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Incidents List

  1. Year Month Day Surname Forenames Location Contractor Client Depth Type of Diving Details
  2. 1979 0 0 Not Recorded France 10 S/S Air French, inspecting a valve in a nuclear power station plant water system, sucked in. The valve had been key locked by client , but unfortunately 'in open position'.
  3. 1979 0 0 NEDU USA USN 549 Saturation Using the 'Ocean Simulator Facility (OSF), NEDU divers completed a 37 programme to a maximum depth of 1,800'
  4. 1979 0 0 McKerlich Jock or Jack UK Northern Divers 6 S/S Air Inquest was held in Banf in May 1980, date of fatality not known. (Jack was the younger brother of Sarge McKerlich who died in a commercial diving accident in 1984). Aged 21 from Kyle of Lochalsh, working in Macduff harbour, post lunch dive (reported as havng had 2 pints of beer with a bar lunch), vomited, no suit inflation, negatively buoyant, could not stay on surface, tender continued to pay out slack, burst Aorta. Reported at the inquest that 'drinking and diving is common practice on civil engineering contracts'. A diving inspector claimed he would not have been allowed to go for a drink if stricter rules - "now under consideration" - had been implemeted. Fellow diver stated that the primary cause of him vomiting was the 12' jump into the cold harbour water. Reported in the Glasgow Herald
  5. 1979 0 0 Krausky Bruno Indonesia Hydrospace Australian, from Cairns, one year out of dive school, diving off the "Wodeco IV" or "Wodeco VII" in the Natuna field, Indonesia, on descent instead of switching to 90/10 Heliox at 40' was switched to pure He. Bubbles blower/Longstreath
  6. 1979 0 0 Harrison Jim "Piggy" UAE Topsides Ex RN Clearance Diver, killed in a road accident in Sharjah on the way to work. PC
  7. 1979 5 5 Eke B E UK Maritime Offshore Products 31 S/S Air British, aged 34. Southern North Sea installation 48/29C, Over inflated dry suit, entangled in water jet equipment, helmet came detached, drowned
  8. 1979 5 6 Wells Robert Lloyd USA S/S Air Aged 33. Quote:- “Working at the Simtag Farms intake pumps at the confluence of Willow Creek and the Columbia River when his air lines apparently were sucked into the pumps and cut. His partner was at the surface at the time. When he realised something was wrong, he dove under and attempted to free Wells and bring him up for air but the lines were stuck in the intake pumps and another diver had to be called before Wells could be freed, police said� Reported in the Tri City Herald.
  9. 1979 5 10 Rig 'Ranger1' USA Mitchell Energy 3 leg Jack Up built 1968 drilling block 189L. Between 1500 and 1800 hours in the afternoon experienced a violent shudder, with personnel reporting it as a violent shaking or a vertical fall of up to 30cm. Up to an hour was spent trying to locate the cause of the movement without success. Work aboard the rig then continued, including the offloading of supplies from the Delta Seahorse supply boat. At about 2230, prior to a shift change, the Ranger I collapsed into the sea. The stern leg, below the accommodation block, broke near the connection to the support mat causing the upper hull to fall stern-first and strike the Delta Seahorse. The bow legs supported the upper hull for a short time, then collapsed, allowing the upper hull to fall to the sea. The upper hull then separated from the legs, drifted to the west and sank over the course of the following day. Prior to the initial collapse, most of the crew were in the living quarters, with 13 men in the galley. The survivors reported experiencing a rapid fall followed by sudden jolt as the upper hull struck the water. The lower floor of the accommodation unit flooded instantly to a depth of 2-3 feet. The men escaped either through the galley's port door or through galley windows taking seat cushions or life jackets for floatation. Three patterns developed: one group gathered at the helideck; a second group swam to the Delta Seahorse whilst a third jumped overboard to get away from the upper hull before it sank. The Delta Seahorse, alongside the Ranger I, signaled a MAYDAY and picked up four crew from the water, going on to co-ordinate further rescue operations. The Miss Angela, busy towing another rig at the time of the collapse, was also dispatched to aid the rescue and picked up a further 14 men. Coast Guard helicopters recovered another four men from the water. Eight men lost their lives in the accident, with many of the survivors suffering serious injuries. The remains of the rig were later salvaged and examined by the U.S. Coast Guard. The investigating board concluded that the Ranger I had collapsed as a result of an existing fatigue crack in the stern leg, near the connection to the mat. At around 1700 hours on 10 May 1979, the crack had rapidly propagated around the leg, causing the leg to break and the rig to shudder. Over the following hours, a combination of dynamic and static loading dislodged the broken leg and caused the rig to collapse.
  10. 1979 6 3 Rig 'SF 135' Mexico PEMEX Three leg semi-submersible. Drilling on IXTOC 1, blow out, major oil release, rig sank. Diver Allan Andersion died on the 15th August during attempts to shut in the well. Well was finally capped 23/3/1980
  11. 1979 8 7 Walker Richard A UK Infabco 162 Saturation American, aged 32. DSV "Wildrake", Thistle field, parted bell wire, secondary means of recovery failed, screwed up rescue, died from hypothermia, Double fatality (Guiel)
  12. 1979 8 7 Guiel Victor F "Skip" UK Infabco 162 Saturation American, aged 28. DSV "Wildrake", Thistle field, parted bell wire, secondary means of recovery failed, screwed up rescue, died from hypothermia, Double fatality (Walker)
  13. 1979 8 15 Anderson Allan Mexico Taylor Diving and Salvage 50 Saturation American, aged 32, "Ixtox I" blow-out 3rd of June, Bay of Campeche, Mexico, Drill rig "Sedco 135F" sank. Diver died during attempts to shut in the well, off the barge "LB Meaders", caught in vortex at wellhead and blown to the surface. Well finally capped 23/3/1980, second biggest oil-spill in history. Wife and two children aged 11 and 7.
  14. 1979 10 17 Crouch Stephen UK Topsides Diving Supervisor on the DSV Star Canopus working in the Ninian Field, died in an accident "not involved in diving operations". I have still counted this as a diver at work killed offshore, but can find no details anywhere as to what the "accident" was that "did not involve diving" onboard a saturation diving vessel. Can anybody remember the incident? The only record that I have found so far was the brief announcement above in the Glasgow Herald. TC.
  15. 1979 11 10 Wodeco V lost bell Rescue Ghana or Ivory Coast Comex and Oceaneering 130 Saturation Rescue teams arrived on board perhaps 24 hours after the bell was lost with a team from Oceaneering and a "JIM" atmospheric suit but without their normal winch/umbilical/comms (too heavy to fly) First two dives aborted due to suit flooding and retrieval was hampered by the current, but on the third attempt, the JIM got close enough to see the bell which was not floating up from its ballast but lying on the seabed, indicating that it was flooded or partly flooded. One of the guide wires had ruptured and was no longer attached to the wellhead and there was some tension in the remaining guide wire, so every time the drill ship was lifted by the swell, the was being rolled from side to side on the seabed. The JIM could not get any closer without being hit by the rolling bell so the dive was aborted and the bell grappled (NB, the JIM rescue mission in itself is an epic tale, TC). The bell was caught first time. On deck, some 30 hours after the wire failure, it was established that the bell was 2/3 flooded, both divers were floating face down, dead. Analysis of the bell atmosphere confirmed there was no measurable CO2. Both men had suffered facial injuries, one with a broken nose, one with knee injuries. It is likely that the first shock, when the bell collided with its own ballast, had thrown them down, causing the injuries. They had managed on the way down to open the bell pressurisation valve. The dive was a bounce dive, and decompression had started while the bell was on its was up before the accident. As a result the bell would have started flooding at some point before they even reached the bottom. At some point the inner door had closed, but not before the bell was 2/3 flooded. The pressurisation valve having been open, and left open on the way down, ensured a seal. The two divers (the second diver's identity is not recorded), hurt by the initial impact, drowned.
  16. 1979 11 10 Wodeco V lost bell Incident Ghana or Ivory Coast Comex 130 Saturation Entire dive team, including the supervisor, - dived in rotation, bell bounce diving. Single bell lift wire plus two guide wires tied up to the wellhead. About a month prior to the incident, the main wire had been ovalised above the socket but judged fit for purpose. On this day, during bell recovery, when the bell had reached the top of the "A" frame, the wire parted.. The bell ballast hit the water, the bell hit the ballast which had been slowed down entering the water and sank. Communications were lost with the bell. The surface team expected the divers in the bell to shed its ballast, but that did not happen. The team was without supervisor (he was in the bell) and there was no lead diver. On advice from company HQ, they mixed some 10 % Heliox and built a surface umbilical by connecting three lengths of flexible hose. The first diver started breathing the 10 % prior to entering the water and passed out. The rest of the team assumed that this was due to the fact that the components had not "mixed up properly". They equipped the next diver with a bail out cylinder filled with Air, he breathed the Air from the surface and switched to Heliox at 10 metres. On the way down, this diver pulled himself with his arms, head down along one of the bell guide wires instead of "hanging out" in the current on the way down. As a result, him and his umbilical rotated around the bell guide wire several times to the point were he could not progress any more and he exhausted himself in the process. It is possible that he had passed out underwater. The surface crew retrieved him, it needed several men to haul on the umbilical. He was suffering from pulmonary barotrauma. However, he was conscious when he reached the surface, he cleared the several turns the umbilical had made around the guide wire himself. He went in the chamber still conscious and standing with a doctor and male nurse. Short of Helium, so they only pressurized the main lock. The nurse was claustrophobic and started panicking and they had to decompress him. In order to do so, they pressurised the entrance lock with the only gas they had left, air. When the nurse left the chamber he was told that if he was not feeling well to return to the chamber to be treated. Instead he went into hiding, laid down and was found later, dead (Isobaric counter diffusion). The diver died in the chamber (Pulmonary Barotrauma),.
  17. 1979 11 10 Lemarchand Gilles Ghana or Ivory Coast Comex 130 Saturation See 'Wodeco V lost Bell' for details, the three divers in the bell, rescue stand-by diver and a nurse die in this incident.
  18. 1979 11 10 Leca Joseph 'Jo' Ghana or Ivory Coast Comex 130 Saturation See 'Wodeco V lost Bell' for details, the three divers in the bell, rescue stand-by diver and a nurse die in this incident.
  19. 1979 11 10 Laubouet Philipe Ghana or Ivory Coast Comex 130 Saturation See 'Wodeco V lost Bell' for details, the three divers in the bell, rescue stand-by diver and a nurse die in this incident.
  20. 1979 11 10 Andrieux Philipe Ghana or Ivory Coast Comex 130 Saturation See 'Wodeco V lost Bell' for details, the three divers in the bell, rescue stand-by diver and a nurse die in this incident.
  21. 1979 11 25 Rig 'Bohai 2' China Ocean Oil Company Jack Up, sank during rig move/towing (caught in a storm), 72 fatalities out of a POB of 74
  22. 1980 0 0 Rig 'Ocean Champion' Egypt Jack Up, bad weather, ran agroound off Port Said
  23. 1980 0 0 Rig 'Marlin 4' South America Jack Up, Seabed slide, legs collapsed
  24. 1980 0 0 Rig 'Harvey Ward' Jack Up, caught in a mudslide, total loss
  25. 1980 0 0 Rig 'Dixilyn 150' Jack Up, Sank, no details
  26. 1980 0 0 Not Recorded India Taylor Diving and Salvage Far East S/S Mixed Gas One of two American divers doing a gas bounce dive from the drillship "Gettysburg" in the Bay of Bengal, locked out diver died (pure He?) Bubblesblower/Longstreath
  27. 1980 0 0 Not Recorded Bahrain Taylor Diving 0 S/S Air American, Taylor Diving (Bahrain) jumping from the deck of a barge into the water, wearing a Swindel, umbilical connection between helmet and harness caught on a projection, ripped off from both helmet and harness, body later recovered from seabed, possibly broken neck
  28. 1980 0 0 Herr David Indonesia Oceaneering American working the Lapco field, found on the bottom with KM10 off (loose retaining ring, hood pulled off) No details
  29. 1980 0 0 Burrows??? Needs to be confirmed Australia McDermott 60 Saturation Australian in his early 40s. Four man sat system on the DB 21 (ex Ingram 7) in the Bass Straight. Bell at around 170', during a dive to the seabed at 198', the diver stopped responding to the supervisor. Bellman attempted to pull him back but by his umbilical but he was caught up on seabed. Bellman put on gear and went to the dive site, found the diver unresponsive, not breathing. Recovered diver to trunking but could not pull him into the bell. The bell was recovered to 150' and the surface (air) diver deployed to help. The bellman and surface standby diver managed to pull the diver into the bell and close the bottom door. Bell recovered and locked on (including the surface air diver). Diver did not respond to treatment. Cause of death, heart attack whilst in the water. Personal Communication. Confirmation of name and details needed (TC).
  30. 1980 1 17 Rig 'Sea Quest' Nigeria Texaco Three leg semi Submersible, built 1967 Harland and Wolff, Belfast as the Sedco 135C, made the first commercial oil find on the UKCS (Arbroath Field in 1969), drilled both Montrose and Forties Fields. Renamed Sea Quest, drilling off Warri, blow out, crew evacuated, caught fire, towed out to sea and scuttled in deep water.
