# Uncle John Dive Support



## david freeman

Is this semi submersible still around offering dive support?


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## john fraser

david freeman said:


> Is this semi submersible still around offering dive support?


Still around as Uncle John,or was,a couple of years ago,owned by Caldive in the States.


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## DenisM

Still owned by CalDive, working in GOM full time. Crewed by C-MAR UK and C-MAR Canada, with now a few US nationals from Caldive in the marine crew compliment


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## 5036

This may be of interest to you. As mentioned elsewhere on the forum, men of this calibre are very rare indeed.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9087320/Professor-John-Houlder.html

She was drydocked in Tyneside in two adjacent drydocks whose centrelines corresponded very closely with her hull centrelines. It was a bizarre sight to see her straddling the ground between the dock gates. An innovative solution for a great character of a vessel.


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## RayJordandpo

I worked on the 'Uncle John' in the GOM. I was working for C-Mar (UK) as was a lot of the marine crew. C-Mar (Canada) had a lot of guys on board. The rig was owned and operated by Caldive who also suppled the divers, construction workers, welders etc.


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## Onzie

Anyone know if Gordon the ETO still there?
He had been there since day 1 and was there around 5 years ago last time I was on it.


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## RayJordandpo

Onzie said:


> Anyone know if Gordon the ETO still there?
> He had been there since day 1 and was there around 5 years ago last time I was on it.


He was there when I was on it, his back to back was a British guy who lived somewhere in Central America, owned a farm there as I recall . The Captains were Fred Dupoy and Bill Eslar. Dive Superintendants were both called John (Rey?)


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## NINJA

An old man was asked, "At your ripe old age, what would you prefer to get - Parkinson's or Alzheimer's?"
The wise one answered, "Definitely Parkinson's. Better to spill half an ounce of Whiskey, than to forget where you keep the bottle!!"


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## telecaster

Worked on the Uncle John when she was in for repair a Smiths dock (North Shields)in the 1970's...I was on the docking squad when she docked with a pontoon in No 4 dock and the other on in No 5 dock...Was a hair raising expierience for some of the young uns working on her as the means of boarding was a metal cage,vivid memories of a certain crane drive watering his plants in his cab as he was hoisting the cage....happy days.

My other memory is of the Rig Master,he was a dead ringer for John Cleese!


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## john fraser

Onzie said:


> Anyone know if Gordon the ETO still there?
> He had been there since day 1 and was there around 5 years ago last time I was on it.


Don,t know about Uncle John but I know that last year Caldive paid off UK and other nationalities from DSVs Mystic Viking and Kestrel. One excuse given was that Obama was trying to create employment for US nationals and,Us owned ships had to have US crews.in the GoM
I reckon it was all down to costs.as they cut even the feeding rate.and I see their shares have dropped. I suppose they kept on the staff they couldn,t replace with US nationals. Gordon shaw on Uncle John was a cadet with me in the 70,s


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## BOB.WHITTAKER

telecaster said:


> Worked on the Uncle John when she was in for repair a Smiths dock (North Shields)in the 1970's...I was on the docking squad when she docked with a pontoon in No 4 dock and the other on in No 5 dock...Was a hair raising expierience for some of the young uns working on her as the means of boarding was a metal cage,vivid memories of a certain crane drive watering his plants in his cab as he was hoisting the cage....happy days.
> 
> My other memory is of the Rig Master,he was a dead ringer for John Cleese!




TELECASTER ,I think the "John Cleese" Rig Master you remember was not off the Uncle John but one of the Kigsnorth Rigs that went alongside at Smith's,I can (Probably with other ex Houlder personnel) put a name to him.I can assure you that none of the Bargemasters on the Uncle John around that era resembled John Cleese,who they did resemble is another matter though. Cheers Bob Whittaker


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## George Simpson

BOB.WHITTAKER said:


> TELECASTER ,I think the "John Cleese" Rig Master you remember was not off the Uncle John but one of the Kigsnorth Rigs that went alongside at Smith's,I can (Probably with other ex Houlder personnel) put a name to him.I can assure you that none of the Bargemasters on the Uncle John around that era resembled John Cleese,who they did resemble is another matter though. Cheers Bob Whittaker


Bob I think John Cleese was in fact John Pickles he was Kingsnorths Marine super.

As for the smiths dock have a look at the photo I submitted a while ago, http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/251502/title/uj-in-refit/cat/500

George

PS I hope you and your family are well.


