Obituary of Paul C. Dahan, Sr.

Paul Christian Dahan, Sr. a naval architect and marine engineer who in the late 1960's developed and pioneered the double bottom oil tank ship design, for which held several US and international patents, died at the Hunterdon Medical Center on October 12th, 2012. He was 84 years old. After graduating from St. Charles High School Montreal Quebec, Mr. Dahan was apprenticed at the shipyards of Canadian Vickers Ltd. in Montreal, Canada. Following completion of his apprenticeship, he immigrated to the United States and enrolled in the University of Michigan and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in 1956. He joined the California-Texas Oil Co. and served as Owners representative supervising tankship and marine construction in Scotland, England, France, Belgium, and Germany. He then joined the Gypsum Transportation Co. of USG Corp., where he supervised the design, construction and operation of self-unloading gypsum bulk carriers. He joined Roland Marine, a Naval Architecture firm in New York, where he managed the design of commercial vessels, among them the lumber carrier "Tiha", which was awarded "Distinctive ship of 1964" by Marine Engineering/ Log magazine. In the same year he joined Mobil Oil Corp.'s Tanker Transportation Division in New York City as a Project Naval Architect in the Tanker Design and Construction Division. In 1973, after serving in several managerial positions, he was appointed Vice President and Director of Mobil's Tanker Transportation Company, responsible for worldwide design and construction of the company's deep sea Oil Tankers, inland and coastal Vessels, and Offshore Floating Oil production vessels. He retired from Mobil Oil Corp. in 1992. After retirement he became a consultant to Scandinavian and Far Eastship-owners and shipyards. He was a charter member of a Marine Accident Fact Finding Group. In addition to the Double Bottom tanker design patent, Mr. Dahan held several other US and International marine and ship design patents which were assigned to the Mobil Oil Corporation. He was a past Member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, the Royal Institute of Naval Architects, the Canadian Engineering Institute and the British North East Coast Institute of Engineers and Shipbuilders. He was a member of the American Bureau of Shipping and Member of its Technical Committee for the promulgation of Rules for the Classification and Construction of Ships, and a member of the French ship classification society Bureau Veritas. He was proficient in several languages. He lived on a small farm in Pittstown, Franklin Township, NJ. He served on his town's Board of Adjustment, Agriculture Advisory Committee, its Land Use Board and the Hunterdon County Agriculture Development Board. He was a long time member of The Bread Bakers Guild of America. His interests included agriculture, cabinet making, cooking, and bread baking. Caroline Jane Dahan, nee Maguire, his wife of forty six years died on May 13, 2000. He is survived by five children, Beverley of Evergreen, CO, Ellen of Berkeley Heights, NJ, Paul Jr. of Asbury,NJ, Matthew of Southlake, TX, Patricia of San Mateo, CA and ten grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were held privately and entrusted to the Martin Funeral home of Clinton, NJ. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Quakertown Rescue Squad, PO Box 225, 321 Pittstown Road, Pittstown, NJ 08867 or the SPCA Amimal Shelter, 567 Stamets Road, Milford, NJ 08848.