[Photo credit: John Weston]

On February 15th, 1982, 84 people died after the Ocean Ranger oil rig sank off the coast of St. John's, Newfoundland. 

The Ocean Ranger was an offshore oil rig, the largest of its kind when it was launched in 1976. The semi-submersible drilling rig spent time drilling in Ireland,  Alaska and New Jersey before moving to the coast of Newfoundland in 1980. 

Early in the morning on Valentine's Day 1982, the rig received reports of a winter storm that called for high winds and waves reaching up to 35 feet. They worked up until  4:30 that day, preparing to ride out the storm. Just after 1:00 am the following morning, the Ocean Ranger was sending out Mayday calls and the crew headed for lifeboat stations. 

Other rigs dispatched to try and rescue lifeboat passengers, but were ultimately unsuccessful due to the ferocity of the storm. The Ocean Ranger sank just after 2:45 am on February 15th, and search and rescue efforts in the following days saw dim results.

The 84 men working on the rig died, 56 of them Newfoundlanders.

To learn more about the disaster and its aftermath, check out NL Heritage's reports and an excerpt from a 2002 documentary The Ocean Ranger Disaster. 

Heritage NL's 'The Loss of the Ocean Ranger, 15 February 1982'

Heritage NL's 'Response to the Ocean Ranger Disaster'

The 35th anniversary of the tragedy has sparked remembrance from Newfoundlanders and local news organizations. Check out the coverage below.