A man who lost his father in one of the most catastrophic industrial disasters in history has written a memoir that charts his journey from grief and turmoil to purpose, safety advocacy, and the honouring of a remarkable legacy.
Shane Gorman was eighteen years old when he left home to join the British Army. Days later, on 6th July 1988, the Piper Alpha oil platform — where his father, David Gorman, was working — exploded in the North Sea. One hundred and sixty-seven men died. David was among them.
Now, almost four decades on, Shane has written Through the Flames: Piper Alpha – A Son's Journey — a memoir that begins long before the disaster, tracing his childhood marked by family upheaval, divorce, and instability. At the centre of it all was David Gorman: a gifted mechanic, rally driver, ambulance driver turned offshore worker, and a man who became the steady anchor in his son's uncertain world.
The loss of his father triggered years of trauma, turmoil, and a fractured search for identity — including time in military prison. Yet Through the Flames is ultimately a story of rebuilding. Through friends, music, travel and fatherhood, Shane gradually found his way forward — eventually building an international career in offshore safety, working across the North Sea, Asia, Australia and Africa, and becoming a passionate safety advocate in his own right.
Speaking at the official launch, Shane Gorman says, “My dad was an extraordinary man — and Piper Alpha didn't just take him, it shaped everything that came after. Writing this book was the hardest thing I have ever done, but it was also necessary. Not just for me, but for every family who has lived in the shadow of an industrial disaster and never quite had the words for what that feels like. I hope this tells that story.”
The book was officially launched in Aberdeen last night at Step Change in Safety’s headquarters in Annan House on the city’s Palmerston Rd.
Published today (Friday 3rd July) — just four days before the 38th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster on 6th July — the memoir offers a perspective rarely heard: that of a child left behind. Shane's account is a testament to the long, often invisible aftermath of industrial tragedy, and to the enduring human cost of the decisions made in the name of industry.
Through the Flames is a story of survival, dignity, and the transformative power of turning tragedy into purpose and can be purchased at https://www.throughtheflames.co.uk/