The Nautical Fiction List
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Entries preceded by a '*' are reviewed on my Nautical Book Reviews page
Entries preceded by a '+' are available electronically, see the separate Electronic Nautical Books List
Collenette, Eric J.
Sub-Smash, 1958 (Life aboard a RN submarine in peacetime. The sub and
occupants become trapped at the bottom of the sea.)
Ninety Feet to the Sun, 1984 (In 1940 when the officers of the British
submarine SCAVENGER are killed in an attack off the Norwegian coast it
is the coxswain, Ben Grant, who has to assume command of the damaged
vessel and complete her vital mission.)
The Gemini plot, 1986 (The submarine in which coxswain Ben grant is
serving, HMS AVON, is sunk by German stukas in Malta after she returns
from an abortive attempt to deliver tank spares to the army at Tobruk
(Its 1942). He finds himself selected for a secret mission in Greek
waters; the destruction of a new type of U-boat undergoing trials.
Sequel to NINETY FEET TO THE SUN.)
Atlantic Encounter: a novel of World War Two at sea, 1987
Secret of the Kara sea, 1987 (WW II. A Ben Grant adventure.)
Collett, Bill
The Last Mutiny, The Further Adventures of Captain Bligh, 1995 (The year
is 1817, and Vice Admiral William Bligh is settled into a distinctly
unpeaceful retirement in rural Kent. Bligh has been dogged by mutinies
and accusations of tyranny. Even in retirement, there is no rest. Beset
by the dumb insolence of neighbors, the domestic mutinies of his
daughters, the folly of doctors, and the rebellion of his own failing
health, Bligh casts his mind back over his life, reliving Cook's last
voyage, the famous victories at Camperdown and Copenhagen, encounters
with the natives of Timor, his governorship of New South Wales, and the
mutiny of his friend Fletcher Christian. [description swiped from the
Norton Web site.])
Collingwood, Harry (William Joseph Cosen Lancaster) 1851-1922
The Log Of the FLYING FISH: A story of aerial and submarine peril and
adventure, 1887 (This author was responsible for so many boys nautical
adventure stories that received popular acclaim that to find he
ventured into the realms of science fiction strikes one as odd. This
story, that travels from the Arctic to Africa, concerns the invention
of a super light metal from which a ship that can fly is built (its
propeller works in the air and on and under water). Its underwater mode
and its occupants use of the German inventor's (the attempt at writing
his accent phonetically borders on the farcical) various underwater
apparatus is a major feature.)
The Rover'S Secret: A tale of the pirate cays and lagoons of Cuba, 1888
Under the Meteor Flag; The log of a midshipman during the French
revolutionary war, 188?
The Log of a Privateersman, 1896 (In 1804 George Bowen completes his
seven-year apprenticeship in the merchant marine and becomes 2nd mate
of a privateer. After exploits which include defeating French
privateers and a French frigate, he is put in command. In mid-Atlantic
lightning sets his ship on fire, and he and a few shipmates survive
days in an open boat before being picked up by a rascally French
pirate. Bowen and his men capture the pirate, and sail to Jamaica,
where he is first with the news that Villeneuve's fleet is in the West
Indies. Following a successful mission for the Navy he captures a
Spanish galleon laden with 20 tons of gold and a large box of gems. His
sagacity, skill, and daring are recognised by the admiral, who
commissions him as lieutenant in the Royal Navy. A tale for lads.)
Collins, Norman 1907-
Black Ivory, 1948 (Set in the 1820s this is the story of a youngster
forced to sign on as cabin boy in the brigantine NERO. He subsequently
discovers that the ship is a slaver, and she is bound for West Africa
for another cargo of slaves.)
Collins, Warwick
America's Cup trilogy: (Set in the near future (up to 2010) and deal with
a Cup competition between the US, Estonia and Russia. In the "sailing
thriller" genre.)
Challenge
New World
Death of an Angel, 1992
Connery, Tom
George Markham, Royal Marines series:
*A Shred of Honour, 1996 (In 1793 George Markham, an infantry lieutenant
with a past, is seconded to the Royal Marines, together with a
platoon of misfits from his Regiment. An Irishman and a Papist,
Markham had gained a reputation as a coward during the American War
of Independence. Knowing nothing about ships or how to fight them, or
even the duties of a marine officer, he soon earns the wrath of the
captain of the ship he is assigned to. However, the action soon moves
ashore, as Markham and his platoon are landed at Toulon, then in the
hands of the Bourbon French, to help in its defense against the
Revolutionary forces. During the course of his stay Markham meets
both Nelson, then Captain of the AGAMMENON, and Bonaparte, then a
Captain in the Revolutionary Army Artillery. The plot involves spies,
a false Dauphin, betrayal, and various other nefarious activities.
