What is the difference between an oil rig and a derrick?
What is an Oil Derrick? An oil derrick is a drilling rig designed for use in oil and natural gas production. The basic oil derrick has an upright stationary section which is potentially capable of supporting hundreds of tons of weight, combined with a movable boom which is used to raise and lower equipment. Derricks of various designs have been in use for centuries to extract valuable resources from under the Earth, and continue to be widely used today. The term derrick comes from Thomas Derrick, a hangman who invented a type of gallows using a movable beam and pulley system during the Elizabethan era. During his lifetime, Derrick executed over 3,000 people, many of them with his modified gallows device, and the supporting framework for his gallows came to be known as a derrick. The term was adopted to describe cranes and other lifting devices which used a similar support mechanism. Early derricks consisted of a framework which was designed to hold a large pole used for percussive dril
