A companion site to AlyeskaPipelinePeople.com
This postal cover was created to celebrate the first oil entering the pipeline on it’s journey from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. The cover was designed by Byron Birdsall, one of Alaska’s most popular and prolific artists.
[BFH]
“First Barrel of Oil pumped through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System – Mile 611 – Prudhoe Bay – Valdez, Alaska – June 18, 1977.” One of these made for each mile of the pipeline.
Label on bottom says, “The oil contained in the embedment is a sample taken from the First Barrel of Oil pumped through the Trans Alaska Pipeline. The arrival in Valdez on July 38, 1977 marked the opening of the 799 mile, $7.7 billion pipeline, which has an ultimate capacity of 2 million barrels per day. The historic First Barrel of Oil was present to the Valdez Chamber of Commerce and the Organization for the Management of Alaska’s Resources (OMAR) who will make mementos available for Alaskans. The pipeline is an important and significant effort in energy for a strong America.
From a limited edition of 799 W.J. Darch President”
4″ H x 3″ W x 1.75″ D; 1977 [LNM]
Note: Don’t have the actual date this was made; called it 1977 for the oil (Larry)
Bronze medal with a pipeline worker in winter gear in the foreground. In the background is a pump station on top, the pipeline in the middle, and the Valdez Terminal on the bottom. On the reverse side it says, “Trans Alaska Pipeline / Completion / & Start-up / June 20, 1977”. The medals is shown next to a penny for scale. The medalist (engraver) was John E Svenson. Medal was presented to Lance Groundwater.
2 15/16″ dia, about 7.6 oz, June 20, 1977 [LCG]
This commemorative solid brass belt commemorative buckle say, “Trans Alaska Pipeline One Billion Barrels August, 1977-January, 1980.”
On the back it says, “Solid Brass / BTS / Made in USA.”
1980 [BFH]
A gold Cross Pen and Pencil Set. The pen has a pipeline logo on it. The pencil is engraved, “Alyeska-Safety 1980”
Presented as a Safety Award to John Farrell.
Box is 2 1/2″ x 6 1/4″ 1″ [JEF]
This black jacket was sold in the Pipeline Club Store in the late 1980’s. It has zipper pockets and a large embroidered patch on the back .
The patch has an outline map of Alaska with a segment of pipeline and says, “Alyeska Pipeline / Anchorage, Alaska”.
Worn by Larry Motschenbacher, who stills wears this jacket from time-to-time.
[LNM]
Decal issued to celebrate the arrival of the 2 billionth barrel of oil at the Valdez Terminal on Nov 10, 1981.
November 10, 1981 [DAJ]
This limited edition heavy 3-D belt buckle was designed by two of Alyeska’s own. The front says, “Alyeska Pipeline Service Company” on top. The middle includes a segment of pipeline, an eagle, a reindeer and a grizzle bear and it says, “Trans Alaska Pipeline” on the bottom.
The back of the buckle says, “By Les Alldredge & Marc Houser / Mile 699 of 800 Pipeline Miles / Limited Edition”, and, ” © 1982 Siskiyou Buckle Co., Inc. / Williams, Oregon”
Les Alldredge shared that The Pipeline Club had a contest to design the belt buckle. Les and Marc Hauser’s designs were declared a tie so both were sent to Siskiyou, who incorporated design elements from both into this belt buckle.
[GM]
Decal issued to celebrate the arrival of the 3 billionth barrel of oil at the Valdez Terminal on July 21, 1983.
July 21, 1983 [DAJ]
The front of this buckle says,”Alyeska Pipeline Service Company” and MP 165″. It displays a map of Alaska with the pipeline, an oil well, an oil tanker, and a section of pipeline.
On the back it says, “This is the second in a yearly series commemorating the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company”, and, ” © 1984 Siskiyou Buckle Co., Inc. / Williams, Oregon”
1984 [BFH]
MP 200 was an $27 million project done in the winter of 1985 after a small “wrinkle” caused by settlement under the pipe at the Dietrich River was detected by a C/D (corrosion and deformation) pig. While temporarily redirecting the river channel, about 4,000 feet of pipe was rerouted and 404.67′ of additional pipe was added. The project was completed on April 22, 1985. This may have been the last major project 100% done with in-house engineering and drafting at Alyeska’s Bragaw St. facilities.
