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
Neilson, Eric
Haakon the Dark series:
The Golden Axe, 1984 [1] (Lusty, death-defying adventurer Haakon the
Dark has been chosen by his gods as their avenging arm on earth. The
Golden Axe is a marvelous and terrible weapon with supernatural
powers that the gods have entrusted to Haakon, but is the axe truly a
gift or is it a curse of evil? Only time will tell. In this series
opener Haakon and his band battle against overwhelming odds as they
try to save the fair Rosamund, Haakon's lady love.)
The Viking's Revenge, 1984 [2] (Only one mortal man has the power and
wisdom to spare civilization when a treacherous deed brings bloody
death to armies senseless slaughter to cities -- our hero of course.
Leading the greatest army of Viking warriors ever assembled, Haakon
the Dark instead scours the entire known world to find his Rosamund,
in peril again, this time stolen by an evil warrior chief. No doubt
civilization and Rosamund are both saved in the end.)
Haakon's Iron Hand, 1984
The War God, 1984
Nelson, James
Revolution at Sea series:
By Force of Arms, 1996 (Nelson's hero, a smuggler in pre-Revolutionary
War days, brings shipments into Long Island Sound and runs afoul of
HMS ROSE, a British ship doing customs duty. Nelson also brings up
the burning of a customs sloop by Rhode Islanders the year before.
HMS ROSE in the novel is the real ancestor to today's "HMS" ROSE, in
which the author sailed as third mate.)
The Maddest Idea, 1997 (Captain Biddelcom, our hero from BY FORCE OF
ARMS, in command of the privateer CHARLEMAGNE is given a commission
in the Continental Army and sent on a mission to steal gunpowder from
the British in the Bahamas. This effort is foiled by a traitor, and
Biddlecomb is captured, but he manages to escape, and complete his
mission anyway. In the meantime, the aide that arranged the mission
is scouring Rhode Island for the traitor.)
The Continental Risque, 1998 (Still suffering the damages of their
ill-fated mission to Bermuda, Isaac Biddlecomb and the brig-of-war
CHARLEMAGNE are voluteered for service in the newly formed United
States Navy. Sailing to Philadelphia with the irritating John Adams
as a passenger, Biddlecomb et al are made part of the first American
navy and marine corps action to New Providence Island. But trouble is
brewing in the gunroom, as his officers find themselves at each
other's throats, and below decks as sea-lawyer Amos Hacket tears the
crew apart down sectional lines...)
Lords of the Ocean, 1999 (At the height of the American Revolution,
Captain Biddlecomb receives orders to smuggle Dr. Benjamin Franklin
across the Atlantic and into France.)
Newell, Charles Martin 1821-c1900
The Voyage of the Fleetwing, a Narrative of Love, Wreck and Whaling
Adventures, 1886 (Whaling voyage to Hawaii.)
Nicastro, Nicholas
The Eighteenth Captain, 1999 (An action-filled novel based on John Paul
Jones and his naval career, framing the fall-out of the French
Revolution.)
Nicol, C. W.
Harpoon, 1987 (Japanese 19th century whaling epic as told from the point
of view of two brothers from a Japaneses whaling village -- one who
stays in the village pursuing traditional Japanese whaling practices,
the second who leave to learn how the Gaijin westerners whale. "Worth
reading." [ML])
Nicole, Christopher (Andrew York) 1930-
Operation Destruct, 1969 (Assigned to investigate the death of a fellow
agent in the wreck of a Russian trawler, British spy Jonathan Anders
must outwit the Russians, who want him dead, and the British police,
who want him for murder.)
Operation Neptune, 1972 (Jonathan Anders is sent on assignment by British
Intelligence to locate notes on an invention that will enable man to
move about freely underwater.)
Niemann, August 1839-1919
The Coming Conquest of England, 1904 (Translated from the German. Not a
brilliant piece of work, and only fifty percent naval, but every bit as
important as Erskin Childers RIDDLE OF THE SANDS as a whistle blower to
alert the British public to the dangers of German naval expansion.)
