[Reedhouse]

Hello - New member, ex Marine Engineer, and some time with the above outfit.
Anybody know of any links to photographs, particularly JB4
LB27, or DB15 while they were working offshore.
Thanks.

 

[gdynia]

Try putting J Ray McDermott into a Google search and alot of webpages come up.I can remember the DB16 in North Sea but not DB15

 

[gdynia]

Here is the 27

http://www.jraymcdermott.com/vessel brochures/DB27.pdf

 

[gdynia]

Here is 16

http://www.jraymcdermott.com/vessel brochures/DB16.pdf

 

[Reedhouse]

Cheers Gydnia,
Thanks for the link, DB 15 worked in the southern sector of the North Sea, but spent a considerable time latterly laid up in Antwerp.

 

[maritimephoto]

Hi Reedhouse,

Could you describe the 15 while I have a picture of an DB or LB barge in tow of a SEASPAN tug. She looks more a laybarge to me and I think it's LB27 but not sure on that.

Cheers,

Wim

 

[Reedhouse]

McDermott Barges

Hello Wim,

JB4 - was a Jet barge that trenched pipelines laid by LB27 a Lay barge , both worked out of Antwerp and were crewed up from Yarmouth.
Quite unusual vessels, and to date I have not found any non-company photos.
DB15, was one of the first generation of crane barges, which picked up a lot of work in the early development of the gas fields off Norfolk, but spent the time I was with them laid up in Belgium.

Cheers - Reed.

 

[Norman Trewren]

I worked with LB 27, 28, 29, DB 15, 16, 22 and JB 3, towing them in the northern North Sea and to/from Antwerp (with a Seaspan Tug!) in the 70's. Would you believe I've got plenty pics of thetugs, but very few of the barges!

Norman

 

[Reedhouse]

Norman,
The McDermott vessels were basically work horses, but much more than simple barges, hence my interest in any photo's that might be around.
Crew changed many times by tug out of Peterhead, intially Wimpey, and then some Scandanavian outfit whose name I forget.
Cheers - Reed

 

[Norman Trewren]

You're right there, Reed, and weren't there some characters aboard them too. I remember crew changing out of Peterhead, Theriot Offshore IV springs to mind. Up on the barge by basket, then down to the tug. Hairy!

Regards
Norman

 

[maritimephoto]

Reed, Norman,

Just dug up my images of SEASPAN COMMODORE and LB27 (I assume) but my scanner seems to have a day-off

Hope to find some time this weekend to scan both images.

Cheers,

Wim

 

[Norman Trewren]

Thanks, Wim - Look forward to seeing them.

Regards

Norman

 

[maritimephoto]

As mentioned, a scan of a McDermott laybarge photographed while passing the Flushing Boulevard 31-03-1975 in tow of the SEASPAN COMMODORE.

Is this indeed LB27?

Cheers,

Wim

 

[Reedhouse]

Thanks Wim,
I started this post, unfortunately I cant confirm it's the 27 either, spent most of my time on the JB4- offshore and prior to that,on the DB15 in Antwerp.
Brings back memories though, Cheers again - Reed

 

[paj]

j ray mcdermot

hi reedhouse,
that picture is definately the LB 27. I worked on her from 1974 to 1979. I worked as end prep operator when they were using automatic welding and as a rigger when they wasn,t. Worked mainly in the frigg field but done a season of southern ireland and also went to venuezala with her. Had a great time in antwerp when we were working there. I am surprised there are not more posts on this thread. paj

 

[Reedhouse]

Paj,

I joined the outfit prior to their move to Rotterdam.Seem to think the barges were getting too big for Antwerp.
Many of their crews were recruited out of Yarmouth.
Still happy memories of Antwerp, in particular the Mission up the road, but my first taste of offshore engineering (marine engineering background - but small stuff compared to J- Ray's operation).
Did one season prior to heading off to the drilling game !
Reed

 

[paj]

hi reed
yes i had some very good memories of the mission, they allways made you very welcome. after doing a 12 hr shift we were allways ready for a few beers. also went to a small town nearby but cant remember the name of it, but had some good action there.
paj.

 

[O.M.Bugge]

Lb 200

Does any members have, or know where to find, a famous pics of LB 200 riding out a storm at Statfjord B in Nov. 1981?

The pics was taken from up on the platform and shows LB 200 with spray flying over top of the Tower. It was widely circulated and used in advertising some times later.

She was working as Floatel at the time, with 550 persons, incl. abt. 50 females. I was the Marine Advisor on board during that assignment.

 

[Medic1]

Lb27

Hi
Just stumbled on this.
I was a medic on LB27 for one season in 1980.
Sailed with Captain "Black" Bergeron
This bought back some memories, thanks
Dave Olley

 

[jdaioc123]

Hi Norman,
Just reading the thread you wrote with regard to relieving by basket in the North Sea, talk about Tarzan films and also towing the LB27, and other MacDermott, Brown and Route, ETPM barges etc to and from Antwerp and around the North Sea, in the mid 70`s. I myself was with Seaspan as were a few of the United Towing lads at that time. My lasting memory of the DB22, Barge Capt Eustas Champaine, was her dropping the bridge from the storage tank to the jacket as they were just starting to build Ekofiske. I was mate on the Zeus at that point with a Capt Bill Spry from LA, we were laid along side the barge when she dropped the bridge (a 200ton lift) collapsing the boom, which was hung over the side and trailing on the sea bed. There was a mass exodus from the barge, with the Portugues deck crew along with quite a few Americans jumping from the barge to the deck of the Zeus & Sea Flyer, we had approximatly 140 od cases of broken bones etc. Anyway we got the job of taking the barge into Rotterdam "with the boom still trailing" (from Ekofiske to Rotterdam via circuitous route (impossible to achieve today), trying to miss pipe lines etc) something which would cause an outrage today just for mentioning to try it, not to mention the harbour authorities Rotterdam agreeing to it, probably take them three weeks and a heart transplant to get over the suggestion. "Oh!! Happy Days".