The book may briefly be summed up as "Bolitho merged with Sharpe
bashes the French and annoys the Boss".)
Honour Redeemed, 1997 (Our hero, son of an English general and an Irish
servant, is accused of cowardice and must clear his name and rebuild
his military career.)
Conrad, Joseph (Josef Teodor Nalecz Korzeniowski) 1857-1924 (Polish seaman and
novelist, twenty years under sail and steam.)
Almayer's Folly, 1895
An Outcast of the Islands, 1896
+Nigger of the Narcissus, a Tale of the Forecastle, 1897 (Conrad's first
sea story; a sailing ship voyage from Bombay to London with a dying
black seaman aboard.)
The End of the Tether, 1898 (Upright 67 year old Captain Whalley
compromises with his own rectitude without understanding the evil
around him. As his coastal steamer sails through the Pacific his own
falsehoods and the ambitions and obsessions of his crew bring on
disaster.)
+The Heart of Darkness, 1899 (Marlow tells of his voyage in command of a
steamboat far up the Congo River to relieve the mad ivory trader Kurz.
Adapted to fit the Vietnam War and filmed by Francis. F. Coppola as
Apocalypse Now in 1979. "The Horror! The Horror!")
+Lord Jim, 1900
Typhoon, 1903 (The steamer NAN-SHAN, with 200 Chinese coolies aboard,
encounters a terrible storm in the China Sea.)
Nostromo, a Tale of the Seaboard, 1904
Chance, 1913
Victory, 1915
Arrow of Gold, 1920
The Rescue, 1920
The Rover, 1924 (Retired French freebooter settles near Toulon, where the
French fleet under Villeneuve is bottled up by Nelson. In early 1805,
urged by compassion for a brave young officer, the old salt sacrifices
his life to deceive Nelson into withdrawing the British fleet, allowing
the French to escape to ultimate doom at Trafalgar. Most of the novel
covers life ashore, but the sea scenes are well drawn. One of very few
books showing the war from the French point of view.)
Stories:
Youth, 1902 (Tale of the 400 ton barque JUDEA and its attempt to sail
from Scotland to Bangkok. We meet a young Marlow.)
The Brute, 1908 (The story of an evil ship, seemingly malevolent, which
kills a crewman on every voyage, and at last is destroyed in a freak
accident. Short story in the collection A SET OF SIX.)
+The Secret Sharer, 1910
The Shadow Line, 1916
Within the Tides (tales)
(Also wrote nonfiction MIRROR OF THE SEA one of the best.)
Cooper, James Fenimore 1789-1851 (Cooper's sea tales are supposed to be
much better than his famous frontiersmen stuff, but this is, sadly,
incorrect. The plots and characterisation are just as good, but the writing
is just as stilted.)
The Pilot, 1823 (American revolutionary seaman terrorises the coast of
Northeast England in the late 1770s; probably suggested by exploits of
John Paul Jones.)
The Red Rover, 1827 (Elusive Red Rover, aboard frigate DOLPHIN, fights
British during the Revolutionary War.)
The Water Witch, 1830 (Smuggling in the New York/New Jersey area around
1711.)
Homeward Bound, or The Chase: A Tale of the Sea, 1838 (An American packet
ship, bound to New York from London, is chased by a British
man-of-war.)
The Two Admirals, 1842 (The two heroes, friends from youth, espouse
opposite sides in the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.)
Wing and Wing, 1842 (A French privateer in the Mediterranean, 1799,
involved with the Neapolitan admiral Caracciolo, who Nelson hanged; a
Yankee soldier of fortune plays a significant part. One of very few
books showing the war from the French point of view.)
Ned Myers, or A Life Before the Mast, 1843 (Claims to be the real-life
autobiography of a seaman, edited by Cooper. Contains an eye-witness
description of the 1813 naval campaign in Upper Canada.)
Afloat and Ashore, 1844 (Adventures of two Yankee lads in the East Indies
and the Pacific and Indian Oceans.)
Miles Wallingford, 1844 (A sequel to AFLOAT AND ASHORE, extending the
action to the Atlantic.)
