In Sept. 1965 Hurricane Betsy ravaged southern Louisiana, leaving in its wake an inland shipping disaster with 200+ vessels sunk or stranded along the Mississippi. But the nightmare had only begun for during the storm MTC 602 with a cargo of 600 tons of liquid chlorine had been ripped loose from its moorings in Baton Rouge and swamped by a wave, the barge and it's lethal cargo lay on the bottom somewhere, location unknown, a ticking time bomb. If the liquid chlorine in the barge's tanks… Continue

Tom is a commercial saturation diver for Global Divers out of Louisiana and performs underwater repairs on offshore drilling rigs.



Below is an email he sent to his sister. She sent it to Laugh line and won the contest (he wasn't thrilled with her for that one). Anyway...anytime you think you have had a bad day at the office, remember this guy.



April 1998



Hi Sue,



Just another note from your bottom dwelling brother. Last week I had a bad day at the… Continue

It was decided that the divers would attempt entry via a hatch near the bow by the galley where there wasn't as much debris in the water. Arriving at the hatch, the divers were unable to open the submerged hatch due to the pressure. The call was put out for underwater burning equipment. Using the burning gear, the divers were able to cut the hatch hinges and pry the hatch loose, allowing the divers entry to the flooded galley.



Each diver carried a light, holding their lights before… Continue

In the early afternoon hours of Sunday June 1, 1975 the jack-up rig Progress Marine II was being towed by the tug Admiral Lee to a new worksite in the GOM. At the time there was a 12 man crew aboard the rig. Some crewmen were resting in their bunks in the living quarters below deck. Others were topside, enjoying the sun.



The rig was approximately 18 miles southwest of Grand Isle, LA when disaster struck. Without warning the rig began to list to the starboard. Instantly… Continue