The Reminiscences of Rear Adm. Edmond J. Moran, USNR (Ret.) : 1896-1993

A principal focus of this memoir is Admiral Moran’s service with the Navy and the Maritime Commission during the 20th century’s two great world wars. In World War I he was an enlisted man and junior officer; he made several trips to Europe on board a Navy refrigerated cargo ship. During World War II he worked with the Maritime Commission in taking over private vessels for government duty and served on the staff of the Navy’s Commander Eastern Sea Frontier in connection with the rescue of damaged ships. Particularly noteworthy was his duty in Europe to oversee the towing of artificial harbor components from Britain to France to facilitate offloading operations following the Allies’ D-Day landings at Normandy. Interspersed are the admiral’s descriptions of his long civilian career with Moran Towing. He began riding tugboats as a youth and learned much from his stepfather, Thomas Reynolds. Moran himself started as an office boy with the company and eventually became its president and chairman. He retired in 1984 after 69 years with the company. The oral history includes a good deal of discussion of the design, construction, and operation of tugboats over the years.