  31. 1980 2 0 Rig 'Topper I' USA Crestwave Jack Up, valve failure, flooded and sank
  32. 1980 2 5 Rig 'Workhorse IX' USA Nabors Jack Up, sank during towing. Salvaged and returned to service
  33. 1980 2 15 Walter Brian Qatar Comex 37 SCUBA Diving untended off Halul Island. Vomited underwater, failed to surface. PC
  34. 1980 3 8 Uehara Tadeo Japan Aged 36, Japanese prawn diver from Naha (Okinawa) died after a one metre long needlfish stabbed him in the neck "It was attracted by his light". The same press report notes that a fisherman on nearby Ishigaki Island was killed when a needlefish stabbed him in the chest in September 1979. Reuters
  35. 1980 3 27 Rig 'Alexander Kielland' Norway Phillips Pentagon semi submersible, Ekofisk Field, flotel at Eddas. Sructural failure, capsised (alternative story that the rig was deliberately sabotaged with explosives), 123 fatalities. No divers onboard
  36. 1980 4 16 Novello Sam A Turkey USN Topsides Enlisted in the United States Navy at the outbreak of the Second World War. After seeing heavy action aboard a destroyer in the Pacific Theater, he continued his naval service as a salvage diver, achieving the rank of Master Chief Boatswain's Mate. In the mid-1960s he began a 15 year partnership with the Turkish Navy, helping establish a professional school for Turkish naval divers after which he was assigned to the American Embassy in Istanbul as a senior naval representative. He and his driver were shot by terrorists as he drove to work (One was killed in the subsequent police chase, the other two caught, tried and executed later). Washington Star and naval records. Included here as a he was a career professional diver 'at work'
  37. 1980 6 14 Not Recorded USA 27 S/S Air NP 311, Block 197, Cost Well MODU 'Dan Prince', Well No 1, Arco. "The MV 'Ranger' was engaged in sand bagging operations at the drilling rig 'Dan Prince'. The diver went into the water at 18:00 hours to set sandbags around the legs of the drilling rig on the bottom at 88 feet. He came up at 18:43 and passed out after breaking the surface. The diver was brought up on deck where members of the dive crew removed his gear and immediately began CPR treatment. The medic from the 'Dan Prince' came onboard at 18:56. The medic and casualty were put in the DDC at 19:03 hours. A doctor and his assistants entered the chamber at 20:11 hours and remained until the victim was pronounced dead at 20:32 hours. Cause of death was subsequently determined to be decompression sickness. OCS Incidents database 1956 to 1990, page 305
  38. 1980 6 15 Rig 'Bohai 3" China Jack up, blow out, caught fire and burned. 70 fatalities
  39. 1980 8 9 Rig 'Dixilyn Field 81' USA Jack Up, Sunk on location by hurricane 'Allen'
  40. 1980 9 3 Galliano Remy Canada French, from Marseilles, aged 30, just starting as a professional diver onboard the 'Calypso' which was on a trip to film the wrecks of the American warships 'Hamilton' and 'Scourge' sank in 1812 in 90 metres of water. Drowned, coroner recorded 'accidental death'. No details. Montreal Gazzette
  41. 1980 9 18 Not Recorded USA A diver testing effects of cooling water discharge from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) on marine life died Wednesday while collecting samples. No details. Los Angeles Times
  42. 1980 9 25 Ong Ah Lam Singapore SCUBA Aged 53, diver on a fishing vessel (His first trip) which left Singapore on the 16th September, dropped anchor in rough weather but could not lift it when conditions improved on the 24th September. Diver cleared the anchor (depth was not specified at the inquiry) after a 4 hour dive but then complained of stomach pains, weakness in his legs and being unable to urinate. Died the following day 'of acute decompression sickness' whilst en route to Singapore. Coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure. Straits Times
  43. 1980 10 0 Rig 'Okha' Arctic Jack Up, ran aground in bad weather
  44. 1980 10 2 Rig 'Ron Tappmeyer' Saudi Arabia Jack Up, Hasbah Platform well 6, Blow out, 19 fatalities
  45. 1980 10 18 Rig 'Maersk Endurer' Egypt Maersk Jack Up, drilling in the Gulf of Suez, blowout, derrick collapsed, 3 fatalities. Rig renamed as the 'EDC Setty'
  46. 1980 10 22 Rig 'Dan Prince' USA Jack Up, sank during rig move/towing (caught in a storm).
  47. 1980 10 29 O'Sullivan Dermott Norway Oceaneering Diving from the "Sedco Phillips SS", Ekofisk, back injury
  48. 1980 12 2 Franklin John Henry USA Power Plant Maintenance Inc SCUBA Aged 35, diving at the South Carolina Electric and Gas Company power dam on the Savannah River, just upstream of Augusta, clearing obsrructions from the dam's intake grate, found dead inside the power plant the following day. He had been sucked into the turbine - Two had been shut off, he was sucked into the third (live) intake. 6 violations (4 serious, 1 wilful). No lifeline, no in-water diver to maintain visual contact, no safety manual, no person in charge, no stand-by diver, no emergency procedures/equipment. The Albany Herald
  49. 1981 0 0 SI 1981/399 DOW, Diving Operations at Work Regulations came into force
  50. 1981 0 0 Rig 'Bohai 6' China Jack Up, no details
  51. 1981 0 0 Not Recorded Antarctic SCUBA McMurdo research base, American scientist, embolism after using his dry suit as a lift bag to move a piece of steel underwater. He dropped the steel and went straight to the surface. No details. Bonnier Corporation 'SCUBA' News article
  52. 1981 0 0 HMS Edinburgh Salvage Russia 245 Deepest successful diving salvage operation to date, 431 gold ingots recovered from the wreck of HMS 'Edinburgh'
  53. 1981 0 0 Duke Medical Centre USA 686 Chamber dive to 2,250' at the Duke Medical Centre
  54. 1981 2 1 Withheld pending agreement of the diver Gabon Comex 60 S/S Mixed Gas Diver was deployed using SS HeO2 to carry out a short intervention on the subsea experimental template station at Grondin NE field. About 5 min into the dive, diver shouted; "NO AIR" then silence. The standby diver entered the water and located him at about 30 metres tangled in the ROV umbilical with his helmet off. He was unconscious. Brought up to surface and transferred to the DDC attached to the SAT system and given resuscitation and first aid. Breathing was restarted but he remained unconscious. He was blown down to -50m on air. Local Comex diving doctor was flown to the site. She entered the DDC and gave therapeutic medical treatment. The casualty recovered and came out of DDC at end of hyperbaric treatment. He went back to diving and was a member of one of the deepest experimental dive conducted by Comex. The reason for the lack of breathing media could not be ascertained even after multiple tests on the umbilical and panel. The bail out cylinder was found full of water. Reported about a year after that the diving supervisor at the panel admitted not setting up the panel regulator to cater for the water depth.
  55. 1981 2 8 Collins Robert Lee USA Topsides Aged 38, professional diver, died 6 hours after a bomb blew his pick up truck apart in New Orleans - nasty limb loss injuries - . Reports alleged of drug dealing connections, but no details
  56. 1981 5 11 Jackson Fred Canada SCUBA Aged 30, salvage operation at lower Cove Terminal, St John Harbour, New Brunswick, grounded freighter, MV 'Opal', surface suppled equipment available, but diver decided to run a hog line under the hull using SCUBA, returned to the support vessel, then rolled onto his side and sank from view. Immediate search could not find the diver (harbour up to 80' deep, low visibility, high currents). Body recovered six weeks later. Coroner determined the cause as drowning (body was found underwater). However, he had been having pains in his neck, shoulder and chest over the previous two days but no tests/autopsy were not done to determine if he had had a heart attack. PC
  57. 1981 5 16 Not Recorded USA S/S Air West Delta, Block 31, OCS 0016, Platform H, Exxon. "A contract diver was oxy arc cutting well conductors in approximately 45 feet of water when an explosion of unknown origin occurred. A back up diver was sent down. The diver was found unconscious and tangled in his hose with his diver hat and harness off. He was brought to the surface unconscious. 1 fatality. OCS Incidents data 1956-1990, page 250.
  58. 1981 7 1 Espindola Julio Brazil Comex S/S Mixed Gas Gas bell bounce dive. Divers carried out their own decompression from inside the bell. Divers opened the decompression without regulating their decompression and literally decompresed themselvs to death. Possible lack of training, possible language problem (French Supervisor/Brazilian divers). A surface to bell umbilical would have allowed the supervisor to control the rate of decompression. Double fatality (Dominique Chanfays). PC
  59. 1981 7 1 Chanfays Dominique Brazil Comex S/S Mixed Gas Gas bell bounce dive. Divers carried out their own decompression from inside the bell. Divers opened the decompression without regulating their decompression and literally decompressed themselvs to death. Possible lack of training, possible language problem (French Supervisor/Brazilian divers). A surface to bell umbilical would have allowed the supervisor to control the rate of decompression. Double fatality (Julio Espindola). PC
  60. 1981 7 11 Craig Gordon UAE Comex S/S Air Installing a welding habitat onto a pipeline in the Zakum Field. Habitat 'hung up' and the diver , wearing a band-mask, was looking for the cause when it dropped, head crushed, died instantly.
  61. 1981 7 24 Tay Ah Sai Singapore Aged 41, Fisherman. Vessel owner testified at the inquest that the diver surfaced after half an hour underwater complaining that he felt like he was 'dying'. Two crew members went back into the sea with him to get rid of his bends but he died later of acute decompression sickness. Verdict:- Death by misadventure. Straits Times
  62. 1981 8 27 Rig 'Petromar V' Thailand Drillship, sank after a blowout (Is this a duplicate rport for the "Petromadrill Norhsea" (sank mid 1980s in similar circumstances)
  63. 1981 10 20 Lee Patrick Singapore SCUBA Aged 21, one of a team of 8 divers, he was reported missing during diving operations to clean the hull of the supply vessel 'Chinta' off Clifford Pier. Around noon they began to run low on air and indicated they were surfacing, he signalled them to carry on. When he failed to surface the other 7 dived in to look for him but not locate him. Not clear if his body was ever recovered. Straits Times
  64. 1981 12 26 Marmion Mathew USA Aged 20, Long Beach harbour, drowned after getting trapped in an underwater intake of the tanker 'Arco Alaska'. Reported in the Los Angeles times, Telegraph Herald
  65. 1982 0 0 Rig 'Banzala' Angola Jack Up, blowout (Shallow gas?) sank
  66. 1982 0 0 Not Recorded Australia SubSea International 152 S/S Mixed Gas Possibly a bounce dive, bell port started leaking on the bottom, (investigation revealed that the wrong size 'O' ring had been used), they started flushing out with gas, may have run out of gas, so brought the bell up from 500 fsw with the door open On surface, the divers fell out and were re-compressed in sat system. One diver who was conscious and asked for valium for the other diver, but it was denied. The second diver died of heart attack, the other survived. The surviving diver was possibly named Dolan or Doolan, but we have no real details. Date? Vessel? Persons involved? Personal communication. OK guys, who has any additional detail on this 'lost' incident? (Or any others) TC
  67. 1982 0 0 Not Recorded USSR Military 50 Training dive in Lake Baikal. Reported that during the dive they saw “a group of humanoids dressed in silvery suits�. They tried to catch them, in the process 3 trainees died and 4 were injured. Reported lifted from declassified Soviet “UFO encounter� records in 2009 (Whether you believe narcosis/bad gas/a training error or “Aliens� is up to you, TC)
  68. 1982 0 0 Gunderson USA SCUBA Paraphrased from press reports from 19/9/2009- “Jerry Gunderson, aged 75, started diving for golf balls in 1953, when he was 19. His passion for diving for golf balls led to the founding of a chain of seven golf-supply stores, was found dead in the centre of the lake at the Deer Creek Country Club in Deerfield Beach on Saturday. Drowned. One of his sons died while diving for golf balls in a lake 27 years ago. "I lost my brother to the water, too," said Jerry Gunderson's other son, Marc, 53 who used to dive for golf balls himself. Jerry Gunderson started retrieving, collecting and reselling golf balls soon after his first dive as a teenager. At first, it was the simple act of fishing out the golf balls in a Lake Worth course in the 1950s, washing them, and reselling them. But he went on to build a Deerfield Beach-based chain of golf-supply stores called International Golf. He sold the business a few years ago and worked as a freelance diver for smaller companies.
