Arisaig Greenock July 71-Sept 71

[j.sabourn]

#21... depending on when you entered the offshore industry will depend on your knowledge of how anchor work and supply boat work was carried out. I was fortuanate or unfortuanate whichever way you look at it.starting think it was 1977 or thereabouts Laying an anchor was done by the anchor being laid on your stern. Roller by the rig crane attached to the ships heavy work wire and secured there by a wire stopper In the days before sharks jaws pop up pins and all the modern gadgets of today. Vessel then steamed out in required direction and when the rigmaster was satisfied it was lowered to the bottom . The pennant shackled to your workwiire was then again stoppered off and the anchor buoy was then shackled with its own pennant and the monster buoy was then slipped , and splash , before the splash it was advisable to be behind those crash barriers shown in your picture. Recovery of the anchor was attained by two seamen standing on the roller with a chain and wire lasso to get the buoy Back on board and reversing most of the process. Louis will have done this many times , that’s why he’s such a fine dancer , learned it along with the lasso dancing on the stern roller.
The supply to rig side was common in earlier times to drop an anchor and do a half of a Mediterranean moor at the rig and tie up to him using his ropes he passed to you. Supply vessels had 29/30 shackles on each anchor compared to a deep sea ship with 7 or 8 . Pop up pins and sharks jaws and doing away with pelican hooks made the job that much easier. Today buoys are rarely used on rigs anchors as the ship has to use a chaser from. The rig and go fishing. As regards tying up to rigs today is rare as to much on the bottom these days and ships have to maintain position without. The only thing wrong with that was that when they started they had to rely on the masters skills to do this as there was no sophisticated ships to do it. As in most industry’s there are always clowns who put the cart before the horse. Cheers JS...
PS as to a rigs anchors some had 12 , but as you say the norm was 8 , unless a jack up which had none . What always made me wonder was that number 1 anchor always was the forward port leg leading forward then going clockwise coming back to the forward port leg and number 8 anchor leading out at 45 degrees . I put it down to the original person who named them was not a seaman who would of automatically started off at number 1 anchor being to starboard . Cheers JS

[J Gowers]

Hi JS I was with Dolphin drilling for a couple of years in the North Sea in 1985/86 got made redundant due to a slump in drilling industry and then went back to sea with BP for a couple of years (foreign flag BP on a dollar contract) and then back offshore in the North Sea one week after Piper Alpha on the Treasure Seeker which was the rig that drilled the template for the Piper Bravo. Left the North Sea in 2000 to work Vietnam, Nigeria, Congo, Angola, Ghana, Saudi, South Africa, Trinadad, Venuzuala, Indonesia and India, best places to work abroad was India, Indonesia and Vietnam.

[j.sabourn]

Similar time made redundant as well . But went back deep sea for a year. Came back too early as got caught for the Piper. The two ships I was on can remember them as clear as anything , everything except their names , must have been that impressed . JS.

[Bill Morrison]

#19 JS. #21 JG. As said the Bruce anchor was a back up in poor holding ground. You could have as many as three Bruce anchors (Piggies) on the same anchor chain joined with wire pennants, a lot of work laying and lifting them. Have posted these photos before of Bruce anchor.

Bill.

[j.sabourn]

#25 Laid a moor out here in real deep water Bill every anchor had to have piggies , we had to have two crews on one ship as well . JS
During the Cyclone season up north on the NW Shelf , if a cyclone was expected they used to send the non essential people ashore off the rigs and barges for safety and shelter. Any marine crews off the supply ships etc. home on leave were sent up to replace them .I was caught a few times. In the finish used to inform the owners I was going on holiday between November and March if home on leave and would be. Unavailable. Makes one think of the word non essential in a new light. Cheers JS.

[J Gowers]

I worked on an anchored rig off Vung Tay, Vietnam, 1993, and we had a Typhoon season every year, can't remember the time of year, if memory serves right if it go closer than 1000 miles then all non essentials were sent to the beach if it got 500 miles then everyone was evacuated. Power was shut down and we had a small genset on deck which was left running to keep the deep freeze going so the food would not spoil. Can't remember the exact distances but it was something like that. We were there two years and luckilly only evacuated the non essentials once.

[George Bis]

I was on her for 6 months 1967/8 and happily didn’t have to do the dreaded Murmansk/***** run
Did most of the other ones Happy Ship

[George Bis]

The Arisaig was the first motor small ore carrier. Apparently these engines were hard to come by after the war. The Gleddock & the Ormasery were steam and the Morar was a disaster. Said to be the only ship to pass Cape Wrath three times in one day heading in the same direction, then breaking down and drifting back!

[J Gowers]

I was with Denholms for 10 years starting in 1974 and the only good word I heard spoken about the Morar was that it was gone. It was a total disaster of a ship.

[George Bis]

I believe that when she 2as sold her new owners first move was to re-engine her