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## BOB.WHITTAKER

GEORGE, John Pickles AKA John Cleese, spoke to Mike Boland two days ago, he was of the same opinion. Everything ticking along nicely ,family extremely well,I've got the the standard problems of advancing years (70 next time) like a new knee-general arthritus-bad back-high blood pressure, but it is all under control with the right pills. Thank The Lord for " The N.H.S. "
The Pucketts called on Boland last week,albeit briefly,having also called at the Campbells.Things reported as AOKin all three households . Cheers BOB


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## british hazel

*Re offshore rigs...*

Hi There ....

I am just wondering if you remember the Treasure Finder...What happened to her... is she still in service... also is the Brent Delta still going...

Cheers Gents All The Best Dave...


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## 5036

british hazel said:


> Hi There ....
> 
> I am just wondering if you remember the Treasure Finder...What happened to her... is she still in service... also is the Brent Delta still going...
> 
> Cheers Gents All The Best Dave...


Still going strong. She became the Polyconcord in 1992, and then sold by Rasmussen to Prosafe in 2001 and renamed Safe Hibernia in the Mexican Gulf where she remains to this day.

http://www.prosafe.com/safe-hibernia/category145.html

Brent Delta info here:

http://www.shell.co.uk/gbr/aboutshe...ioning/brent-field-decomm-studies/status.html


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## Blackal

Polyconcord - Made the Norwegian headlines back in 1994, when she broke her moorings in Bergen Fjord. Drifted across the fjord and ran aground around the same time as it hit the bridge...........

Al


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## Ken Wood

Spent many weeks on Treasure Finder as Shell marine rep when she was working in the Brent/Dunlin/Cormorant fields. Also Treasure Hunter and various Safe flotels. Mainly good times although I did witness helicopters falling into the sea unfortunately. The Rasmussen marine personnel were very good to work with. The big advantage with the Finder was her hanger and twin helidecks which were invaluable for the work she did.


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## Jim Glover

Worked on the UJ on the Magnus Repair Job to one ofthe legs in 1990 .It took 7 weeks to carry out all the diving and hyperbaric welding work .Gunter Straub was the Diving Superintendant .Very good vessel for working alongside platforms


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## ben27

good morning nav,sm,6thmarch,2012.12:19:46(4)re:uncle john dive support.i have just read your link on this old thread.he was a great man in his field,and having 5 wives,a great lady's man.an interesting thread,stay well.regards ben27


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## davand2007

I helped to build the Uncle John in Arendal and Oslo in the 1970's. I worked as a paint inspector for Camrex Paints and we did all the ballast areas with thick *****men coatings. I worked on the individual pontoons in Arendal and then these pontoons were floated up Oslo to be constructed into the full submersible. I helped to finish of the Uncle John in Oslo.

Years later I saw her being deadlocked in Smith Dock North Shields. What an unforgettable sight.

davand2007.


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## BOB.WHITTAKER

*Uncle John*

DAVE , I was one of Houlders Standby Chief Engineers in both Arendal and Oslo during the build of The Uncle John the other was Ben Blyth . I certainly remember you and your involvement with the Camrex coating of the ballast tanks , a " Rolls Royce " job . ( Which is more than can be said for the engines that were installed )
One person who I'm sure you will remember and probably dealt with the most of the Houlder personnel would be Gavin Hunter who was the Hull Inspector another would possibly be Ken Gant who was Project Manager . I'm Still in touch with Gavin albeit infrequently and he lives near Powburn north of Morpeth . Best regards Bob Whittaker


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## DTtheET

*The Uncle John fitting in those Drydocks in North Sheilds*



nav said:


> This may be of interest to you. As mentioned elsewhere on the forum, men of this calibre are very rare indeed.
> 
> www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9087320/Professor-John-Houlder.html
> 
> She was drydocked in Tyneside in two adjacent drydocks whose centrelines corresponded very closely with her hull centrelines. It was a bizarre sight to see her straddling the ground between the dock gates. An innovative solution for a great character of a vessel.


John Houlder walked into the office at Houlder's and gave me my job as "Instrument Engineer" during the construction phase (on the strength of my being a junior engineer from MSDS and working on the MAPS acoustic system). He was a wonderful people person as many have attested. BUT also he had the vessel specially designed so that it would fit in those two drydocks. Unfortunately I suspect that the higher position that dictated for the cross braces contributed to the steelwork cracking problems that were found many years later.


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## DTtheET

*Where are we now?*



BOB.WHITTAKER said:


> DAVE , I was one of Houlders Standby Chief Engineers in both Arendal and Oslo during the build of The Uncle John the other was Ben Blyth . I certainly remember you and your involvement with the Camrex coating of the ballast tanks , a " Rolls Royce " job . ( Which is more than can be said for the engines that were installed )
> One person who I'm sure you will remember and probably dealt with the most of the Houlder personnel would be Gavin Hunter who was the Hull Inspector another would possibly be Ken Gant who was Project Manager . I'm Still in touch with Gavin albeit infrequently and he lives near Powburn north of Morpeth . Best regards Bob Whittaker


I came across Gavin Hunter in Abu Dhabi about 5 years ago. He was working on a rig construction project there as a steel inspector. He had only expected to be there a short time but the project had various delays and he ended up being there for several years.