Related: On Jan. 6, 1985, DRA injection was initiated at MP 203 to support the reroute project. It remained in place until Oct. 3, 1991 when it was removed due to declining throughput. DRA refers to Drag Reduction Agent. Looking like a golden syrup, DRA is a long chain hydrocarbon injected into the oil pipeline that reduces friction due to turbulence. This reduction in friction was very important in earlier high production times as it allowed us to increase through-put beyond the rates our pumps could achieve.
[DAJ]
In 1985, about 405 feet of pipeline was added to the pipeline at MP 200.
Below is the coupon (piece cut out) by T.D. Williamson (a company noted for it skills in working on pipelines while they still contain product and pressure) who did the hot-tap – made this cut into a 30″ pipe for the system used to equalize the pressure between the mainline pipe and the bypass pipe. After the hot tap a valve or another piece of pipe is welded to the cut out hole
Size – 6″ x 5 1/4″ with 1 1/4″ hole in center; 1985 [BFH]
This solid brass paperweight with leather insert and cork backing was issued to celebrate Alyeska passing the 5 Billion Barrel point in September of 1986.
(I believe the 5 billionth barrel left the pump station on Sept 15, 1986.)
3 3/4″ diameter; Sep 1986 [JEF]
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This pig model is mounted on an oak plaque that says:
“Presented to Joe Willing in recognition of outstanding contribution to the construction and the operation of TAPS from the employees of the Valdez Marine Terminal.
March 1988”
Base 7″ x 9″ with pig 7″ high [JLW]
I believe this is a model of one of the early cleaning pigs. Anybody confirm? Larry
This white T-shirt that says “Trans Alaska Pipeline” above a circle with a slash through it. Inside the circle it says “Fe2O3,” (for iron oxide) on an reddish orange field. Taken together this means, “No Rust.”
Underneath it says FOD for Ferric Oxide Destroyers and then RUST BUSTERS / ’88
1988 [JEF]
Highlights:
This model of Check Valve 29 on a wood base was presented to Joe Willing on his retirement. The label said, “In Honor of J.L.Willing / on his retirement from / Alyeska PIpeline Service Co. / March 18, 1988 / A remembrance of / Super Pig verses Check Valve #29”
This refers to an incident that began on August 18, 1979 when a “super pig” was stuck in the pipeline at Check Valve 29. A super pig is a pig that measures curvature and deformation (bumps, dents, buckles, wrinkles, etc.) in the pipeline. Check valves insure that the oil only moves in one direction and can’t flow backward, such if the pumps stopped as when the pipeline is going up over hills. To resolve this, they had to open the check valve, install a stopple and bypass and remove the pig. The pig was destroyed during removal. Work was complete by September 25, 1979.
6 1/4″ x 6 1/4″ x 10″ tall, August 18, 1978 [JLW]
The top edge of this solid brass belt buckle says, “M.V. Exxon Valdez” on top with the oil tanker shown in the middle with the words “Prince William Sound, AK” in the middle and, “March 24, 1989 Black Friday” on the bottom. [Note: M.V. is for Motor Vessel.]
On the back, it says “Rainbow Metals / Sandcast Solid Bronze / Hand Finished / Seattle WA”, and the back is engraved with the number 737.
The belt buckle is a reminder of the supertanker Exxon Valdez, owned and operated by the Exxon Corporation. The supertanker had left the Alyeska Terminal and was heading south deliver it’s oil to Long Beach, CA when it ran aground on Bligh Reef and spilled 260,000 barrels of crude oil. The Alyeska pipeline and terminal facilities ar a consortium wholly owned by Exxon and six other oil companies, and thus became deeply involved in cleaning up after the spill.
.
Decal to celebrate the loading of 10,000 tankers at the Valdez Marine Terminal.
September 1990 [JEF]
Decal to celebrate the arrival of 8 Billion Barrels of oil at the Valdez Marine Terminal[
[Note: The Alyeska Fact Book lists the actual 8 billionth barrels date as January 1, 1991. I think the decals were made in advance, based on projections, but a short delay occurred – LNM]
December 1990 [JEF]
Highlights:
Decal for “15 Years of Commitment, Challenge, Change”
[JEF]
This jacket was issued to celebrate the 15 year Anniversary of TAPS operations. It was also one of the most popular Alyeska jackets.
