Griffin-Alexander Drilling Company and Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Sparrows Point, Baltimore, Md., shipyard recently commissioned a self-elevating mobile offshore drilling rig.

The rig was christened the Griffin-Alexander III by its sponsor, Mrs. Anne Place, wife of Jack R. Place of Houston, vice president of U.S. Offshore and Gulf Coast Area, Energy Resources Group of Cities Service Company.

The multimillion-dollar rig has been under construction for about 10 months, and upon delivery this month will begin drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico for Cities Service.

George S. Hamilton, general manager of the Sparrows Point yard, said the Griffin-Alexander III is the third of eight rigs which Bethlehem will deliver to Griffin-Alexander over the next two years. The first two rigs were built at Bethlehem's Beaumont, Texas, yard and delivered within the last three months. Two additional rigs for Griffin-Alexander are under construction at the Sparrows Point yard, and the remaining three units will be delivered from Beaumont.

With the completion of this rig, the Sparrows Point yard will have delivered two mat-supported jackups, and Bethlehem yards will have completed their 89th.

Basic components of the Griffin-Alexander III consist of a 166-foot-long by 109-foot-wide by 15-foot-deep buoyant platform with a drilling slot, a 210-foot-long by 170-foot-wide by 10-foot-deep supporting mat, three 12-foot-diameter by 312-foot-long cylindrical legs and a hydraulic jacking system.

Outfitted with deep-well drilling equipment, the rig can operate in waters up to 250 feet in the elevated position while experiencing forces resulting from 70-knot winds and 33-foot seas. The Griffin-Alexander III contains onboard, air-conditioned living accommodations for 58 persons, including sleeping quarters, galley, laundry, and recreation facilities.

The rig was designed and built to comply with standards of the U.S. Coast Guard and rules of the American Bureau of Shipping.

More than 5,700 tons of steel were used in the construction, composed of the following: 4,942 tons of plate from Bethlehem Steel's Sparrows Point plant; 815 tons of structural shapes from the Bethlehem, Pa., plant; nearly four tons of wire rope from the Williamsport, Pa., plant; and about 1.75 tons of fasteners from the Lebanon, Pa., plant.

GRIFFIN-ALEXANDER III Major Equipment

Drawworks: Mid-Continent U-1220 EB Electra-Flow drawworks Derrick: Branham Universal 147' high with 30 by 30 base, nominal capacity 1,392,000 lbs Rotary: Gardner Denver 37½ in. powered by D79 electric motor thru 2-speed Gardner Denver transmission Traveling Block: McKissick Type RP N0684 rated for 550 tons Hook: Byron-Jackson Model 5500 rated for 500 tons Swivel: Oilwell No. PC500 rated for 500 tons Kelly: Baash-Ross Tri-Kelly 5¼ in. model ITP-6 Master Bushing: Varco Main Power: 3 EMD diesel SR12EW rated at 1,650-hp each pulling 2 D79 generators each plus one generator each skid with a thru shaft pulling a Columbia 600-kw generator Emergency Power: 1 Caterpillar D353 turbocharged engine with a 300-kw Columbia generator Blowout Preventers: 2 Cameron 13⅝" Type U double 10,000 psi w.p.; 1 Shaffer 13⅝" annular 5,000 psi w.p.; 1 Ragen KFL-3 30" 2,000 psi diverter Choke and Kill Manifold: 10,000 psi w.p. All Blowout Preventers and manifolds treated for H₂S Service Mud Pumps: 2 Gardner Denver PZ-11 triplex 1,600 hp powered by 2 D79 EMD motors per pump Mud System Equipment: 1 Brandt dual tandem shaker; 1 Swaco mud degasser; 6 Brandt mud agitators; 1 Flo Trend 5" solid separator with 16 5" cones 1,200 gpm capacity; 1 Swaco mud gas separator Cranes: 2 Sea King model 1400 marine crane with 100 ft. booms, ABS certified for cargo handling Distillation Plant: 1 MECO PEE 300 M3B water maker Safety Equipment: 2 Watercraft 58-man lifeboats

The topmost sections of its legs were added to the Griffin-Alexander III after it was towed south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Md.

Mrs. Anne Place of Houston, Texas, christened the Griffin-Alexander III mobile offshore jackup drilling rig at Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Sparrows Point, Md., shipyard recently. She is joined by George S. Hamilton (from left), general manager of the Sparrows Point yard; and owners J. William Alexander, president and chief operating officer, and Loy D. Griffin, chairman of Griffin-Alexander Drilling Company, Houston. The rig, capable of drilling in 250-foot water depth, will be put into service for Cities Service following a 24-day, 2,150-mile tow to the Gulf of Mexico.