| Description | Tape 1 Side A: DANIEL WILFRED LAURIER (DAN) CLAYPOOL (DC) born 27 June 1933, Saskatchewan, Canada. Background to names. ANNA DOROTHY CLAYPOOL (ADC) nee BENVIK born 30 March 1937, Alberta, Canada. Captain JOHN CAMPBELL (JC) also present at interview. (JC): Background to link with Claypools. Mentions Dan's search for nephew, a rodeo cowboy, lost in plane crash. (DC): Great grandfather a Pennsylvania carpenter, built wooden oil rigs. Father a homesteader. Explains. Mother a schoolteacher. Is youngest of 13. Recalls childhood life, siblings' names. Mother's approach to discipline, use of the devil. Parents practising Roman Catholics. Recalls hospitality at home. Describes mother. Parents had no money in 1930s, mother did lot of knitting. Attitude to hand-me-down clothes. Details re father's work. Describes him. Recalls family growing own vegetables. Mentions grist mill. Parents lived healthy lives into 90s. Medical bills paid in produce during 1930s. Mentions smoking. Recalls self-disciplining in family. Had special friendship with brother Leo. Describes him. Recalls schooling, going in winter. Importance of religion in family. Mother from Irish-Catholic background. Served as altar boy. Physical description of parents. Mother did census work to earn money. (ADC): Grew up on Alberta farm. Father from Sweden, mother from US. Father worked in lumber mills. Is eldest of 8. Details. Recalls childhood home in wilderness land, father breaking in land. Mother raised on a farm. Recalls home produce, fishing, subsistence life. Details re food, attitude to wastage, cooking. Describes typical meal. Mentions canning fruit. Describes parents, own situation as eldest child. Recalls expression catching the devil. Early schooling time spent away from home. Recalls first school, higher education.
Tape 1 Side B: (DC): Career possibilities. Mother favoured priesthood. Recalls taking catechism. Recalls other possibilities, own questioning personality. Later moved away from Catholic Church. Example of attitudes to food, cleanliness during childhood. Comments on own use of pronouns I, we. Background to first job in oil industry in Leduc Field, Alberta. Started on drilling rigs. Explains suitability of farm boys over city boys for drilling rigs. Describes old drilling rigs. Details re work, hard conditions. Recalls Driller, Red Fraser, his attitude to learners. Describes highballers. Reference to Lomar Bisson. Recalls early lessons in operation of rig. Taught early on re asking questions. Drillers are nomadic people. Explains their situation. Many single drillers drank a lot, had wild reputation. Example of this. Details re a town that had to be specially established for the industry - present home. (ADC): Moved to Edmonton city for higher education, did secretarial work, as parents wished. Dreamt of being an airline stewardess. Details re jobs with railroad, police, court. Helped parents financially. Father Lutheran, mother Baptist. Religious education came from radio. Later joined United church. Recalls influence of first landlord, landlady. Recalls own attitude in secretarial class, winning highest award for Pitman shorthand. Was always competitive. Details. Comments on expectations of eldest child. (DC): Explains own competitiveness, determination. Recalls meeting Dorothy. Joined Texaco Drilling & Production Department 1954. Baptism of fire with fatal well blow-out. Details. Reference to Red Adair, Boots Hansen, Cootes Matthews. (DC): Worked in restaurant near well fire. Recalls first meetings with Dan. Married 1958. (DC): Details re getting together with Dorothy, work situation. Recalls start of married life in Saskatchewan.
Tape 2 Side A: (ADC): Explains parents' reaction to marriage to an oil man. (DC): First impression of Dorothy, meetings. Reaction of own family to marriage outside Catholic Church. Recalls matter being brought to a head at a family dinner. Details re wedding, attitude of family. (ADC): Explains own situation re church. (DC): Recalls early accommodation difficulties in job 700 miles away. (ADC): Recalls difficulty living on bald-headed prairie, the wind there. Compares with previous life. Got job in police station. (DC): Describes job (1958-70) being in charge of drilling rigs, learning on job 700 miles from Head Office. Details re bald-headed prairie, Saskatchewan. Worked on 24-hour call. Further details re duties which spread to Manitoba, Ontario. Eventual change from having office at home to separate office etc. Had titles Production Foreman, Drilling Foreman etc. Details re 2 children. (ADC): Recalls staying in town with children. (DC): Details re demands of job, 24-hour call. Recalls happiness working alone, learning on job. Explains own way of operating, admitting ignorance where necessary. North Sea not part of awareness before going there. Details re growth of operation on bald-headed prairie. 1970 Texaco rumours of forthcoming oil embargo. Details re Texaco Alberta fields at Bonnyglen. Transferred to Bonnyglen 1970-8. Feelings about this. Details re increase in production during time at Bonnyglen. (ADC): Change having Dan at home, lot of workers around. Recalls social pressures. Had regular holidays. Details. Restrictions of 24-hour on-call system. (DC): Worked in Producing Department. Details. Knew little re North Sea then. Background to move to North Sea as OIM (Offshore Installation Manager). Details re own cautious response to appointment.
