The A deck and substructure meet

The connection of the Gullfaks A concrete substructure and deck took place on January 15, 1986.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Stavanger Aftenblad. (1986, 16. januar). Vellykket Gullfaks-kobling. s. 22.     Norwegian Contractors was responsible for the operation. The substructure weighed approximately 630,000 tons, while the deck weighed 42,300 tons. Assembling these two massive structures with the required precision was a highly complex task. 

Before the connection, the substructure was lowered deep into the fjord, leaving only seven of its 160 meters visible above the water. The deck was then maneuvered into position using barges and was placed onto the concrete legs with millimeter precision. 

The first contact between the deck and substructure occurred at 9:00 PM. As soon as the structures touched, water was gradually drained from the storage cells, increasing the buoyancy of the substructure. This process slowly transferred the weight of the deck onto the concrete legs. 

After an hour and a half, 10 percent of the deck’s weight had been transferred. Within approximately 40 hours, the deck was fully supported by the substructure.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Stavanger Aftenblad. (1986, 16. januar). Vellykket Gullfaks-kobling. s. 22. At that point, Statoil formally took over responsibility for the structure. The final connection involved securing the two parts together using a total of 160 bolts. 

Almost four months later, on May 5, 1986, the anchor chains were cut, and the three-day tow-out to the field began.[REMOVE]Fotnote: Lode, A. (1986, 6. mai). Verdensrekord i olje-Norge. Stavanger Aftenblad, s. 48.