  69. 1982 0 0 Andersom, USN SI Martin USA USN Died in a diving accident related to recovering a torpedo
  70. 1982 1 16 Shelton, USN SA Leslie C USN US N Submarine “Grayback�, converted for SEAL deployment with diver lockout and SDVs (Swimmer Delivery Systems). Onboard decompression chamber accident during launch/recovery cycle, five fatalities, one survivor. The Bulletin
  71. 1982 1 16 Robinson, USN ENS William C USN US N Submarine “Grayback�, converted for SEAL deployment with diver lockout and SDVs (Swimmer Delivery Systems). Onboard decompression chamber accident during launch/recovery cycle, five fatalities, one survivor. The Bulletin
  72. 1982 1 16 Fitz, USN FN Rodney L USN US N Submarine “Grayback�, converted for SEAL deployment with diver lockout and SDVs (Swimmer Delivery Systems). Onboard decompression chamber accident during launch/recovery cycle, five fatalities, one survivor. The Bulletin
  73. 1982 1 16 Bond, USN PO3 Richard D USN US N Submarine “Grayback�, converted for SEAL deployment with diver lockout and SDVs (Swimmer Delivery Systems). Onboard decompression chamber accident during launch/recovery cycle, five fatalities, one survivor. The Bulletin
  74. 1982 1 16 Bloomer, USN PO2 Charles W USN US N Submarine “Grayback�, converted for SEAL deployment with diver lockout and SDVs (Swimmer Delivery Systems). Onboard decompression chamber accident during launch/recovery cycle, five fatalities, one survivor. The Bulletin
  75. 1982 2 15 Rig 'Ocean Ranger' Canada Hydrospace (subsidiary of Taylor Diving Services) Conflicting information that the contractor was Fraser Diving, not Hydrospace Marine Services, a subsidiary of Taylor Diving and Salvage, set up to bid for upcoming Canadian (Hibernia) work. Also that the Sedco 706 was drilling in the same vicinity as the Ocean Ranger (about 10 miles away) and got hit on the same night around the same time by a monster/rogue wave reported as 80' to 90' that stove in the starboard firewall and ripped off the Avgas containers and other fixed equipment. At that time rigs did not carry survival suits and the divers did not routinely carry dry suits offshore. Reported that a lifeboat was successfully launched but collided with the standby vessel as they came alonside to transfer and sank (all aboard perished)
  76. 1982 2 15 Rig 'Ocean Ranger' Canada Odeco Semi Submersible,drillig well J-34, Hibernia field for Mobil, sank in a storm off Newfoundland, wave broke porthole/window, seawater in ballast control electrics, listed, rolled over and sank, 84 fatalities, no survivors
  77. 1982 2 15 Morrison Perry Canada Hydrospace Saturation Canadian, aged 24, diver in sat onboard the Ocean Ranger which sank in a storm with the loss of all 84 personnel onboard. How many other divers were onboard, which contractor,?
  78. 1982 2 15 Mitchell Gord Canada Hydrospace Saturation Diver in sat onboard the Ocean Ranger which sank in a storm with the loss of all 84 personnel onboard. How many other divers were onboard?
  79. 1982 2 15 Miller Wayne Canada Hydrospace Saturation Diver in sat onboard the Ocean Ranger which sank in a storm with the loss of all 84 personnel onboard. How many other divers were onboard?
  80. 1982 2 15 Halliday Norman Canada Hydrospace Saturation Diver in sat onboard the Ocean Ranger which sank in a storm with the loss of all 84 personnel onboard. How many other divers were onboard?
  81. 1982 2 15 Crawford Gary Canada Hydrospace Saturation Diver in sat onboard the Ocean Ranger which sank in a storm with the loss of all 84 personnel onboard. How many other divers were onboard?
  82. 1982 3 0 Heavnor Tom USA 70 S/S Air American , aged 39. Had chartered the salvage barge “St Peter� out of Port Townsend and were inspecting a sunken oil barge off the West Whidbey Island for recoverable metal when Heavenor's air lines became entangled, his standby diver, Doug Anderson entered the water to assist on SCUBA. Neither diver surfaced. Heavnor's body was recovered later by commercial divers from the tug “Constellation� which responded to distress calls. Double fatality. Unclear if Anderson's body was ever recovered.
  83. 1982 3 13 Anderson Doug USA 70 SCUBA American, aged 34. Had chartered the salvage barge “St Peter� out of Port Townsend and were inspecting a sunken oil barge off the West Whidbey Island for recoverable metal when Heavenor's air lines became entangled, Doug Anderson, acting as standby, entered the water to assist on SCUBA. Neither diver surfaced. Heavnor's body was recovered later by commercial divers from the tug “Constellation� which responded to distress calls.. Double fatality. Unclear if Anderson's body was ever recovered
  84. 1982 5 28 Ming Allan Indonesia Oceaneering Topsides Singaporean, one of 7 passengers who died when a Perlita Air Services 'Puma' crashed into the sea en route to Natuna Island from a Gulf Oil installation. At least three of the passengers (Henry lim Kim Bin, Leong way Hok and Allan Ming) were divers working for Oceaneering Singapore. Straits Times
  85. 1982 5 28 Hok Leong Way Indonesia Oceaneering Topsides Singaporean, one of 7 passengers who died when a Perlita Air Services 'Puma' crashed into the sea en route to Natuna Island from a Gulf Oil installation. At least three of the passengers (Henry lim Kim Bin, Leong way Hok and Allan Ming) were divers working for Oceaneering Singapore. Straits Times
  86. 1982 5 28 Bin Henry Lim Kim Indonesia Oceaneering Topsides Singaporean, aged 26, one of 7 passengers who died when a Perlita Air Services 'Puma' crashed into the sea en route to Natuna Island from a Gulf Oil installation. At least three of the passengers (Henry lim Kim Bin, Leong way Hok and Allan Ming) were divers working for Oceaneering Singapore. He was coming ashore to be married two days later, his fiancee was 22. Straits Times
  87. 1982 6 17 Not Recorded USA S/S Air A commercial deep sea diver died after his air hose became wrapped around his neck while diving near San Clemente Island. Los Angeles Times
  88. 1982 6 25 McCarty Michael USA 14 SCUBA "Navy SCUBA diver died Friday afternoon 45 feet under the waters of Long Beach Harbour under the World War II Battleship 'New …. ?" Reported as a 'valve malfunction'. Los Angeles Times
  89. 1982 9 8 Guan Gan Chong Singapore Underwater Maintenance Pte Operations manager of the diving company, working off the barge 'Ocean Moon' on the tanker Piotou at the Sultan Shoal, found floating near the stern. Contradictory medical testimony (one doctor said drowning, another said acute decompression sickness) and the coroner recorded an open verdict. Straits Times
  90. 1982 10 10 Statistics Reported in an article in the Connecticut paper “The Day� that “Records kept by the National Underwater Accident Data Center at the University of Rhode Island show that 167 commercial divers working for US firms were killed on the job between 1970 and 1981� I guess we still have a lot of data to collect - TC
  91. 1982 10 27 Clark R. Kelly USA Crom Corporation SCUBA Aged 34, working in a 3 million gallon municipal water tank, looking for a leak, sucked into a pipe at the bottom of the tank, body recovered an hour later. The pipe acted as both inlet and outlest into the tank (balance pipe). "The president of the company said the divers had been in the tank 'for some time' and he had felt water coming into the tank. He said no one knows why water suddenly started flowing out". Gainsville Sun.
  92. 1982 10 29 Phillips Derek UK Wharton Williams Taylor 15 S/S Air British, aged 24. ex RN ship's diver working off the DSV "Shearwater Aquamarine". Shallow DP diving, diver was undertaking a seabed survey, DP failure (active drive off), diver was dragged off the job and then apparently ditched his helmet (KB17), body lost, recovered 9 months later� As reported by a fellow diver “He was my room mate on the Polar Queen. The story goes he was diving from a basket when the Aquamarine ran off DP. Derek thought, or so we think he thought, that his umbilical was in the prop. He removed all his equipment and drowned. In the months before the fatality we had a near miss on the Polar Queen when another diver’s umbilical was caught in the prop. This diver removed his gear and was saved. However he was in a basket with spare air and had help. The feeling is that Derek was trying the same technique however he was on the bottom, on his own, with a hot water suit and not wearing fins. The result was inevitable�
  93. 1982 44 27 Rivera Anibal Argentina S/S Air Vomited underwater. Died. No details. PC
  94. 1983 0 0 Rig 'Neptune Gascoigne' Brazil Jack Up, lost legs, later renamed 'Rigmar 151', eventually sank in January 1998
  95. 1983 0 0 Rig 'Cerveza' Blowout
  96. 1983 0 0 Not Recorded Iraq 90 S/S Mixed Gas Inland dam diving operation, at altitude, using semi closed, surface supplied mixed gas (trimix) with comms line (No video). Client rep wanted to inspect work carried our by divers, he was only qualified to 60 metres (max air range under French regs), he was not familiar with equipment or depth. Lost control of breathing equipment during descent, was rescued and put in on-site DDC but failed to respond to treatment. PC
  97. 1983 1 10 Bowes Bob GOM 6 S/S Air Houma, tender making first dive, recovering drill string that had fallen off a barge, hose pinched, no bailout, found under barge, drowned.
  98. 1983 2 7 Drillship 'Glomar Grand Isle' Indonesia Blow out and fire
  99. 1983 3 16 Pedersen Jarle Norway 7 Norwegian, aged 29, Seaway Falcon, umbilical drawn into stern thruster.
  100. 1983 3 31 Burgess William Australia Diver awarded $302,304. The Canberra Times Thursday 31 March 1983. Diver awarded $302,304 SYDNEY: A professional diver, critically injured when the direct-drive engine of a harbour ferry started as he was inspecting its propeller, was awarded $302,304 damages in the Supreme Court yesterday. The diver, Mr. John William Burgess, had his right arm cut off above…� Date of award, not incident.
  101. 1983 4 29 Underhill Ernest USA Police SCUBA Aged 32, Sheriff's Deputy, off duty, Little Muskegon dam, helping village employees replace metal plates/grills over openings in the dam wall but got sucked head first into a 4' wide. 8� high opening. Rescuers tried for 5 hours to pull him out, while his wife watched, eventually breaking his surface line, His legs and feet were visible, but the water pressure kept him trapped. 'He was just helping out'.
  102. 1983 5 6 Schumacher Edward USA 24 S/S Air Aged 26, one of a 7 man diving team working off a barge over a newly laid section of the tunnel of the third Elizabeth River tunnel between Norfolk and Portsmouth, became entangled underwater at arounf 16:25. Recovered by stand-by divers, transferred to a decompression chamber at the Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk but died of 'heart failure' just afyer 19:00 hours. The Free Lance-Star
  103. 1983 6 2 Wallace R M UK Mobell Marine 16 SCUBA British, aged 30. Diving from inflatable, body recovered with SCUBA mouthpiece out of mouth, drowned
  104. 1983 6 20 Podt Jan H Canada Wijsmuler Salvage Saturation Aged 31 from Holten, one of two (The other was Meinbert J Bouwhuis) Dutch divers who died in underwater explosions either cutting into a compartment (oxy/arc??) or using ramset guns during salvage operations on the Ocean Ranger (Sank in a storm February 15th 1982) off the barge 'Ocean Servant 2', no details. After a third diver was killed less than a week later, salvage operations were suspended for an investigation. Spokane Chronicle/Ottawa Citizen
  105. 1983 6 20 Bouhuis Meinbert J Canada Wijsmuler Salvage Saturation Aged 22 from Vlaardinger, one of two (The other was Jan Podt) Dutch divers who died in underwater explosions either cutting into a compartment (oxy/arc??) or using ramset guns during salvage operations on the Ocean Ranger (Sank in a storm February 15th 1982) off the barge 'Ocean Servant 2', no details. After a third diver was killed less than a week later, salvage operations were suspended for an investigation. Spokane Chronicle/Ottawa Citizen
  106. 1983 6 21 Yeo Sgt. Soon Seng Singapore Commando Surface Swimmer Aged 22, First Commando Battalion, diver training circuit swimming exercise with 7 other trainees on 13th June. Surfaced in distress before sinking from sight, found unconcious in the sea and taken to Toa Payoh Hospital where he died 8 days later of bronchial pneumonia. Coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure. Straits Times
  107. 1983 6 26 Oselton Robert P Canada Wijsmuler Salvage Saturation British, aged 37 or 38 from Portsmouth, third diver to die in a week during salvage operations on the Ocean Ranger (Sank in a storm Feb 15th 1982 with a loss of 84 persons), diving from the salvage barge 'Ocean Servant 2' thought to be a dropped object, but no details, salvage operations were suspended for an investigation. Spokane Chronicle/Ottawa Citizen
  108. 1983 7 20 Rig 'Penrod 52' USA Jack Up, blow out, collapsed.
  109. 1983 8 18 LaFollette Ricky A USA Police 30 SCUBA American police diver aged 30, Louisville, Kentucky, experienced, night training exercise using new communication equipment, did not respond to calls, believed to have become disorientated in the dark and descended rather than ascended, drowned.
