Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum

Built in 1969 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in Beaumont, Texas, for the Ocean Drilling and Exploration Company, the Ocean Star drilled approximately 200 wells in the Gulf of Mexico before retiring from active service. The Offshore Energy Center — now the Energy Education Foundation — spent two years converting the jack-up rig into a museum, which opened April 27, 1997. Exhibits cover the technical process of offshore drilling, a Hall of Fame recognizing industry figures, and a Pipe Deck housing equipment too large to bring inside.