[QUOTE=injunear;68711]Kerr-Mcgee had some old dinosaurs.
There were so many companies started up during the early '80s with 1 or 2 boats. Brio Marine, Billy Pugh got into the boat business, Brazosport Marine…[/QUOTE]
The ones I remember were called KerrMac Workboat xx.
[QUOTE=AHTS Master;68965]The ones I remember were called KerrMac Workboat xx.[/QUOTE]
That’s the ones. Some had 8-567s. Also the older Caspary&Wendell boats had tandem 6-110 GMs.
I don’t think that I saw Garber Brothers on this list. Being fed up with Crowley, I went down to their office in Berwick and had an interview. When I found out what the pay and working conditions were, I found that maybe I wasn’t as fed up as I thought. Oh, to be young again. If I am not mistaken, the Garber boats were purchased by Hornbeck (in the 90s) and then Tidewater.
Kind of along the lines of Ensco Marine, the purchase of Hornbeck by Tidewater really caught a lot of folks by surprise, too. Hornbeck has just finished building their new offices on Port Industrial Road in Galveston. I used to work with a guy who was hired as their general Counsel right before the sale and even HE didn’t have a clue.
I didn’t see anyone mention Biel or was it Beil. The Biel boats (three of them I think) were among the biggest (unlimited tonnage) and best in their day.
[QUOTE=tugsailor;68974]I didn’t see anyone mention Biel or was it Beil. The Biel boats (three of them I think) were among the biggest (unlimited tonnage) and best in their day.[/QUOTE]
They were the Biehl Trader and Traveler. Built at Cambells I believe. They were just over 1000 GT. There were no 1600T licenses at the time so they had to have unlimited licenses. Don’t know about their later reecord but they had a shakey start.
One of the adjusters from our office who retired last year worked on the Biehl boats. He had some interesting things to say. Yeah, they were built at Campbell.
[QUOTE=cmakin;68981]One of the adjusters from our office who retired last year worked on the Biehl boats. He had some interesting things to say. Yeah, they were built at Campbell.[/QUOTE]
I know in Alaska after the Valdez Spill, they had the Biehl Traveler and the Biehl Trader up there.
[QUOTE=CaptRob1;68983]I know in Alaska after the Valdez Spill, they had the Biehl Traveler and the Biehl Trader up there.[/QUOTE]
I first remember seeing them in '77 in Seward if I remember correctly. (many brain cells destroyed since then) The other big boats up there was either the SunTide or Moon Tide. 4 12-645s. The A W Martin was also up there. Had 6 cyl Storks with cp wheels. She was a hoss running anchors. Martin Industries had powerful boats at that time. I don’t remember the name but one had 20-645s with 2-speed reductions. Ocean Marine boats were built at American Can Co (as we called them) in the Industrial Canal. Cheap built boats but towed well. 16-cyl Alcos.
how bout briley marine…morgan city?
[QUOTE=scow1;68992]how bout briley marine…morgan city?[/QUOTE]
Spinoff from the Offshore Logistics bunch.
You guys are really making me feel old. Here’s a pic of the Trader.
Thanks for the picture. I just sent it on. I imagine it will cause flashbacks.
[QUOTE=AHTS Master;68996]You guys are really making me feel old. Here’s a pic of the Trader.[/QUOTE]
An ex colleague of mine sent me the picture and piqued my curiousity so I got on thread. Here is a little bit of the history.