  110. 1983 9 1 Rig 'Key Biscayne' Australia Esso, Key International Had completed a well in the Arafura Sea, 180 miles northeast of Darwin, Australia, moving to stack the rig in Cockburn Sound near Fremantle towed by the Atlas Van Diemen and the Lady Sonia with the Argus Guard as stand-by vessel. On Wednesday 24 August 1983, both tow lines parted and were reconnected by the early hours of Thursday 25 Aug. The rig then rounded the NW Cape and passed Shark Bay, experiencing slight seas but no problems. On Sunday 28 Aug, the weather began to worsen with force 6-7 winds, rough seas and 6-7m swells. On the evening of the Sunday 28 Aug, both tow lines were again lost. The rig was pitching and rolling heavily with the sea constantly washing over the main deck, causing damage to the rig from smaller cargo items which were washed around the main deck. There was some suspicion that sections of the deck plating had been fractured causing leaks, and water taken onboard during the bad weather was pumped out. By Monday 29 Aug, both tow lines were reconnected and the tow resumed in more moderate weather. By midnight of 31 Aug, gale force conditions sprang up with high winds, rough seas and 6m swells buffeting the rig. At 0644 hours on Thurs 01 September, the Lady Sonia tow line parted and the Atlas Van Diemen attempted to hold rig into the wind, although both vessels were being driven easterly towards the shore. The rig appeared to be pitching more to the stern than the bow with the sea continually washing over the main deck, indicating that some flooding of the aft tanks may have occurred. On the morning of 01 Sep, it became obvious that the rig was settling to the stern and the rig reported water overflowing from the aft pump room into the port-side sack room. The worsening situation led to the decision to evacuate non-essential personnel and a MAYDAY was sent at 0930 hours on 01 Sep. By this time, a charter helicopter had arrived on scene but the pilot could not land due to the excessive pitching of the rig. Two defence force choppers were despatched and were able to winch off eight crew, after which there was a lull in the weather and the charter chopper managed to lift off another ten. By 1230 hours, only ten essential crew were left aboard. Through the day, the rig began settling to the stern and listing to starboard, with heavy seas washing over deck. The bow was observed lifting clear of the sea, with the rig pitching 10 degrees forward, 25 degrees back and rolling 15 degrees to each side. The rig's Manual of Operations specified that the rig's pitch or roll should not exceed 5 degrees. After a number of unsuccessful attempts to re-attach the towline, all line-throwing rockets had been used and conditions on the deck became too hazardous for work. Ten nautical miles off Ledge Point, the rig's port anchor was let go to help hold the rig. The remaining crew were then evacuated at 1620 hours, with the intention of returning the following day. At 1730 hours, the rig anchor parted. At 1845 hours, the Atlas Van Diemen towline parted. The Argus Guard then turned to starboard to clear the rig. After the turn, the rig was no longer visible and radar contact had been lost. The rig had capsized in 41m of water, landing inverted on the seabed with two of its legs bent or broken under the rig. The third leg lay broken off away from the rig. The attitude of the rig on the seabed indicated that it had tipped over backwards. Loss of directional control and gale force conditions were cited as the main factors in the accident. Loss of watertight integrity and flooding through possible hull fractures caused by excessive leg oscillation experienced as the rig pitched and rolled were also named as contributory factors. Reported by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. The wreck is now a well known SCUBA diving site.
  111. 1983 9 9 Rig '60 Years of Azerbaijan' Azerbaijan Jack up, drilling in the Caspian Sea, Recorded as seabed failure due to volcanic action (shallow gas/punch through?). 5 fatalities
  112. 1983 10 25 Drillship 'Glomar Java Sea' South China Sea Arco Capsised in tropical storm 'Lex'off Hainan Island (China), 81 fatalities. Rumours of survivors held in vietnam camps never substantiated. Was there a dive team onboard?
  113. 1983 10 30 Not Recorded Malaysia Pearl diver Topsides Japanese pear diver working a vessel 30 km off Semporna, Sabah. The vessel was attacked by pirates, he was shot dead, two other divers were injured. Straits Times
  114. 1983 10 30 Bergersen Bjorn Giaever Norway Comex Houlder 0 Saturation Norwegian, aged 29. Drill rig "Byford Dolphin", Frigg field, explosive decompression of sat system when TUP clamp failed. No interlock, 5 fatalities
  115. 1983 11 5 Saunders Martin Andrew Norway Comex Houlder 0 Saturation Drill rig "Byford Dolphin", Frigg field, explosive decompression of sat system when TUP clamp failed, 5 fatalities, one serious injury
  116. 1983 11 5 Lucas Roy P Norway Comex Houlder 0 Saturation British, aged 38. Drill rig "Byford Dolphin", Frigg field, explosive decompression of sat system when TUP clamp failed, 5 fatalities
  117. 1983 11 5 Hellevik Truls Norway Comex Houlder 0 Saturation Norwegian, aged 34. Drill rig "Byford Dolphin", Frigg field, explosive decompression of sat system when TUP clamp failed, 5 fatalities
  118. 1983 11 5 Crammond William Brown Norway Comex Houlder 0 Saturation British, aged 32. Drill rig "Byford Dolphin", Frigg field, explosive decompression of sat system when TUP clamp failed, 5 fatalities
  119. 1983 11 5 Cowards Edwin Arthur Norway Comex Houlder 0 Saturation British, aged 35. Drill rig "Byford Dolphin", Frigg field, explosive decompression of sat system when TUP clamp failed, 5 fatalities
  120. 1984 0 0 Rig 'Treasure Seeker' Norway Semi Submersible, blow out, shallow gas
  121. 1984 0 0 Rig 'Ali Baba' Semi Sub, broke moorings, went adrift and then went aground.
  122. 1984 0 0 Not Recorded Tunisia 67 S/S Mixed Gas During in-water decompression, supervisor on board the vessel shifted to oxygen supply at 6 m. 2 minutes later diver surfaced, become unconscious on being pulled into an inflatable (standing by) where he was recovered in seconds. Could not be resuscitated The oxygen supply line had a filter partly covered with teflon fibers from the fittings. Check showed oxygen supply pressure but reduced flow. Diver, very experienced, did not operate his bailout for unknown reasons
  123. 1984 0 0 Gray Kevin Saudi Arabia Wharton Williams The Isle of Man's hyperbaric Chamber has been operated by the Kevin Gray Memorial Trust since 1984 when Manx local commercial diver Kevin Gray died while working in Saudi Arabia. Following his death, his employer Wharton Williams donated one of its chambers to the Island for divers in the Irish Sea.
  124. 1984 2 0 McKerlich Sarge UK ? 12 SCUBA (Elder brother of Jock McKerlich who died in the late 70s). Scallop diving? Ex sat diver, MFV "Boy John", Plock of Kyle. First dive after misunderstanding with diving doctor, he should never have returned to diving after a major deck accident offshore.
  125. 1984 2 21 Mackey Tom UK Subsea Offshore 9 Chamber Aged 28, Ex Glasgow shipyard welder, welding instructor for Subsea Offshore. Had just completed air diver training and was hoping to go offshore as a welder/diver. Aberdeen, Chamber dive, low O2, Anoxia, Double fatality (Dave Bowmar). Welding trials, initially reported as nitrox dive and that techs put CO2 on line instead of O2 during decompression, then reported to have been at the start of an air saturation at 30', but was most likely 'just' an air dive., LP air compressor was putting out too high a pressure (divers on AGA masks) and in order to adjust the pressure, the technician turned off the supply to dive control, supervisor switched to HP gas quad and then back to LP once the compressor was back on line, but divers were unconscious. Chamber surfaced, Tom Mackey dead on site, Dave Bowmar died in hospital. HP gas quad (pink but labelled “21% oxygen�) was actually virtually pure Nitrogen (gas in quad not analysed, panel O2 analysers not on line). Glasgow Herald
  126. 1984 2 21 Bowmar Dave UK Subsea Offshore 9 Chamber Experienced air diver. Aberdeen, Chamber dive, low O2, Anoxia, Double fatality (Tom Mackey). Welding trials, Initially reported as nitrox dive and that techs put CO2 on line instead of O2 during decompression, then reported to have been at the start of an air saturation at 30', but was most likely 'just' an air dive. LP air compressor was putting out too high a pressure (divers on AGA masks) and in order to adjust the pressure, the technician turned off the supply to dive control, supervisor switched to HP gas quad and then back to LP once the compressor was back on line, but divers were unconscious. Chamber surfaced, Tom Mackey dead on site, Dave Bowmar died in hospital. HP gas quad (pink but labelled “21% oxygen�) was actually virtually pure Nitrogen (gas in quad not analysed, panel O2 analysers not on line). Glasgow Herald
  127. 1984 2 22 Rig 'Vinland" Canada Shell Semi Submersible, Blow out during drilling of Uniacke G-72
  128. 1984 2 22 Camejo Joao Lazaro Brazil Superpesa Brazilian. Semi-sub drill rig "Zephyr II", ODECO. No details
  129. 1984 5 4 Lawson George UK Comex 140 Saturation Diving off the DSV "Kingsnorth Explorer", oxy/Arc cutting, rendered unconscious by an explosion. Face plate blown in, ruptured eardrums, right side pneumothorax, rescued by bellman Neil Wiggins (died December 2003) who was awarded the Frank Dearman award for bravery and a Queen’s Commendation. (The same diver was again called upon in 1987 when he saved two hypothermic divers, Fred McNally and Kanute Monstra, from a stranded welding habitat). MCDOA website
  130. 1984 7 19 Nielsen Lt. Jorgen Seligmann Denmark Navy Died on a training exercise dive at the Navy Seal combat training failities in Kongsore harbour due to an explosive charge being detonated close to him in error. Reported by navalhistory.dk
  131. 1984 8 16 Dawson Mark UK Oceaneering 43 S/S Air British, aged 22. DSV "Deurloo", Southern North Sea, Leman Field, using a drill, rope entangled in rotating drill, pulled off his KM 18 band mask, drowned
  132. 1984 8 19 Siver Ronald J USA Police 23 SCUBA American police diver, Rochester, New York. Attempting to find the body of a man who died in a boating accident, suffered unknown problems, drowned
  133. 1984 9 14 Rig 'Zapata Lexington' USA Jack Up, blow out and fire, 4 fatalites
  134. 1984 11 16 Vessel 'Brigitta Montanari' Yugoslavia 82 The Maltese flagged, Italian owned, chemical tanker, the Brigitta Montanari (Built 1975, 68 metres in length, 1297 GRT) carrying 1,390 tonnes of vinyl chloride monomer (‘VCM’, toxic, explosive and carcinogenic) sank in a storm in the Adriatic Sea on 16 November 1984 in 82m water depth 15 miles off the coastal town of Sibenik (Yugoslavia) with the loss of 3 of its 12 man crew. The sinking was attributed to a loss of stability (improperly loaded cargo, raised metacentre) following a sudden change of course. The VCM was carried in four tanks, two below deck (each 523 tonnes) and two above deck (202 and 247 tonnes). The wreck was known to be leaking toxic chemicals adjacent to the Kornati national park, an area popular with tourists. An initial salvage operation in 1985 was suspended after the death of two Navy divers (Dragutin Siljevinac and Hussein Hadzic) and injury of a third (Dragisa Koprivica) in an uncontrolled bell ascent incident (Lost bell weights) on the 25th September 1985. During successive salvage campaigns the wreck was righted (It had sunk on it’s starboard side), lifted to between 25 and 30 metres water depth (Above that depth the VCM goes from liquid to gaseous phase), and moved to a sheltered area. The VCM was then displaced by seawater and pumped into surface vessels. Following the aborted salvage using saturation divers in 1985, subsequent dives were completed using either gas bounce or air (Over 150 heliox bounce dives were undertaken below 55 metres, the dive between 30 and 55 metres were done using the same bell system on air). There does not appear to have been any follow up study on diver’s health after their exposure to VCM throughout the salvage operation. Centre of Marine Research, Zagreb
  135. 1984 11 24 Edie Winfield S USA Police 4 SCUBA American police diver aged 29, Wenatchee, Washington State. First open water training dive, surfaced, yelled for help, sank, resurfaced, yelled again and sank, found on the bottom in 12' of water, could not be resuscitated
  136. 1984 12 12 Uyeda Engine Man 2nd Class Michael R Honduras US Special Forces SCUBA Aged 22, Special Boat Unit 24 based at Naval Amphibious Base at Little Creek, Va. "Two Navy divers killed blasting Honduran Logjam". Among around 40 special forces dispatched to Honduras to join the Destroyer USS Caron for exercise 'Kings Guard', a coastal surveillance exercise involving the Caron and other vessels from Honduras and El Salvador. As the exercise was winfing down, the Navy dipatched Fusco and Uyedo to the east coast of Honduras for a 'civic action' to help residents of six small villages who had been totally isolated for several years because of log jams on the Amatingri river. The two apparently placed 14 pounds of C4 on a large log jam in a lagoon but they apparently failed to move their small boat far enough away. One man died at the scene, the second died en route to hospital in Comayagua. Shenectady Gazette
  137. 1984 12 12 Not Recorded USA 20 S/S Air NO 03-07, Block 631, OCS-Y 0511, Sedco 708, Well No 1, Atlantic Richfield. "The diver left surface at 11:55 hours to work on an anchor at 65 feet. At approximately 12:35 hours, a garbled message came over the diving phone. The crew could not get an understandable response from the diver. He was observed at the surface trying to climb the ladder to the landing. He fell back into the water. One man climbed down the ladder and another jumped into the water to help. The diver lost consciousness and the two men got him to the landing. He was not breathing and had no pulse. CPR was started and he was moved to the DDC. CPR was continued until the doctor arrived at 18:28 hours and pronounced the victim dead. Cause of death was subsequently determined to be air embolism. OCS incidents database 1956 to 1990, page 306
  138. 1984 12 12 Fusco Quartermaster Seaman Arthur A. Honduras US Special Forces SCUBA Aged 24, Seal team 4 based at Naval Amphibious Base at Little Creek, Va. "Two Navy divers killed blasting Honduran Logjam". Among around 40 special forces dispatched to Honduras to join the Destroyer USS Caron for exercise 'Kings Guard', a coastal surveillance exercise involving the Caron and other vessels from Honduras and El Salvador. As the exercise was winfing down, the Navy dipatched Fusco and Uyedo to the east coast of Honduras for a 'civic action' to help residents of six small villages who had been totally isolated for several years because of log jams on the Amatingri river. The two apparently placed 14 pounds of C4 on a large log jam in a lagoon but they apparently failed to move their small boat far enough away. One man died at the scene, the second died en route to hospital in Comayagua. Shenectady Gazette
  139. 1985 0 0 Yacob Samsi bin Malaysia BUE Malaysia SCUBA Diving off the DB Thor (8 point anchored crane barge, built 1972 from a 20-year-old vessel (The ‘Veedol’ built 1955) which was cut in half (The stern section was converted to a bulk oil carrier). Its old bow was towed to Rotterdam and used as the basis for a new vessel, ‘WS Thor’, IMO No 8626898, launched in 1974, a diving support derrick pontoon for operation in the North Sea. It was fitted out with, among other things, a diving bell, compression chambers, and pile-driving hammers. In 1982 she was renamed the DB Thor, in 1989 she became the McDermott DB 52, final fate of the vessel is not known ). The diver had swum a line under the barge and was being recovered to deck in a diving basket when it was hit by the swell and he fell out. He had used the line as a lifeline during his swim but had tied it off to the basket. Body never recovered. PC
  140. 1985 0 0 Scott Steve "Joe 90" India Stena Topsides DSV Nand Shamik, Bombay High, launching zodiac, crane came up on load, no sensor, head-ache ball pulled into sheave, wire parted, head-ache ball dropped onto zodiac/divers legs, boat folded pushing divers head into head-ache ball, died instantly
  141. 1985 0 0 Rig 'Zapata Enterprise' Indonesia Jack Up, drilling off Java, blow out and fire
  142. 1985 0 0 Not Recorded Brazil Superpesa 120 Saturation Campos basin, DSV Flexservice 1, oxy/arc torch not working, taken back to the bell for checking, flash fire, two divers died of burns
  143. 1985 0 0 Kirkpatrick Jock Middle East McDermott 15 Saturation Paraphrased from a personal communication (Names removed and some of the more acrimonious details moderated or removed - apologies to all, but one has to be circumspect with some of this stuff, TC ):- “Sub Sea had seconded 6 welder divers to McDermotts for a job in the Red Sea off the DB 27. At the time of the incident, the AODC was debating the issue of a minimum of 2% O2 in the base gas, McDermott disagreed with it, one reason was "It will be difficult for the LST to calculate blow down", the job was an air sat weld at around 15 - 21 msw, the industry had just started using air sat's then, air being cheaper than Heliox, base gas was pure N2. The dive panel was an “in-house� built very small dive/sat panel. One of the chambers wasn't being used, so the take off was being used to flow gas to the welding habitat to keep the water out. During the dive (Air sat, so as usual at the time, the attitude of "Oh its only an air dive, don't need to analyze the divers gas", and the analyzer was either turned off or not even installed. One of the chambers had lost a few FSW, so the dive sup reached over, turned off the air supply to the sat panel which was supplying air to the habitat, turned on the N2, which was chamber make up, made up, and put air back on. Unbeknown to all at the time, the sat panel and dive panel had no check valves installed, N2 around 200 psi, air around 150 psi, (either way, the N2 to the sat panel was higher than the air to the dive panel), N2 tracked over to the dive panel, down to the diver, and zap, diver passed out from being given pure nitrogen. Initially not knowing what had happened, they were going to jump the bell man, (who was on same gas supply). Fortunately, before he donned his mask the bellman saw the diver underneath the bell and pulled him in, but he failed to respond to treatment. After the fatality, a SSOL safety rep was mobilized to the job in to carry out an investigation, (because of the 6 SSOL divers in sat). The panel designer/builder also arrived on site with a dive tech, SSOL told the dive tech to disconnect the line connecting both panels, and the crew to mix up the N2 base gas to around 9% to give a PPO2 of around 210 mbs at the working depth, (Think it was around 50 fsw). This was done, but as the investigation team was departing they noticed that the dive tech had connected the pipe up again, when he was asked why, he said "Well it hasn't happened before, and will probably not happen again.............." There were rumours that the dive supervisors were reluctant to sign off the dive logs and reports that showed the fatality was due to pure N2.
