Murray, John Mackay

SUBJECT AREA: Ports and shipping

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b. 25 June 1902 Glasgow, Scotland

d. 5 August 1966 Maplehurst, Sussex, England

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Scottish naval architect who added to the understanding of the structural strength of ships.

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Murray was educated in Glasgow at Allan Glen's School and then at the University, from which he graduated in naval architecture in 1922. He served an apprenticeship simultaneously with Barclay Curle \& Co., rising to the rank of Assistant Shipyard Manager before leaving in 1927 to join Lloyd's Register of Shipping. After an initial year in Newcastle, he joined the head office in London, which was to be base for the remainder of his working life. Starting with plan approval, he worked his way to experimental work on ship structures and was ultimately given the massive task of revising Lloyd's Rules and placing them on a scientific basis. During the Second World War he acted as liaison officer between Lloyd's and the Admiralty. Throughout his career he presented no fewer than twenty-two papers on ship design, and of these nearly half dealt with hull longitudinal strength. This work won him considerable acclaim and several awards and was of fundamental importance to the shipping industry. The Royal Institution of Naval Architects honoured Murray in 1960 by inviting him to present one of the only two papers read at their centenary meeting: "Merchant ships 1860–1960". At Lloyd's Register he rose to Chief Ship Surveyor, and at the time of his death was Honorary Vice-President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.

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Principal Honours and Distinctions

MBE 1946. Honorary Vice-President, Royal Institution of Naval Architects. Royal Institution of Naval Architects Froude Gold Medal. Institute of Marine Engineers Silver Medal. Premium of the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland.

FMW