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* * *

Shortly after that, I saw an eruption of fluid out of the aft end of the
derrick on the main deck of the rig and the Captain had been on the radio
to the rig telling them we were being covered with mud and they had
responded that they were having a well control problem and shortly after
that we were told that we ought get out of the way.

Somewhere in that interval, the eruption of liquid and the aft end of the
rig behind the ‐ aft of the derrick, there was a flash of fire and I hollered,
313
ʺFire on the rig, fire on the rig,ʺ and headed for the general alarm and after
that it got pretty chaotic.
314

Alwin Landry, the captain of the Damon Bankston, who was also on the
bridge of that vessel, testified:

And he [Erickson] advised me that there was mud or something coming
out from under the rig. I started to turn to look and I seen mud falling on
the back half of my boat, kind of like a black rain. And I was a little
annoyed at first because I thought it might have been a ruptured hose
through a process up there. So when I seen the magnitude of the mud
coming down we instinctively closed the wheelhouse doors. I went to the
port side and I looked out up at the derrick and thatʹs when I seen the
mud coming out the top of the derrick. I came back to the center of the
ship, established contact with the Horizon and asked them what was
going on. ʺIʹm getting mud on me.ʺ I was advised that they was having
trouble with the well. Momentarily after that, another voice came over the
radio asking me to go to 500 meter standby. I advised them I still had a
transfer hose onboard. There was a pause and a response and then
shortly after that, the first explosion at the rig occurred.

* * *

At that point, my focus was on top the derrick. At that point, it was my
concern for my crew, also, because I knew it was coming up aft deck and I
couldnʹt see right behind my cabin on the lower levels. So simultaneously

313 The location described is the same area where the air‐intakes for engine rooms 3 and 4 were
located.
314 Testimony of Paul Erickson, Joint Investigation Hearing, May 11, 2010, at 228‐32.

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