I would love to get in touch with Ben Blyth if anyone knows a contact. The reason is that he could help write the story about the navies abortive attempts at a diving vessel (The Challenger) I visited the Challenger when she was laid up to remove spare parts to use on the conversion of Stadive into Louisiana.

Also there was a meeting about Dynamic Positioning Systems held in Norway in around 1976. If anyone has any info on that meeting please let me know. This was a meeting which triggered a change in attitude to DP safety involving adding a little more intelligence to how data was checked before being used.


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## DTtheET

*Getting in Touch and Tracing History*

I would love to get in touch with Ben Blyth if anyone knows a contact. The reason is that he could help write the story about the navies abortive attempts at a diving vessel (The Challenger) I visited the Challenger when she was laid up to remove spare parts to use on the conversion of Stadive into Louisiana.

Also, another very significant piece of the story, there was a meeting about Dynamic Positioning Systems held in Norway in around 1976. If anyone has any info on that meeting please let me know. This was a meeting which triggered a change in attitude to DP safety involving adding a little more intelligence to how data was checked before being used.


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## Gavin Hunter

Hello UJ friends.
I had the task of verifying the docking arrangements for heights centres and clearance above the crane tracks prior to docking Uncle John.We were assessing 18 inch clearance below the horizontal braces but it went beyond this for a worrying ten minutes pumping out the dock and stopped at 15inches due to wood block compression. Our old Boss Mitch said if it touched do not wait for the sack just go home. Gavin Hunter (now retired)


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## Gavin Hunter

DTtheET said:


> I would love to get in touch with Ben Blyth if anyone knows a contact. The reason is that he could help write the story about the navies abortive attempts at a diving vessel (The Challenger) I visited the Challenger when she was laid up to remove spare parts to use on the conversion of Stadive into Louisiana.
> 
> Also, another very significant piece of the story, there was a meeting about Dynamic Positioning Systems held in Norway in around 1976. If anyone has any info on that meeting please let me know. This was a meeting which triggered a change in attitude to DP safety involving adding a little more intelligence to how data was checked before being used.


Hi Dave,
If you need info on the Challenger the best man to talk to is Lynsley Meadows who headed all the engineering for it by HOE.

Best regards

Gavin


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## BOB.WHITTAKER

Following a serious engine room fire the Uncle John has been laid up for some time. I hear that Caldive are now bankrupt and that the Uncle John was auctioned as part of the proceedings realising some $ 1.4 million. I have no idea what the intentions for her or her present condition are.
Bob Whittaker


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## C.I.MAYNARD

david freeman said:


> Is this semi submersible still around offering dive support?


The U.J. is alongside in Mobile USA. the owners Caldive went bankrupt.
She was auctioned off for 1.4 million dollars. Dubai based Momentum
Engineering bought her. At present there are a few C-Mar lads aboard getting her ready to sail to the Middle East.
I worked on the U.J. as 2nd Engineer in the Gulf of Mexico until I retired in 2006. I still have some contacts,so will post any further news I get.
What happened to the Uncle John reunions !


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## BOB.WHITTAKER

Hi there Colin ,
not much to add other than I am in regular email and telephone contact with Mike Boland , there's a man that hasn't changed over the years , and occasionaly with Kevin Campbell and Jerry Puckett , two more that haven't changed much either . Also spoke with Joe Sharkey some 8 - 9 months ago . Other than new knees , bad backs and even considering some major problems they seem to be surviving .
I usualy get an Xmas card from Ben , it hasn't arrived yet though so I am not
aware of his situation . I also had email contact with Dave Torrens early this 
year .
Regards a reunion it needs an organiser and some indication as to whether the numbers would be viable , I can see most of the participants being the wrong
side of seventy ! (If not more )
Your query as to what has happened might raise some interest . 

Best regards to you Colin . ( HEDEMORA , FOREVER ON MY MIND ! ! )

Cheers , Bob Whittaker


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## Edzy

Uncle John latest. Up for sale again, probably just for scrap value. Momentum engineering plans for the vessel didn't work out it seems. Sad end to "The Magnificent Uncle John".


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## Nogginthenog

According to Marine Traffic it looks like she is laid up in Mobile Alabama and has been for quite a while.


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## Erimus

Nogginthenog said:


> According to Marine Traffic it looks like she is laid up in Mobile Alabama and has been for quite a while.


Yes over two years.
geoff


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