Off-shore drilling and production apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING AN UPPER PORTION OF A DRILLING APPARATUS EXTENDING FROM A VESSEL ON THE SURFACE OF A BODY OF WATER INTO A WELL IN A FORMATION UNDERLYING SAID BODY OF WATER, COMPRISING: A LANDING BASE AFFIXED TO SAID FORMATION, DRILLING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN UPPER REMOVABLE PART AND A LOWER PART, SAID LOWER PART HAVING A SLEEVE AT THE UPPER END THEREOF, AND SAID UPPER PART HAVING A TELESCOPIC PART EXTENDING THEREFROM, SAID TELESCOPIC PART BEING ADAPTED FOR RECEIPT IN TELESCOPIC RELATIONSHIP IN SAID SLEEVE AND OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH TO PERMIT THE RAISING OF SAID BLOWOUT PREVENTER TO THE SURFACE OF SAID BODY OF WATER WITHOUT LOSING FLUID CONTACT THROUGH SAID DRILLING APPARATUS WITH SAID WELL, MEANS FOR INDEPENDENTLY SUPPORTING SAID UPPER AND LOWER PARTS OF SAID DRILLING APPARATUS FROM SAID VESSEL, RELEASABLE FASTENING MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER END OF SAID SLEEVE AND SAID TELESCOPIC PART, AND MEANS FOR RAISING SAID UPPER PART UPON RELEASE OF SAID FASTENING MEANS.