R. Curtis Crooke led the technical development of CUSS 1, the first floating drilling rig with automated pipe handling, riser tensioners, and a stabilized traveling block. It set records for coring off the Galapagos Islands in the early 1960’s. Crooke helped develop the DPDS Glomar Challenger used for the Deep-Sea Drilling Project. Cores recovered from 4,300 feet to 23,000 feet of water improved our understanding of plate tectonics. He was also a key figure in the top-secret Jennifer Project, using the DPDS Glomar Explorer. Originally advertised as a venture to recover manganese nodules from the ocean floor, it actually recovered a Russian submarine from 16,000 feet of water off Hawaii.
Industry Pioneers
