Science: Hole in the Ocean

Not since the Jumblies set to sea in a sieve had a less likely vessel ridden the ocean waves. Her name was the Cuss I, after Continental, Union, Shell and Superior oil companies. Squat and grey, she was 260 ft. long, lay low in the water and was crowded with stacks of pipe from stem to stern. Like a misplaced obelisk, a 95-ft. oil derrick sprouted amidships over an open well. But as the Ctiss I was towed out of San Diego harbor last week, the importance of her mission belied the oddity of her looks: when she gets to a...

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