1955 Press Photo Oil drilling barge Mr. Charlie off Louisiana coast - noc00646

Oil drilling barge Mr. Charlie off Louisiana coast. We got into an elevator the other day, went down 35 feet to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico and stepped out E” Into the engine room of Mr. Charlie,E a giant mobile rig drilling for oil 12 miles offshore. (WeE™d earlier ascertained that the room was protected by 5/8-inch steel walls). Mr. CharlieE is quite a guy. HeE costs several million dollars, can be towed from one drilling site to another (with the engine room raised and serving as a hull), and provides the 40-man crew with air-conditioned quarters, a spacious mess room and a TV-equipped lounges. A visit to Mr. CharlieE or similar drilling barges gives one a dramatic first-hand picture of the ingenuity and engineering skill of the oil industry as it taps the lush tidelands.

Photo is dated 1955.

Photo measures 10 x 8 inches.