Byford Dolphin accident: What happened at the Byford Dolphin accident? Did anyone survive the Byford Dolphin?

Byford Dolphin was a semi-submersible, column-stabilised drilling rig operated by Dolphin Drilling, a Fred Olsen Energy subsidiary.

It drilled seasonally for several companies in the United Kingdom, Danish, and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea.

On November 5, 1983, at 4:00 a.m., the rig suffered serious accidents, most notably an explosive decompression that killed four divers and one dive tender, and badly injured another dive tender.

While drilling in the Frigg gas field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, four divers were in a diving chamber system on the rig’s deck that was connected by a trunk (a short passage) to a diving bell. The divers were Edwin Arthur Coward (British, 35), Roy P. Lucas (British, 38), Bjørn Giæver Bergersen (Norwegian, 29) and Truls Hellevik (Norwegian, 34). They were assisted by two dive tenders, William Crammond and Martin Saunders.

The four divers were returning from a dive and exiting the diving bell into their compressed living chambers. The chambers consisted of chamber 1, in which Edwin Coward and Roy Lucas were resting, and chamber 2, where Bjørn Bergersen and Truls Hellevik were entering after their work.

Chamber 2 was connected to the diving bell by a trunk, which the bell would attach to and be secured by a clamp run by two diving tenders, William Crammond and Martin Saunders.

Despite being experienced in this procedure, Crammond supposedly made a fatal error. Between steps 2 and 3, while the chamber door was being closed, Crammond suddenly released the diving bell clamp. The trunk was now open to the environment and the chamber, which had a huge pressure difference – and the result was an explosive decompression.

All four divers were exposed to a pressure gradient far too extreme for the human body to withstand, resulting in their immediate and violent deaths. The air rushing out of the trunk forced the diving bell from its position, striking the tenders, killing one and severely injuring the other.

The death of the divers is considered one of the most gruesome deaths in history.

Due to the speed of the incident, it is expected that all the divers passed instantly and painlessly – but the scene left behind was horrific.

Serving as a stark reminder of the dangers of saturation diving, the Byford Dolphin accident resulted in the formation of the North Sea Divers Alliance, created by the relatives of the victims.

The reports determined the cause of death to be human error, but the Alliance filed a lawsuit claiming there was insufficient safety equipment onboard.

Following 26 years of fighting, a report found the chambers contained faulty equipment that led to the accident, indicating Crammond was absolved of responsibility. The relatives subsequently received compensation for the loss of their loved ones.