Charles E. Young Jr.
Engineering at James Dr, Metairie, LA

RE30825, Dec 15, 1981

Nov 1, 1978

5/956718

Arthur L. Guy - Houston TX
John B. Reber - Arcadia CA
Charles E. Young - Metairie LA

J. Ray McDermott & Co., Inc. - New Orleans LA
Exxon Production Research Company - Houston TX

E02D 2100, B63B 3540

405204

A method for joining two or more jacket or substructure components of an offshore platform in the water to form a single jacket unit. An offshore platform is located in deep water by dividing a jacket or support of extensive length therefor into at least two sections which have only sufficient buoyancy to float at water surface when the sections are launched from at least a vessel at a selected location. The sections are aligned and connected together. Guide means ensure proper alignment of the legs of the sections. Access tubes from the surface of the water to the hollow legs permit direct internal welding in securing the legs of the sections together. The sections are then sunk at the selected location until the jacket is in an upright position at which point it is anchored by driving piling through the jacket's hollow legs into the sea floor, following which the deck of the platform is placed or stabbed on the anchored jacket.

4260291, Apr 7, 1981

Feb 27, 1979

6/015730

Charles E. Young - Metairie LA
Stephen A. Will - Slidell LA

J. Ray McDermott & Co., Inc. - New Orleans LA

E02B 1702, E02D 2100

405205

In the installation of a jacket or substructure component of an offshore platform on the sea floor over an underwater fixture containing one or more wellheads, a jacket is first ballasted to rest in a vertical orientation on the sea floor. Power winches are mounted atop the jacket above the water line and anchored mooring lines are connected to the winches via fairlead sheaves which define points of attachment for the mooring lines to the jacket. The jacket is deballasted to float with a near sea bottom clearance and is maneuvered horizontally with the power winches toward the underwater fixture. Docking guides carried by the jacket engage vertical guideposts driven drilled into the sea floor at preselected locations relative to the underwater fixture to align the jacket with the underwater fixture. The jacket is then lowered into the desired on-bottom position during controlled ballasting procedures. Finally, piles are driven through hollow jacket columns to anchor the jacket to the sea bottom.