| Description | Tape 1 Side A
JOSEPH MORRANS born Campbelltown, Argyle 22.08.1944. Paternal forebears fishermen. Details re their work, boats. Memories of grandparents, their peat fires. Details re their families, importance and danger of grandfather's fishing work. Father became a shoemaker. Influence of grandparents etc. Names of maternal grandparents. Details re sister, father's shoemaking business, his interest in music. Reasons for his becoming a shoemaker. Describes parents, their lifestyles. Father well read in the classics. Recalls closeness of family, relaxed attitudes to discipline, tendency of people to stay in home town. Went to Campbelltown Grammar School. Details re progress at school. Influence of leader of Air Training Corps. Recalls carefree life in country around Mull of Kintyre, absence of crime, isolation of environment, long heritage of some families. First job, aged 16, as operator with Bell & Howell, Farnborough. Feelings about leaving Campbelltown, travel patterns then. Reference to Brains' Bus. MAUREEN MORRANS nee STOREY born Eldersley, Renfrewshire, 10.06.1940. Little known of paternal grandparents. Details re maternal grandparents. Grandfather's work in tram depot. Recalls holidays with grandparents. Details re discipline in family, teaching of right from wrong. Names of family members. Describes parents, father's work as a (coach) body builder. He later had his own business as driving school instructor.
Tape 1 Side B
Maureen's father's work as driving instructor (cont'd). Recalls discipline at home, eg at table, father's cooking etc. Describes atmosphere at home, at grandparents' house. Went to cinema every Saturday afternoon. Details of ritual with other children. Sunday School routine, sermons by Rev Ramsay. Work aspirations. When aged 13 learned shorthand typing, book-keeping (after school) at Rowan Bank College, Paisley, from Mrs Gunn. Went to Eldersley Wallace School. Recalls support, closeness of family. First job with Finlayson & Bowsefield, Flaxmill. Details re pay, negotiation with boss. First meeting with Joe in a dancehall in Glasgow. Maureen a champion dancer. Details re Highland Institute etc, dancing 6 nights a week. Marriage in 1966. Background to Joe's entry into oil industry, as Production Operator ICI, Ayrshire (1968). Details re job involving movement of ammonia, work permit system etc. First big chemical plant in area. Maureen and Joe's feelings re team/individual attitude. Joe recalls short term attitude to life, importance of home town. Background to Joe's move to Saudi Arabian Chemical Co (1971-73). Details re Aramco. Details re children, birth dates. Maureen's feelings about move, parents' reaction. Details re Joe's job, elevated status as a European. Describes artificial lifestyle in Saudi Arabia. Attitude to women. Reasons for returning home after 2 years. Reference to Expro. Background to appointment in Libya working on water intake and pumping in Occidental oil refinery (1973-75); possibility of future work in North Sea. Maureen's reaction to staying at home.
Tape 2 Side A
Occidental oil refinery (1973-75) (cont'd). Reaction of both to Joe's being away. Maureen's routine at home, growing independence. Background to Joe's job with Occidental in North Sea in Aberdeen office, then offshore. Details re work routine etc. Modules for Piper Alpha completed in Antwerp. Recalls attitude to Americans, English, Scots in Libya, own standing there. Professional approach of Occidental in North Sea. Details. Contract labour unheard of in North Sea then, except in drilling. Maureen's recollection of Occidental's attitude to wives, families etc. American/British management situation in Occidental. Role of OIM (Offshore Installation Manager). Description of quality of accommodation on Piper Alpha, sharing of quarters etc. Explains own role leading to Shift Supervisor. Details of routines for emergencies, shutdowns etc, high individual level of responsibility. Recalls early work when Piper Alpha being completed in Antwerp. Little effect on family of work routine. Explanation of strengthening influence of time in Saudi Arabia. Joe's daily routine in Piper Alpha, shift pattern etc. Platform divided into 4 modules according to function. Details re shutdown procedure. Statistics re amount of oil, gas going through Piper. Drillers called 'bears'. Segregation between drillers and others. Drilling and production process. Details of opening up for first oil from Piper, collecting sample of first oil. Origin of expression of 'It's Scottish oil.' Response of Armand Hammer. Details re Hammer, background to his involvement in North Sea. His relationship with Colonel Ghaddafi, British establishment, his significance in company. Recollection of meeting Prince Phillip, Armand Hammer, Red Adair on Tharos.