The Sea Lions, or, The Lost Sealers, 1849 (Two Yankee schooners compete
for the riches of a secret sealing ground in Antarctica, but co-operate
when forced to over-winter (1819-20) under appalling conditions. In
this, his last adventure novel, Cooper writes in a far less stilted
style than in previous novels, and the book is a pleasure to read. Also
reflects on the decline in Yankee morality, into mere hypocritical
money-grubbing. "A page-turner - try it!" [NW])
Cooper, Jefferson
Captain Seadog, 1959 (Lusty swordsman Michael Goddard is falsely accused
of treachery when he returns to England rich from plundering the
galleons of the Spanish Main. A beautiful woman he has never seen
before helps Goddard escape -- and then Queen Elizabeth herself orders
him to perform a service upon which the fate of England hangs. Is this
a trap laid by an evil beauty or a chance for our hero to regain his
honor and gold? A steamy bodice-untier.)
Coote, John (editor)
Norton Book of the Sea, 1989 (Coote, a former submarine captain and avid
yachtsman, provides a guided tour through the fiction and non-fiction
literature of the sea.)
Norton Book of the Sea Volume II, 1993 (Anthologizes only fiction and
provides a peek at Forester, Conrad, Cooper, Gallico, Hemingway,
Parkinson, Marryat.)
Corbett, Scott
Midshipman Cruise, 1957 (A tale of the US Naval Academy set against the
background of a real cruise.)
Dead Before Docking, 1972 (A young boy accidentally discovers that a
murder is planned on board his Panama-bound freighter. Who is the
victim? Who is the killer? For young readers.)
Captain Butcher's Body, 1976 (Two boys confront the ghost of a long-dead
pirate on an island off the coast of New England. For young readers.)
Corkum, Captain Alexander C.
Musings of a Mariner, 1921 (Privately published book of poems.)
Corder, Eric 1941-
Slave Ship, 1969 (Middle passage voyage aboard the slaver JUBILATION
turns into a struggle between a journalist aboard to write an expose,
and her power-crazed captain, with the slaves aboard looking for an
opportunity to kill everyone and regain their freedom.)
Corley, Edwin
Sargasso, 1977 (Apollo 19 splashes down in the Bermuda Triangle... with
the three US astronauts missing. Spooky suspense novel.)
Cornwell, Bernard (Also author of the Sharpe's Rifles series and novels of the
American Civil War.)
Killer's Wake, 1989 (Also published as Sea Lord. An ever-deepening
mystery of ransom and betrayal sucks in the ocean-wandering John
Rosendale.)
Wildtrack, 1989 (Crippled vet, now captain of a celebrity's yacht, tries
to figure out why movie star's wife died at sea.)
Crackdown, 1990 (An ordinary de-tox cruise to the Bahamas becomes an
adventure involving money, drugs, and murder. The terror heightens as
skipper Nicholaw Breakspeare's own life is threatened.)
Stormchild, 1991 (Yachtsman and boatbuilder Tim Blackburn embarks on a
mission to rescue his daughter from suspected environmental terrorists
in Patagonia. An American journalist looking for a story accompanies
him.)
Sharpe's Devil: Richard Sharpe and the Emperor, 1820-1821, 1992 (Lord
Cochrane's adventures commanding the Chilean navy in the war of
independence against Spain. Most action is ashore, but there is some at
sea, and an interesting portrayal of Cochrane.)
Cornwell, John
The Free and the Brave (Young man caught bootlegging volunteers for the
US Navy after Pearl Harbor to avoid jail, goes through boot training,
and joins a 4-piper destroyer converted to a seaplane tender cruising
the Caribbean and Pacific Coast in the opening days of the war. After
the ship's alcohol-sodden commander dries up, the ship straightens out
and becomes a hero ship in an action with a U-boat. Book ends with the
protagonist entering flight school on the strength of the medal he's
earned.)
Costain, Thomas B. 1885-
For My Great Folly, 1942 (English pirate John Ward fights Spaniards,
London underworld, and gentlemen swordsmen in the early 1600s.)
Couch, Dick, 1943-
Pressure point, 1993 (Contemporary USN SEAL adventure.)
Silent Descent, 1993 (A US diesel sub loaded with SEAL Team Two sneaks
stealthily into the Soviet Arctic to see if they can successfully
rescue a CIA mole from the frozen Kola Penninsula where she's
investigating an entrepreneurial Russian colonel who's selling off the
nuclear weaponry he's supposed to be dismantling to any tin-pot
dictator or rogue state with the cash. The colonel isn't in the racket
for personal gain, he's just trying to keep his men paid and prevent
the collapse of his command.)
Rising wind, 1996 (Chilling thriller that raises disturbing questions
about leftover World War II animosities, as a Japanese terrorist group
captures a key US chemical weapons facility in the Pacific and takes
1,000 American hostages.)
