"Doc" Laborde, who also founded Tidewater, and John Hayward.
Hayward was the builder of the Barnsdall rig and holder of the patent on submersible drilling barge methodology.
[1] Alexander Shipyard in New Orleans constructed the company's first rig, which was delivered in 1954 and immediately contracted to Shell Oil.
[3] In 1982, Ocean Ranger, one of the company's oil platforms, sank in a violent storm in Canadian waters east of Newfoundland, killing 84 people.
[7] In 1992, Diamond Offshore Drilling acquired the company from Murphy Oil for $358 million.