Here is John Farrell wearing his jacket. John customized his jacket by adding his name on the right side, just above where it says “Alyeska Pipeline.”
It is important to share the fact that John customized his jacket as most people’s initial reaction upon seeing it is, “Hey, mine didn’t come with my name on it.”
June 20, 1992 [JEF] [JEF]
Decal celebrating the 9 billionth barrel of crude oil at the Valdez Marine Terminal
(Note: this was just a couple weeks after the 15th anniversary of TAPS operations, June 20.)
July 2, 1992 [JEF]
This brass on oak Stuart-Austin quartz clock was received upon joining the Projects Department It says, “Welcome to Our Group, Projects Department, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, April 1993”
Apr 1993 [JEF]
This is a brass pig inside a ‘glass’ pipeline on Vertical Support Members mounted on an Alaskan Jade base. It was created by the Alyeska Operations Division for Jim Hermiller’s retirement from Alyeska. The map of Alyeska says, “Operations Division.” Below that, on an engraved plaque, it says, “Jim Hermiller / President & CEO – June 1989 – April 1993 / Alyeska Pipeline Service Company”
April 1993 [BFH]
Decal honoring the 10 billionth barrel of oil arriving in Valdez.
(The was March 5, 1994 according to the Alyeska Fact Book.)
March, 1994 [JEF]
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Decal celebrating the 13,000th tanker to load at VMT.
June 12, 1994 [JEF]
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The Leatherman stainless steel multi-tool with a leather case was given as a Group Safety Award in 1994.
1994 – 3.8″ L x 1″ H x 2″ W [DAJ]
This engraved acrylic moment celebrated, “Ten Billion Barrels – Trans Alaska Pipeline August 1977 – March 1994.”
Back in 1968, geologists had original estimated the total amount of oil in the ground was about 10 billion barrels. On March 5, 1994, the 10 Billionth Barrel of oil flowed through the pipeline, and we kept on pumping. That just seemed to make it a special milestone to some.
[LNM]
Decal celebrating the loading of the 14,000 tanker at the Valdez Marine Terminal. That vessel was the ARCO M/V Juneau, and it was on December 31, 1995.
On August 1, 1977, ARCO M/V Juneau was loaded with 843.000 barrels of Alaska crude oil, the very first oil delivered by TAPS, and headed for Cherry Point, WA.
The 42 gallon standard barrel was officially adopted for shipping crude oil in 1872 but goes back much further. It was already the standard for shipping wine, whale oil, molasses, eel, etc., on sailing ships by 1700.
A barrel of crude oil produces about 45 to 48 gallons of products (due to refinery gain). About half becomes gasoline, then diesel fuel, heating oil, jet fuel, natural gas liquids, and asphalts, lubricants, and other products, the primary feed stocks for plastics, polyurethanes, various medical goods, etc.
December 31, 1995 [JEF]
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A decal featuring the 1995 Environmental Excellence Program.
1995 [LNM]
This is the PassPort Integrated Maintenance Management System pen and pencil set in a wood box was issued in 1995.
PassPort was Alyeska’s first enterprise-wide software that integrated several key areas of purchasing, inventory and work management together.
Box size: 7 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ x 1″; 1995 [LNM]
This brass Pig model with a pen and pencil set is a retirement award presented to Ben Holeman by VMT.
It says, Ben Holeman / Alyeska Pipeline Service Company / 03/21/77 10/31/95 / With Great Appreciation for Your Years of Dedicated Service.
(To set the record straight, I should mention that Ben stayed on until 12/30/95 – to wrap up a few last things – and he returned again – to do a few more few last things – many times – over the next 10 years or so. Larry)
1995 [BFH]
This sail boat and plaque is a retirement award presented to Ben Holeman by OSF.
From left to right it says:
10 years of Dedication / 40,000 Hrs. of Excellence / 11 Billion Barrels of Oil / From 0 to 2.2 MBPD
800 Miles of Thanks / Master of all Trades / Ben Holeman / Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
The OSF Team
1995 [BFH]
This decal celebrates the 500 Voyages to Valdez by the tanker, “Arco Fairbanks.”