The BIEHL TRADER AND BIEHL TRAVELLER were hulls 117 and 118 out of Campbell’s in San Diego. The shipyard is now somewhere under the convention center. They were the first “ships” that Campbell’s had built to Class and were a learning experience for everybody involved. The ABS Principal told us that if we could build a ship to Class in Campebell’s we could build one anywhere in the world with a hammer and a flat rock. The company, Biehl Offshore was founded to allow the ships to be built under the cabotage laws. Biehl was chosen as they were the husbandry agents for Smit International and the ocean tugs. The ships were built for charter to the SAM Group, Shell, Arco and Mobil for use in Alaska, and were based on the Smit Lloyd 100S Class. The SAM Group was familiar with the SL 100S Class in the North Sea. Power was 2 Enterprise DeLaval DMR 46 medium speed engines with a reduction box to CP wheels. After working in Alaska, GOM, East Coast USA, Mediterranean Sea, Straits of Magellan and back to Alaska the story ended. Smit Lloyd bought them and renamed them SL 118 and SL 119. The ships went out East and were sold, the first of many times. One of the buyers was Reading and Bates who ran them down in South Africa. After R&B they got sold into the really 3rd level of operators and worked in West Africa and the Med. In 2000 or so one was in Cameroon with a retired SL engineer onboard repairing the controls. So far as I know they are still running, somewhere.
They were well built on a great design with top grade equipment. The worst equipment was the main engine pneumatic control system which was really not installed properly, wet air supply.
AHTS Master;68996: being able to feel old is better than the alternative.
[QUOTE=PLM;68649][B][/B]Since there are several threads here about which OSV company is better, “my stack is taller than yours”, I thought it might be interesting to do a post listing the names of the many OSV companies who have gone bankrupt, been bought out, merged etc.
So, I’ll start here since we have already mentioned [B]TRICO[/B]. I’m sure I’m missing a few so feel free to chime in or make corrections. I added a € before, the names of the European companies that I can think of.
The biggest gobblers;
Tide Water Marine - Who through mergers and acquisitions has (or had) vessels from JACKSON MARINE, TWENTY GRAND TOWING, SEAHORSE, ZAPATA / GULF FLEET, the tug fleet of MCDERMOTT, ENSCO’s OSV fleet &10 of SANKO MARINE’s AHTS vessels. Companies bought outright include HOS(1), € OIL / OSA.
Seacor Marine - Bought out MCCALL, JOHN GRAHAM, GALAXY, € SMIT & ROWANS OSV & AHTS fleet, and through mergers SEABULK / HVIDE MARINE, € FISH, & € VECTOR OFFSHORE
Out of business - EURO PIRATES, BRUCE BOAT RENTALS, OIL & GAS RENTALS, SEAL FLEET, PBR, NAUTICAL INVESTMENTS, OFFSHORE OPERATORS ( various versions of COMAR, although COMAR is still in business).
OFFSHORE LOGISTICS, which became Gulf Offshore and bought out RIGDON MARINE. SEAMAR which was bought by Pool and later sold to HOS(2).
€Group Bourbon bought out €SURF.
Well, I can only think of 30 companies off the top of may head, maybe some of the old hands can add some more.[/QUOTE]
SEALFLEET was sold to Hvide Marine, not just ‘out of business’.
[QUOTE=PLM;68663]When Offshore Logistics went bankrupt their non US flagged fleet became Gulfmark / Gulf Offshore & they bought Rigdon Marine. Before their acquisition of Rigdon Marine Gulfmark Americas was a coperate office in Houston and a warehouse in Lafayette.[/QUOTE]
GulfMark Americas name was not until after the buy out. It was voted upon in the fleet and that’s the name that won out…
[QUOTE=Emerald Shellback;69431]SEALFLEET was sold to Hvide Marine, not just ‘out of business’.[/QUOTE]
I would think that when an OSV company sells all their boats; they are pretty much out of business.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1996_July_23/ai_18500462/
anyone remember command marine?
[QUOTE=1974csick;74978]anyone remember command marine?[/QUOTE]
They had Wichmann engines in their supply boats and SACMs in the SES boats.
Jesus, hearing them old names bring back loss memories i had forgotten makes me want to go to the nearest BAR and have a Beer
Is that the company that had the supply boat that ran under a platform full speed by the atchayalaya channel and wound up taking it to the dock with them? The state command I think?