One of the draws for staying in Morgan City for almost a week was to see MR. CHARLIE, the first submersible drilling rig used in offshore oil production. Here’s the description from the museum’s brochure:
“At over 220 feet long, this vessel is a self-contained, transportable, industrial island with living accommodations for up to 58 workers. The rig was floated to its drilling location; tanks in the barge underneath it were then flooded allowing the rig to set on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. After drilling was completed, water was pumped out of the barge allowing MR. CHARLIE to be floated to its next drilling location.”
Because the barge rested on the ocean bottom, it was limited by the depth of water. The rig could only be used for what is now considered to be shallow drilling sites . . . to depths of 40 feet.”
The rig is now used for training oilfield workers, future personnel for offshore operations, emergency responders, and SEAL teams.
history of the rig
Mr. Charlie was the first rig of its kind and began service in 1954, making drilling for oil easier.
on the rig
The rig was updated in the mid-1980s and then decommissioned by the end of the 1980s, so we got to see everything new and shiny.
the mud and rocks to get to the oil.
could send off GPS signals to ships in the area.
ROVs (remotely operated vehicles)
Since so much work had to be done underwater, these ROVs were developed to do the work of underwater divers.
Jordan did a great job of telling us about the rig and ROVs.
have been removed since they were so old.
another Louisiana treat
NCIS New Orleans.
The local coffee shop had these cake balls so I had to have one. Yummy!
flooding in the area
This flooding this area is from rain in the Midwest about a month ago. Can’t imagine what it’ll look like a month from now after the snow melts and runs south along the Mississippi. The river along Morgan City is a branch of the Mississippi River that flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
Additional note 5 months later: with tropical storm Barry about to hit Morgan City, this flooding information makes so much more sense, especially with a full Mississippi River because of all of the snow melt and spring rains.
Just across from our campground is this flood wall for the boat ramp to protect the road and our campground.
Flooding by a lighthouse that’s been moved to this area.
Our next campground wasn’t going to be available for a couple of nights and we wanted to keep moving, so I talked Barney into taking a side trip to Waco so we (I) could see all that Chip and Joanna Gaines have done for this city.
