Overview
- Richard Arthur Walker, 32, and Victor Francis “Skip” Guiel Jr., 28, died of hypothermia during a saturation dive in the East Shetland Basin after their bell detached from its primary lift at about 520 feet.
- With the bell reliant solely on its umbilical for heat, power, gas, and communications, rescuers from the vessel Stena Welder mounted a prolonged effort to reach the trapped men.
- Recovery was delayed by lighting failures and a non‑working bell transponder, then compromised by guide‑wire and crane mistakes that wedged the bell and brought the crane up without it.
- Department of Energy inspector Roy Giles documented numerous safety breaches, and Sheriff Douglas James Risk said contractors prioritized speed over safety and the men could probably have been saved without a wrongly ordered crane lift.
- Infabco Diving Services Ltd. faced criminal charges in Aberdeen by 1980, and a U.S. court awarded $475,000 to Walker’s widow and daughter and $75,000 to Guiel’s relatives.