Crace, Jim
Signals of Distress, 1995 (In the 1830s an American barque is grounded by
a storm on sandbar off small village in the west of England. Americans
prove to be a disturbing presence.)
Craig, Mary Shura
Pirate's Landing, 1983 (Saga of an American colonial family who "ploughed
the land and sailed the seas" in the early 18th century.)
Crane, Stephen 1871-1900
The Open Boat (Short story about four shipwreck survivors who set out for
safety in a lifeboat.)
Crawford, Iain, 1922-
The Burning Sea, 1962 (Saga of a WW II British rescue tug in the Atlantic
and Mediterranean.)
Crofts, Freeman Wills, 1879-? (Author of at least 32 non-nautical mysteries)
The Loss Of The Jane Vosper, 1936 (The first 40 pages are afloat, the
rest of the book solves the mystery. )
Currey, Commander Edward Hamilton
Ian Hardy - Naval Cadet, 1918 (For young boys - the "hero" is ten at the
start. A troublesome son, after nearly half a book of non-nautical
adventures, is taken to sea by his uncle as a cadet to combat slavers
etc. The story is set in the latter half of the nineteenth century. At
the story's end he is about fourteen and ready to be promoted
midshipman.)
Cussler, Clive ("Bestsellers")
Dirk Pitt series: (Dirk Pitt is an American "James Bond" only better, the
books all have a substantial nautical element even if it not the main
plot element.)
The Mediterranean Caper, 1973 [1]
Iceberg, 1975 [2] (Ship found frozen in iceberg. Crazed maniac tries to
take over the world. Dirk Pitt tries to stop him.)
Vixen 03, 1978 [3] (In 1954 a plane, Vixen 03, bound for the South
Pacific with canisters of a virulant organism, vanishes. In 1988 Dirk
Pitt discovers the remains of the plane whilst on holiday. The lethal
canisters are recovered - but not all are accounted for.)
Raise the Titanic!, 1976 [4] (Special ore from the only known source in
the world sinks with the TITANIC. Dirk Pitt sets out to recover it.
Story predates finding the TITANIC by 15 years.)
Pacific Vortex!, 1983 (Undersea adventurer Dirk Pitt faces the toughest
challenge of his life when he plunges into the deadly Pacific Vortex,
a fog-shrouded zone where dozens of ships have vanished without a
trace, the latest being the gigantic STARBUCK, America's deep-diving
nuclear arsenal. Dirk battles deep-sea assassins and an exotic beauty
as he tries to find and salvage the huge submarine before it
explodes.)
Deep Six, 1984 (From the icy Alaskan waters to a Korean shipbreakers,
from a Caribbean shipwreck to the Mississippi, trouble shooter Dirk
Pitt tracks down a fiendish conspiracy.)
Cyclops, 1987 (Dirk Pitt is confronted with the hijacking on a golf
course of one of the world's most powerful leaders; an exotic but
outrageous undercover operation in the Caribbean and the sinister
intrigue of a secret power base on the moon. He also is on the trail
of the legendary lost lady of Eldorado, a fabulous treasure hidden in
the depths of the ocean.)
Treasure, 1988 (In 391 a fanatical Emperor orders the destruction of
the Library at Alexandria. A small group of conspirators secretly
remove some of the most precious items and hides them in a distant,
desolate land in an underground redoubt. In 1991 a UN plane is shot
down over Greenland. Dirk Pitt, in the area on a search mission for a
crippled Soviet submarine, is caught up in a vortex of of complex
intrigue. An archaeologist working nearby has found an ancient gold
coin far further north than it should have been.)
Dragon, 1991 (Dirk Pitt gets involved with an Japanese attempt to take
over the world again. The ending is the best piece of "TAKE THAT" the
reviewer has ever read!)
Shock Wave, 1995 (Dirk confronts his most sinister villain yet -- a
billionaire diamond king with three beautiful Amazon daughters. Dirk
discovers that a deadly plague in the Pacific is being caused by a
strange ultrasound resonance which produces shock waves under the
sea that kill ever living thing for miles around when they converge.
Dirk must stop whoever is generating these waves because the next
ones may kill millions of people!)
D'Amato, Barbara
Hard Tack, 1991 (A Cat Marsala mystery. A locked room murder mystery on a
sailboat in the Great Lakes. The author is not a sailor and is only a
so-so writer but the whole book does take place on a boat.)
Dahl, Mary
Free Souls, 1969 (Novel based on the true story of the capture of the
Spanish slaver AMISTAD by its "cargo" in 1839.)
Davidson, Louis Bennett 1894-
Captain Marooner, 1952 (Fictionalized account of the mutiny aboard the
American whaleship GLOBE in the 1820s, in the Pacific, and the pursuit
of her by USS DOLPHIN.)
