Her 17,000 tonnes came in on Dalmore Bay

May 3, 2017 9:25 PM

It was night, stormy, and the oil rig Transocean Winner was somewhere in the North Atlantic on 7 August 2016 when her tow-line broke.
posted by Chrysostom (10 comments total)

I have to say that the picture of that rig squatting offshore like some weird alien spacecraft with the cemetery in the foreground is quite striking. "We don't really know what happened to the earth creatures, but this is their final resting place." And it's really reassuring to know that there are too many rigs now.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:56 PM on May 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Fascinating read.
posted by brambleboy at 1:35 AM on May 4, 2017

I find the rig picture fascinating, but what really disconcerts me--as someone who grew up in a landlocked state around bodies of water both sides of which I could always see--is the abrupt "graveyard graveyard graveyard park bench OCEAN" aspect of it.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 5:24 AM on May 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

The guy with the $50,000 propeller in his garden is in for a shock this morning.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:09 AM on May 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

Terrific, terrific piece - thanks for posting.

While I told Liden about this, he listened patiently, with sympathy. Then the retired chief of structural design asked if I thought the rig had got into difficulties because of her structure. I said I thought not – that, if anything, her essential strength had prevented a worse disaster. “Good,” said Liden, “good.”

Liden is 88, but an engineer is an engineer for life.
posted by ZaphodB at 6:24 AM on May 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

Great story, thoughtful and patient with the material. I'd read it a few days ago, but very glad to see it posted here... thanks, Chrysostom!
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 8:06 AM on May 4, 2017

Wow, that was great. Thanks for sharing it.
posted by mwhybark at 10:01 AM on May 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

A great yarn for poor mariners waiting for the rain to end and the water to begin.
posted by valkane at 10:09 AM on May 4, 2017

Previous post about salvage is one of my favorites of Metafilter.

and another story and 9 previouslies by William Langewiesche

Another tale of a tow at sea gone wrong, the Wreck of the Kulluk
posted by ASCII Costanza head at 4:58 PM on May 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

Here's the story of another rig being taken ashore, but told by Shell's PR (impressive nonetheless).
posted by ambrosen at 1:22 PM on May 12, 2017