  144. 1985 0 0 Arnold Al USA Taylor Diving American, mid-umbilical fitting pulled apart, lost gas, attempted to reach open bottom bell but found unconscious just outside. Did not activate his bailout.
  145. 1985 1 0 Rig 'Glomar Arctic II' UK Semi Sub, explosion in pump room, 2 fatalities
  146. 1985 1 8 Berlendis Claudio UK Saturation 31 year old Italian electrician from Bergamo working on the hyperbaric lifeboat of the DSV Wilchief (Sat system was built by Drass, Italy) in Aberdeen harbour killed in an explosion. Cause reported as build up of hydrogen and oxygen from the batteries in a non-ventilated compartment ignited by a electrical switch. The Glasgow Herald
  147. 1985 1 15 Belleque Arthur A “Jerry� USA SCUBA Commercial fishing operation in the Columbia river, diving to remove snags from the river bed using a drag net and two boats. Pulled from the river alive but died in hospital. Sheriff stated it was possible he had died of natural causes, but an autopsy was planned. No further details
  148. 1985 1 23 Washington Luis Brazil Comex Saturation Incorrect oil (selected only for oxygen compatibility, management of change process not followed) used in regeneration system coupled with a series of circumstances that allowed the oil to come into direct contact with a heater element. The oil broke down producing by-products that included phosgene and fluoridic acid gases that were released into the chamber atmoshere. Cause of death recorded as lung oedema. Double fatality (Ruben Cavalcanti). PC
  149. 1985 1 23 Cavalcanti Ruben Brazil Comex Saturation Incorrect oil (selected only for oxygen compatibility, management of change process not followed) used in regeneration system coupled with a series of circumstances that allowed the oil to come into direct contact with a heater element. The oil broke down producing by-products that included phosgene and fluoridic acid gases that were released into the chamber atmoshere. Cause of death recorded as lung oedema. Double fatality (Luis Washington). PC
  150. 1985 3 26 Workman Jim USA 9 S/S Air American, aged 29, umbilical cut by passing boat propeller, drowned
  151. 1985 5 4 Hines Bruce USA Mel Fisher American, aged 32, salvage operation for professional treasure hunter Mel Fisher off Johns Island, Florida, moving an anchor off the wreck of the 'Endeavour' pulled from the water 27th April but died several days in Humana Hospital due to complications arising from bronchial pneumonia. No real details, Miami Herald.
  152. 1985 5 22 Tonkawa USA Temple Drilling 6 Drill rig with crew of 22, under tow overturned in 19' of water, divers cut two men out of the upturned hull 5 hours later, 6 fatalities. Los Angeles Times
  153. 1985 6 0 Rig 'Dixilyn Field 82' Indian Ocean Jack Up, sank during towing (caught in a storm).
  154. 1985 6 14 Not Recorded USA South Marsh, Block 41, OCS0G 1192, Platform A, Chevron. "A diver was installing a caisson centraliser when his thumb was caught and severed between the conductor and centraliser". OCS Incidents 1956-1990, page 270
  155. 1985 6 15 Stethem Robert Dean Lebanon USN Topsides Aged 24, US Navy construction diver with the Seabees. TWA Flight 847 was on its way from Athens to Rome when it was hijacked by Shiite Muslims sympathetic to the Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran’s leader at the time. The US Navy Seabee team was returning to the U.S. after a training mission in Egypt. When the plane landed in Beirut, Navy diver Robert Stethem was shot and killed, his body dumped on the tarmac.The Commander and five Navy divers were held captive for 17 days in Beirut, Lebanon.
  156. 1985 9 0 Not Recorded Yugoslavia 79 The Brigitta Montanari sank in a storm on Nov. 16, 1984, near the Yugoslav town of Sibenik. The vessel was carrying vinyl chloride, a highly toxic and carcinogenic chemical. Two salvage divers were killed during salvage attempts in 1985. The vessel started leaking toxic chemicals in 1987. No details.
  157. 1985 9 11 Not Recorded USA Vermilion, Block 331, OCS-G 2572, Platform A, Marathon. "A diver was securing a buoy to a subsea template. His hand was entangled in a rope that went around the cable. As the boat surged, his hand was pulled through a snatch block cutting off the last joint of his finger". OCS Incidents 1956-1990, page 272
  158. 1985 9 17 Devergie Francis Congo Comex 47 S/S Mixed Gas French, diving off the barge BOS 215, KM 17 came off (No safety pin incorporated into the design at that time). no details. PC
  159. 1985 9 18 Gurley Mike USA A subcontractor to the Georgia Power Company American, aged 34, fire-fighter, 10 years experience as a fire department diver, was also a diving instructor. Incident happened at the Morgan Falls dam where he was training another fire-fighter whilst undertaking sub-contract commercial diving work at the dam. The team had been hired by the power company to repair an underwater valve and recover constuction equipment lost previously. Whilst working on a valve, his left leg got sucked into a 14 inch drain pipe trapping him. He was conscious and calling for help for 45 minutes. "Rescuers delayed using a crane to pull him free for fear of tearing or breaking his leg".The last thing he was reported as saying was "Get my wife here, right now", then he went silent. Fifteen minutes later they pulled him free using the crane - which broke his legs. Flown by helicopter to Northside Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Cause of death was not recorded as drowning but 'hyperventilation'. The fire department battalon chief was quoted as saying "Gurley was a master diver, I don't know anybody who was more qualified". Survived by his Wife and three young daughters. Atlanta Herald.
  160. 1985 9 25 Siljevinac Dragutin Croatia Navy 82 Saturation Salvage of the chemical tanker, the Brigitta Montanari that sank on the 16th November 1984 (See separate entry) carrying vinyl chloride monomer (‘VCM’, toxic, explosive and carcinogenic) in 82m water depth. Known to be leaking toxic chemicals, the only salvage resource available was the ‘Sapasilac’, Yugoslavian Navy submarine deep rescue unit. Built as the PS-12, 55 metres in length, 1,490 GRT, at the Tito shipyard in 1976. She was initially fitted out with a 600m depth rated rescue submarine (‘Mermaid IV’, 8 metres long, capable of carrying 10 personnel including crew), a three man, 300 metre diving bell that was also rated as an atmospheric observation chamber and a 30 man surface recompression chamber. Two further rescue vessels were built in 1977, one was sold to Libya, the ‘Al Munjed’, the other to Iraq, the ‘A-81’ - Sunk during the second gulf war. The later vessels had modified funnels (to reduce overheating of the hyperbaric chambers). The vessel has had the submarine and diving systems removed and was still in service with the Croatian Navy as the patrol vessel OB-73 ‘Faust Vrancic’ in 2010). During a bell run to assess the wreck of the Brigitta Montanari, the salvage vessel was moved to clear the bell from above the hull but the bell weights (suspended on chains below the bell) caught on the wreck and were ripped off causing an uncontrolled ascent the buoyant bell. The two divers who were locked out (Dragutin Siljevinac and Hussein Hadzic) were dragged to the surface by their umbilicals and although rescued from about 30 metres, both subsequently died in the chamber. The bellman (Dragisa Koprivica) spent 4 weeks in the chamber but survived and carried on a career as a diver. Centre of Marine Research, Zagreb
  161. 1985 9 25 Koprivica Dragisa Croatia Navy 82 Saturation Salvage of the chemical tanker, the Brigitta Montanari that sank on the 16th November 1984 (See separate entry) carrying vinyl chloride monomer (‘VCM’, toxic, explosive and carcinogenic) in 82m water depth. Known to be leaking toxic chemicals, the only salvage resource available was the ‘Sapasilac’, Yugoslavian Navy submarine deep rescue unit. Built as the PS-12, 55 metres in length, 1,490 GRT, at the Tito shipyard in 1976. She was initially fitted out with a 600m depth rated rescue submarine (‘Mermaid IV’, 8 metres long, capable of carrying 10 personnel including crew), a three man, 300 metre diving bell that was also rated as an atmospheric observation chamber and a 30 man surface recompression chamber. Two further rescue vessels were built in 1977, one was sold to Libya, the ‘Al Munjed’, the other to Iraq, the ‘A-81’ - Sunk during the second gulf war. The later vessels had modified funnels (to reduce overheating of the hyperbaric chambers). The vessel has had the submarine and diving systems removed and was still in service with the Croatian Navy as the patrol vessel OB-73 ‘Faust Vrancic’ in 2010). During a bell run to assess the wreck of the Brigitta Montanari, the salvage vessel was moved to clear the bell from above the hull but the bell weights (suspended on chains below the bell) caught on the wreck and were ripped off causing an uncontrolled ascent the buoyant bell. The two divers who were locked out (Dragutin Siljevinac and Hussein Hadzic) were dragged to the surface by their umbilicals and although rescued from about 30 metres, both subsequently died in the chamber. The bellman (Dragisa Koprivica) spent 4 weeks in the chamber but survived and carried on a career as a diver. Centre of Marine Research, Zagreb
  162. 1985 9 25 Hadzic Hussein Croatia Navy 82 Saturation Salvage of the chemical tanker, the Brigitta Montanari that sank on the 16th November 1984 (See separate entry) carrying vinyl chloride monomer (‘VCM’, toxic, explosive and carcinogenic) in 82m water depth. Known to be leaking toxic chemicals, the only salvage resource available was the ‘Sapasilac’, Yugoslavian Navy submarine deep rescue unit. Built as the PS-12, 55 metres in length, 1,490 GRT, at the Tito shipyard in 1976. She was initially fitted out with a 600m depth rated rescue submarine (‘Mermaid IV’, 8 metres long, capable of carrying 10 personnel including crew), a three man, 300 metre diving bell that was also rated as an atmospheric observation chamber and a 30 man surface recompression chamber. Two further rescue vessels were built in 1977, one was sold to Libya, the ‘Al Munjed’, the other to Iraq, the ‘A-81’ - Sunk during the second gulf war. The later vessels had modified funnels (to reduce overheating of the hyperbaric chambers). The vessel has had the submarine and diving systems removed and was still in service with the Croatian Navy as the patrol vessel OB-73 ‘Faust Vrancic’ in 2010). During a bell run to assess the wreck of the Brigitta Montanari, the salvage vessel was moved to clear the bell from above the hull but the bell weights (suspended on chains below the bell) caught on the wreck and were ripped off causing an uncontrolled ascent the buoyant bell. The two divers who were locked out (Dragutin Siljevinac and Hussein Hadzic) were dragged to the surface by their umbilicals and although rescued from about 30 metres, both subsequently died in the chamber. The bellman (Dragisa Koprivica) spent 4 weeks in the chamber but survived and carried on a career as a diver. Centre of Marine Research, Zagreb
  163. 1985 10 6 Rig 'West Vanguard' Norway Statoil/Smedvig Semi Submersible, drilling Haltenbanken for Staoil, blow out, 1 fatality. Rebuild and sold to Diamond Offshore
  164. 1985 10 28 Rig 'Penrod 61' USA Jack Up, sank during hurricane Juan. Reported to have killed one person.
