Levingston Shipbuilding Company of Orange, Texas, recently laid the keel for the first of two Levingston-designed jackup drilling rigs to be built for Noble Drilling Company of Ardmore, Okla. The first rig will be named the Ed Holt; the second rig has not been named. Noble Drilling, a leading domestic drilling contracting firm formed in 1921, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Noble Affiliates, Inc.
Attending the ceremony and representing Noble were: George Matetich, president; Merrick Harmon, vice president and manager of operations; Dick Fugal, vice president of marketing; Johnny Hoffman, division manager, New Orleans; Max Smith, assistant divisional manager, New Orleans; Amos Runner, assistant general manager, Mid Continent Division; and A.D. (Sparky) Balla, owner's representative. Representing Levingston were: Joe Barrios, vice president of operations; Russ Teel, director of steel trades; Eddie Uher, project engineer; Kyle Cooper, program manager; Woody Gaines, director of industrial engineering; Dick Franklin, steel superintendent; Curtis Harrison, director of outfitting; Major Inman, director of contracts; and George Istre, program manager.
Overall dimensions of the triangular shaped rig are 200 feet by 186 feet by 23 feet. The three 414-foot-long legs will enable the rig to drill in 300 feet of water to a depth of 25,000 feet. Designed to withstand winds of 109 knots and seas of 50 feet, the rig will provide accommodations for 54 people.