Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum

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The Ocean Star Offshore Oil Rig & Museum, located in Galveston, Texas, is a museum dedicated to the offshore oil and gas industry. Located next to the Strand National Historic Landmark District, the museum is housed on a retired jack-up rig anchored in the Galveston ship channel.

[edit] History

The Ocean Star was built in 1969 in Beaumont, Texas for the Ocean Drilling and Exploration Company (ODECO) fleet. It worked throughout the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast and drilled approximately 200 wells during its active life. The museum is sponsored by the Offshore Energy Center (OEC), is a non-profit organization funded through private donations, admission, and corporate donations. The OEC acquired the Ocean Star and spent 2 years converting her into the museum. The museum opened in 1997.

[edit] Exhibits

  1. The Hall of Fame, located within the museum, recognizes those persons and technologies that took the industry to sea, such as the famous firefighter Red Adair; engineering giant Brown & Root founders George and Herman Brown; Ralph Thomas McDermott, who founded the offshore drilling and platform construction company J. Ray McDermott; rig designer and drilling contractor Alden J. "Doc" Laborde; former president George H. W. Bush; and oil company tycoon Dean McGee.
  2. The Pipe Deck houses exhibits and equipment too large to be stored inside the museum, such as a blowout preventer, drill pipe, and a cementing unit.
  3. The Drill Floor is directly underneath the derrick, and is were the work of drilling a hole is done.

[edit] External links

Seal of the City of Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Attractions

Bishop's Palace  • Elissa (ship}  • Fort Crockett  • Galveston Island State Park  • Galveston Railroad Museum  • Galveston Seawall  • Galveston Island Trolley  • Grand 1894 Opera House  • Lone Star Flight Museum  • Moody Gardens  • Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum • Rosenberg Library  • St. Mary Cathedral Basilica  • Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark  • Strand National Historic Landmark District  • USS Cavalla (SS-244)  • USS Stewart (DE-238)  •

Companies

American National Insurance Company  • Galveston County Daily News  • Moody Foundation  • Moody National Bank  • Port of Galveston  • Texas First Bank  • Scholes International Airport at Galveston

History

Battle of Galveston  • Galveston Hurricane of 1900  • Galveston Movement  • History of the Jews in Galveston, Texas  • Strand National Historic Landmark District

Education

Galveston College  • Galveston Independent School District  • Texas A&M University at Galveston  • University of Texas Medical Branch  •

Healthcare

John Sealy Hospital  • Shriners Burns Hospital at Galveston  • Transitional Learning Center  • University of Texas Medical Branch  •

Media

Television:  • KLTJ (Daystar)  • KTMD (Telemundo)  •

AM Radio:  • KGBC  • KHCB  • KLNT  • FM Radio:  • KOVE  • KPTI  •