The ARCO M/V Fairbanks was the first tanker to visit the Valdez Terminal, arriving before start-up to participate in a month of training exercises. The 883 foot long tanker made regular weekly 1,200 miles trips from Valdez, AK to Cherry Point, WA, even through the severe winter seas of the Gulf of Alaska.
May 25, 1996 [JEF]
A long-sleeved green shirt with, “Alyeska / We / Can” on the front.
The back has a frog in a yellow circle with “Operation Quality” around it, and “A Giant Leap Forward” logo inside the circle. The frog was used as a a logo in various Quality program publications also.
Below the circle, it is says, “February 25 – March 31 / 1996”
1996 – [JEF]
This hat says, “Alyeska / Southern Business Unit / 1996 / A Year of Accomplishment.” On the back it says, “Last Hat of the SBU.”
Note: From time to time the Alyeska facilities have been organized in various ways: Pipeline & Terminal; or Northern & Southern Business Units; or Northern, Central, & Southern Business Units.
1996 [JEF]
This Mini Mag-lite flashlight was released to celebrate that on December 1, 1997, 12 Billion Barrels of oil had passed through the pipeline.
Date 12/1/1997; Height – 5 inches [LNM]
At Alyeska, polished gold pans, appropriately engraved, were sometimes presented to mark a special occasion, achievement, or milestone such as retirement.
This particular gold pan was presented to Glenn Meidinger, at a gathering in the Machine Shop, by David Calvin, Maintenance Supervisor at the Valdez Terminal, at the time of Glenn’s retirement. It is engraved as follows:
“Alyeska Pipeline Service Company” above the map of Alaska with the state flag inside; then below that, “Glenn Meidinger / In appreciation of your service / to / Alyeska Pipeline Service Company / 9//2/81 – 10/3/97 / Anchorage, Alaska.
17 1/2″ in diameter [GM]
This decal celebrates two milestones for Alyeska,
one for the Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS):
and one for the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT):
May 21, 1999 and June 26, 1999 [LNM]
The Ships Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS) was initially established on July 10, 1989 for oil spill prevention and response in the Prince William Sound.
This decal celebrates the 10 years of SERVS service in 1999.
July 10, 1999 [LNM}
This stainless steel insulated travel mug and lid says, “Millennium Ready – It’s History,” on the side. It also came with with the following memo tucked inside:
This Y2K coffee mug is a token of my sincere appreciation for your dedication to duty during the millennium date change. Your contribution, either as on duty or on call, gave me confidence that the pipeline would be operated at the highest levels of integrity and emergency response preparedness.
The fact that the pipeline system transitioned through the date change without interruption in service is testimony to our preparation, prevention work and planning. It was well worth it, and it was a job well done.
Dan Hisey
Senior Vice President
Valdez Business Unit
Year – 2000; Height – 5.25″ [LNM]
This memento was to celebrate the massive effort to prepare Alyeska’s computer and automation systems for the Y2K or Millennium Bug event in year 2000. At that time, most computer programs used 2 digit date fields for years. At the end of 1999, they would go from 99 to 00 (for 2000), often with very unacceptable consequences. There was a rule, “years divisible by 100 are not leap years except once every 400 years.” This would made year 2000 a leap year but there’s an exception every 2,000 years. And last, the date, Sept 9, 1999, was a potential problem. It would display as 9999 which often meant “Unknown Date” or “End of Program” in older programs. Being a sophisticated company, Alyeska had many computer programs and digital control systems using dates. Identifying and fixing each before they became a problem was considered a major achievement.
12/31/1999 – 01/01/2000
6.5″ H x 6.86″ W x 1″ D [LNM]
This stainless steel thermos came out in 2002. It displays the Alyeska name and logo. Below that is says, “Celebrating 25 Years” and below that, “1977 – 2002”.
2 1/2″ diameter, almost 10″ tall [LNM]
This set of compact 10 x 25 Bauer Optics binoculars with ruby red lens came out to celebrate the 25th Anniversary (1977 to 2002) of Alyeska Pipeline, The binoculars, as well as the leather pouch they were in, were labeled with “Alyeska Pipeline / 25th Anniversary / 1977 – 2002”.
