Colour Photograph Showing The Standby Vessel SILVER PIT In Aberdeen Harbour
AssociatedAssociated with
Silver Pit
(Offshore Safety Vessel)
Photographer
Mr Lemmon
AssociatedAssociated with
Piper Alpha
Date1986
Object NamePhotograph
Mediumpaper
ClassificationsNorth Sea Oil and Gas Industries
DimensionsOverall: Height: 13 cm, Width: 8.8 cm
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS039082
About MeSilver Pit was the standby (Emergency Response Vessel) which responded to the Piper Alpha disaster.Like most of the British offshore standby vessels in the 1980's Silver pit was an ageing converted fishing trawler built in 1947. When converted it was given a bow thruster but its main power was still provided by a single propeller. This arrangement (common amongst the rest of the fleet) was not capable of letting the vessel keep station in a swell enabling people being rescued from the sea despite the efforts of the crew.
This image shows Silver Pit in Aberdeen Harbour in 1986 with a Smidt-LLoyd anchor handeler in the background.
