| Description | Tape 1 Side A KEITH JOHNSON born Birmingham 13.10.1939. Family background. Details re father, Frederick William Johnson, professional footballer, machinist with Morris Commercial. Recollection of World War II in Birmingham. Mother, Helen Gertrude nee Smith from Gloucester. Details re siblings. Description of childhood home, father's cars. Details re gas-fired buses. Description of parents, their lifestyles, community events, playing games in street etc. Interest in swimming. Further war memories, eg German prisoners, Americans. Methodist religion. First job paper delivery boy aged 12, later grocery delivery boy. Details re good wages. Attitude to independence. Education at Kings Rise Secondary Modern. Explanation of attraction to water, involvement in Sea Scouts, interest in Navy. Recollection of need to earn money. Details re toolmaking trade, its standing in Birmingham etc. Attitude to education etc. Family relationships. Longstanding desire to be a diver in Navy - joined 1954. Details re first days, tough disciplined regime, rules regarding reading in Navy. Reference to 'tuppeny bloods' (comics), Manual of Seamanship. Feelings now about Navy regime. Recollection of formal corporal punishment procedure, duties as Seaman Boy on first ship, HMS Eagle, aircraft carrier, action during Suez campaign. First tests to be a diver, details of course, discipline; friendships made with people still in offshore industry. Importance of good friendships in diving etc. Details re time spent in Navy, diving ambitions. After leaving Navy time spent in car factory (1964), then became wire splicer with British Ropes.
Tape 1 Side B Initial lack of success getting job as diver. First diving job with Reid & Mallick, Civil Engineers (1966). Explanation of skills necessary in diving work. Compares with Navy diving duties. Details re different diving jobs, characteristics of divers, pay rates etc. Introduction to North Sea offshore industry, background to first job with Delta Diving (1967) at Great Yarmouth (1967), pay rate. Impressions of oil/gas industry. Popular ignorance re offshore oil/gas. Description of Great Yarmouth culture with Americans etc. First job on Amoco A. Details of dangerous working conditions, lack of communications, diving gear etc. Description of close call losing air supply, emergency, decompression. Mentions lack of safety regulations. Next employment with Marex (1968). Attitude to divers in offshore industry. Importance of keeping fit. Details re equipment. Description of work on early rig, Sedneth II, stacking stabilising sandbags etc, work routine, working conditions in cold etc - underwater labouring. Lack of decompression chambers on deck; explanation of underwater decompression. Day and night diving; recollection of getting trapped on bottom during midwinter polyester seaweed experiment for Shell, resulting bends, treatment. Benefit of Navy discipline training. Background to appointment as Manager, Marex, leading to work with Comex on Sea Quest. Details of jobs done. Reference to first television system in North Sea. French attitude to British divers. Comparison of working conditions with today. Details re life on Sea Quest. Hierarchy of crew offshore, nationalities. Description of Sedco 135 design of Sea Quest, atmosphere, working pattern.
Tape 2 Side A Attitude of divers to the job. Sea Quest crew from BP tankers. Involvement with first safety regime in North Sea (North Sea Safety Committee). Attitude of drill pushers. Good pay for divers compared with other jobs; working conditions, food etc. Attitude to alcohol, smoking. Recollection of Sea Quest discovery of Forties. Details of other duties as diver, eg pipeline inspection etc. Details re companies worked for, their characteristics, arranging contracts etc when with Comex. Reference to Septune 7 Amoco, Ocean Traveller Total, Maersk Explorer Phillips, Gulf Tide Phillips Norway, Sea Quest Hamilton Brothers, Sea Quest Mobil, Gulf Tide Texaco, Gulf Tide Placid. Hostile attitude of Hamilton Brothers manager to divers. Recollections of Fred Hamilton. Comparison of attitude, confidence of Americans, British. Details re high wages, compared with today. Involvement with John Prestcott, Energy Minister re safety etc. Wrote Offshore Minerals Working Bill Safe Diving Code of Practice. Recollection of being told by Shell Managing Director to 'get your ass' up to Brents emergency; details re fire in diving bell etc. Evolution of regulations; risk, economic pressures etc. Family details. Effects of job on home life. Recollection of Ian Fraser VC, owner of North Sea Divers. General Manager, Oilfield Marine Services and Petromarine International, Aberdeen (1971). Details re supply services. Description of Aberdeen, attitude of the people, limited communications, services. Early link with Aberdeen Service Company (ASCO), Jim Simpson. Early drilling ships in Aberdeen. Arrival of new companies. Details re Air Anglia, owned by Wilbur Wright, Great Yarmouth.