  165. 1985 11 17 Rao Mathew J USA Caldwell Diving Company 6 S/S Air Removing silt from a dockside water when his air supply was accidentally cut off, 'His air hose got sucked into the intake of the ejection pump, cutting off his air supply,'' NY Times
  166. 1985 12 15 Not Recorded Mexico Saturation One of four Mexican divers reported as being in saturation when the Huichol II sank in a storm off Cuidad del Carmen, bodies possibly recovered during salvage operations in February.
  167. 1985 12 15 DSV Huichol II, ex Kattenturm Mexico Condux, a subsidiary of Protexa, working for Pemex Sank in a storm off Cuidad del Carmem inside a Pemex exploration block. 27+, 32 or 33 fatalities out of POB of 71. Rumoured to have sunk with 4 (Oceaneering?) divers in saturation, unclear if other dive team members perished. Salvage operations started 4 days after the vesel sank, the wreck was lifted by the crane barge 'Tolteca' and 21 bodies recovered during February 1986, vessel was partially lifted and then re-sunk in shallow water outside the Pemex exploration block. Lawyers were still arguing with the insurers about the (incompetent) salvage costs 7 years later. The vessel was built in 1966 as the 'Kattenturm', one of eleven '2500' class supply vessels, fitted with a ASK (Honeywell) DP system (with a single bow thruster) and saturation diving system designed by Hans Keller with a unique 'egg shaped' diving bell in 1976. US court of appeals records
  168. 1986 0 0 Rig 'Bob Buschman' Jack Up, sank
  169. 1986 0 0 John Johnny UK SCUBA Tenby (South Wales), amateur diver inspecting the moorings of a pleasure craft for a friend. Failed to surface. Cause of death 'aspiration of vomit into lungs'. 'At work'? Yes, but 'at work for pay'? Probably not, just doing doing a favour for his friend. Personal communication, no other details
  170. 1986 0 0 Fitzerald Russell Iran 2W One year out of diving school (Fort Bovisand), air diving off a supply vessel at Kharg island. No details . Personal Communication.
  171. 1986 1 10 Wiker Scott W USA DiveTech SCUBA Aged 26, cleaning inlets of Crystal River nuclear power plant run by the Florida Power Corporation, cleaning filters on the cooling water inlets, pumps running at 28,000 gallons per minute sucked him 600' up inlet to grid, drowned. His team mate, Timothy Boyle, drowned trying to rescue him with the pumps still running. Double fatality. OSHA cited the contractor with six violations and 'they were fined nearly $5,000'. Florida Power officials admitted the divers were not warned that the pumps were operating but were not cited because they were not involved in the dive. OSHA stated that had the divers equipment met federal standards they would not have been sucked through the underwater pipe “Should have been attached to lifelines, received their air from the surface rather than SCUBA tanks and been attached to a voice communications line� Also cited for failure to have a standby diver, failure to wear inflatable buoyancy, no person in charge at site, safe practices manual not including a copy of OSHAs diving requirements and no plan to recover an injured diver from the water. Reported in the Gainesville Sun<br />OSHA Report:- Accident: 14346597 -- Report ID: 0420600 -- Event Date: 01/10/1986. TWO COMMERCIAL DIVERS WERE KILLED WHEN THEY WERE DRAWN INTO AN INTAKE PIPE WHICH CARRIED COOLING WATER TO A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN AN ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT. THE PUMPING SYSTEM HAD BEEN MISTAKENLY LEFT RUNNING WHILE THE DIVERS WERE ENGAGED IN CLEANING AND INSPECTING ACTIVIES. DESPITE THE POOR VISIBILITY AND THE RESTRICTED CONFIGURATION OF THE WORK AREA, THE DIVERS WERE USING SCUBA GEAR WITH NO SURFACE LINE TENDING. SINCE ACCESS INTO THE DIVE AREA WAS THROUGH A MANHOLE, NO ONE TOPSIDE COULD MONITOR THE LOCATION OF THE INWATER DIVER. WHEN THE FIRST DIVER FAILED TO REAPPEAR IN A TIMELY FASHION, THE SECOND DIVER ENTERED THE WATER TO BEGIN A SEARCH FOR HIM. THE RESCUE DIVER ALSO BECAME TRAPPED IN THE MECHANICALLY INDUCED CURRENTS. ONLY AFTER THE PUMPS WERE SHUT DOWN WERE THE BODIES RECOVERED
  172. 1986 1 10 Boyle Timothy W USA DiveTech SCUBA Crystal River nuclear power plant run by the Florida Power Corporation, his team mate, Scott Wiker, was sucked 600' up inlet to grid, Boyle died trying to rescue him with the pumps still running at 28.000 gallons per minute. Drowned. Double fatality. OSHA cited the contractor with six violations and 'they were fined nearly $5,000'. Florida Power officials admitted the divers were not warned that the pumps were operating but were not cited because they were not involved in the dive. OSHA stated that had the divers equipment met federal standards they would not have been sucked through the underwater pipe “Should have been attached to lifelines, received their air from the surface rather than SCUBA tanks and been attached to a voice communications line� Also cited for failure to have a standby diver, failure to wear inflatable buoyancy, no person in charge at site, safe practices manual not including a copy of OSHAs diving requirements and no plan to recover an injured diver from the water. Reported in the Gainesville Sun<br />OSHA Report:- Accident: 14346597 -- Report ID: 0420600 -- Event Date: 01/10/1986. TWO COMMERCIAL DIVERS WERE KILLED WHEN THEY WERE DRAWN INTO AN INTAKE PIPE WHICH CARRIED COOLING WATER TO A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN AN ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT. THE PUMPING SYSTEM HAD BEEN MISTAKENLY LEFT RUNNING WHILE THE DIVERS WERE ENGAGED IN CLEANING AND INSPECTING ACTIVIES. DESPITE THE POOR VISIBILITY AND THE RESTRICTED CONFIGURATION OF THE WORK AREA, THE DIVERS WERE USING SCUBA GEAR WITH NO SURFACE LINE TENDING. SINCE ACCESS INTO THE DIVE AREA WAS THROUGH A MANHOLE, NO ONE TOPSIDE COULD MONITOR THE LOCATION OF THE INWATER DIVER. WHEN THE FIRST DIVER FAILED TO REAPPEAR IN A TIMELY FASHION, THE SECOND DIVER ENTERED THE WATER TO BEGIN A SEARCH FOR HIM. THE RESCUE DIVER ALSO BECAME TRAPPED IN THE MECHANICALLY INDUCED CURRENTS. ONLY AFTER THE PUMPS WERE SHUT DOWN WERE THE BODIES RECOVERED
  173. 1986 1 20 Spicer Wayne Iran Smit Topsides Australian, DSV 'Smit Maassluis' off Kharg Island, set on fire after Exocet missile attack from Iraqi war-planes. 10 crewmen also injured out of the 34 man crew (Two other Australian and two New Zealand divers injured). No details. Reported in The Age
  174. 1986 2 3 D'Amato John USA Volunteer police team SCUBA Aged 37, civilian volunteer with the police SAR team, died whilst searching for a 6 year old boy (who was declared dead in hospital 2 hours after being found - he had been under the ice for two hours) who had fallen through the ice on the Ipswich River. The diver was missing for an hour before his absence was noted by the team. Reported in the Boston Globe.
  175. 1986 4 3 Not Recorded Egypt Navy Egyptian Navy diver died during search of the wreck of Napoleon Bonaparte's flagship “L'Orient� sunk off Alexandria in August 1798 at the battle of Abu Keir reviving local superstition of mermaid's curse
  176. 1986 4 14 Space Shuttle Challenger USA Stena Stena Workhorse recovered critical pieces of the space shuttle “Challenger� from seabed at 560'
  177. 1986 5 0 Bezpalov Valeri USSR SCUBA Engineer at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Pripyat, Uktraine, 26th April 1986. During tests reactor 4 went into meltdown causing the most significant release of radiation in history. During the immediate aftermath many workers were subjected to fatal doses of radiation in desperate attempts to mitigate the effects. At one stage, in order to reduce the risk of a steam explosion in the flooded baement area, three volunteers (Valeri Bezpalov, Boris Baranov and Alexei Ananenko) entered the flooded area in diving gear to open the sliuce gates manually. All three returned to the surface after completing the work but died later from radiation sickness. GPS Buceo/Wikipedia
  178. 1986 5 0 Baranov Boris USSR SCUBA Soldier, Relief force at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Pripyat, Uktraine, 26th April 1986. During tests reactor 4 went into meltdown causing the most significant release of radiation in history. During the immediate aftermath many workers were subjected to fatal doses of radiation in desperate attempts to mitigate the effects. At one stage, in order to reduce the risk of a steam explosion in the flooded baement area, three volunteers (Valeri Bezpalov, Boris Baranov and Alexei Ananenko) entered the flooded area in diving gear to open the sliuce gates manually. All three returned to the surface after completing the work but died later from radiation sickness. GPS Buceo/Wikipedia
  179. 1986 5 0 Ananenko Alexei USSR SCUBA Engineer at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Pripyat, Uktraine, 26th April 1986. During tests reactor 4 went into meltdown causing the most significant release of radiation in history. During the immediate aftermath many workers were subjected to fatal doses of radiation in desperate attempts to mitigate the effects. At one stage, in order to reduce the risk of a steam explosion in the flooded baement area, three volunteers (Valeri Bezpalov, Boris Baranov and Alexei Ananenko) entered the flooded area in diving gear to open the sliuce gates manually. All three returned to the surface after completing the work but died later from radiation sickness. GPS Buceo/Wikipedia
  180. 1986 6 16 Hill Billy Ray USA Valley liners and Equipment 12 S/S Air Aged 29, from Tulsa, Okla, died in an explosion during a ship salvage operation. Mississippi River, sunken corn barge, cutting plate with oxy/acetylene, Coastguard quote “possibly a pocket of methane given off by the fermenting corn�. After explosion was found inside the wreck with downline still secured to barge. Possibly drowned when mask separated from helmet.
  181. 1986 7 15 Anderson RE Sapper Vincent UK Navy Topsides Aged 19, Royal Engineer, one of three men undertaking a two day diver aptitude training course at Horsea Island, collapsed and died during a mud run, wearing a dry suit on what was described as the hottest day in July, his two companions were also hspitalised with heat exhaustion. The Royal Naval surgeon said that his interrnal temperature recorded when the body arrived at hospital was 42 degrees but that even so he might have been saved if he had been given intravenous hydration when he first collapsed. An aermy spokesman said that "It has to be remembered that this run was a normal part of the routine. Hundreds have gone through it before without any ill effects". The Glasgow Herald
  182. 1986 7 20 Baldi Timothy H USA Aged 27, with one other diver, had been employed by the skipper of the 350 foot long Spanish bulk cement carrier 'Encofrador' moored off Richmond to inspect the hull after they ran over a buoy. Killed by the turning propeller USCG reported they 'had recovered 'parts of the body'. No other details. Reported in the San Jose Mercury News.
  183. 1986 7 30 Vienneau Alain Canada Repechage et Recherche Sous Marine Marcoux Inc Aged 23, working at the entrance of the Lachine canal on a Parks Canada project to clean up the waterway. Police said he got caught in the circular opening in the locks that allows water from the Lac St. Louis to spill into the canal. He was removing debris in a strong current when the accident occurred. Reported in the Ottawa Citizen. However, the Montreal Gazette went on to say (paraphrased) Clean-up work on the Lachine Canal continued yesterday, one day after a diver died clearing debris from a water intake in a lock at the canal's western end. “He may have been knocked unconscious when currents banged his head against underwater debris�, his boss said yesterday, “we would have stopped working for a week or so after the accident, but since we already had police and a crane arranged for today, we went ahead� The team had been trying to block a 15 centimetre opening in the lock with metal plates. Vienneau, who had been working for Marcoux for 6 months was going to block it with a piece of wood. “He went down, and after a few minutes he stopped giving us any signals� said Marcoux. “And he didn't give a distress signal either� He said he pulled the lifeless diver from the water about 30 seconds after his last signal. A witness who works at a nearby gas station, said he what all the activity was and saw five men pulling on a rope tied to something in the water. “I didn't know what it was, they brought it out and I saw it was a man in full diving gear with his mask off. He was completely blue�. Emergency services spent half an hour trying to revive him on site. A Parks Canada official said that he did not have any details about the accident but “had no reason to suppose that the work will be delayed� because of the death. They began lowering the water in the canal two day before the accident (which explains the differential pressure) and “planned for environmental experts to examine the toxic sediments that cover the bottom of the 13.4 kilometre long waterway once it was drained.�
  184. 1986 7 31 Cibulski Joel USA Aged 30, working off the fishing vessel 'Rigorous' anchored off Baker Island (off the West Coast of Prince of Wales Island) according to Alaska state troopers, trying to free another trawler's propeller. Apparently got entangled in the net and cut his own air line, pulled from the water unconscious, declared dead on arrival at Ketchichan Hospital. Anchorage Daily News.