Davies, Lieut. John, RNVR 1913-
Lower Deck, 1945 (Six weeks service in a fictional destroyer until she is
sunk in 1942 in the Eastern Mediterranean seen, as the title suggests,
from the lower deck.)
Stone Frigate, 1947 (Prequel to LOWER DECK. Covers the transition of
civilian to sailor while being trained as an ordinary seaman.)
Davis, A. Kennard (Arthur Kennard) 1910-
The Gentle Captain, 1954 (In bad weather the tramp steamer ANTARES is in
trouble and her master Captain O'Maras experience of the sea, and
probably more importantly, human nature, is severely tested as he
attempts to save his ship and her people.)
Davis, Bart 1950-
Full Fathom Five, 1987 (US Navy must recover stolen Soviet nuclear sub.)
Raise the Red Dawn, 1991 (The Soviet sub RED DAWN is trapped under ice
while on a secret mission. A US sub tries to rescue her and capture
her secrets while a Soviet killer sub tries to protect the prize.)
Destroy the Kentucky, 1992 (Terrorists seize the minisub USS KENTUCKY
and plan to attack Moscow with nuclear missiles. The Soviets put an
American captain in a Russian sub to hunt her down.)
Davis, John 1774-1854
The Post Captain, 1805 (Reprinted in the Nautilus Library, 1936. Lively
adventures, both afloat and ashore, in rollicking language.)
Jack Ariel; or Life on Board an Indiaman, 1847 (Events in the East India
merchant service, during a voyage from London via Bombay to Canton and
home.)
Davis, John Gordon
Cape of Storms, 1971 (Southern Ocean whaling based in South Africa.)
Leviathan, 1976 (Oceanographer's son tries to save the whales by sinking
a Soviet whaling factory ship in the Antarctic with a midget sub,
helicopter and other hi-tech toys he inherited from his dad.)
Dawlish, Peter
North Sea Adventure, 1949 (Trainee fishermen on board a trawler in the
North Sea in winter with a gale blowing. For young readers.)
Dawson, Michael (Pseudonym)
The "Schaduw" Dives, 1948 (In a long and complicated story, we follow the
fortunes of the Dutch submarine SCHADUW from her escape to Britain as
the Nazi Germans invade Holland, to the war in the Pacific.)
Day, Edgar (Editor)
The Saturday Evening Post Reader of Sea Stories, 1962 (Includes
Hornblower and the Man Who Felt Queer and Dr. Blanke's First Command by
C. S. Forester, and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms by Ray Bradbury.)
Day, Holman 1865-1935
Blow the Man Down; A Romance of the Coast, 1916 (Yacht captain works
among the rich and beautiful, falls for boss's daughter, gets in
trouble, and quits to work as freighter captain.)
De Camp, L. Sprague 1907- (Notable SF and historical author)
The Golden Wind, 1969 (Exploits of Eudoxos of Kyzikos, as he attempts
to establish a commercial route from the Mediterranean to India during
the time of the Ptolemys. He leads two profitable expeditions across
the Indian Ocean, only to be robbed and imprisoned by the Ptolemys on
his return in each case, then attempts to reach India without going
through Egypt by circumnavigating Africa. Novel inspired by actual
events.)
The Arrows of Hercules, 1965 (While not strictly nautical has
considerable nautical content, including two sea voyages and a stint
where the protagonist is employed at the world's first naval research
laboratory in ancient Syracuse.)
The Hand of Zei, 1981 (Takes place on the planet Krishna, one of Sprague
De Camp's favorite venues. Krishna is inhabited by people very like
humans, except for being oviparous and having "antennae" on their
foreheads that function as organs of smell. The planet is politically
and technologically about like Europe in the 16th century, and
interstellar law has placed an interdict on the importation of more
advanced technology. This makes Krishna an ideal place for De Camp to
introduce Terran heroes, who can disguise themselves as Krishnans and
undertake some derring-do, while maintaining a more sophisticated
attitude towards it all. In this book Zei, a princess of one of the
Krishnan kingdoms, has been kidnapped by pirates who haunt a Sargasso
Sea-like swamp in the middle of one of the major oceans, studded with
the wrecks of ships of various origins and kinds. The Terran hero has
the task of rescuing the princess. Since she can only be reached by
sea, the job gives De Camp, who is interested in the history of
technology, a chance to describe the ships and techniques the hero
encounters. At one point a crisis is handled by changing the rig of a
ship, under way, to a more efficient one that the local seamen are
unfamiliar with. A good yarn, with a fair dose of seafaring and
nautical hardware.)
