The Piper Alpha explosion was the world's worst off-shore oil disaster. The disaster killed 167 men, only 59 men of the crew survived. The death toll includes 2 men from a rescue vessel. Insurance claims totaled $3.4 billion USD.



The fire was visible 70 miles away as a distant, flickering flame on the horizon.



The heat generated was so intense that a helicopter could only circle at a perimeter of one mile, the tongues of… Continue

A friend sent me this poem, its an oldie but still a goodie....





What is a Commercial Oilfield Diver?



They come in assorted sizes, in trucks, in helicopters, in supply boats, in "cut-off" jeans, in love, in debt, and indiscriminately. Girls love them, whores take them, St. John's tolerate them and governments support them.



They are laziness with a pack of cards, bravery with a bottle of rum, and the saviours of humanity on empty pockets. They have the… Continue

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

Article by Patrick Wilson

The Virginian-Pilot

May 1, 2009



Jim Kennedy slogged onto Utah Beach in 1944 and saw the bloated bodies of American servicemen in the water. The tide washed them out. The tide washed them back in. It was three weeks after D-Day, June 6, 1944. The drama of the landing had passed, and the grim work of cleaning up the beach had begun. The Allies were pushing inward. And Kennedy's own story was just about to start.



He belonged to a unit of… Continue

The following article is from the old National Association of Commercial Divers (NAOCD) website. Author unknown. Some of the information is outdated but all and all its a good read for those thinking about becoming a commercial diver.





So...You Want to be a Commercial Diver?*

Revised, April 2001

So...you're thinking about being a commercial diver?

Did you see suggestive pictures, or catchy captions in one of the scuba magazines? "Excitement, Adventure, and Money"… Continue

From the late 1950's through the 1960's the U.S. Navy SEALAB program was guided by Captain George Bond. While this diving program got less media exposure than NASA's space program and even Cousteau's rival Conshelf program, SEALAB's impact has been very profound by proving the viability of saturation diving.





The Following article is taken from the US Navy EDU Website



MONDAY, JULY 20, 2009



On July 20, 1964, SeaLab I (commanded by CAPT George F. Bond)… Continue