Page 21: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 15, 1981)

Griffin-Alexander III

Commissioned At Beth (continued from page 20) built at Bethlehem's Beaumont,

Texas, yard and delivered within the last three months. Two ad- ditional rigs for Griffin-Alexander are under construction at the

Sparrows Point yard, and the re- maining three units will be de- livered 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 Grif- fin-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.

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 37y2 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 5% 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 13%" Type U double 10,000 psi w.p. 1 Shaffer 13%" 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 H»S 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

Outfitted with deep-well drill- ing equipment, the rig can oper- ate in waters up to 250 feet in the elevated position while expe- riencing forces resulting from 70- knot winds and 33-foot seas. The

Griffin-Alexander III contains on- board, air-conditioned living ac- comodations for 58 persons, in- cluding 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. Outboard Profile

How would a Helmsman design a LORAX C Steering Guide?

Like DECCA, the originator.

UNIQUE STEERING GUIDE • As you cruise to your destination or next waypoint, "Brand X" steering guides show you are off track by displaying a code bar(s) or number(s), lets say number 8, to left or right of center. If you go further off, you get a second number 8, and so on. But you don't know how much you are off-track! It's not linear so as you correct, you are suddenly surprised to see the indicator jump to the other side. Decca has solved this with its improved model 1024 Loran C. When you drift off track, the display first shows (to left or right, as needed) a number 1, for one microsecond. (As you know, Loran distance is in microseconds). It then shows 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. microseconds, as your off-track distance increases. As you correct you see how fast the numbers are reducing (5, 4, 3 etc.), so you can avoid overshooting to an error on the opposite side. Why work with a mathematician's codes, when you can have real measurement numbers? We simply insisted on a design where the microomputer made it easy for the helmsman, instead of the design engineer.

Try it once. We bet you won't go back to the old way of guesswork. And, we retain the same low price. Even more than before, the Decca Loran C Model 1024 is the best value available.

UNSURPASSED ACCURACY — No one will deny that T.D. (Time Delay in microseconds) readouts are the most accurate way to get a Loran fix... ask the Coast

Guard. New chart editions will include Coast Guard cor- rections to transmission-over-land problems and any other imperfections in the Loran lines. And the only method that automatically digests those C.G. correc- tions is T.D.'s — So if you own a Decca 1024 your ac- curacy improves with time and the only cost is some new charts. Further, Decca studied all known error- producing influences and designed micro-circuits to neutralize them. Ask your Decca dealer to demonstrate the 1024 in an area infamous for Loran problems and you'll see what we mean — even better, put it along side any Brand X (regardless of cost) and see which is more accurate.

OTHER FEATURES THAT IMPROVE ACCURACY • Dead simple — prompts the operator. • Self Test — (assures you it is A-OK!). • User-operated notch filters, (saves dealer visits); displays rejected frequency! (no trial and error). • Blocks out the infamous E.C.D. "10 microsecond error jump". • Filters out on-board interference. • Ignores erroneous commands. • Dual, simultaneous T.D. readouts.

UNBEATABLE VALUE (In addition to the new Steering Guide already described) • New! Accepts 5 waypoints/destinations, for use with with the new steering guide. • Easy to read — large display with dimmable lighting. • Adaptable — 10-40V DC or 115V AC option ... universal mounting. • Only 15 watts, less than a running light. • Reliable — ruggedly built; with waterproof, sealed front panel. • Worldwide Decca warranty — no dollar limit, as on so-called "lowest cost" units. • Microprocessor and five station autotracking. o • Meets or exceeds all U.S.C.G. and international specs. • Extendable — readily interfaced with other equipment (coming trend): drives Decca's outstanding track plotter, type 10350. • Built in the U.S.A. • Total cost of ownership is unbeatable, including that of bargain basement, weaker warranty Lorans.

DECCA'S DEPTH OF HYPERBOLICS (SUCH AS LORAN)

Decca originated hyperbolic navigation — unveiled it for the D-Day invasion in June, 1944. That D-Day hyperbolic system, called "Decca Navigator", then spread into general maritime use all over the world. When the U.S.A. hyperbolic (Loran) went public, Decca was there also — first with Loran 'A' and then Loran C. No other company can claim such depth of experience.

See your Decca dealer today. Or contact us for more in- formation.

RACAL-DECCA MARINE, INC.

P.O. Box G«#1 Commerce Blvd.'Palm Coast, FLA 32037 • Decca is a registered trademark

September 15, 1981 Write 292 on Reader Service Card 23