1964 — June 30, drilling barge C.P. Baker blowout/explosion/fire, Gulf of Mexico off LA–22

–22 Blanchard from breakouts below noting State of Residence:
— 2 Arkansas
–19 Louisiana
— 1 Mississippi
–22 NFPA Fire Journal. “Offshore Drilling Rig Fire.” Vol. 59, No. 2, March 1965, p. 13.
— 8 dead
–13 missing and presumed dead
— 1 dead onboard the M/V Delta Service, moored alongside the C. P. Baker
–22 injured survivors from C. P. Baker
–22 USCG. Commandant’s Action…Explosion, Fire…Sinking…Drilling Barge C P Baker 1965
–19 crew members who went down with the drilling barge
— 2 bodies “picked up out of the water by rescue vessels.”
— 1 crewmember subsequently died of third-degree burns in a hospital.
–21 NFPA. “The Major Fires of 1964.” Fire Journal, V59, N3, May 1965, p.17.

Narrative Information

NFPA Fire Journal: “The C. P. Baker, a catamaran-type drilling ship, arrived on location off Morgan City, Louisiana, on Monday, June 29, 1964. The ship was about one year old and was valued at more than $2,500,000. Besides the 36 employees of the drilling company, nine employees of various contractors were aboard the vessel when drilling began. The men worked in two 12-hour shifts, and the off-shift personnel slept in quarters provide below decks.

“Although gas pockets are seldom encountered before drilling about 3,000 feet, the drilling crew struck a high-pressure gas pocket at about 640 feet, shortly after 3:00 am on Tuesday, June 30. Because of the relatively shallow hole, no casing had yet been put down. No other facilities had been rigged to handle escaping gas. The gas boiled up around the vessel, quickly engulfing it, and ignited explosively from an undetermined source. Many of the men on the vessel scrambled for safety, some diving into the water and others jumping onto two service boats that were tied up alongside the drilling vessel.

“Almost as soon as the gas ignited, the crews of the service vessels cast off their lines, moved the boats out of danger, and started picking up survivors. Upon receiving a distress call from the boats, the Coast Guard and the Navy immediately dispatched helicopters to aid in rescuing survivors. Other boats in the area also joined in the rescue.

“About 15 minutes after the gas ignited, the C. P. Baker sank in 180 feet of water, taking with her 19 of the men aboard. Twenty-four survivors and two bodies were picked up out of the water by rescue vessels. Most of the survivors had received burns or other injuries and required hospitalization. One subsequently died of third-degree burns….” (NFPA Fire Journal. “Offshore Drilling Rig Fire.” Vol. 59, No. 2, March 1965, p. 13.)

USCG Marine Board of Investigation report to Commandant: “Findings of Fact:

“1. At approximately 0300 CST, 30 June 1964, while engaged in drilling an oil well in Block 273, Eugene Island Area, Gulf of Mexico, the seagoing drilling barge C. F. Baker was involved in a ‘blowout’ which erupted gas and water over and around the vessel. The gas exploded, a fire ensued, and the vessel sank. Of the 43 persons on board, 7 were dead and their bodies recovered; one was critically injured and died subsequently; 13 were missing and presumed dead; and 22 were rescued and hospitalized with varying degrees of burns or injuries. On a supply vessel, the M/V Delta Service, tied alongside, one crew member was injured and hospitalized and another was critically burned and died later.

“2. Vessels involved:

“(a) The seagoing drilling barge C. P. Baker, Official No. 289043, was a steel, catamaran type vessel of 3891 gross and net tons, 260.4 feet registered length, 126.1 feet in width and 14.2 feet in depth. The hulls from which the catamaran was constructed in 1962 were originally Navy YF type vessels constructed in 1945. The port hull was the ex-Magnolia Drilling Barge No. 2, Official No. 256198, and the starboard hull was the ex-Magnolia Drilling Barge No, 4, Official No. 251202. The two hulls were tied together with a steel framework, with a drilling derrick straddling the hulls aft and a helicopter platform straddling the hulls forward. Access between the vessels’ separate hulls was by means of catwalks on the joining framework and by the pipe racks which extended the entire breadth one level above the main deck. The C. F. Baker was owned and operated by Reading and Bates Offshore Drilling Co., New Orleans, La., and at the time of the casualty was under contract to Pan American Petroleum Corporation for offshore oil exploration. Each hull of the C. P. Baker had two complete decks, one at the hold level and the other at the main deck level. [end of page 1 of 13.]

Identified Fatalities or Missing and Presumed Dead

1. Babineaux, Lawrence Sr. Lake Charles, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
2. Bussel, Len [Lynn (USCG)] Terrytown, LA; deceased AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
3. Demars, Don Bayou Vista, LA; dead. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
4. Deshazo, Charlie H. Hutting, AR; dead USCG Marine Board, p. 2.
5. Dillon, S. E. Franklinton, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
6. Esthay, Claude Evangeline, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
7. Gay, F. O. Franklinton, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
8. Howard, Joseph Hammond, LA; missing USCG Marine Board, p. 3.
9. Hutchinson, R. E. New Iberia, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
10. Lane, William New Iberia, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
11. Leger, John Gretna, LA; missing AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
12. McKnight, Robert (mate, Delta Service). Alexandria, LA USCG Marine Board, p. 3.
13. Michael, E. E. Waveland, MS; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
14. Milam, A. L. Ruston, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
15. Miller, William. El Dorado, AR; missing AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
16. Perry, B. J. Fields, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
17. Schadler, Ernest J. Lake Charles, LA; dead. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
18. Smelly, B. E. Quitman, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
19. Smith, R. B. Kentwood, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
20. Vance, D. C. Jennings, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
21. Watkins, L. G. Cameron, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.
22. Welborn, N. F. Alexandria, LA; missing. AP. “Area Men Sought,” 7-1-1964.

Sources

AP (Associated Press). “Area Men Sought. Search Begins in Rig Blast.” Lake Charles American Press, LA. 7-1-1964, p. 1. Accessed 7-10-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lake-charles-american-press-jul-01-1964-p-1/

NFPA Fire Journal. “Offshore Drilling Rig Fire.” Vol. 59, No. 2, March 1965, p. 13. Boston, MA: National Fire Protection Association.

NFPA Fire Journal. “The Major Fires of 1964.” Vol. 59, No. 3, May 1965, p.17. Boston, MA: National Fire Protection Association.

United States Coast Guard. Commandant’s Action on Marine Board of Investigation; Explosion, Fire and Sinking of the Drilling Barge C. P. Baker in the Gulf of Mexico, 30 June 1964. Washington, DC: Treasury Dept., Commandant, USCG, April 23, 1965, 17 pages. Accessed at: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/docs/boards/cpbaker.pdf