Bristow Photos

[Dave Ed]

Continuing with Das Island....here is the info I have from the original website. Some pics courtesy of John Odlin.

Das Island is the main centre of the UAEs offshore oil industry, lying in the centre of the Arabian Gulf. In 1957 Bristows won a contract from BP to operate on a tiny uninhabited island in the Persian Gulf ( Das Island) 70 miles off the coast of Qatar.



Bristows had to provide the helicopters and Alan Bristow bought the first two helicopters owned by the company, two Westland Widgeons. At Das Island the Bristow crews soon proved that the helicopters, initially contracted merely to fly essential spares and key executives to the rigs, were far more reliable and effective than boats in ferrying whole rig crews. The company was to operate in the area for the next twenty years.


Back of photo Das Island 1958. Helicopters in hangar at Das Island Base.

Helicopters were used for communication between the island and Umm Shaif No.1 well, being drilled by Abu Dhabi Marine Areas Ltd, in which the British Petroleum Company has a two-thirds shareholding and Compagnie Francaise des Petroles one-third. So presumably the two aircraft in the photo were the first helicopters bought by Bristows.



Back of photo: WS-55 Srs 3 landing on a well-head tower at Das Island. Registration G-AOZK.




WS-55 Whirlwind G-ANUK at Das. Back of photo: Spencer Allen - one of Bristow's captains.



A couple of Whirlwinds at Das G-AOZK and ?.



Das 1957. Widgeon about to land on "Adma Enterprise" whilst in harbour at Das Island during final fitting out prior to being towed to the site of Adma Well F-1.




Aerial view of Das taken in 1976.

And a couple of people pics...........