  185. 1986 9 0 Rig 'Zacateca' Mexico Perforadora Co Jack Up. Sank
  186. 1986 9 1 Wilkinson Guy UAE Ruwais, UAE, pulled unconscious from the water after an argon cylinder was tied into the gas supply, did not respond to treatment.
  187. 1986 11 5 Tennant Leroy J USA Roy Tennant Co. 2 SCUBA Aged 62, Owner of the diving Company, inspecting an underwater gas line in the Shetucket river, witnesses on shore observed in trouble but sank below the surface before being rescued. Body recovered 40 minutes later
  188. 1986 11 20 Rig 'Dixilyn Field 83' India Jack Up, sank off Mumbai, Starboard leg punched through, capsised
  189. 1987 0 0 Rig 'Pool 55' Jack Up, sank due to soil failure whilst drilling
  190. 1987 0 0 Not Recorded USA 650 Law suit against General Dynamics reported in the Los Angeles Times “Thirteen professional divers filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the San Diego Unified Port “Two of the plaintiffs-one of whom died of his affliction April� Headlined as “Divers' Suit Claims PCBs in bay made them ill�, PCBs can be found, however, in old transformers, capacitors and other equipment still in use at Teledyne Ryan's plant on Harbor Drive near Lindbergh Field. A General Dynamics spokesman said PCBs are no longer used at the company's bayside facility. Officials with General Dynamics and the Port District declined to comment on the divers' charges because they had not yet seen a copy of the lawsuit. But Conward Williams, general counsel for Teledyne Ryan, said his company "is not aware of any scientific evidence that establishes that the very low levels of PCBs detected in Convair Lagoon would cause any form of human cancer." Lower levels of PCBs were found in a storm drain sump used by General Dynamics. The board staff is now conducting inspections at General Dynamics and a half-dozen other companies near Convair Lagoon in order to further pinpoint the source of the chemicals, said the supervising engineer for the agency. (No other details and the fatality is not included in the fatality count as we do not know the outcome of the case TC)
  191. 1987 0 0 Not Recorded Canada The book “Edmonton – Secrets of the City� by Charlene Rooke published in 2001 refers to 'a diver killed whilst servicing the submarine ride in 1987'. This is a reference to West Edmonton Mall, built in 1981 as a shopping mall that has evolved more into a 'family entertainment complex'. No other details.
  192. 1987 0 0 Monstra Kanute UK Saturation Trapped in a stranded welding habitat (with Fred McNally), became hypothermic, both were rescued by Neil 'Wiggy' Wiggins (who had previously rescued George Lawson after an oxy arc explosion on the Kingsnorth Explorer in May 1984). Neil Wiggins was presented with the Silk Cut award for Nautical achievements ( He died on 23 Dec at the age of 47), MCDOA website. Does anyone remember the details of this incident?
  193. 1987 0 0 McNally Fred UK Saturation Trapped in a stranded welding habitat (with Kanute Monstra), became hypothermic, both were rescued by Neil 'Wiggy' Wiggins (who had previously rescued George Lawson after an oxy arc explosion on the Kingsnorth Explorer in May 1984). Neil Wiggins was presented with the Silk Cut award for Nautical achievements ( He died on 23 Dec at the age of 47), MCDOA website. Does anyone remember the details of this incident?
  194. 1987 2 0 Not Recorded UK . SCUBA BSAC diver died while working to clear debris fouling the propulsion units of a new ferry. "Water conditions atrocious in terms of visibility and cleanliness. Deceased's air supply had been turned off accidently underwater, it is thought by blow(s) against underside of hull of ship but he was also trapped by a surface rope and a flxed rope around the hull of the vessel. Deceased had been using normal sports diving equipment. No other details, not sure whether this was investigated by the HSE as a commercial fatality. Reported by Dave Shaw in BSAC incidents report fot 1987
  195. 1987 2 17 Harknett Ronald Hopkins USA Firefighter SCUBA American, aged 38. Rancho Cordova firefighter and member of the Drowning Accident Rescue Team, one of four diivers searching the Sacramento river for a child and adult lost overboard when a boat sank. Failed to surface, drowned.
  196. 1987 4 6 Hiersche Jerry USA Underwater Services 3 Aged 47, Working on the John Day Dam, Columbia river, had been inspecting/cleaning fish screens at about 150' and was surfacing at the end of his dive when his head was sucked into an inlet just 10' from the surface. Quote from team member “We heard him shout 'I'm out of air' and that was it�. Died of cardiac arrest in hospital. Reported in the Spokane Chronicle
  197. 1987 4 10 Sherman Paul USA Ocean Survey 18 SCUBA Aged 40, Working one and a half miles outside Hampton Harbour at the Seabrook nuclear power plant discharge vent, trying to re-attach a buoy, reported as surfacing quickly from 60 feet to the surface and signalling to the dive boat that he was in distress. They threw him a life ring 'but he missed it and sank from sight for more than an hour." "When he was brought to the surface, he suffered cardiac arrest". CPR was initiated and he was transferred to Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover where he was confirmed dead at 16:10 from hypothermic arrest and drowning. The hospital spokesperson said that "Basically he was so cold he had a heart attack". Water temperature at the time was reported as 41 degrees F. The Lewiston Daily Sun
  198. 1987 5 30 Carr William Norway Stolt Nielson 104 Saturation British, DSV "Seaway Condor", Oseberg Norsk Hydro, Bell partner was M. Sullivan, Kirby Morgan 17 came off
  199. 1987 6 0 Not Recorded USA Police SCUBA American police officer aged 45 died while searching the Detroit River for victims of a boat that had capsized. It was later alleged that the malfunction of a valve on a dry suit was a contributing factor to his death.
  200. 1987 6 21 Fortin Richard USA Police Assigned as police diver, rescued four people from an overturned boat, attached a towline, sank from view and drowned
  201. 1987 6 28 Penner Robert Steven Canada Day's Aquatic Services Aged 21, One of three divers hired by Halton regional District, reported as drowned whilst working in an underwater pipe, but no details. Toronto Star
  202. 1987 8 12 Not Recorded Saudi Arabia Navy The official Saudi Press agency meanwhile reported that a Saudi Navy frogman was killed and a second wounded when they got too close to a mine being detonated after it was pulled from the Persian Gulf.It said the accident occurred in water 180 miles to the Northwest of Ras Tanura". The Telegraph.
  203. 1987 9 18 Gibson Terry Australia SCUBA Aged 47, described as a professional shellfish diver, diving solo off Marino Rocks, Adelaide, disappeared. Weight belt and ripped vest were found on the seabed, presumed to be a shark attack. No other details. Reported in the Ledger.
  204. 1987 10 10 Rig 'Yum II / Zapoteca Mexico PEMEX Jack Up, driling in the Bay of Campeche, blow out
  205. 1987 10 20 Rig 'Bigfoot 2' USA Jack Up, Punch through (2 legs)
  206. 1987 11 14 MacMillan Mark T Antarctic SCUBA Aged 22, research dive 50 miles west of the US base at McMurdo Sound on Ross Island. No details. Reported in the San Jose Mercury News
  207. 1987 11 18 Batuecas Sgt. Francisco Javier Arroyo Spain Army Army engineer died during a training dive at the Navy diving centre in Cartagena whilst on a diving course. Reported as 'death may be due to natural causes and not an accident' by the forces spokesman, but no details. Reported in 'El Pais'
  208. 1988 0 0 Rig 'Glomar Labrador I' Jack Up, collision with a merchant ship
  209. 1988 2 22 Rig 'Keyes Marine 302' USA Jack Up, Punch through, legs bent/collaopsed, total loss.
  210. 1988 5 24 Olsen Alan Nigeria Comex SCUBA First dive on an SBM. Competition between the divers ("The best diver is the first in the water"), pillar valve not fully opened and flow restricted, became short of air, made a rapid ascent in the well of a crude oil filled buoy but swam into a cross beam and lost his mouthpiece. Drowned. PC
  211. 1988 6 0 Decker Keith USA Need-A-Diver 3 Aged 23, IMC Fertiliser Inc Clear Springs Phoshate Mine, pond lock gate ajar, 10� gap, diver sent in to take photos but loose lifeline, no grill, his lines were pulled through the gap, pulling him through also. His body was recovered two days later by police divers 461' feet up the 1,000' tunnel.. Equipped with lifeline and communications, quote:- 'Before he was sucked in, he was able to tell workers that 'something had caught him by the leg and was pulling him in�. St Petersburg Times.
  212. 1988 7 6 Piper Alpha UK Occidental 167 of the 226 personnel onboard died in fire/explosions. Survivors included the entire night shift air diving team.
  213. 1988 7 13 Hastings Robbie USA SCUBA Sports diver aged 30, died after being stung by a Jellyfish (Portuguese man-of-war). Charlotte Observer
  214. 1988 9 0 Drill Ship 'Viking Explorere' Borneo Total Drill Ship, blow out, sank, 4 fatalities
  215. 1988 9 22 Rig 'Ocean Odyssey' UK Arco Semi Submersible, drilling block 22 (Central Graben, Shearwater), HPHT well, blow out and fire, 1 fatality (Radio operator sent back from lifeboat to continue communications), 58 evacuated by TEMPSC, 8 jumped into the sea and were picked up by the stand-by vessel. Rig was subsequently converted into a satellite launch pad (Sea Launch) based at Long Beach, California
  216. 1988 9 23 Bates Brian UK Saturation Post Alpha disaster salvage ops, blow back during cutting ops, cracked helmet, faceplate loosened, both eardrums perforated, sinus damage, concussion, pulled in by bellman, reported as third incident in under 36 hours. The Glasgow Herald
  217. 1988 11 0 McCasland Martin USA Aged 41, retrieving Oxygen bottles that had rolled off the deck of a vessel in Dutch Harbour. Dry suit malfunction, rapid ascent. Family awarded $1.73 million on the grounds that the dry suit inflation valve malfunction was partly to blame for his death. No details
  218. 1988 12 15 Rig 'Rowan Gorilla I' North Atlantic Jack Up built by the Marathon LeTourneau yard at Vicksburg in 1983. Low levels of drilling activity and high maintenance costs led to the initial decision to move the rig from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Trinidad, West Indies. Lack of a contract led to the subsequent decision to move the rig in winter across the North Atlantic to North Sea area. The rig departed Halifax on 08 Dec 1988, towed by the M/V Smit London. On the morning of the 13 December, a storm to the south-west of the rig's position brought winds of 60 knots and waves over 40 feet. Over the following two days, the rig was battered by high seas resulting in some significant damage. Wind and wave action caused the legs of the rig to oscillate and transmit stresses to the supporting structures on the hull. This caused hull fractures to propogate and flood storage tanks in the rig's stern. The lowering of the rig's stern allowed the high seas to break over the deck, causing containers and other deck cargo to break loose and batter top-side hatches, creating more points of flooding. On top of this, the tow line, having suffered two days of abuse, broke and the Smit London could only stand by as the crew of the rig attempted to control the flooding situation. By 1000 on the morning of the 15th December, the captain of the Smit London noted that the rig was considerably heavier by the stern and, noting similarities with the sinking of the Dan Prince jack-up, warned the rig superintendent that the rig was in imminent danger of sinking. Around noon, a series of waves from 50 to 60 foot high hit the rig, dislodging the remaining loose cargo and causing the stern to hang under the seas. After consideration, the rig superintendent then ordered the crew to abandon the rig via the starboard lifeboat. At 1605, the Rowan Gorilla I rolled aft and capsized. Due to the state of the seas, the decision was made to leave the crew in the lifeboat until calmer weather arrived. On 16 Dec 1988, the crew were finally ferried via a Zodiac from the lifeboat to the Smit London, which returned to Halifax. About 6 weeks after the sinking, an inflated liferaft from the Rowan Gorilla I was recovered in the North Atlantic. The liferaft was assumed to be one of the two washed overboard from the main deck by the heavy sea. The immediate cause of the sinking of the Rowan Gorilla I was the uncontrolled flooding of an unknown number of the rig's internal spaces, causing the loss of positive buoyancy. One of the main contributory factors was the formation of fractures in the rig's hull, which flooded the preload tanks and the port thruster room and caused the rig to settle at the stern. These fractures were thought to have been the result of excessive leg oscillation, which imparted severe stresses onto the hull. Also contributing to the sinking was probable damage to hatches, tank vents and other through-deck fittings on the hull's topside, caused by equipment and deck cargo being broken loose by boarding seas. This damage led to numerous downflooding points on the main deck. US Coastguard Marine Casualty Report
  219. 1989 0 0 Stena Workhorse Brazil Comex do Brasil and Marsat Saturation Petrobras PGP1 gas blow out, Four Comex sat divers from the platform rescued by Marsat team on the Stena Workhorse (bell to bell transfer), one of them, Thierry Arnold later died in a bell contamination incident (1991)
  220. 1989 0 0 Rig 'Sedco 252' India Jack Up, blowout and fire, 3 fatalities
  221. 1989 0 0 Not Recorded Japan Chamber Clinical chamber (Hospital) fire, one of 4 (the others were in 1967, 1993 and 1996) in Japan caused by patients taking butane or chemical hand warmers into the hyperbaric O2 rich environment. Sheffield and Desautels “Hyperbaric and hypobaric Chamber fires, a 73 year analysis�, Undersea Hyperbaric Medicine, 1997, 24 (3): 153-164.
