Unique Artifacts from the Alexander L. Kielland Tragedy

The fateful hydrophone is on display in the Norwegian Petroleum Museum’s permanent exhibition The Legacy of Kielland, alongside a twisted brace from the rig. However, the museum’s collection contains more artifacts from the disaster than those exhibited.

The collection includes a model of the supply vessel Nordmand Skipper , one of the first boats to arrive at the accident site. Skipper Didrik Stonghaugen (Dikke) and his crew rescued two men from a raft in the sea and saved an additional twelve people from a lifeboat. No other vessel rescued more survivors that night.

Shortly after the accident in 1980, divers recovered objects from the wreck site, while other equipment was salvaged when the rig was anchored in Gandsfjorden. When the rig was declared lost in early 1981, the Norwegian Oil Insurance Pool took ownership – granting the Norwegian Petroleum Museum access to additional items from the wreck. Later, in connection with the sinking and final righting operation in 1983, more objects were retrieved and transferred to the museum. See artifacts from the rig here.

The museum has also preserved some objects used during the first attempt  to upright the rig.

A sticker in the collection indicates that Stolt Nielsen Seaway Contracting A/S was responsible for the up righting  operation in 1983 . A protective helmet belonging to H.O. Berg from the police force demonstrates how these stickers were used.

The investigation commission that examined the accident conducted extensive analyses of the metal used in the rig. Brace components and steel samples were examined at Statoil’s laboratory in Forus as part of the investigation. Some of these samples have been preserved and can be seen here.

Survival suits were not officially required until after the Alexander L. Kielland disaster, although they were already in use before then. Following the accident, the rig owner, Stavanger Drilling, ensured that employees received new survival suits, each packed in an individual bag for storage. Some of the suits bear name tags, showing that some individuals who worked on Kielland before the accident returned to work in the North Sea shortly afterward.

The museum has also received baggae tags, boarding passes, and  stickers , preserved by a donor who had a summer job on the Kielland platform in 1979.

All artifacts from the Kielland disaster that are not part of the exhibition are stored in the Norwegian Petroleum Museum’s storage facility in Dusavika. Visitors can view the items by appointment.

Address: Finnestadsvingen 35, 4029 Stavanger.

Please contact the museum to schedule an appointment if you wish to visit the storage facility.