'Unsinkable' - The Ocean Ranger Oil Rig Disaster 1982

The in-depth story of the Ocean Ranger Oil Rig Disaster 1982.
It’s Sunday, February 14, 1982, and as a storm is approaching Newfoundland from the south, a shore-based radio operator of the “Mobil Oil of Canada” company at St. John’s contacts nearby offshore oil rigs to warn them. One of the rigs contacted is the Ocean Ranger, the world's largest semi-submersible oil rig.

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[datboiashy]

Literally every time someone calls a ship or rig “unsinkable”, it’s basically fated every ship and rig to drown

[YouTubeHsFreeSpeechAndFacts]

I’m convinced that if someone claimed their ship is “hypersinkable” and gave it a weak name “glass” or “eggshell” that it’ll never sink.

[lorienjohnson]

I’m from Newfoundland and I remember hearing of the people who died on the Ocean Ranger, decades later our economy is still completely dependant on these oil rig workers, so much respect

[IN_THIS_DAY_AND_AGE]

You have a structure out in the ocean with a room full of essential electronics, and you fit a porthole?
Really sensible.

[allabouteverything]

Lesson learned: Never ever label something unsinkable because it will end up sinking in no time.

[toupac]

Holy crap. I've never heard about this. That literally is a tragic disaster.

[foreverpinkf.]

First rule of disaster:
Never, never ever call a thing unbreakable, undestroyable or unsinkable. There will be always a person or circumstance to proof, that it´s not.

[titusllewelyn]

I have heard things about this tragic event for years. Thanks for putting it all together.

I got out of the military in 1968 and worked for a company in Morgan City, Louisiana doing two way radio installation and repair work for companies on and offshore for about two years. I visited many of ODECO's floating rigs either doing work for them or the oil company leasing the rigs. I always liked ODECO and had a good rapport with their management. The two way radios were their way of communicating with the shore and boats working the rigs. I did this for two years before going to work for a pipeline company doing the same type of work.

I was even trained on how to prepare and use the same type of lifeboats that were on the Ocean Ranger. They were meant to be used in case of a well blowout rather than bad weather. I always wondered about the ability to disconnect the cables once the lifeboat was in the water.

On the Ocean Ranger when they pulled the drill pipe and stored it in the derrick they made the rig more unstable. Had they not pulled the drill pipe the storm would have dragged the rig and the upwind anchors downwind. This probably happened to some extent. They could control the slack in the anchor cables in normal weather to stay centered over the well site.

On the rigs I visited the anchors and ballast were controlled in a wheel house type of room above deck. You could look out much like being on a big ship.

I thank the good lord for looking out for me. During my time working in the Gulf of Mexico I was on two rigs that had blowouts, fought a fire on one rig by myself for 20 minutes before I could get help, fell off a rig once, road two boats in bad weather that almost sunk, rode on a helicopter that had the engine quit and weathered two hurricanes in place before Camille put a stop to that.

I eventually went back to school and got two engibering degrees and a masters in education. I am now 76 years old and retired.

[cgardner]

I remember when this tragedy happened 40 years and here in Newfoundland we still carry memorial service for the 84 souls lost at sea. One more thing a tragic footnote when the call went for help one of the responders was a Soviet fishing vessel but it was sunk in the same storm that sank the Ocean Ranger with most hands lost at sea. 😢

[chellesama]

Just a note: whike you stated that 'everyone' was surprised that the Ocean Ranger had sunk, it's nickname was The Ocean Danger.

Not many people who actually worked out there were surprised.

[deathbycheese]

Murphy's Law always pops into my head when I hear unsinkable, fireproof etc. If something CAN go wrong, it WILL go wrong.

[tokiburoak]

Imagine getting in a lifeboat and seeing a rescue vessel and thinking you survived only to die trying to board the rescue vessel. I hope all those guys families got taken care of for life.

[endoetz]

Humans: "It's unsinkable."
Nature: "And I took that personally."

[tishfox]

Oh the power of Mother Nature!!!! Never underestimate her! Such a terrifying & sad ordeal.😪

[Big_Dip]

They ALL died 😢 ...even the last bunch that held out...how sad

[talpark]

Many of we older Canadian petro front-line men remember this tragedy every valentines day

[leosypher]

It really seems like "unsinkable" and "worlds largest" just never end well

[aquachonk]

Note to self: Never set foot on anything declared unsinkable.

[kennyw]

I like what Mark Twain said about an expert: "Just some guy from out of town." When "experts" say a vessel is "unsinkable, " it's sinkable.

[scootermom]

I never heard of this disaster. What a terrifying, awful way to die! Rip to all who lost their lives. 😢😢😢