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N0KFQ > TODAY 30.03.17 12:44l 40 Lines 1587 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 27902_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Mar 30
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<IR1UAW<IQ5KG<I0OJJ<N6RME<N0KFQ
Sent: 170330/1138Z 27902@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ6.0.13
1980
Oil workers drown in North Sea
A floating apartment for oil workers in the North Sea collapses,
killing 123 people, on this day in 1980.
The Alexander Kielland platform housed 208 men who worked on the
nearby Edda oil rig in the Ekofisk field, 235 miles east of
Dundee, Scotland. Most of the Phillips Petroleum workers were
from Norway, although a few were American and British. The
platform, held up by two large pontoons, had bedrooms, kitchens
and lounges and provided a place for workers to spend their time
when not working. At about 6:30 p.m. on March 30, most of the
residents were in the platform's small theater watching a movie.
Although there were gale conditions in the North Sea that
evening, no one was expecting that a large wave would collapse
and capsize the platform.
The capsizing happened very quickly, within 15 minutes of the
collapse, so that many of the workers were unable to make it to
the lifeboats. The Royal Air Force of Great Britain and Norwegian
military both immediately sent rescue helicopters, but the poor
weather made it impossible for them to help. Most of the 123
victims drowned. A subsequent investigation revealed that a
previously undetected crack in one of main legs of the platform
caused the structure's collapse. The Alexander Kielland sat in
the water for three years before it was salvaged.
Eight years later, a fire and explosion on the Piper Alpha oil
rig in the North Sea killed 167 workers.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
Winlink: n0kfq@winlink.org
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