Nordhoff, Charles 1830-1901 (Father of the co-author of Mutiny on the Bounty.)
Man of War Life, 1895 (A young sailor's impressions of life aboard an
American ship-of-the-line in the mid-1800's.)
The Merchant Vessel, 1895
Whaling & Fishing, 1895
The Boys Own Sea Stories: Being the Adventures of a Sailor in the Navy,
Merchant Service and on a Whaling Cruise (Above 3 books together,
published without authors name or date.)
Nordhoff, Charles 1887-1947
The Derelict, 1928 (The further adventures of Charles Selden and his
native friends in the South Seas.)
Nordhoff, Charles 1887-1947 and Hall, James Norman 1887-1951
The Bounty Trilogy:
Mutiny on the Bounty, 1932 (The voyage of the BOUNTY to Tahiti for
breadfruit, her sojourn there, and the subsequent mutiny when she
begins the voyage back to England.)
Men against the Sea, 1934 (The incredible 3,600 mile voyage in an open
23 foot boat of Captain Bligh and 18 loyal members of his crew, set
adrift after the mutiny.)
Pitcairn's Island, 1934 (Some of the mutineers sail off in the BOUNTY
with Fletcher Christian and their Tahitian wives and in-laws in
search of an island where they can successfully hide from the
inevitable pursuit by the Royal Navy. They find such a haven at
Pitcairn's Island and settle down to their fate.)
The Hurricane, 1936 (Polynesian convict escapes and returns to home
atoll. Hurricane devastates island while he is evading recapture.
Great tale of humans against the elements, and coping with the
imposition of Western civilization at the same time. Made into a movie
starring Jon Hall and Dorothy Lamour in the '30s.)
No More Gas, 1940 (The saga of a multitudinous family in Tahiti, and what
happened to them when they suddenly became rich from salvaging a
vessel. "Hilarious!" [TB] Made into a movie called THE TUTTLES OF
TAHITI, starring Charles Laughton.)
The High Barbaree, 1945 (Catalina flying boat is shot down in the South
Pacific in 1943. After days of drifting, the lone survivor swims ashore
on a mystic, uncharted island, where he finds his uncle and fiancee.
Filmed in 1947.)
(others)
(see also IN SEARCH OF PARADISE, about Nordhoff and Hall)
Norton, Andre
Scarface, Being the story of one Justin Blade, late of the pirate isle of
Tortuga, and how fate did justly deal with him, to his great profit,
1948 (Teenaged pirate Scarface is part of a raid on the English colony
of Barbados. He wins the King's Pardon and finds a name and family. For
young adults.)
Norton, Roy
Drowned Gold, Being the Story of a Sailor's Life, 1917 (It's not really
the story of a sailor's life-- it's the story of 3 million dollars in
sunken gold, deep sea diving, piracy and young love, and all of the
things which go to make up a good sea yarn.)
Nye, Robert
The Voyage of the Destiny, 1982 (Fiction about Sir Walter Raleigh's
voyage to South American, Tudor period piece.)
O'Brian, Frank
Act of Piracy, 1975 (A crazy captain takes steamboat from New York to
California around Cape Horn in the 1850s.)
O'Brian, Patrick 1914- (Arguably the top novelist of life under square sails.)
The Golden Ocean, 1957 (Based on Commodore Anson's voyage around the world
in the 1740s.)
The Unknown Shore, 1959 (Companion to THE GOLDEN OCEAN. The adventures
of future admiral (then midshipman) John "Foulweather Jack" Byron and
the surgeon of the storeship WAGER of Anson's fleet after she was
wrecked off southern Chile.)
The Jack Aubrey - Steven Maturin series: (Napoleonic War era adventures
featuring a RN officer and his surgeon friend, there is advantage in
reading these in order.)
