DUGGAN, RYAN, BAUM

Posted by Cathy Gowdy on Tuesday, December 02, 2008 at 04:58:06 :

Marin Independent Journal
Wednesday, December 18, 1985

GUY M. DUGGAN

A memorial service for Guy Maning Duggan of Novato, a longtime merchant marine officer and an author, will be held next month at a time and place to be announced.

Mr. Duggan, who was 59, died Sunday at Marin General Hospital after a lengthy illness. He had spent most of his life at sea until last April, when he was flown home because of illness.

He was born in Georgia and reared in the New Orleans area. He attended Louisiana State University for three years, working summers as a deckhand on oil tankers out of Baton Rouge.

The Korean War ended his college studies. He served on Navy transports, coming up through the ranks and then attending the former U. S. Maritime Service School at Alameda to become an officer.

Mr. Duggan did not return to college and the sea became his career. He served on many different types of boats and ships, including private yachts, research vessels, tankers, passenger liners, transport ships, ammunition ships and finally, cargo container ships.

His experiences as first officer aboard the U. S. Geological Survey vessels, the Kelez and Lee, led in part to his writing a book, “Shaping Up to Ship Out,” which offered advice to people going to sea for the first time. He wrote it after finding that many of the scientists aboard the small and crammed research craft were new to life at sea.

Mr. Duggan also taught piloting, ship safety and other courses at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo and had served as a port relief officer in the Bay Area.

Mr. Duggan is survived by two sisters, Kay Ryan of Florida and Elaine Baum of Texas.

The family prefers memorial contributions to Hospice of Marin.