Collection Guide
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Vetco Offshore Industries records, 1943-1987.
MVC092
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
Museum of Ventura County
Title: Vetco Offshore Industries records
Identifier/Call Number: MVC092
Physical Description:
1.28 Cubic Feet
(1 carton)
Date (inclusive): 1943-1987
Abstract: This collection contains the records of Vetco Offshore Industries, formerly known as the Ventura Tool Company, founded in
Ventura County in 1930 by Fritz Huntsinger Sr.
Physical Location: COLLECTION STORED ON-SITE: Stored at the MVC Research Library. Requests do not have to be made in advance, but researchers
MUST make a research appointment on the
Research Library website .
Language of Material:
English
.
Open for research. Advance requests can be made to Research Library staff via email.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained
by the MVC.
[Identification of item],Vetco Offshore Industries records, MVC092, Museum of Ventura County, Research Library, Ventura, California.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Vetco; gift; 1987.
Processed by Ali Phelps under the supervision of Hannah Rogers, 2023.
Our collections are processed using MPLP methods so that we can prioritize access for users and identify potential priorities
for more detailed processing. If while using our collections you think there is something that should be added or amended
in the finding aid, we welcome your input. You can notify staff in the reading room or send us an email at library@venturamuseum.org
Be sure to include the collection number and name and the box number you were working with in your email.
Vetco Offshore Industries was founded in 1930 by Fritz Huntsinger Sr. after he purchased the failing Schwab-Lane Tool Company,
an oilfield tool repair shop where he had previously been employed. Shortly thereafter, he renamed it the Ventura Tool Company.
After struggling during the Great Depression, Ventura Tool Co. helped develop the initial core drilling equipment for small
floating drill rigs off the California coast during the 1950s. Ventura Tool Company changed its name to Vetco Offshore Industries,
Inc. in 1963. Carl Huntsinger became president of the company in 1969, replacing his father. Vetco was sold in the 1980s to
Houston-based Combustion Engineering (C-E) and moved away from its original base in the Ventura Oil Field. Throughout its
existence as Ventura Tool Company and Vetco Offshore Industries, it acquired several companies, became a global operation
and produced notable innovations that both insured its success and significantly altered the industry.
Fritz Huntsinger Sr., founder and long-term president of Vetco Offshore Industries, was born on June 8, 1899 in Eimeldinger,
Germany. He served in the German army in WWI. After the war, he graduated from Nuremburg University in Diesel Engineering
and immigrated to the United States in 1923 when oil was just becoming a major industry in Ventura County. He was first employed
as a helper at Schwab-Lane Tool Company, eventually becoming general foreman of the company. When the Lane Tool Company experienced
financial difficulty during the Depression, he purchased it for $5,000 at a sheriff's auction in 1930. Shortly after the purchase,
it was renamed the Ventura Tool Company and became the forerunner of Vetco Offshore Industries, which eventually repaired,
designed and sold offshore drilling equipment on a global scale.
Fritz Huntsinger was known for his philanthropy and for pioneering numerous innovations that led to his successful oil tool
companies. He invented the Tuboscope, the Split Drill Pipe Protector and co-developed the Nozzle Jet Bit with Jim Hanes. He
helped fund the Ventura County Historical Museum and the Ventura Community Hospital. He furnished the hospital with the first
brain and body scan machines west of Chicago. He also received an honorary doctorate degree from Pepperdine University and
received awards for his work with the Salvation Army and the Boy Scouts of America. He passed away in 1986 in Ventura County.
These records largely reflect the activities of Vetco Offshore Industries and, to a lesser extent, Vetco founder and president
Fritz Huntsinger Sr. between 1930 and 1986. The records include photographs, newspaper clippings, news releases, annual reports,
employee newsletters, product catalogs and financial information.
Original order of materials has been maintained.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Offshore oil field equipment industry
Petroleum industry and trade -- California -- Ventura County
Photographs.