  222. 1989 1 8 Rig "Teledyne Movible 16' USA Jack Up, blow out, total loss
  223. 1989 1 11 Sullivan Daniel USA 17 S/S Air Aged 30, State department of inland fisheries and wildlife. A diver working on the 80 foot high Wilderness Dam (Owned by Great Northern Paper), got trapped underwater by pressure at a leak point on the dam face. Sullivan got trapped at the same location about an hour later during a rescue attempt. Both were pulled out using winches after a second rescue diver, Brian Michaud, managed to attached pulling ropes to their harnesses 11 hours after the initial incident, but he died three hours after arriving at hospital Double fatality (Albert Harjula). Michaud was hospitalised but OK. Spokane Chronicle
  224. 1989 1 11 Harjula Albert O. USA 17 S/S Air Aged 29, working on the 80 foot high Wilderness Dam (Owned by Great Northern Paper), got trapped by water pressure at a leak point on the dam face. Rescue diver (Daniel Sullivan), also got trapped at the same location. Both were pulled out using winches after a second rescue diver, Brian Michaud, managed to attached pulling ropes to their harnesses 11 hours after the initial incident, but he was pronounced dead on arrival in hospital Double fatality (Daniel Sullivan). Michaud was hospitalised but OK. Spokane Chronicle
  225. 1989 1 15 Gassner Scott USA 12 SCUBA Aged 20, diving from the 'Char Lo II' out of Cortez, Had joined the vessel one month earlier (Temporary job, he wanted to join the police force). Had been in the water about an hour, signalled the surface to pull up his catch, apparently stopped breathing. Pulled up unconscious, failed to respond to treatment, reported as 'accidental drowning' but no explanation. Not clear whether it was a three or four man crew, but two divers were in the water simultaneously. St Petersburg Times
  226. 1989 1 30 Murphy Steven Canada St. Lawrence Seaway Authority 10 Aged 29, Lock 1 on the Welland Canal.. Another diver, Andrew Dykstra was checking a valve on the lock but became trapped against logs, Steven Murphy, the stand-by diver went in the assist and also became trapped. Both were eventually brought to the surface, Steven Murphy pronounced dead on site, Andrew Dykstra died later in hospital. No other details. Reported in the Toronto Star.
  227. 1989 1 30 Dykstra Andrew Canada St. Lawrence Seaway Authority 10 Aged 47, Lock 1 on the Welland Canal.. Diver was checking a valve on the lock but became trapped against logs, Steven Murphy, the stand-by diver went in the assist and also became trapped. Both were eventually brought to the surface, Steven Murphy pronounced dead on site, Andrew Dykstra died later in hospital. No other details. Reported in the Toronto Star.
  228. 1989 2 11 Wells Timothy L USA Police SCUBA American police officer aged 36, Williston, North Dakota, cold water training dive in the Missouri river, found under thick ice near the shore by colleagues, tank empty, drowned
  229. 1989 2 14 McIlrath Russell USA SCUBA BAYPORT - A commercial sponge diver died in 40 feet of water off the Hernando County coast Tuesday. U.S. Coast Guard Command Duty Officer Keith Scally said Russell McIlrath, 33, of Parsons, Tenn., died while harvesting sponges from the commercial boat Dream Diver, out of Hudson in Pasco County. Scally said McIlrath was working in the Gulf of Mexico about 25 miles west of Bayport when the accident occurred about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. McIlrath was taken by helicopter to Shands University Teaching Hospital in Gainesville, where he was pronounced dead at 2:51 p.m., according to Shands spokesman Ralph Ives. The fatality was the second sponge-diving death on the North Suncoast this year; on Jan. 15, St. Petersburg sponge diver Scott Gassner died while diving in 40 feet of water off the Citrus County coast. St Petersburg times
  230. 1989 2 16 Hand Larry USA 12 SCUBA Aged 34, novice sponge diver out of Tampa, recovered from the seabed by a diver from another sponge boat, inference is diving solo from a small boat with one none diving surface crew. Tangled in buoy line, mask flooded, dead on recovery. Third diver to die sponge diving out of Tampa in the last 5 weeks (Russell McIlrath and Scott Gassner) Petersburg Times
  231. 1989 4 0 Rig 'Sedco J' South Africa Semi Submersible, capsised during tow
  232. 1989 4 0 Rig 'Five Sisters' USA Jack Up, sank in a storm
  233. 1989 4 28 Rig 'Al Baz' Nigeria Sante Fe Jack Up, blow out, caught fire, burned and sank, 5 fatalities
  234. 1989 6 5 Lamm William USA Sports diver SCUBA American, aged 45, spear fishing and then sucked into the inlet of a 16 foot diameter inlet pipe. 4 minutes and 1650 feet later later he surfaced inside a canal inside the Saint Lucie nuclear power plant run by Florida Power and Light. Completely unscathed. Ocala Star Banner.
  235. 1989 7 12 Barnes Roger USA Louisville Water Company 5 Aged 32, Sludge clearing at the Crescent Hill Filter Plant, disappeared, sucked into a 24" pipe (Not wearing lifelines because both he and his dive partner decide not to use safety lines in case they got entangled on equipment in the basin), body recovered an hour later. Had bbeen working for the water company as a diver for 10 years but had no commercial qualifications. Reported in the Daily News
  236. 1989 7 27 Not Recorded USA Russian Navy SCUBA Joint USA/Russian military subsea photographic expedition sponsored by tha National Geographic Society onboard the Soviet vessel 'Keldysh'. Used two Mir submersibles to set bait boxes to attract sharks, but during the expedition a Soviet diver failed to surface. Unclear if his body was ever recovered. No details
  237. 1989 8 9 Ong Swee Kheng Singapore Commercial Diving Servces Aged 33, clearing debris from a coffer dam at the Senoko Power Station, pulled out of the water when he failed to respond to tugs on his lifeline. "Might have got entangled in a net used to sift the debris". No other details. Straits Times
  238. 1989 8 11 Carter Mike USA 4 SCUBA Aged 34, described as an experienced diver, drowned whilst replacing a pond drainage system on a farm three miles north of the town of Marion, 'not entangled or trapped, plenty of air in his tank. Investigators stated that “He might have been tired from work done on the previous day and plan no autopsy or further investigations�
  239. 1989 8 28 Not Recorded UK Topsides Seriously injured at the RN Submarine Base Faslane, Civilian diver, in a hut on a barge, preparing to dive, his team-mate David Foley was killed when a crane jib fell onto the hut. During the inquest, the court heard that a steel rope snapped, causing the steel jib to fall and crush a cabin on an off-shore barge where Mr Foley was changing into his wet suit. Mr Foley was killed instantly and another diver was injured. A pulley on the crane split and steel guide guards were later found to have been cut. Glasgow Herald
  240. 1989 8 28 Foley David UK Topsides Aged 24, RN Submarine Base, Coulport/Faslane, Civilian diver, in a hut on a barge, preparing to dive, killed when a crane jib fell onto the hut. A fellow diver was seriously injured in the same incident. During the inquest, the court heard that a steel rope snapped, causing the steel jib to fall and crush a cabin on an off-shore barge where Mr Foley was changing into his wet suit. Mr Foley was killed instantly and another diver was injured. A pulley on the crane split and steel guide guards were later found to have been cut. Glasgow Herald
  241. 1989 9 15 Arnold Thierry Brazil Comex do Brasil Saturation Bell contamination incident. Purging water from pipeline prior to final bolt tensioning on subsea tree spoolpiece. Using product/gas lift from platform. bell atmosphere contamination (Probably condensate), diver returned to bell, bellman already unconscious, flushed bell, bellman drifting in and out of conscious but managed to take divers helmet off before both passed out again. After more flushing, the bellman regained consciousness but the diver had passed out in moonpool and drowned. PC
  242. 1989 10 3 Hartley James USA MVN for Healy Tibbitts Apparently injured whilst working on an outfall sewer project at the Owls Head Water Pollution Control Project located in Brooklyn. Court case 'HARTLEY v. CITY OF NEW YORK, 163 Misc.2d 540 (1994) in November 3, 1994'. No details. Loislaw.com
  243. 1989 11 4 Romy Thailand Oceaneering Philippino diver, died when the Seacrest sank in Typhoon Gay. Reported by Longstreath/PC
  244. 1989 11 4 Randy Thailand Oceaneering Philippino diver, died when the Seacrest sank in Typhoon Gay. Reported by Longstreath/PC
  245. 1989 11 4 George Kevin Thailand Oceaneering Malaysian diver, from Penang, died when the Seacrest sank in Typhoon Gay. Reported by Longstreath/PC
  246. 1989 11 4 Drillship Seacrest Thailand Unocal 72 Ex 'Scan Queen', sister ship to the "Chancellorsville". Overturned in typhoon 'Gay' (Recorded as killing over 500 people and leaving 160,000 homeless in Thailand) in the Platong gas field with the loss of around 91 lives, 5 or six suvivors (very confused records). A helicopter landed two men on the upturned hull the morning after but no survivors - or indications of survivors (Tapping on the hull) were found. Oceaneering and McDermott divers recovered several bodies from inside the hull, (25 bodies recovered after the sinking in all). vessel was scuttled in 75metres water depth about three weeks later. Conflicting reports that there was an excessive amount of drill pipe on deck (therefore top heavy), that she was still connected to the welhead (though radio reports pieced together after the event indicate that the BOP was disconnected and the majority of pipe was left 'in hole' but may have left the well abandonment too late and not had time to de-anchor), or that modifications carried out in the Port of Satahip, Thailand, immediately before the storm were causal factors (addition of a heavy topdrive unit without the addition of compensating ballast and then sailing to site without carrying out inclination tests), also that the drill tower started tearing the deck plates as it rolled, peeling them back and allowing wave ingress
  247. 1989 11 4 DB 15 Thailand McDermott After the typhoon (Gay), divers from the DB 15 put an airspread on a tug and headed towards the Seacrest location. On the way they rescued two fishermen clinging to a float. They arrived at night (after a helicopter had landed on the upturned hull and resuers had banged on the hull to try to locate survivors during daylight) and made an initial survey dive recovring one body caught in the rigging. The following day more bodies were recovered from the accommodation and more 5 from the bridge. Later, after autopsy, they were told that most of the dead recovered after the disaster had died from drowning from what they believed to be wind driven rain leading to the recommendation that rain b;ocking hoods be built into lifejackets. The surviving Indonesian diver's haliburton briefcase was recovered during the accommodation search. (Fraser diving's first saturation diving system broke off from the DB 15 during the storm (lost overside and sank) before anyone was in it. Longstreath.
  248. 1989 11 4 Clegg Phil Thailand Oceaneering Diving Supervisor on the drillship 'Seacrest' that was capsised by typhoon Gay. Possibly a dive team in saturation, two divers possibly among the 6 survivors, remainder of the dive team believed to have perished with the rest of the crew.
  249. 1989 11 4 Benny Thailand Oceaneering Indonesian diver, died when the Seacrest sank in Typhoon Gay. Reported by Longstreath/PC
  250. 1989 11 8 Rig 'Interocean II' UK Whilst on tow to a new location in the Southern North Sea ran into a gale with 85 mph winds and 25 foot seas. Lost one of its towlines, the coast guard was notified and two helicopters were scrambled from Bristow's North Denes base in Norfolk to extract 43 of the rig's 51 crew. The first chopper reached the rig 30 minutes later to find the rig pitching and rolling, with the helideck tilted at 10 degrees. In driving rain, with the rig heaving up to 25 feet, the first 10 crew were airlifted and flown to a neighbouring platform. The second chopper arrived to find the rig corkscrewing in heavy seas, resulting in the need for the pilot to reverse his chopper onto the helideck. After two more extractions, only 11 men were left on board, of which eight were expecting to remain behind as a skeleton crew. The first chopper returned for the last extraction but was unable to find the rig as the final towline had parted, allowing the rig to drift away. It became obvious that this would be the last landing attempted and the remaining crew were advised to abandon the rig due to the increasingly difficult conditions. The last 11 men had to crawl across the helideck before the chopper departed. Several minutes later, the Interocean II capsized and sank as a result of structural failure and flooding. Helicopter pilots all received the Queen's Award for Gallantry for the courage shown during the rescue. Reported in the Times
  251. 1989 11 30 Not Recorded USA US Armry Corps A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers diver installing a boom to catch ice in the St. Marys River died when he lost his safety line
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