narrower were run up the side of the Derrick The idea was to start flow tests on the gas. The smaller pipe was to act as a pilot light for the main pipe. But how to light it? well the plan was to fire a flare though the jet of gas. This didn't work it was a very windy spell of weather we were going through. So the 'Toolpusher' (head Yank) called for two volunteers to go up and light it. I was pushed forward by my mate the Derrickman (ex Para) as he said we'll do it. I agreed as long as I got to keep the lighter. We were on the midnight to midday shift so it was pretty dark. So armed with a length of steel reinforcing rod with a diesel soaked shirt tied to one end of it. Up the derrick we went. My mate in a counter balanced harness (donkey) and me clinging to his back like a limpet. To reach up and place the burning shirt in the path of the gas it was necessary for me to stand on the A frame, the very top of the derrick. With both hands holding the R/rod and my mates strong hands grasping my ankles we managed to lignite the pilot light. Chucked the rod into the sea got into the donkey harness As fast as possible at started to descend. we got just one flight down when fearful of the pilot light blowing out, they turned on the main jet. Night became day instantly and the noise was deafening. We finally reached the deck to a round or cheering and applause. (and much p*** taking) My mate admitted to me later that he thought we came pretty close to being incinerated.............What price Health and safety. Oh! and much amusement when I discovered that I had dropped the lighter into the Oggin. The liquid gas was converting to a true gas at such a rate that Huge chunks of ice formed on the Main pipe and had to be broken off with axes. this arrangement didn't last long they built long booms out from the back of the rig with proper burners on.

Jenks

[ovenpaa]

Nice story, closest I ever got was flaring off some huge propane tanks so they could be moved. Contractors came in and fitted a flare stack and I ambled over to watch them vent the gas and light it. Nothing had prepared me for the noise and heat and that was just a 2" pipe.

We flushed a tank with Argon once, the fitters and sparks thought it was hugely funny to walk in and out of the cloud of Argon, you could see hands zombie like coming out of the mist. Great but it is an asphyxiant and they were my responsibility so I was trying to get a roll call taken, never a lot of use after a Friday lunchtime especially as they would just step back a couple of feet and disappear into the mist. The poor BOC engineers were having kittens over it.

Looking back on it now I can still see the funny side.