De Felita, Frank
Sea Trial, 1980 (An Orgy in the Caribbean aboard the sailboat PENNY
DREADFUL turns into horror as something evil this way comes.)
Defoe, Daniel 1661?-1731
Robinson Crusoe, 1719 (Classic tale of survival on a deserted island.
Inspired by the real-life adventure of British privateer Alexander
Selkirk, who was marooned on the island of Juan Fernandez off the coast
of Chile, for four years before being rescued by Woodes Rogers in
1709.)
A New Voyage Round the World, 1724 (An entirely fictional account, in the
style of Dampier's epoch-making accounts of his genuine voyages.)
The Four Voyages of Capt. George Roberts, 1726
The life, Adventures, and Pyracies of the Famous Captain Singleton:
Containing an account of ... his many adventures and pyracies with the
famous Captain Avery and others, 1720 (Alternate title: CAPTAIN
SINGLETON)
Delaney, Laurence
The Triton Ultimatum, 1977 (Ten men steal the Triton sub LEWIS AND CLARK,
demand ransom and wreak havoc on Sino-Soviet-US relations.)
Demarest, Phyllis Gordon
What Happened on the Melisande?, 1971 (Murder mystery aboard the 65'
MELISANDE in the South Pacific.)
DeMille, Nelson
Plum Island, 1997 (Injured detective gets involved in investigating the
murder of two friends who worked at a research facility rumored to be a
germ warfare center. While the general belief is that they were offed
in a germ sale or drug deal gone bad, the detective finds evidence for
a pirate treasure hunt gone sour.)
Deutermann, Peter T. 1941- (Capt. USN (ret.) former destroyer commander.)
Scorpion in the Sea: the Goldsborough Incident, 1992 (Libyan submarine
seeks revenge for the US bombing of Tripoli by trying to sink the
carrier CORAL SEA at her base in Florida.)
The Edge of Honor, 1994 (During the Vietnam War, Lt. Holcomb becomes
weapons deptartment head on USS HOOD and discovers the ship is riddled
with problems that make it vulnerable to air assault--problems that
the ship's enigmatic captaim seems unwilling or unable to address.
Holcomb must decide between ignoring the problems, and possibly
endangering the ship, or doing something and putting his career in
jeopardy. Meanwhile, back home, his wife is having her own problems
with being left alone.)
Official Privilege, 1995 (The body of a young (coloured) naval
lieutenant is found, chained inside a boiler of an old battleship
mothballed in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Naval Commander Dan
Collins and Naval Service Investigator Grace Ellen Snow are assigned
to investigate the murder. Questions about the killing lead them into
Washington's highest circles.)
Sweepers, 1997 (The inner ring of the Pentagon is being rocked by a
Sweeper. A trained covert assassin, an ex-Seal, has gone rogue. A newly
appointed Pentagon admiral is scrambling for his life and for his career.
A police detective needs answers.)
Dibner, Martin (Served as gunnery officer on US cruiser and carrier during
WW II.)
WW II Trilogy:
The Deep Six, 1953 (The battleship ATLANTIS and its task group patrol
the Aleutians.)
The Admiral, 1967 (Captain Harry Paige takes a crippled cruiser into
battle, becomes a hero, gets carrier and becomes an Admiral.)
The Trouble with heroes, 1971 (Why does the captain-hero of a US
nuclear guided missile cruiser off Viet Nam refuse to carry out
unjust order?)
Dillon, Eilis 1920-
The Lost Island, 1952 (For young readers. Boy sails off with some friends
to find lost father.)
*The Singing Cave, 1959 (In Connemara on the west of Ireland there is
a niche in a cliff that is known locally as "the singing cave". On the
day after a great March storm, Pat, the narrator, hears the cave begin
to sing. He discovers an inner chamber in the cave and in that chamber
the skeleton and tomb of a Viking warrior, but when he visits the cave
again the next day the Viking and his hoard have disappeared. Who has
stolen this treasure - and why? Pat has told nobody about it but his
grandfather and the local amateur archaeologist, Mr Allen. With the
quest for the missing Viking and his tomb, an exciting and perilous
adventure begins for Pat and for his friend, Tom Joyce. For young
readers.)
The Cruise of the Santa Maria, 1967 (A newly built boat proves a launch
to adventure as two Irish boys seek to disprove that their vessel is
cursed. For young readers.)
The Seals, 1968 (Pat Conneeley and three friends set out for the mainland
in stormy weather to rescue his uncle Roddy wanted by the Black and
Tans for patriot activities.)