Tape 2 Side B Further details re Wilbur Wright, airline pioneer from Great Yarmouth, his work. Slow reaction to oil industry in Aberdeen. Lack of entrepreneurs. Details. Relationships between English, Scots. Assistant Operations Manager, Sub-Sea International, Aberdeen (1972). Details re boss Hugh Danworth who pioneered heliox diving. Reason for leaving. Relationships between Americans and locals, jealousies etc. Lifestyle of Americans; Petroleum Club (Kippy Lodge). Diving deaths: details re loss of 2 on Ekofisk project. Details re cold, countering it. Importance of shivering. Many deaths from simple accidents, pushing barriers too fast. Recollection of Sea Gem disaster. Manager, Strongwork Diving International (1972). Details of car accident, consequences. Mentions own 470 foot record dive. Manager Marketing Services, P&O Sea Oil Services (1973). Reference to Montrose Harbour. Importance of this period in management experience. Recollections of Roger Eason, American sportsman. Details re partnership of company in Beatrice field and other activities undertaken by P&O. Recollection of amount of money available, investments, mishaps etc. Problems with fishermen, catching their trawls on pipelines etc. South Esk incident re salmon. Carefree attitude of American oil companies in the early days. Lot of junk in North Sea. Earlier attitudes to junk, seabed clearance certificates. Impact of 1973 oil crisis. Importance of getting the oil out. General Manager, Gardner Cryogenics (1974). Details re transportation of diving-related gas etc. Background to decision re BP industry location in Dundee or Aberdeen; influence of American wives. Resulting changes to Aberdeen. American pressure on Aberdeen Harbour Board at Treetops Hotel meeting; changes made.
Tape 3 Side A Treetops Hotel meeting (cont'd), reaction of Aberdeen Harbour Board. Significance of Chamber of Commerce in early days. Changes to Aberdeen building scene etc. Reasons for industry coming to Aberdeen; significance of Halliburton, Schlumberger. Comparison of property market then and now. Attitude of media in early days. Image of Americans in Aberdeen. Comparison of standing of oil industry in UK, US. People now leaving industry in droves because of pay. Own work with Gardner - links with Phillips people selling helium etc. Continuing relationship with them. General Manager Oddberg UK Ltd (1978). Details re Oddberg, their pioneering accomplishments in shipbuilding, dynamic positioning etc. Details re work of Arctic Seal, eg extinguishing 6-month Extoc fire after blowout in Gulf of Mexico, hyperbaric welding. Group General Manager, Global Diving Services, Aberdeen (1980). Details re diving work with Occidental. Mentions high pressure work, own approach, need for good performance. Details re boss Martin Deaner's big business projects. Building 20 fishing boats with him now; tuna contract with Heinz. Mentions honorary degree from Columbia. President Gas & Equipment Inc, New Orleans (1980). Details re achievements capturing market, company purchases eg of Phillips Petroleum Helium Production Unit. Description of North Sea industry before Piper Alpha disaster. Comments on the disaster, opinion of cost and nature of safety requirements since. Comments on current level of oil company reinvestment in North Sea - media exercise. People leaving the industry. Political stability of North Sea. Recollection of impact of Phillips petroleum on Norway. Effect of Government intervention, taxes. Reference to McDermotts.
Tape 3 Side B Recollection of Red Adair in North Sea, his innovative work on Hewitt A platform fire, his financial retainer. Details re Ekofisk blowout. Adair's lack of success in Iraq. Importance of individual initiatives in North Sea industry. Explanation, impact of dynamic positioning, comparison with anchored vessels. Feelings re responsiveness of British, French industry to North Sea oil, dominance of American industry. Effect of OSO (Offshore Supplies Office) on industry. Problem with everything being driven in early days from London. Comments on Balmoral, James Milne, attitude of Scotland to investment in industry. Mentions own future plans, role of, background to current company Maris Subsea & Marine Specialists, feelings about job. British civil service etc was not ready for North Sea industry. Details re current gas situation. Likely future of the industry. Standing of oil industry in UK and other places. Details re link with Crown Prince of Qatar. Changing patterns of travel in Aberdeen - people looking to travel away. Changing patterns of offshore installations - often unmanned. Describes work of ROVs (Remote Operating Vehicles). Continuing work for divers but nobody being trained. Details. Forthcoming manpower problem, insecurity of oil industry. Changing patterns in Aberdeen. Prospects for west of Shetland oilfields. Recollection of involvement in rescue of Pices III submarine stranded at 1500 feet when with P&O Sea Oil Services - world record. Impact on own work. Reference to underwater museum in Panama City. Consultant to US Navy on submarine rescue. |