Tape 2 Side B
Meeting with Prince Phillip, Armand Hammer, Red Adair on Tharos (cont'd). Reference to BBC radio programme made on Piper. Atmosphere on Piper compared with BP, Shell. Time on Piper 1975-84. Explains clean living conditions, professionalism on Piper. Personnel structure on platform; separation of production, maintenance sides. Drilling people and others kept to themselves. Deck crew, catering crew, roustabouts on contract. Reference to Wood Group. Roustabouts' progression to operator area. Maintenance work was crème de crème. Hierarchy on platform. Compares with situation in Saudi Arabia. Recalls Safety etc courses at RGIT (Robert Gordon Institute of Technology, Aberdeen). Certain courses part of degrees. Details. Maureen's feelings re safety offshore. Details re running home, social life with other wives. Explains lack of worry re accidents, but anxiety re weather; routine re meetings at airport. Attitude of children. Details re phoning home, letters etc. Joe not given news re problems when offshore. Joe explains unwritten rules re going home only for deaths in immediate families etc. Background to setting up of Petroleum Club in Aberdeen, its role. Maureen's attitude to withholding negative news, Joe withholding news re accidents. Details re Joe's accident, broken ligament. Details re serious accidents on Piper, alarm, emergency procedures. Feelings re indestructibility of Piper.
Tape 3 Side A
Safety regime rigid on Piper Alpha. Details. Feelings about Occidental attitude, feelings of safety. Description of Piper layout, flares, bad weather, mesmorised starlings flying into flare. Recollection of fine summer days, flaring, lighting first flare on Piper oil production platform. Happy years on Piper overseeing production of oil and gas. Never saw the oil. Explains. Details re monitoring of production. Relaxed attitude to pressure to produce oil etc. Not conscious of financial pressures on oil production rate. Recollection of characters on Piper; Occidental dinner-dance event; rough and ready colleague who became very sophisticated onshore. Union membership unheard of offshore, discouraged by American management. Explains. Own feelings re unions, earlier membership. Recalls own attitude to politics. Recalls giving oil sample to Margaret Thatcher. Impression of her. Details of a chance encounter with her in a dairy, giving her an oil sample. Maureen's attitude to politics, politicians. Feelings re Thatcher. Originally few women working offshore, later some in catering etc. Attitudes towards them. Maureen's recollection of gender relations in a communications company; feeling re capability of women. Current situation re women in oil industry. Background to Joe joining Petronas for work as Production Supervisor in Malaysia (1984-86). Mentions changing feelings re safety of Piper Alpha. Increase in contract workers.
Tape 3 Side B
Details re Joe's work routine with Petronas in Malaysia, impact on family. Maureen's feelings re situation. Small European community in Petronas. Lack of experience of Malaysians. Feelings of children re potential postings. Background to appointment to Hamilton Brothers (1986-92) as Production Field Supervisor/Deputy Offshore Installation Manager on Esmond, Forbes, Gordon gas complex. Details re job, including covering for OIMs etc. Feelings re job of Field Supervisor, OIM, legal responsibilities, consequences of these. Own approach to supervising people, need to be able to carry out others' work. Feelings about culture of Hamilton Brothers, problems with communication etc. Incredulous reaction to Piper Alpha disaster. Friends and colleagues out there. Accommodation block was safe haven - trained to go there in emergency. Maureen's reaction, news reports; role of Tharos. Visit to hospital to see survivors, effect on families. Own reaction because of experience with son who is one of two to have survived Chinook helicopter crash 1986. Details of this. Attitude of media. Son in hospital for a year. Details of treatment etc, effect on him. Impact of situation on family.
Tape 4 Side A
Son's survival from Chinook helicopter crash 1986 (cont'd). Effect of post-traumatic stress on him. Change in law on death on the high seas as result of following court case. Reference to Boeing. Compares counselling etc available after Piper Alpha disaster with what available after Chinook crash. Effect of crash on family, son's situation. Details re cause of accident, immediate effects. Son was an apprentice trainee for Shell. Situation now in family, at anniversary of disaster etc. Mentions experience of friend, ex-prisoner of war. Effect of disaster on son's life. Details re his current work. Recalls meeting of son with former policeman who was involved with Chinook disaster. Maureen's knowledge of what Piper Alpha families would have to go through. Importance of family help for son. Current situation for family. Joe's subsequent experience flying in Chinooks over site of disaster. Aftermath of accident for bereaved wives, mothers. Impact of inquest on son. Reaction of forensic scientist working on case. Impact of Mull of Kintyre helicopter crash. Details re Maureen's work in accounts, need to stop work because of son's experience, aftermath. Effect of situation on daughter. Maureen's attitude, new job. Joe recalls good times made possible by oil industry, and bad times. Feelings about career in retrospect. Closeness of family.
Tape 4 Side B
Piper Alpha control room - significance of a much despised handrail put in by Joe which saved a man's life at time of disaster.
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