A total of 123 men died in the accident, and many of them were fathers. The children of the Kielland victims are today between 40 and 60 years old. Most have coped well with what happened, while others have struggled.
The most difficult thing for many has been the lack of information about what happened. In 1980, it was believed that the best thing was to shield children from what was painful and difficult. There was therefore not much talk about the accident. Many still have unanswered questions.
The Norwegian Petroleum Museum is currently working on a documentation project about the accident. One of the tasks is to tell the stories of those who were left behind. Many have already been interviewed, but there were 34 British citizens on the rig that we knew little about. Through survivors in Norway and social media, we established contact with around half of these, and have now been on two trips to the UK.
Lost her father
Deborah Laxon was among the people we met. She was 19 when she traveled to Stavanger in the spring of 1980. The heavy task she had to carry out could not wait. She had to travel to Norway to identify her father who died in the accident. At home in England, her mother was waiting. She could not travel herself due to illness.
It was Deborah Laxon’s first time abroad. She had to present a special entry permit as she did not have a passport.
Some belongings Deborah received after the loss of her father.In connection with the identification, she was given a small plastic bag with her father’s belongings – a watch, a guitar pick and a pocket knife. She took the bag with her back home to the UK. The mother kept asking if she was sure that it was the right man she had identified.
Deborah’s mother is now 94 years old. She was never the same after the loss of her spouse. Deborah says the same as several of the other survivors we met.
“I not only lost my father in the Kielland accident, but also my mother”, she says.
What many have in common is that they have not received any follow-up. They have felt very alone with their grief and have had no one to talk to.
In other words, what we found in England was completely in line with one of the conclusions in the report after the National Audit Office’s investigation into the authorities’ work with the Alexander L. Kielland accident: The survivors did not receive follow-up, and the follow-up of the survivors was not good enough.
Kielland meeting
Through the documentation project, we hope to be able to give relatives who want more answers, more information about the accident. Many also benefit from meeting each other.
From 31 August to 2 September there will therefore be a “Kielland gathering” in Stavanger, where relatives, survivors and others who were affected by the accident are invited.
You can find more information and programme for the gathering on this link:
Kielland gathering 31.8 – 2.9.2023
In the Alexander L Kielland Accident Memorial Bank (in Norwegian) you can read interviews with those affected by the accident.
The report on the National Audit Office’s investigation into the authorities’ work on the Alexander L. Kielland accident can be found here (in Norwegian).