Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum — Attraction in Galveston

Visiting the Houston Texas area with refineries everywhere, we wanted to learn more about the oil industry. Overall, we enjoyed a visit to Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig. Pros: Museum is a small, 3 story drilling platform anchored in Galveston port, close to the cruise terminal. The museum only charges a small fee and staff was very friendly. Visitors can easily get a basic understanding about the history and mechanics of oil drilling in about an hour. Actual equipment is displayed, and there is an introductory movie. From the gangway leading up to the museum and the outside areas, visitors have a beautiful view of the passing sightseeing and fishing boats and a large number of pelicans sitting on the nearby rocks. When we visited, there was plenty of cheap street parking close by. Cons: There is a large amount of reading throughout the museum, and it could be tedious. If I went back, I would probably spend the extra money for the audio guide. The air conditioning is really loud. Why do I care? When the air came on, it became really difficult to hear the video clips playing throughout the museum unless you are standing super close. The museum feels a little dated and in my opinion, the large gallery of famous Texas oil men and innovators was somewhat strange to me. Naturally, the display puts a very positive spin on the environmental impact of drilling. Overall, I would be recommend for anyone with an...

The Ocean Star was built in 1969 in Beaumont, Texas by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation for the Ocean Drilling and Exploration Company (ODECO) fleet. She worked in the Gulf of Mexico throughout the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast and drilled approximately 200 wells during her active life. The museum, sponsored by the Offshore Energy Center (OEC), is a non-profit organization funded through private donations. The museum opened to the public on April 27, 1997. Exhibits at the museum include:

Offshore Drilling: It takes visitors on a behind-the-scenes journey of the technical process of extracting oil and gas offshore.

The Hall of Fame: located within the museum, recognizes those persons and technologies that took the industry to sea, such as engineering giant Brown & Root founders George and Herman Brown; Ralph Thomas McDermott, who founded the offshore drilling and platform construction company J. Ray McDermott; rig designer and drilling contractor Alden J. "Doc" Laborde; former president George H. W. Bush; and oil company tycoon Dean McGee.

The Pipe Deck: It houses exhibits and equipment too large to be stored inside the museum, such as a blowout preventer, drill pipe, and a cementing unit.

The Drill Floor: It is directly underneath the derrick and is where the work of drilling a hole is done.

The Ocean Star museum is a highly educational and...

The Ocean Star is retired jack-up drilling rig that operated in the Gulf of Mexico from 1969 to 1984 and drilled over 200 wells during that timeframe. In 1995, the OEC purchased the Ocean Star, and after lengthy refurbishment, opened it as a museum in 1997. The museum is designed to be a self-guided facility with videos, information, interactive exhibits throughout, and takes most visitors about 1.5 hours to tour completely.

I visited this Museum with my family. it is a small museum for the number of activities happening in the offshore oil industry, but a very good insight for those who are not familiar with the Operations of Offshore Oil exploration, drilling and production. Having worked in the industry for long, I could really appreciate the scaled models, true in shape to the real versions, covering almost all the major areas. A good opportunity to see what is happening, which people get no chance to know or visit being offshore or mostly under water. It is also a chance to visit an actual drilling rig as the whole facility is located on it, A must see for those new entrants in this area of work.

I understand that the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig Museum is available for weddings, corporate conferences, luncheons, dinners, and family reunions. Overnight Camp is also offered on the fourth Friday or fourth Saturday of each month for groups...