Tape 2 Side B: (DC): OIM Texaco Tartan Alpha appointment 1979 (cont'd). Details re Scapa flow, St Fergus, wells, drilling etc. Recalls first meeting with John Campbell. Recalls caution about taking job. Details re platform crew provision, design book, own warnings re Achilles tendon in design - fresh water production, air driers. Both soon failed. First impressions of Aberdeen in January, bone-chilling cold. Drilling problems, North Sea weather conditions. Had no previous sea experience. (ADC): Recalls secrecy of North Sea job prospect, earlier overseas job offers. Explains positive reaction to North Sea offer. (DC): Recalls continuing negotiations with company re taking job, final decision. Reason for renting house in Bridge of Don. Recalls disappearance of nephew, a bull-rider, in plane crash. Details re eventual discovery of plane. (ADC): First impressions of Scotland, Aberdeen, local hospitality. Recalls different treatment as Canadians, compares with Aberdonian reaction to Americans. Recalls other Canadians in Aberdeen. Daughter adjusted quickly. Details. Advised not to look at Aberdeen houses but at windows and doors. Explains. (DC): Recalls difficulty finding a house, initial reservations about Aberdeen. Warned how to respond to potential houses. Texaco office accommodation in Esplanade East inadequate. Gives example. Details re Tartan Alpha jacket splashdown. Details re preparations for Tartan start. Reference to Dick Vincent, alternate OIM. Explains qualification necessary to be OIM. Sent to OIM school. Details. Recalls routine offshore when putting topsides on Tartan, nearby accommodation arrangements on Heerema crane vessel. Details re weekly routines, safety. Recalls all anchors breaking away from vessel. Details re helicopter personnel transfer arrangements. Explains monitoring of whereabouts of staff. Requirements of OIM including discipline. Own approach.
Tape 3 Side A: OIM Tartan (cont'd). Recalls example of establishing cooperation and compatible standards between self and Dick Vincent, alternating OIM. Reference to Bruce Rice. Problem of drugs offshore resulting in cabin search. Recalls, during hook-up, weekly platform-cleaning on Tartan. Explains authority structure offshore. OIMs relied on marine people. Reference to John Campbell, Safety Superintendent. Tartan Alpha was only 100%-owned platform (by Texaco). Recalls bringing in first well 1981. Recalls colleague's anxious reaction when first well brought in. Describes technical procedure in detail, risks of well killing itself through application of wrong pressure. Explains intuition involved in process, indications from gauges, role of gas in bringing up oil. Oil has to be coaxed up. Every well has a different personality. Compares oilmen's work with work of seamen. (JC): Seamanship like oilmanship. (DC): Details re Dick Vincent, past experience with blow-out etc. Requirements of an OIM. Further details re pressures, leaks when bringing in a well. Explains attitude of drillers, geologists, relationship between them. Explains characteristics of completion workers, importance of imagination. Compares with similar requirements of sea captains. Once Tartan became a live, hot platform, every activity authorised by OIM. Mentions safety measures. Describes daily routine, work permits, working hours. Effect of winds offshore. Importance of controlling own emotions. Explains authority arrangement if emergency occurred during handover. Recalls death during hook-up, another from a safety boat. Permit system good - broke down on Piper Alpha. Tartan was platform with lowest staff turnover. Impression of Piper Alpha, its state of cleanliness. (JC): Texaco provided clothing etc, Occidental gave money to buy clothing - often not spent in this way, safety neglected.
Tape 3 Side B: (DC): Spent two and a half years on Tartan - longer than intended. Explains. Describes in detail the Purple Oyster anti-terrorist exercise involving SBS (Special Boat Service). Explains own role in landing by rope from helicopter, release of make-believe hostages, search for explosives. Describes incident involving an IRA member found working offshore. Reference to death of Mountbatten. Explains own relationship with anti-terrorist personnel, interrogations during preparation for simulated rescue. Same people had stormed embassy in London. Mentions their practice buildings replicating embassies. (ADC): Feelings about being in Aberdeen. Joined Oil Wives Club. Recalls a good neighbour. Details re membership of Wives Club. (DC): Part of Tartan platform unionised. Own attitude to union. Example of own approach to confrontations, relationships. Trained own replacements on platform. Returned to Alberta 1982 to drilling production work in different parts of Canada etc. Details. Made Manager, Safety, Loss Control Department. Recalls tensions in early periods offshore in North Sea. Spent lot of time in Texaco office during seven days off when in Aberdeen. Mentions purchase of Texaco by Imperial Oil in Canada 1989. Retired 1990, started safety, environmental consulting company. In Aberdeen, tried to adapt to local ways. Explains. Reference to Lions club. (ADC): Held knives and forks like locals, unlike Americans. (DC): Recalls visits by Scottish friends. Mentions recent trip to Moscow.
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