The Reminiscences of Vice Adm. Murrey L. Royar, USN (Ret.): 1894-1985

Admiral Royar's memoir is unusual among those in the Naval Institute's oral history collection in that it deals with the career of a Supply Corps officer; most of the others are from line officers. Admiral Royar wound up his career in the mid-1950s as Chief of Naval Material. Previously, he had been Paymaster General of the Navy and Chief of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts. He had a good deal to say on the Navy's old bureau system. Royar was a graduate of the University of California and joined the Navy in 1917 when the United States was engaged in World War I. He tells of shipboard duty then and in the postwar years, from the protected cruiser USS Chicago to the carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) and duties in purchasing and supply at a number of shore stations. He was involved in supplying foreign nations with material through Lend-Lease and MAAGs. As a senior officer, he enjoyed excellent relations with the news media.