Temple Drilling Company and Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Beaumont shipyard recently commissioned a 150-foot water depth mobile offshore drilling rig for Tidelands Limited II. The rig was christened the Comanche by its sponsor, Mrs. Janis Huitt, wife of Dr. J.L. Huitt, senior vice president, Gulf Oil Exploration and Production Company-U.S. operations. Upon delivery, the rig will work in the Gulf of Mexico for Gulf Oil.
The Comanche is a mat-supported jackup designed for deep-well drilling operations. It features a cantilevered substructure and offers the capability of being able to position its drill floor over existing offshore production platforms in order to drill developmental wells or to rework existing wells.
On location, the Comanche will have a total variable load capacity of four million pounds and handle hook or rotary plus setback loads of one million pounds on wells as far as 32 feet aft of the platform deck. The rig will have a maximum cantilever reach of 40 feet with a hook/setback load capacity of 800,000 pounds at rig centerline.
The Comanche was designed and built to comply with current safety standards of the U.S. Coast Guard plus the American Bureau of Shipping standards for construction of offshore drilling units.
The rig consists of a platform measuring 157 feet by 120 feet supported by three 9-foot-diameter columns fixed to a mat that is 197 feet by 160 feet. Outfitted with deep-well drilling equipment, the rig will operate in waters of up to 150 feet. The Comanche contains onboard, air-conditioned living accommodations for 52 persons, complete with sleeping quarters, galley, recreation area, and laundry rooms.
George L. Temple, president of Temple Drilling Company, earlier announced the signing of a contract with Bethlehem for construction of a 200-foot water depth rig, the Cheyenne, to be delivered in April 1982. The rig will be designed by Beaumont and built at Bethlehem's Sparrows Point, Md., shipyard.