The Island of Ghosts, 1989 (Before leaving Inishglass, an island off the
coast of Ireland, for school in Galway, Dara and Bran visit their tutor
who has moved to a haunted island and has plans to keep the boys on the
island forever. For young readers.)
DiMercurio, Michael (Served as chief propulsion engineer in submarines)
Voyage of the Devilfish, 1992 (The FS KALININGRAD is the last great
triumph of Soviet submarine technology. Now it is at sea beneath the
polar icecap. Aboard is the most brilliant commander in the Russian
undersea fleet, Admiral Alexi Novskoyy. In his fanatic hands is the
power to turn back the clock to the cold war and restart the countdown
to doomsday. Opposing him in the killer-chase sub USS DEVILFISH is
Captain Michael Pacino. His orders: to find and destroy the invincible
Russian vessel. His private passion: to settle a score with the man who
killed his father.)
Attack of the Seawolf, 1993 (The nightmare fear of the US had come true.
One of our finest submarines, the USS TAMPA, on a top-secret spying
mission, had fallen into Chinese Communist hands. The Communists,
fighting for survival in a savage civil war, now held not only the sub,
the crew, and the gutsy Commander Sean Murphy hostage, but US power and
prestige as well. America had one last desperate card to play. The most
advanced submarine in the world, the still untried USS SEAWOLF, under
command of maverick daredevil Captain Michael "Patch" Pacino. The
SEAWOLF had to steal back the TAMPA from where it lay guarded by the
entire Chinese fleet armed to the teeth with technology from the
bankrupt Russians.)
Phoenix Sub Zero, 1994 (The HEGIRA was the finest super-sub that Arab oil
money could buy. But the US Navy was only now learning just how good
this undersea sword of Islam was. Already one American sub had been
destroyed, and another crippled, as the Hegira broke out of the
Mediterranean and headed toward America to deliver its lethal payload.
It was up to Captain Michael Pacino and the USS Seawolf to find the
enemy and destroy it in the ultimate battle between the most advanced
weapons technology on the planet and the most primal courage and
daring...)
Barracuda Final Bearing, 1997 (A volatile new state calling itself
Greater Manchuria emerges out of the political military strife of Asia.
Thanks to the connections of its brash leader, it boasts an atomic
arsenal. Japan, threatened by its proximity to nuclear disaster,
shocks the world by launching a sophisticated preemptive strike against
its new neighbor. Worldwide outrage at this aggression provokes the UN
to blockade the trade-dependant nation. But Japan is ready - its sub
fleet is armed to the teeth and thoroughly equipped to destroy the
blockade. With the world now at the boiling point of all-out war,
Admiral Michael Pacino gives his captain a "mission impossible" order
to sink the Japanese submarine fleet.)
Piranha Firing Point, 1999 (Six Japanese submarines are attacked and
believed destroyed in the East China Sea. To the world, it seems like
an accident. But to former submarine commander Dick Donchez it is the
first act of war. He alone knows the truth: that the old guard of Red
China has stolen the subs to wage a massive attack against the new Free
China. Vice Admiral Michael Pacino can't prove Donchez's theory. The US
government will not officially retaliate. But when a full-scale battle
erupts, Pacino is quickly given command of the Navy's latest undersea
weapon: the highly classified submarine known as SSNX. It is America's
most advanced and sophisticated warship - and the world's only hope in
the final, desperate war for freedom...)
Dingle, Captain Aylward Edward (Sinbad) 1874-
Cap'n Jethro, 1944 (Short stories about an old whaling captain.)
(Also ROUGHT HEWN; THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A MODERN SINBAD, 1933)
Dodson, Kenneth (Served in attack transports in WW II)
Away All Boats, 1954 (Classic story of attack transport USS BELINDA and
her role landing marines in the Pacific. To some, one of the best WW II
naval novels ever.)
Donachie, David, 1944-
Napoleonic era naval yarns: (Featuring privateer captain Harry Ludlow,
as well as the usual swash and buckle there is an element of the
detective novel in the books. "Skulduggery...rousing battles.
Authenticity guaranteed: taste the salt and smell the powder...." "High
adventure and detection cunningly spliced. Battle scenes reek of blood
and brine; excitements on terra firma to match.")
The Devil's Own Luck, 1991 (Ex-privateer Harry Ludlow is impressed
into the RN in 1892. His brother is accused of murder amidst
shipboard intrigue and politics.)
The Dying Trade, 1993 (Ludlow goes to Genoa to, to find out why an
English captain was hanged.)
A Hanging Matter, 1994 (Harry Ludlow comes home to England and becomes
a smuggler.)