Issued in 2002; Case is 5″ x 5″ [JEF]
The presentation label on this plaque says:
JOHN FERRELL
IN APPRECIATION OF
27 YEARS
OF ENGINEERING SERVICE ON THE
TRANS ALASKA PIPELINE SYSTEM
1975 – 2002
(John says he thought he noticed some rust around PS 3)
Size – 20″ Square, 2002 [JEF]
This 1 Troy ounce silver bar that commemorates Alyeska’s 25th Anniversary is mounted in a clear plastic protective case.
The front of the bar says, “Alyeska Pipeline Service Company / Commemorating 25 Years / 1977 – 2002”. The back says, “Trans Alaska Pipeline System / .999 Ounce – One Troy Ounce”
July 20, 2002 [DAJ]
This coffee mug celebrates Alyeska Pipeline Service 25 anniversary (on June 20) on one side and the new Valdez Terminal Office Building on the other. This is a three story building with about 45,000+ sq ft. and uses an open office configuration to provides for maximum flexibility with 10′-6″ ceilings for better lighting and to enhance the feeling of openness. It was designed for the heavy snow (about 300 inches annually) and seismic forces in this area. Designed by ASCG / RIM architects and built by Davis Constructors and Engineers, Inc. who begin construction on May 1, 2001 and finished on June 1, 2002.
The mug has a removable sipee lid and has a soft, non-slip base
4 3/4″ high [LNM]
These small black Fisher “Space Pens” were presented to the original Reconfiguration concept team led by Glen Pomeroy.
The Alyeska Pipeline logo was engraved on the pen on one side. On the other side the team members name was engraved in italics and below that,it was engraved with TAPS Reconfiguration. This particular pen was presented to Larry Motschenbacher.
Pen case is 4 1/2″ x 1 3/4″ x 1″ [LNM]
The first photo shows this special limited edition medallion and the stand it sits on for display. It says, “1977 / A Thirty Year Journey / 2007”
The second photo shows the back of the medallion:
No. 3181 of 6000 / Limited Edition
The third photo shows the paper included with the medallion, with the signature of the Alyeska President at that time, Kevin M. Hostler and it was dated October 2007
2007 [JEF]
This strange little origami Rubik’s cube like item was passed out when the Loss Prevention System (LPS) was rolled out. It provided all the elements of LPS in one interesting display.
(Anyone able to confirm LPS roll-out year? LM)
[DAJ]
This shirt, “Trans-Alaska Pipeline / Pump Station One / 2013 Stampede / Prudhoe Bay Alaska” was for a large Prudhoe Bay running contest.
2013 [JEF]
A foam computer mouse pad with a map of Alaska showing the pipeline and locations of the Pump Stations. It was labeled, “a world apart”.
Dimensions: 73/4″ w x 7 3/8″ h [LNM]
This red retractable badge holder has 24″ long nylon line to allow you to swipe your badge on a scanner or show it to security. The clip on the back allows you to clip it to your belt, or a pants or shirt pocket. It says, “Alyeska Pipeline.”
Size: 1 1/4″ in diameter [LNM]
A nice, simple, “Merry Christmas from Alyeska Pipeline Service Company” pin.
[JEF]
The Alyeska key spider has three removable studs with split rings for keys. The key spider is shown here in it’s original presentation box.
[LNM]
This blue and sleeved shirt with white stripes on the sleeves says,”Alyeska Pipleline / 1 / Service Company” on the front. On the back, it say, “Alyeska Pipeline Service Company / The Pipeline People / #1” on the back.
[JEF]
This purple hat with a reindeer head silhouette on it says, “Alyeska pipeline / Engineering.”
[JEF]
A mug that honors Alyeska’s recycling program
Height – 3.87″ [LNM]
These ANSI Z87 rated safety glasses came in a red case. The clip on the case easily snapped to a belt loop or loop on your jacket. These features made it easy to always have your safety glasses with you when visiting Pipeline or Terminal facilities. The case also provided a place to put your safety glasses when you weren’t using them, protecting the lenses from being scratched.
Adjustable temples allowed them to be adjusted to fit a wide range of people sizes.
Red case length – 6.7″ [LNM]
A green pin with the words, “UNCLE AL SAYS / BE SAFE / DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY”
[JEF]
This plastic blue flashlight has the Alyeska Pipeline logo and says, “Nobody Gets Hurt“. The flashlight head can be rotated 360 degrees horizontally by loosening the top or vertically on it’s mounting pivot points. It has a large spring loaded clip on the back to clip it to your belt or other band.
