BLOWOUT

Life on an oil rig can be arduous and brutal as Bob Orrell discovered when he worked as a radio operator on the doomed HEWETT A drilling for gas in the North Sea amidst some of the worlds wildest and most hostile waters He recounts his life onboard with uncompromising clarity the humor conflict camaraderie atrocious weather and appalling accidents are all brought vividly to life When the gasfilled platform suffered a disasterous blowout rescue boats and helicopters battled against galeforce winds and raging seas to evacuate the surviving members of the crew Ultimately the author found himself and one colleague abandoned as the rig continued to spew oil and gas