| Description | Tape 1 Side A: CHARLES GUTHRIE born 25 May 1935 Edinburgh. Lived in present house from age 8. Paternal family: didn't know grandparents. Ancestor a joiner/carpenter. Details re family names. Maternal family: grandmother lived in present house with family. Grandfather Scott a regular in Army, later worked in tannery. Only child. Details re parents' dates. Father in Army, later mason's labourer, shopkeeper after marriage. Mother a domestic before marriage. Details re shop - 7-day a week business. Moved to present house 1943. Financial struggle for parents. Details. Reference to Co-operative Store, dividends. Recalls milk delivery, shop routines. Explains Personal Points during rationing. Recalls bread rationing, counting coupons. Mentions Empire Exhibition 1938. Memories of war, VE Day - still some cracks from local bonfire. Describes current home in Edinburgh New Town. Details re history of area, structural problems, changes to social mix. Reference to Jamaica Street. Details re parents' shop which became one of earliest self-service shops. Social life in shop. After retirement mother ran antique business till she died. Customers given credit. Details re Jamaica Street. Mechanisation of accounting processes. Describes father. Effect of work on family life. Parents never had holiday together. Lonely home childhood. Belonged to Boys' Brigade. Not close to father. He had jaundice. Describes mother, her outgoing personality. Shop had strong competition. Mentions education - private school, later George Herriot School. Helped in shop. Parents didn't watch own sport. Few visitors. Father Hearts supporter. Went to Sunday School etc. Details re social, sporting activities. Recalls Christmases, customs, faulty lights. Christmas a working day. Heating in home. Mother was main mentor. Details re her. Recalls influence of French teacher.
Tape 1 Side B: Education (cont'd). Always interested in engineering. Background to engineering degree at Edinburgh University 1952, entry into mining industry. First in family to go to university, parents' attitude to education. Comments on engineering course. Spent time at Herriot Watt. Had to work underground in Dalkeith Mine. Recalls situation when father died suddenly 1953, turnout of people. Shop carried on through period. Mentions undertaker cousin. Worked in shop during summer, resumed university study, combined both. Did training course for mining. First impressions of mine, small size of working space, extreme working conditions. In third year, worked in Canadian nickel mine. Details re arrangements, nationality of colleagues. Compares metal, coal mining, wages, working conditions, accommodation. Further details re coal mining, construction of supports etc. Background to first job with National Coal Board 1956, jobs leading to face work. Attitude of industry to graduates working in mines. Recalls tricks of the trade, big worker called Tiger, 'task and finish' routine, working hours, 'ham and egg' shift, wage systems. Mentions use of fathoms in mine measurement. Background to taking job in Trinidad with Texaco as Production Engineer in Operations 1958, later Production Superintendent. Details re Trinidad Leasehold Limited which sold to Texaco 1956. Shortage of engineers in Trinidad. One of group recruited for work in oil industry. Details re work, training, reservoir engineering. Explains running wireline tools dealing with pressure, temperature etc. Explains work on decline curves, working out reserves available. Details re meeting wife through church when at university, school; engagement, marriage. Oil industry not glamorous. Explains progression of engineers, management in mining, oil industry. Attitude to work.
Tape 2 Side A: Details re wife, Shirley Guthrie, children, places of birth. Returned to Edinburgh 1964 to Cementation Company, mining contractors working on shaft-sinking etc. Explains. Reasons for returning to Scotland included North Sea gas industry, mining. No thought of oil then. Recalls life, work in Trinidad living in forest. Wife got involved in community. Details. Did Diploma in Management Studies 1965 at Edinburgh. Attitude to work, liking for completion of jobs. Reference to Meccano. Importance of management course. Recalls learning from fair, hard coalmine manager. Appointed to Bahrain Petroleum Company 1966, Production Engineer, Operations; Services Superintendent. Explains role in installation of gas equipment, production reporting, well monitoring etc. Moved quickly into operations. Wife learned Arabic, later published books on Arab life in Middle Ages. Recalls recreation, activities in Trinidad. Appointed Technical Supervisor, Production, with Shell BP, Nigeria. Background to appointment. Reasons for move, situation in Bahrain. Details re salaries. Attitude to money. Recalls hierarchy of petroleum- and operations-engineers. Told to run terminal, plans changed. Explains appointment in Aberdeen with Great Yarmouth company Brisco (instrumentation) Engineering 1973. Based in Number 5 Bond. Details re company, their involvement with control panels for BP Forties. Commuted from Yarmouth at first. Details re oil industry in Aberdeen in 1973. Details re evolution of Number 5 Bond, Jimmy Simpson, links with other companies there. Attitude to oil in Aberdeen. Recalls Aberdonians' attitude to 'oilies'. Americans' attitude. Details re Brisco job, difficulty getting work. Worked from home. Brisco work in Yarmouth was on control panels for construction of offshore units e.g. for Forties, and downhole controls for Middle East. Recalls changes in Yarmouth.