*Master and Commander, 1969 [1]
Post Captain [2]
H.M.S. Surprise [3]
Mauritius Command [4]
Desolation Island [5]
The Fortune of War [6]
The Surgeon's Mate [7]
The Ionian Mission [8]
Treason's Harbor [9]
The Far Side of the World [10]
The Reverse of the Medal [11]
The Letter of Marque [12]
The Thirteen Gun Salute [13]
The Nutmeg of Consolation [14]
The Truelove (Clarissa Oakes in UK) [15]
The Wine-Dark Sea, 1993 [16]
The Commodore, 1994 [17]
The Yellow Admiral, 1996 [18]
The Hundred Days, 1998 [19] (As we had learned earlier, Napoleon has
left Elba and is gathering an army in Europe while the allies are
trying to get organized in order to resist. Jack Aubrey must control
the Med and prevent attempts to keep the allies divided. Some
startling events occur, matching events in POB's personal life, that
give credence to the possibility that this may be the penultimate
book of the series.)
(See also Dean King's HARBORS AND HIGH SEAS and A SEA OF WORDS)
The Rendezvous, 1994 (Twenty-seven short stories (1970-74) from the
humorous to the dramatic, often providing a glimpse of savage,
destructive forces through the fragile shell of human civilization. Any
nautical?)
O'Connor, Patrick 1930-
Across the Western, 1976 (Novel, told in first-person format, of a
merchant marine sailor's adventures aboard a clapped-out rustbucket,
from its crossing to North America with a convoy in 1941, through its
numerous breakdowns, requiring long port stays, to a climatic battle
with a German surface raider on its voyage back to Britain.)
O'Dell, Scott 1898-1989
The Dark Canoe, 1968 (Salvage and the novel MOBY DICK merge as Queequeg's
coffin is found by the younger brother, Nathan in the lagoon where his
two older brothers, Jeremy and Caleb, are trying to salvage the sunken
cargo of a whaler wrecked by the incompetence of one of the two, --
but which one? Young adult.)
O'Hara, Patrick (Former RN and merchant seaman and fisherman.)
The Luck of the Lonely Sea, 1965 (THE WAKE OF THE GERTRUDE LUTH in the UK.
Beached German finds himself in command of an ancient cargo steamer in
the China Sea, survives fire, typhoon, stranding, commies, Nationalists,
and beautiful girl.)
O'Neill, Edward
The Rotterdam Delivery, 1975 (Diplomatic relations between Holland and
her main Middle Eastern oil supplier "Al Tufiyah" are strained enough
that when the Dutch naval attach in Dublin is approached by an Irish
terrorist, at odds with his murderous colleagues for not being too
happy about bombing innocent children, he agrees in the name of the
Dutch Government to help seize an "Al Tufiyahn" super tanker as she
makes her approach to the oil terminal at Bantry Bay and deliver the
ship and her cargo to Rotterdam.)
Olsen, T. V.
Brothers of the Sword, 1962 (Adventures of two viking brothers, pursued
by the wolf-like Halfdan.)
O'Neill, Eugene 1888-1953
plays:
Bound east for Cardiff, 1916
The Long Voyage Home, 1917
Ile, 1917
The Moon of the Caribbees, 1918
Where the Cross is Made, 1918
The Hairy Ape, 1922
Children of the Sea
Optic, Oliver 1822-1897
The Boat Club; or, The Bunkers of Rippleton, c1850 (The author uses a
12-oared gig; a boat which requires absolute coordination and
cooperation from the rowers, to make the point that that groups in
society need discipline. The Bunkers of the sub-title are a bunch of
rebellious boys who make life miserable for many on the shores of an
upstate New York Lake. After his son Frank has a run-in with the
Bunker's, Captain Sedley, a retired and well-to do shipmaster, decides
to form a boat club for his son and his friends. In the course of
learning to row the boat, they learn cooperation, discipline and
courage and, of course, manage to outdo the Bunker's with their
undisciplined and rebellious ways. For young readers.)
