THUMS Islands
{{Short description|Set of four artificial islands in San Pedro Bay off the coast of Long Beach, California}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
File:Island Grissom of the THUMS Islands in Long Beach California.jpg
The THUMS Islands are a set of four artificial islands in San Pedro Bay off the coast of Long Beach, California. The THUMS Islands were built in 1965 to tap into the East Wilmington Oil Field. The landscaping and sound walls were designed to camouflage the operation and reduce noise, and they are the only decorated oil islands in the United States.{{cite book|last=Kathy Strong|first=Kathy|title=Southern California Off the Beaten Path, 7th (Off the Beaten Path Series)|edition=7th|year=2007|publisher=Globe Pequot|location=Guilford, Conn|isbn=978-0-7627-4429-9|page=78}} The islands were named for the company who bid for original operating contract, THUMS, a consortium named after its parent companies: Texaco, Humble, Unocal, Mobil, and Shell.
Since 1967, they have also been known as the Astronaut Islands, each individual island having been named in honor of an American astronaut who lost their lives in the service of NASA. Island Freeman (Theodore C. "Ted" Freeman) is named for the first astronaut to perish in active duty (piloting a T-38 Talon jet trainer).{{cite web |url=http://www.longbeach.gov/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=17682 |title=City of Long Beach Enterprise Zone (map) |access-date=January 30, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713031654/http://www.longbeach.gov/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=17682 |archivedate=July 13, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/fallen-astronauts.htm |title=Book highlights life, death of last USAF Captain Freeman |last=Brittingham |first=Hazel |date=March 21, 2004 |publisher=Arlington National Cemeter |accessdate=January 30, 2011}} Islands Chaffee (Roger B. Chaffee), Grissom (Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom) and White (Ed White) are named after the Apollo 1 astronauts killed in a launch pad accident.
History
File:THUMS oil island (4270970590).jpg
After a 1964 court case that gave the state of California mineral rights to the area, the islands were built at an estimated cost of $22 million in 1965.{{cite news|title=Oil Pumping Mark Reached in Long Beach|last=Ruhlow|first=Jerry|date=March 29, 1974|work=Los Angeles Times|page=F23}}{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-laoil-20100718,0,634353.story|title=Los Angeles oil history runs deep|last=Reynolds|first=Chris|date=July 19, 2010|work=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=January 30, 2011}} The islands were operated by THUMS, a consortium named after the parent companies who bid for the island contract: Texaco, Humble, Union Oil, Mobil, and Shell.{{cite book|title=Proceedings of OECON IV, Offshore Exploration Conference 1969|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KZZTAAAAMAAJ&q=THUMS+long+beach|accessdate=January 31, 2010 |year=1969 |publisher=University of Michigan |oclc= 41657854}} The rim of the islands are made of 640,000 tons of boulders from Catalina Island, and the islands were then filled with 3.2 million cubic yards of dredged material from the bay. The islands contain significant landscaping, a waterfall, and tall structures concealing the drilling rigs, including one known as The Condo and sometimes mistaken for a hotel by those on land.{{cite news|title=HIDDEN TREASURE: You can't see them, but Long Beach oil wells earn big profits for energy giants and the state |last=Sidel |first=Robin |date=November 26, 1994 |work=Los Angeles Times |agency=Reuters}} The structures are lit by colored lights at night. The aesthetic mitigation cost $10 million at time of construction, and was overseen by theme park architect Joseph Linesch. They were described by a Los Angeles Times writer as "part Disney, part Jetsons, part Swiss Family Robinson".{{cite news|title=California oil field or bona fide islands?; Operations off Long Beach wear perfect disguise|last=Schoch|first=Deborah|date=September 17, 2006|work=Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle}}
In 1975, the state of California and the city of Long Beach sued the THUMS oil companies for artificially depressing oil prices. A federal jury cleared Exxon of all charges, and the other four oil companies settled out of court for "hundreds of millions of dollars".