Tape 2 Side B: Changes to Great Yarmouth when industry moved to Aberdeen. Family situation, contrast with life in tropics. Background to decision to remain in Scotland. Background to appointment as Amoco Production Superintendent, Montrose Field, onshore. Details re Amoco, re-manning programme, colleagues, eg Aberdeen Manager, Mitch Wood, often on television re industry. Compares Amoco with Shell. Amoco not spendthrift. Mentions oil prices changes from 1972 on, financial basis of development of industry. Typical work in production department with Amoco, links with construction people. Details re Montrose Alpha platform, construction. Responsibilities included job descriptions, maintenance programmes, recruitment. Maintenance contracted to Mainwork. Details. Reference to Vosper Thorneycroft. Contracted Expro for staff. Reference to John Trewhella, Jimmy Ross. Explains bidding process for contracts. Details re Expro. Comments on effectiveness or otherwise of 'buy British' approach of Government. Own attitude to buying British. Most labour contractors British. Progress of Montrose, weather delays. Comments on Hamiltons, their approach, attitude, compares with other oil companies. Fast turnover of staff in Hamiltons. Explains. Montrose onstream 1976. Recalls first offshore loading, celebrations. Details re loading of first tanker, development of wells. Montrose still going, recently sold to Paladin Resources. Developed first underwater inspection programme for jacket 1977. Details. Reference to Lloyds. Did lot of work individually in Amoco. Details re underwater programme, 5-year fitness certification, baseline surveys, inspections, marine growth, scouring. Explains stressed nodes, corrosion protection, sacrificial anoids. Recalls Offshore Installation Requirements post-Sea Gem disaster. Mentions mining statutory requirements. Attitude of oilfield people to officials. Oilfield lightly regulated by Department of Energy. Regulations became prescriptive. Consequence of this at time of Piper Alpha. Montrose over-designed. Explains.
Tape 3 Side A: Further details re preparation of Montrose platform, eg development of sea water systems, chemical processes, monitoring systems. Occidental had many contractors, day-raters. Occidental innovative, worked quickly. Impression of Claymore, cramming of equipment etc. Politics - mother a Tory. Own position. One son stood for Labour for Scottish Parliament. Appointed to Project Team Northwest Hutton 1979. Details. Own approach to work. Used as guinea pig responsible for operating input into process design, rig design. Recalls difficulties getting on to platform, communication problems with other groups, separation of specialist groups. No union involvement in 1975 on Montrose or Northwest Hutton. Tried to bridge gap as company man. Hutton was first time Amoco brought operations people in at start. Took construction people offshore - a first. Negative reaction of petroleum engineers. Explains company relationship between Aberdeen, Great Yarmouth, different departments. Comments on company structure. Some US backup for Amoco. Growth in numbers of specialists. Explains own sense of loyalty to employers - linked to obligation of company. Situation in 1986. Explains attitude to own future. Recalls parents' situation. Appointed Offshore Operations Manager, Aberdeen 1981. Responsibilities included recruitment for Northwest Hutton. Met engineers daily. Describes morning operations meeting, matters discussed. Similar meetings held on platform. Attitude to disputes. Hands-on role. Recalls 3-day week. Kept on 5-day week in Yarmouth. Recalls rubbish strike 1978. Recalls taking politicians to platform in early 1990s, their reaction to flare. Mentions push for oil in early 1970s. North Sea situation in 1980s, oil price, amount of money spent. Problem for Amoco getting UK North Sea projects approved. Explains. Reason for Amoco missing out on 4th licensing round.