Outward Bound; or, Young America Afloat, 1866 (A local nabob decides that
a school ship is just the thing for bringing discipline and order into
the lives of some of the scions of rich families who have a contempt
for authority. The ship is built and sets sail manned entirely by the
boys with some veteran sailors for supervision. In something akin to
The LORD OF THE FLIES much of society's ills become manifested during
the voyage; lies, deceit, treachery, even a planned mutiny! As he
describes the machinations of the characters, one gains a truly
detailed insight into the mind of the manipulator and the politician.
"A truly riveting tale!" [DG] For young readers.)
The Yacht Club; or, The Young Boat-Builder, 1874 (A ripping good
who-dun-it, taking place on Penobscot Bay. "A really good introduction
to sailing, boat-building and yacht racing for the young reader. And an
excellent moral into the bargain." [DG] For young readers.)
O'Rourke, Andrew P.
The Red Banner Mutiny, 1986 (Novel based on the true story of Soviet navy
officer who steals the destroyer STOROZHEVOY and sails it toward Sweden
and safety. Set in the 1970s.)
Osborne, Anne (Joy Gould Boyum, Heather Barbash) 1934-
Wind From the Main, 1972 (Novel based on the true story of pirate Anne
Bonny.)
Otis, James 1848-1912
A Cruise With Paul Jones; a Story of Naval Warfare in 1778, 1898 (Young
David Carlton is picked up from a wreck at sea by the American sloop
RANGER and becomes a powder monkey under the command of John Paul Jones
and the friendly tutelage of boatswain Reuben Rollins. Jones harasses
English shipping in the English Channel, burns the merchant fleet at
Whitehaven and defeats the English sloop of war, DRAKE in the battle at
Carrickfergus, all of which events are described here from young
David's point of view. "A good yarn and good history!" [DG])
Ott, Wolfgang
Sharks and Little Fish, 1957 (WW II novel set in German minesweepers and
U-Boats.)
Oxley, James Macdonald 1855-1907
Diamond Rock, 1894 (In this story for older boys His Majesty's frigate
GRYPHON sails for the West Indies in 1804 with fourteen year old Dick
Holden as a newly appointed midshipman. The fictional frigate puts
British tars and guns on to the Diamond Rock to harass the French fleet
off Martinique, a task in real life undertaken by HMS CENTAUR. Although
they have eventually to surrender, Dick is a hero and as a compliment
is chosen to serve with Nelson in HMS VICTORY and is present at
Trafalgar.)
Packard, Winthrop 1862-1943
The Young Ice Whalers, 1903
Padfield, Peter (Has an extensive maritime background, and has written on
maritime and naval history.)
Salt and Steel, 1985 (The story of a family growing up in Hampstead
before 1914. Two of the boys follow their father into the RN and serve
in WW II. "The periods of action, whether in the family yacht,
PEACOCK, or later in battle cruisers or on the Somme, set a stunning
pace." [from bookjacket blurb])
Paine, Ralph D.
Midshipman Wickham, 1923 (Life of a midshipman at the Naval Academy,
including football and action at sea. For young readers.)
Paretti, Sandra
The Magic Ship, 1979 (Novel is based on the true story of the huge German
4-stack liner CECILE steaming into Frenchman Bay at Bar Harbor, Maine,
and the effect she and her crew had on the town during that dreamlike
summer at the dawn of WW I.)
Parker, Richard
A Moor of Spain, 1953 (Moorish lad survives the siege of Malaga, converts
to Christianity, participates in the siege of Granada, joins Columbus
on his first voyage to the New World and becomes a Native American
prince.)
Parkinson, C. Northcote 1909-1993
Richard Delancey series: (RN officer.)
The Guernseyman, 1982 (1775-1782. Parkinson's hero, Delancey, is caught
up in riots and "volunteers" for the navy. Follows his early career
throught the American War of Independence, culminating at the Siege
of Gibraltar.)
*Devil to Pay, 1973 (1794-1796. Lieutenant Delancey is sent on
impossible mission involving smugglers and international intrigue off
the French coast.)
