Open the clamp to separate the bell from the chamber system. Slowly depressurize the trunk to 1 atmosphere The diving supervisor would then slightly increase the bell pressure to seal this door tightlyĬlose the door between the trunk and chamber 1 Leaving their wet gear in the trunk, the divers then climbed through the trunk into chamber 1. The diving bell with divers D3 (29 years old) and D4 (34 years old) had just been winched up after a dive and joined to the trunk. On this day, divers D1 (35 years old) and D2 (38 years old) were resting in chamber 2 at a pressure of 9 atm. A third chamber was connected to this system but was not involved. This connection was sealed by a clamp operated by two tenders, who were themselves experienced divers. The situation just before this accident was: Decompression chambers 1 and 2 were connected via a trunk to a diving bell. The trunk is the section that joins chamber 1 to the diving bell. D1–D4 are divers T1 and T2 are dive tenders. The compression chamber at the moment the accident occurred. One of the tenders and all four of the divers were killed instantly the other tender was severely injured. One diver was about to close the door between the chamber system and the trunk when the chamber explosively decompressed from a pressure of nine atmospheres to one atmosphere in a fraction of a second. The relatives subsequently received compensation for the loss of their loved ones.On 5 November 1983 at 4:00 a.m., while drilling in the Frigg gas field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, four divers were in a decompression chamber system attached by a trunk (a short passage) to a diving bell on the rig, being assisted by two dive tenders. The reports determined the cause of death to be human error, but the Alliance filed a lawsuit claiming there was insufficient safety equipment onboard.įollowing 26 years of fighting, a report found the chambers contained faulty equipment that led to the accident, indicating Crammond was absolved of responsibility. Serving as a stark reminder of the dangers of saturation diving, the Byford Dolphin accident resulted in the formation of the North Sea Divers Alliance, created by the relatives of the victims. The death of the divers is considered one of the most gruesome deaths in history.ĭue to the speed of the incident, it is expected that all the divers passed instantly and painlessly – but the scene left behind was horrific. The air rushing out of the trunk forced the diving bell from its position, striking the tenders, killing one and severely injuring the other. The trunk was now open to the environment and the chamber, which had a huge pressure difference – and the result was an explosive decompression.Īll four divers were exposed to a pressure gradient far too extreme for the human body to withstand, resulting in their immediate and violent deaths. Between steps 2 and 3, while the chamber door was being closed, Crammond suddenly released the diving bell clamp. The chambers consisted of chamber 1, in which Edwin Coward and Roy Lucas were resting, and chamber 2, where Bjørn Bergersen and Truls Hellevik were entering after their work.Ĭhamber 2 was connected to the diving bell by a trunk, which the bell would attach to and be secured by a clamp run by two diving tenders, William Crammond and Martin Saunders.ĭespite being experienced in this procedure, Crammond supposedly made a fatal error. The four divers were returning from a dive and exiting the diving bell into their compressed living chambers. They were assisted by two dive tenders, William Crammond and Martin Saunders. Lucas (British, 38), Bjørn Giæver Bergersen (Norwegian, 29) and Truls Hellevik (Norwegian, 34). The divers were Edwin Arthur Coward (British, 35), Roy P. While drilling in the Frigg gas field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, four divers were in a diving chamber system on the rig’s deck that was connected by a trunk (a short passage) to a diving bell. On November 5, 1983, at 4:00 a.m., the rig suffered serious accidents, most notably an explosive decompression that killed four divers and one dive tender, and badly injured another dive tender. It drilled seasonally for several companies in the United Kingdom, Danish, and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea. Byford Dolphin was a semi-submersible, column-stabilised drilling rig operated by Dolphin Drilling, a Fred Olsen Energy subsidiary.
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