Height: 6 1/2″ [LNM]
A “Nobody Gets Hurt” flashlight.
[DAJ]
This white square ceramic coaster has a cork backing. It features the motto, “A Tool Kit for Employees”. [I believe took kit referred to PassPort? LM]
Square – 4.25″ [LNM]
This shirt features an picture of a tough boar hog with the words, “Pigging Wallow” on the front.
The right sleeve has an American flag and “Chris Henderson / Annual Memorial Run”. The left sleeve has the words, “team alaska”.
Chris Henderson was an EMT, a Captain of the Greater Prudhoe Bay Rescue team and, on his off time, a Captain of the Wasilla Volunteer Fire Department who passed away unexpectedly at a young age.
[JEF]
This cobalt blue aluminum water bottle has a screw on cap, with a hook for hanging and a flip out spout for drinking. It features the Alyeska Pipeline name and logo on the front and back. It holds about a half liter or two cups or so.
2 3/4″ diameter, 9 3/4″ to top of hook [LNM]
The mug was for the Commitment Tracking System (CTS), a module within Alyeska’s enterprise-wise work management application, PassPort. CTS provided open and visible tracking of progress on various work activities, the resolution of internal audit items, change requests to preventive maintenance program items, etc. It supported breaking the activity down into sub-tasks, identifying the persons responsible for each sub-task and tracking the progress on each respective sub-task.
Height – 3.87″ [LNM]
Culture of Trust coffee mug to promote openness, diversity, and abiding with the corporate Code of Conduct.
Height – 3.87″ [LNM]
Length: 5 3/8″ [LNM]
Mouse pad with pipeline picture and, “eLITE – Learning is TAPS Excellence.”
Below it says, “eLite is the Yupik Eskimo word for “to learn”. It pronunciation is approximately, “leet”.
Dimensions: 7 1/2″ w x 7 3/4″ h [LNM]
This clear plastic water bottle and flexible straw was for Employee Health & Fitness Day
[LNM]
An Engineering Department wood pen in a wood case.
[LNM]
This Gerber Folding Sportsman II knife is engraved, “Alyeska Pipeline Service Company / Ten Years Service.” on the blade. It was presented on a person’s 10 year work anniversary.
This is a very nice looking lock-back Gerber knife with a trailing point blade. It has a solid brass casing with wood inlays. (I believe the wood is Macassar ebony from S.E. Asia.) The knife came in a sturdy Gerber leather case with a snap closure and belt loop on the back.
This particular knife was present to Larry Motschenbacher in 1997.
Closed:4 1/2″, open: 8″ [LNM]
A gray metal Alyeska Pipeline Service Company pen.
Date Unknown; Length – 5.25″ [LNM]
Green Star is a USEPA award-winning organization established to recognize businesses and organizations that voluntarily meet and exceed Green Star’s high standards of environmental responsibility.
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company initially completed the Green Star Standards and earned the Green Star Award certification in 1993. Since then, APSC has continued to be re-certified every two years and maintained their award level status to this date (2016).
Height – 3.87″ [LNM]
The pin says, “I’m a Big Wheel” as Alyeska President George Nelson appeared in a wheel chair as he encouraged Alyeska employees to donate to the United Way.
[JEF]
A small handy ice scraper with the “Nobody Gets Hurt” theme. A small scraper like this can also be handy when the window is icing up on the inside
Width – 3.37″ [LNM]
Refrigerator magnet with important emergency phone numbers for residents of Valdez.
Part of the “Nobody Gets Hurt” campaign.
Size: 3″ square [LNM]
A black, plastic pen from the Information Management Service Unit (IMSU). The pen has a clear window in the body. By rotating the pen bottom, different functions of IMSU appeared in the window: “Document Publication’, “Librarian Research,” “Records Mgmt/Distribution,” “Compliance Matrix (ARCS)”, “Configuration Management”, and “Document/Drawing Control.”
Length – 5.5″ [LNM]
Small plastic Alyeska Pipeline flashlight on a short chain with a split ring to attach to a key chain.
Body – 3.25″ [LNM]
This Alyeska Pipeline Club letter opener was designed to look like a 3 1/2″ floppy disk used on the Apple Macintosh computers provided to staff at the time.
