| Notes |
In the early 1960s, an onshore drilling company, Brewster-Bartle, went bankrupt. The banks that had become the owners of the company’s rigs contacted Don McMahon, a Texas rancher and oil man, and asked him to take over the failed company. McMahon accepted the challenge and formed Diamond M Drilling Co. in 1964. He named the company after Diamond M Acres, his ranch near Simonton, Texas. McMahon took his company public in 1970 and expanded into offshore waters with the building and purchase of jack-up, barge, and semisubmersible rigs. In the early 1970s, Diamond M was one of the largest owners of barge rigs in the energy industry. The company continued to drill both on land and offshore. |