Tape 3 Side B: Long-term effect of Amoco missing out on 4th licensing round, reaction of company, attitude to Labour Government. Last company to sign participation agreement with Government. Comments on situation, full-page advert in national daily, BNOC (British National Oil Corporation). Comments on fortunes of Northwest Hutton, reason for conservative forecasts, disappointing performance. Attitude of Government to forecasts, pressure to build jacket in UK. Reaction of partners. Details re Mobil being voted into project. Compares Brent, Statfjord, Hutton sands. Explains geological situation. Background re Amoco's gas business in US. Mentions gas bubble. Details re Texas Eastern going out of business in UK. Reference to British Gas, Amerada Hess. Recalls American involvement in Amoco UK, secrecy surrounding BP takeover. Slowdown started 1982-3. Impact of 1986 $10 per-barrel price. Joined oil industry at wrong time. Explains. Promoted to Divisional Manager, Great Yarmouth 1986. Responsible for Leman Field, Bacton Terminal, Hampshire onshore drilling operation. Describes inadequate working conditions, company layout. Changed ways of running Bacton. Onshore drilling department had offshore mentality, wrong expectations. Explains own approach, local resistance. Clash with need to operate field, realities of oilfield. Situation re changing seasonal demand for gas. Recalls early contractors' expectation of summer maintenance programmes in Aberdeen. Own attitude to shutdowns - couldn't be afforded. Priority in Yarmouth to meet British Gas nomination. Details re 'take or pay' system, power of British Gas. Later approach of accountants to gas not taken, reaction of Americans. Recalls Piper Alpha disaster, earlier involvement with Special Boat Service re platform security, warning about pipeline risk from terrorism. Appointed Operations Manager, North Sea Production/Maintenance, London, 1988. Details re company reorganisation.
Tape 4 Side A: Comments on company policy of centralising in London when others were decentralising. Explains own role as Operations Manager. Recalls development of emergency procedures in Aberdeen. Other areas were behind, e.g. Great Yarmouth, London. Details re setting up emergency procedures. Explains day-to-day work. Often went offshore. Explains own attitude to dealing with staff offshore, onshore. Recalls chain of information at time of Northwest Hutton starting production. Details re talking to troops offshore. Mentions operations manager who didn't go offshore regularly. Mentions consolidation periods in company, e.g. 1986. Recalls colleagues. Advent of CATS project. Details re fabrication, construction. Got people of various levels involved at design stage. Recalls major change in approach to construction organisation, building of relationships with local business on the ground. Feelings about too much specialisation. Petroleum engineers consider themselves crème de la crème. Details. Attitude re other engineers. Instructions to own son, drilling engineer, re finding out about who did what on rest of platform. Took early retirement 1993. Details. Explains Amoco Trinidad 'mafia'. Details re reorganisation of company, feelings about this and about the 'team' approach. Explains own growing disillusionment re way company work procedures were evolving. Recalls approach to dealing with a spate of minor accidents offshore. Explains function of 'toolbox talks'. Mentions Expense Reduction Programme (ERP), Profit Improvement Programme (PIP). Details re ERP processes, monitoring operations, discovering wastage of time and resources. Got involved in abandonment studies 1994. Joined Reverse Engineering Company. Details re job, EC (European Community) development work on explosive charges to cut legs of platforms for abandonment. Studied topsides abandonment. Mentions abandonment cost allocation in company books.
Tape 4 Side B: Post-retirement work in abandonment area (cont'd). Money in company books allocated to abandonment but no thought, at design stage, about abandonment 20 years later. By early 1990s, people were having thoughts about abandonment. Recalls own first association with the area, implications. Did some work for Conoco. Looked at all existing Amoco platforms re abandonment cost estimates. Abandonment now taken seriously. Mentions crane companies. Own realisation of difficulties, likely costs. Comments on problems of deconstruction offshore, demolition rules etc. Gives example of a job involving different safety standards of demolition crews. Reference to HSE (Health & Safety Executive). Mentions disposal, or not, of cuttings piles. Reference to Brent Spar, impact on abandonment. Mentions Maureen refloating, hazards involved. Current life. Enjoyed time in oilfield. Career in retrospect.
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