At Alyeska , we began using the Macintosh with 400 kb (single sided) disks, then 800 kb (double sided) and jumped to 1.4 mb (high density) disks later on.
The Alyeska Pipeline Club ran a small store inside the Bragaw Street building that sold t-shirts, souvenirs, etc. and raised money for a number of activities, including the annual Pipeline Club Picnic.
Size: 3 1/2″ square [LNM]
These Minolta UC III 8 x 18 ultra compact binoculars in a case were presented as a Safety Award.
Case says, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company / Outstanding Safety Performance.
3 1.2 L x 1″ H x 2 7/8″ W [DAJ]
This decal was issued for a big BWT (Ballast Water Treatment) upgrade in the ’90s. Originally, all oil tankers took on sea water in their crude oil tanks as ballast to help stabilize them for safer riding in rough seas. Upon arriving in Valdez, they send the now oily ballast water to the BWT facility, which also received any other oily waste water from terminal activities. BWT first separated out any crude oil and then treated the remaining wastewater.
As newer oil tankers begin using segregated tanks for ballast water rather than their crude oil tanks, BWT activity dropped dramatically, and required major design changes to function effectively at these lower levels
“No BETX” means “No Benzene, Ethyl-benzene, Toluene, and Xylen,” aromatic hydrocarbons that could be released into the air if special precautions are not taken.
[DAJ]
A big happy “Nobody Gets Hurt” pin.
Diameter – 3.0″ [LNM]
The hat says, “Oil Spill / Response / Alyeska Pipeline” with a nice logo on the front.
[JEF]
Passport is the integrated enterprise-wide software application implemented in the mid-90’s to replace numerous, custom, stand-alone systems for managing work, inventory, purchasing, maintenance and more.
Height: 3 5/8″ [LNM]
This is a pewter tankard or beer stein that has a glass bottom and is engraved with a TAPS logo.
On the bottom it is marked, “Made in England” and “Towle Pewter #7653”.
Height -5 1/8”; base – 4” [JEF]
A speckled brown cup with a map of Alaska overlaying section of pipeline.
Height – 3.87″ [LNM]
Embroidered patch for Pipeline Operations Task Force members
Width – 4.25″ [LNM]
This is a Gammon Reel, with a CST 24, 24 ounce brass plumb bob and leather sheath that was presented to John Farrell. The plumb bob is engraved and says, “John Farrell / Thanks for all your support. / Ocean Tech”
[JEF]
{
I first created this site writing simple code with Notebook++. As I began to realize how just many artifacts we might have, I decided to redesign and rebuild the site from scratch. It looks very similar to the original, but it’s very different beneath the hood and should be able to handle our needs for future expansion.
This polished pewter belt buckle was a Safety Award (believe it was in the 70’s)
The front of buckle says, “Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Safety Award” and the back says “The Great American Buckle Co. U.S.A.” and “Made Exclusively For Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.”
3.2″ x 2.3″ [BFH]
This decal was issued in honor of the SERVS Team reaching 1 million accident free hours.
The decal also names some of the key members of the SERVS Team at that time: Alyeska (Alyeska Pipeline Service Co), Crowley (Crowley Marine Services, Inc). Price/Ahtna (Price/Ahtna Joint Venture), TCC (Tatitlek Chenega Chugach), and Tidewater (Tidewater, Inc)
2″ diameter [BFH]
This shirt worn by Glenn Meidinger came out as the construction phase of Strategic Reconfiguration Project grew near.
The front packet of the shirts has a logo with the skull of a moose, a raven and the Big Dipper, and says, “Trans-Alaska Pipeline / SR Project.”
Accoss the back it says, “Union Workers / Bringing Oil to / America.” Inside that is a drawing of the pipeline and the logos of several local union affiliates.
The logos, from left to right, are: L.U. 1547, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; L.U. 375, United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry; L.U. 942, Laborers International Union of North America; L.U. 959, International Brotherhood of Teamsters; and L.U. 302, International Brotherhood of Operating Engineers.
[GM]
This white retractable badge holder has 24″ long nylon line to allow you to swipe your badge on a scanner or show it to security. The clip on the back allows you to clip it to your belt, or a pants or shirt pocket. It says, “TAPS / Nobody Gets Hurt”
Size: 1 1/4″ in diameter [LNM]
A small refrigerator type magnet from the System Renewal Team with a photo of the pipeline in the background.
