Offshore well drilling and oil storage platform

Claim 1

AN OFFSHORE PLATFORM STRUCTURE FOR EXTENDING FROM THE BOTTOM OF A BODY OF WATER TO ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE WATER COMPRISING, A PLURALITY OF TUBULAR LEGS OF A LENGTH GREATER THAN THE WATER DEPTH AND CROSS-BRACED TOGETHER IN A FRAMEWORK HAVING A CONFIGURATION WITH A CLOSED PERIPHERY, SAID TUBULAR LEGS SLANTING DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM A CENTER LINE THROUGH THE PLATFORM STRUCTURE WHEREBY THE BASE OF THE STRUCTURE ENCLOSES A LARGER AREA THAN THE TOP OF SAID STRUCTURE, A LARGE-DIAMETER TANK EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF THE LEGS OF THE STRUCTURE AND CROSSBRACED THERETO IN THE CENTER OF THE STRUCTURE ENTIRELY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK FORMED BY SAID LEGS, THE TOP OF THE TANK BEING BELOW THE TOP OF SAID STRUCTURE A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO BE BELOW THE MOST VIOLENT WAVE ACTION WHEN THE STRUCTURE IS IN POSITION ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BODY OF WATER, SAID TANK BEING CLOSED AND HAVING A BUOYANCY SUFFICIENT TO FLOAT THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE IN A BODY OF WATER, THE INTERIOR OF THE TANK BEING OPEN TO MOVEMENT OF FLUID IN BOTH DIRECTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRE LENGTH, AT LEAST ONE OF THE TUBULAR LEGS BEING CLOSED AT THE ENDS THEREOF PROVIDING AN OUTRIGGER BUOYANCY TANK IN CONTACT WITH THE WATER PREVENTING ROTATION OF SAID PLATFORM STRUCTURE ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS WHEN FLOATING IN WATER, A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING CONDUITS CARRIED IN SAID TANK AND EXTENDING THE LENGTH THEREOF, REMOVABLE CLOSURE MEANS CLOSING BOTH ENDS OF SAID CONDUITS IN A FLUIDTIGHT MANNER SO THAT THE CONDUITS FORM AUXILIARY BUOYANCY CHAMBERS, SAID CONDUITS BEING IN A DIAMETER SUFFICIENT TO CARRY OUT WELL DRILLING OPERATIONS THERETHROUGH, PORT MEANS THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID TANK FOR FLOODING SAID TANK FROM THE LOWER END THEREOF THEREBY CAUSING THE TANK AND STRUCTURE TO TILT BOTTOM DOWN TO A VERTICAL POSITION WITHIN A BODY OF WATER, AND FIRST CONDUIT MEANS FOR ADMITTING OIL TO SAID TANK AND SECOND CONDUIT MEANS FOR ADMITTING WATER TO SAID TANK TO DISPLACE THE OIL THEREFROM.