All this week Energy Voice is taking a look back at the events of November 6th in which 45 men lost their lives after a Chinook helicopter crashed on its return to Sumburgh Airport from the Brent Delta platform.
From the archives Energy Voice has reproduced an article written just weeks after the incident when a service was held to commemorate those lost. It tells the story of Sharon Jennings and her daughter Rachel, born only one month after her father had passed away.
Month-old Rachel Jennings was taken in her mother’s arms to the memorial service today for the father she will never see.
For Rachel was born just nine days after her father Paul (26) died in the Chinook disaster which killed another 44 men.
Crash widow 24-year-old Sharon Jennings nursed little Rachel in her arms as grieving mourners filed from the ceremony at St Nicholas Kirk in Aberdeen.
Mrs Jennings had travelled from her home in Eston, near Middlesbrough to attend the service, where hundreds mourned the victims of the November crash.
And North Sea oil workers were united across the airwaves in grief today with the families of the victims.
For the memorial of the 45 men who died in last month’s tragedy was beamed live by radio to a dozen Shell offshore platforms.
Around 400 relatives and close friends were in the church.
The multi-denominational tribute was led by Roman Catholic Bishop Mario Conti, Episcopalian Bishop Fred Darwent and the Moderator of Aberdeen Presbytery, Laurie Gordon.
The Minister of St Nicholas, the Rev James Stewart, and the Church of Scotland’s industrial chaplain Rev Andrew Wylie, who formulated the service also took part.
And two bosses from the Brent oil field, from which the victims were flying when there British International Helicopters’ Chinook plunged 500 feet into the sea off Shetland, also took part.
Offshore installation manager Mike Holding from Brent Delta and Derek Jackson from Brent Charlie led the main prayer in memory of those who died.
The entire hour-long service was beamed out from the Aberdeen church to all the Shell platforms in the are of Brent.
Before today’s ceremony, Rev Wylie said: “It will be good for relatives to meet each other and to offer support and condolence.”
Senior management from the companies the men worked for, went offshore to attend the service there.
The captain of the Chinook – and one of only two survivors of the crash – Captain Pushp Vaid limped slowly into the church before the service. accompanies by his wife.
The managing director and chairman of Shell, Mr Peter Everett and Mr Bob Reid, also attended the service, as did Energy Minister Alick Buchanan Smith.
The congregation filed silently into the church, relatives, close friends, company bosses, politicians and sympathisers all united in the tragedy pf the loss of 45 men.
The other survivor, North-east survivor Eric Morrans, was apparently too upset to attend the service.