It says:
Thoughts on Change…
There is nothing like returning to a
place that remains unchanged to find
the ways in which you yourself have
altered.
Nelson Mandela
Systems Renewal
[LNM]
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I have been pretty busy for a while but hope to work on this site this winter and add some new features that I have been thinking about. Also want to get more active in contacting other for photos and information Alyeska stuff (artifacts) we still don’t have documented here.
Larry
The 153′ long Crowley tug Nanuq, and her sister ship, the Tan’erliq, are part of Alyeska’s Ship Escort Response Vessel System. They are the most powerful cycloidal propulsion drive tugs in the world. Their extreme maneuverability is due to this special drive system allows them to change the direction of their thrust almost immediately. The ships were deployed in 1999.
They also have additional capabilities for firefighting, emergency response, and oil spill recovery.
[From Alaska Native Languages, Nanuq means Polar Bear and Tan-erliq means Black Bear]Height – 3.87″ [LNM]
Alert, Aware, and Attentive are three Crowley tugs specifically designed and built for APSC SERVS group. The three 140′ long, 40′ wide, 10,000-horsepower RPTs (Prevention and Response Tugs) were delivered to the Alyeska’s SERVS group in 2000. In addition to being powerful tugs, they have firefighting, emergency response, and oil spill recovery capabilities. Each can carry 2,000 ft of oil recovery boom, two oil spill recovery skiffs, and store up to 43,000 gallons of recovered oil.
Height – 3.87″ [LNM]
This pin was given to those who donated at the Captain level for four years. (See Captain Pin for details.)
[LNM]
The Anchor Club Captain pin was given to individuals who donated at certain level to the United Way. If I recall correctly, the amount was not a fixed sum but a sliding amount based on your pay level – those who earned a higher salary must donate more to receive the pin. It has a standard brass “butterfly” pin clasp on the back.
Size: 1″ x 3/8″ [LNM]
This pin was given to those who donated at the Captain level for two years. (See Captain Pin for details.)
[LNM]
This pin was given to those who donated at the Captain level for three years. (See Captain Pin for details.)
[LNM]
Small gold-colored rectangular pin that says, “United Way” and shows with extend hands
Height: 7/8″ [LNM]
Small gold-colored pin spelling love with the United Way symbol.
Width: 3/4″ [LNM]
A small plastic United Way book page marker.
Height: 1″ [LNM]
A United Way sticker with four different symbols used by United Way on it.
Size: 2″ square [LNM]
Red poker chip labeled, “Valdez Marine Terminal – $afety – We Make Safety #1”
Width – 3.25″ [LNM]
A green foam tension-release squeeze ball with “Nobody Gets Hurt” and “Valdez Business Unit”
Size: 2 3/4″ in diameter [LNM]
This little calculator says, “Complements of Alyeska Pipeline Valdez Human Resources” on the right and “A World of Thanks” under the globe on the left.
In addition to the standard four functions, it also has square root, percentage and several memory related functions.
Width – 3.5″ [LNM]
This two-toned quartz day/date Seiko men’s watch says, “Alyeska Pipeline Service Company / Twenty Years Service” on the face and was presented upon completion of 20 years service at one time.
This particular watch was presented to John Ferrell for 20 years of service.
[JEF]
A red United Way card that says “thanks for doing.” On the red card is a bright yellow metal pin that says “what matters.”
The annual United Way event was a very significant event at Alyeska and got much internal publicity.
Size: 1 1/2″ square yellow pin on 3″ card [LNM]
White mug with “Alyeska pipeline” written on front and back four times.
Height 3.87″ [LNM]
A white plastic Alyeska Pipeline Service Company pen.
Date Unknown; Length – 5.25″ [LNM]
A handy little thermometer to have on your parka even though it only went down to -20F. The wind chill chart on the back was a particularly helpful reminder for those who tended to underestimate the effects of the wind.
This chart used the wind chill numbers that were in effect before Nov. 2001. A new wind chill formula was adopted in Nov 2001 based on additional studies. It tended to increase the wind chill effect at lower wind speeds and decrease it at higher wind speeds.
Length – 2″ [LNM]
