|
On 15 February 1982, the world's largest semisubmersible drill rig, Ocean Ranger, capsized and sank in a fierce storm on the GRAND BANKS with the loss of all 84 crew members, 56 of whom were Newfoundlanders. Owned by the New Orleans-based Ocean Drilling and Exploration Co (ODECO) and under contract to Mobil Oil Canada, Ltd, the rig was working in the Hibernia oil field, about 315 km east of St John's. The Ocean Ranger and 2 smaller rigs drilling in the area at the time were hit by winds of 145 km per hour and 18 m waves. The other 2 rigs, the Sedco 706 and the Zapata Ugland, survived the storm.
Three inquiries, the joint Federal-Provincial Royal Commission on the Ocean Ranger Marine Disaster and 2 US studies, found that the rig sank after seawater entered its ballast control room through a broken porthole and caused an electrical malfunction in the ballast panel controlling the rig's stability. The commission concluded that the capsizing and loss of life was caused by a "chain of events which resulted from a coincidence of severe storm conditions, design inadequacy and lack of knowledgeable human intervention." Following these inquiries and based mainly on the recommendations of the royal commission, sweeping regulatory changes were made in training and safety practices and procedures offshore.
 Ocean RangerOn 15 February 1982, the world's largest semisubmersible drill rig, Ocean Ranger, capsized and sank in a fierce storm on the Grand Banks with the loss of all 84 crew members.
Author
ROBERT D. PITT
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| David Thompson was an outsider, struggling to find a foothold in the empire that had consumed his country... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Kenneth (Howard) Peacock. Ethnomusicologist, composer, pianist, b Toronto 7 Apr 1922, d there 22 Nov 2000; ATCM 1935 or 1937, B MUS (Toronto) 1943. He studied piano at the TCM (RCMT) with Alma Cockburn in 1935 and Reginald Godden ... |
|
|