An Element of Chance, 1994 (Harry Ludlow sails to the West Indies and
into a struggle for control of the seas in 1795.)
*The Scent of Betrayal, 1996 (In their latest adventure, the Ludlows
find an abandoned merchant ship as they convey a group of French
mariners fleeing the French Revolution to the New Orleans of 1795.
The Spanish authorities are suspicious of the Ludlows and desperately
interested in finding out what happened to the ship. Large sums of
money and revolutionary politics are involved. As a result the
Ludlows are pinned under the guns of New Orleans until they can solve
the mystery.)
A Game of Bones, 1997 (The Ludlows, homeward bound from America,
encounter a French privateer that is capturing an Indiaman. Bested by
the Frenchman, Harry Ludlow gets drawn into a duel of wits with the
French captain in which Harry's fortune, ship, and life end up as
stakes on the board -- all against the backdrop of the Great Mutiny
-- which forms a second game into which both Ludlows get drawn by
both commissioned acquaintances and forecastle mutineers.)
Dorling, Henry Taprell (Taffrail, Entered the RN in 1897. Took part in the
relief of Peking. During WW I he served on destroyers and minelayers,
mainly in the North Sea, and was awarded the DSO in 1918. He retired from
the navy in 1929, though was recalled during WW II as a propagandist in the
Minstry of Information.[From a TIMES obituary])
Pincher Martin, O.D, a story of the inner life of the Royal Navy, 1917
(WW I adventures.)
Pirates, 1929 (An account of British gunboats tackling piracy in the
Canton delta.)
Endless Story, 1931 (Destroyers in WW I)
Kerrell, 1931 (First lieutenant of a destroyer in action in the North Sea
and with the Dover Patrol in WW I. Good substantial naval action
story.)
Cypher K, 1932 (A book for older boys, The latest cypher is stolen from a
RN cruiser and a retired naval officer in his sailing yacht manages to
retrieve it.)
The Scarlet Stripe, 1932 (Naval surgeon adrift in life-boat with 22 men
after their Q ship is sunk by U-boat in WW I.)
Dover-Ostend, 1933 (A cross-channel thriller. Piracy in the English
Channel is resolved by a naval officer. Included are charts so the
reader can follow the action which involves lots of coastal cruising
aboard the officer's yacht.)
Seventy North, 1934 (Plenty of statistics and social history are
interestingly incorporated into a readable story involving a Hull
trawler fishing in the arctic prior to WW II. Although written in the
style of the day, reading the book now graphically illustrates how the
importance and impact of fishing on the community has been eroded
today.)
Second Officer, 1935 (Gives the reader an accurate picture of the
pleasant side of life in the Merchant Navy of the day. (unlike MID
ATLANTIC?) Large general cargo ships voyage London - Panama - Pacific
to New Zealand with adventures on the way.)
Mid Atlantic, 1936 (With this story the author takes up the cudgels on
behalf of the merchant seamen of Great Britain during the Depression.
Sailing aboard an ill-found tramp the unfailing courage and heroic
tenacity of her people fail to save her after steering failure in
severe weather. Plenty of technical, social and background detail.)
Operation M.O., 1938 (Naval Intelligence track down and recover stolen
state secrets, with the aid of the Royal Navy, from a merchantman off
the Danish coast in this pre-war spy thriller. Really only 25%
nautical.)
Fred Travis AB, 1939 (Naval action off the Spanish coast during the
Spanish Civil War.)
Chenies, 1943 (Two serving officers of the above name in the Royal Navy
in the early years of WW2. Destroyer patrol, convoy duties, bad
weather, U-boats and torpedoed ships combine to make a patriotic yarn.
As the blurb says, Taffrail's first novel of the navy in action in
WW2.)
Eurydice, 1954? (The Royal Navy destroyer HMS EURYDICE, badly damaged and
only just afloat, survives the battle of the Java Sea and by evading
the omnipresent Japanese Navy, survives to seek shelter at a small
island in the Japanese dominated Eastern Archipelago. She can not
remain undisturbed for long and the story unfolds with the attention to
detail one expects from this author.)
Arctic Convoy, 1956 (A story strongly based on fact. The Arctic convoys
to North Russia from the perspective of a young officer serving in a
destroyer.)
Sketches and Stories:
Carry On, 1916
Stand By, 1917
Off Shore, 1917
Sea Spray and Spindrift, 1917
Minor Operations, 1917
The Watch Below, 1918
A Little Ship, 1918
HMS Anonymous, 1919
Copyright © John Kohnen 1999
Commercial reproduction prohibited without written consent