A peak of {{convert|148495|oilbbl/d|m3/d}} were produced in 1969. {{convert|300|Moilbbl|m3}} of oil were pumped from THUMS by 1974, the 500 millionth barrel of crude oil was pumped in 1980.{{cite news |title=THUMS UP TO HALF BILLIONTH BARREL |last=Gore|first=Robert J.|date=September 21, 1980|work=Los Angeles Times|page=SE10}} By 1992, the pumping volume was {{convert|44444|oilbbl|m3}} of oil per day through the water injection method of oil recovery, producing low-grade crude oil.{{cite news|title=Roughnecks Drilling Deep to Bring Back Boom Times Revenue: Crews are working around the clock to sink 300 new oil wells in hopes of increasing production. If the effort succeeds, the state and city will share in the profits |last=Holguin |first=Rick|date=March 21, 1993|work=Los Angeles Times}} The 900 millionth barrel of oil was pumped in April 2002, and the one billionth in 2011.{{cite news|title=Long Beach, Calif. Oil Producer Marks Milestone |last=Nero|first=Mark Edward |date=April 26, 2002 |work=Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News}}{{cite web |url=http://www.oxy.com/investors/Documents/Oxy_2011_Annual_Report_wrap.pdf |page=7 |title=Oxy 2011 Annual Report |accessdate=January 12, 2018 }} The pumped oil contained 20% water in 1965, and by 1994 it was 92% water.{{cite news|title=COVER STORY Over a Barrel Oil-Drilling Days May Be Numbered on Artificial Islands Off Long Beach; [Home Edition] |last=Newton |first=Edmund|date=December 1, 1994|work=Los Angeles Times|page=10}}
The islands and operation were purchased by Occidental Petroleum in 2000. In 2014, Occidental Petroleum spun off all California assets into California Resources Corporation (CRC), which still owns and operates THUMS Islands as of 2018.{{cite news |last1=Olabi |first1=Nora |title=Occidental Petroleum completes California spin-off |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/12/01/occidental-petroleum-completes-california-spin-off.html |accessdate=May 31, 2018 |work=Houston Business Journal |date=December 1, 2014}}
Operations in the THUMS Islands are currently run by the THUMS Long Beach Company, which is part of the California Resources Corporation.{{cite news |last1=Olabi |first1=Nora |title=Occidental Petroleum completes California spin-off |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/12/01/occidental-petroleum-completes-california-spin-off.html |accessdate=October 27, 2018 |work=Houston Business Journal |date=December 1, 2014}}
Islands
Island Grissom is the closest to land, containing waterfalls and more sculptured screens than the other islands.{{cite news|title=A Moving Experience|last=Smith|first=Jack|date=September 18, 1972|work=Los Angeles Times|page=E1}}
Island Freeman is the largest of the islands, at {{convert|12|acre}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.oxy.com/our_businesses/oil_and_gas/pages/og_us_thums.aspx|title=Oxy: THUMS|accessdate=January 30, 2011}}
{{Location map+ |United States Long Beach
|width = 500
|float = center
|caption = Location of THUMS Islands near Long Beach
|places =
{{Location map~ |United States Long Beach
| lat_deg = 33.759
| lon_deg = -118.182
| label = Grissom
| position= bottom
| marksize=10
}}
{{Location map~ |United States Long Beach
| lat_deg = 33.753
| lon_deg = -118.160
| label = White
| position= top
| marksize=10
}}
{{Location map~ |United States Long Beach
| lat_deg = 33.742
| lon_deg = -118.163
| label = Freeman
| position= bottom
| marksize=10
}}
{{Location map~ |United States Long Beach
| lat_deg = 33.740
| lon_deg = -118.139
| label = Chaffee
| position= top
| marksize=10
}}
}}
Appearances in popular culture
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [http://www.oxy.com/our_businesses/oil_and_gas/pages/og_us_thums.aspx Occidental Petroleum: About Us: THUMS]
- American Petroleum Institute's Energy Tomorrow tour of the islands in 2009: [http://blog.energytomorrow.org/2009/09/resource-rich-real-estate.html part 1], [http://blog.energytomorrow.org/2009/09/riviera-of-the-west.html part 2], [https://www.flickr.com/photos/energytomorrow/sets/72157622473625742/with/3962406459/ FLICKR picture set]
- [http://webecoist.com/2010/03/16/fuels-paradise-thums-islands-help-big-oil-look-good/ Fuels Paradise: THUMS Islands Help Big Oil Look Good]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090212135538/http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2009/02/trip_to_thums_l.html Trip to Long Beach oil fields] from Businessweek
{{coord|33.74079|-118.16257|type:isle_globe:earth_region:US-CA|display=title}}
Category:1965 establishments in California
Category:Artificial islands of California