Abstract: A mechanism for releasing a pre-installed pile attached to a pile guide connected to an offshore platform is supported in the pile and includes pile latch means rotatable from a latch position in which one end extends through an opening in the pile and engages the upper end of the pile guide to a retracted unlatched position in which the entire latch means is located within the pile. The inner end of the latch means is connected to a collapsible compression linkage assembly which when in one position maintains the latch means in its latch position and when moving from the one position to another collapsed position causes the latch means to rotate to its unlatched position within the pile. A slide plate capable of causing the linkage assembly to collapse when moving downwardly from a first position to a second position is releasably held in the first position by shearable means.