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1982: Disaster hits the Ocean Ranger
Valentine's Day, 1982: a terrible storm rages off the coast of Newfoundland. On the Grand Banks, the Ocean Ranger, the world's mightiest drilling rig, is pounded by waves more than 20 metres high. At the height of the storm, the "indestructible" rig begins to tip over, then capsizes. All 84 men on board — 56 of them from Newfoundland — perish. It is Canada's worst tragedy at sea since the Second World War.
At 1:12 a.m. the Ocean Ranger transmits its coordinates -- 46°43'33" N, 48°50'13" W -- and desperate search and rescue operations begin. This audio montage of radio messages, press conferences and testimony tells the story of the Ocean Ranger's final moments.
• Before it sank, the Ocean Ranger began listing (tipping over) about ten degrees towards its bow.
• It's unclear why the Ocean Ranger's radio operator did not call for help on normal distress frequencies. Those frequencies are constantly monitored by the Coast Guard, the military and all ships at sea. Instead, he used a frequency exclusive to oil companies.
• Due to unusual atmospheric conditions, a Dome Petroleum radio operator located in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT overheard the Ocean Ranger's emergency broadcasts.
• The storm that sank the Ocean Ranger also sank the Soviet container ship Mekhanik Tarasov just a few hours later. That ship sank about 120 kilometres east of the Ocean Ranger, with a loss of 33 lives.
Program: As It Happens
Broadcast Date: Feb. 15, 2002
Duration: 3:59
Last updated: January 25, 2012
Page consulted on April 12, 2013
All Clips from this Topic
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The mighty Ocean Ranger has sunk, and desperate attempts are made to f...
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As bodies are brought back to St. John's, families and friends seeks s...
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Quirks & Quarks examines the reasons the Ranger sank.
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One week later, Sunday Morning tells the story of the oil rig disaster...
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Looking for answers under the sea and in courts of inquiry.
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A Canadian royal commission and a U.S. inquiry look into why the rig s...
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Even after sinking, the Ocean Ranger claims more lives.
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Ensuring the rig will never threaten sailors' lives again.
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Families of 54 Newfoundlanders who died on the rig meet with lawyers.
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American investigation recommends better training and other changes.
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The Royal Commission on the Ocean Ranger Marine Disaster releases its ...
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Three years after the disaster, clergy and politicians unveil a stark ...
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Five years after the Ocean Ranger disaster, an improved lifeboat launc...
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A lot has changed in the nearly two decades since the Ocean Ranger san...
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A brutal winter storm closes in on Newfoundland's Grand Banks, threate...
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As the storm rages, something goes terribly wrong aboard the Ocean Ran...
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Valentine's Day, 1982: a terrible storm rages off the coast of Newfoun...