The Fireship, 1975 (1796-1798. This is really two short novels back to
back. In the first, Delancey is the second Lt. and acting first Lt.
of the GRATTON during the Battle of Camperdown. The Dutch are
defeated and every first Lt. is promoted to Master and Commander,
except Delancey, whose captain has the discretion to allow the now
recovered original first Lt. to take the promotion. In the second
half Delancey is given command of a fireship. He makes the best of
bad situation. Being of a scientific and methodical turn of mind, he
researchs the previous use of fireships and finds that they are not
frequently used, and are not particularly useful, but on those
occasions when they have been used in the past, the commander has
received a promotion. Delancey's command is one of the smaller
vessels used to patrol the coast of Ireland, and intercepting a
French expeditionary force he is able to put his fireship to its
intended purpose, thus assuring himself of the promotion he lost
out on in the first half of the novel.)
Touch and Go, 1977 (1798-1801. Delancey gets command of the 18 gun
sloop MERLIN and cruises the Mediterranean on convoy duty.)
So Near, So Far, 1981 (1801-1804. During the Peace of Amiens Richard
Delancey is ashore, but still manages to get in trouble. He forms an
attachment to the pretty actress Fiona that threatens his career, and
mixes with men of the Opposition Party. When war with France breaks
out again Napoleon's first move is to plan an invasion of England,
and rumours circulate of steam-driven ships and a warcraft that can
travel under the water. Delancey's courage and skill are called upon
for the most audacious adventure of his career.)
Dead Reckoning, 1978 (1805-1811. Now a post captain, Delancey and the
32 gun frigate LAURA are off to the East Indies to battle two French
frigates.)
*The Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower, 1970 (Hilarious send-up of
military biography and a great overview of Hornblower. Parkinson
includes detailed appendices with delicious information such as that
HH's great-grandson commanded the BELLEROPHON at Jutland, and that a
great-great-grandson was a sub-lieutenant on the ACHILLES during the
Battle of the River Plate. How can you *not* love that? Also includes
a letter from Horatio himself explaining what really happened aboard
HMS RENOWN.)
(And a short history of the Royal Navy, 1776 - 1816, also PORTSMOUTH
POINT, THE NAVY IN FICTION, 1793-1815, published in 1948. It refers to
literature dated 1826 to 1848, written by Royal Navy men.)
Parkinson, Dan
Patrick Dalton series: (US Revolutionary war tales)
The Fox and the Faith, 1989 [1] (In 1777, finding himself falsely
accused of treason, Royal Navy Lt. Patrick Dalton steals a British
prize and attempts an escape through a gauntlet of privateers and
British and Colonial warships.)
The Fox and the Fury, 1989 [2] (A fugitive Patrick Dalton refits a
derelict ship in the Chesapeake wilderness and makes a deal to
smuggle cannon to the Carolinas.)
The Fox and the Flag, 1990 [3] (Patrick Dalton may have come up with a
plan to clear his name, but he needs the luck of the Irish to avoid
capture by both sides long enough to see it through.)
The Fox and the Fortune, 1992 [4] (In the spring of 1778, the opposing
British and US navies are supporting their armies in the north,
leaving the southern US coast wide open to pirates. After eluding a
long British search, Patrick Dalton and his crew find their fates
increasingly entangled with a particularly cutthroat pirate.)
Patchin, Frank Glines 1861-1925
Battleship Boys series:
The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward, 1911 (The boys, Sam Hickey and
Dan Davis, serve aboard the battleship LONG ISLAND and gain their
petty officer ratings. For young readers.)
The Battleship Boys in Foreign Service, 1911 (Sam and Dave are on the
loose in Paris, Egypt and European ports between.)
The Battleship Boys in the Wardroom, 1918
Patrick, Joseph
King's Arrow, 1951 (English gentleman gets 'pressed into a Royal Navy
warship (in peacetime!!), escapes to the American colonies and becomes
a shipper and ocassional smuggler, all while trying to win the love of
the girl he left behind in Britain, who has also come to America. Set
in the late 1760s-early 1770s. Good read, despite some inaccuracies and
anachronisms.)
Patrick, William (editor)
Mysterious Sea Stories, 1985 (Strange horrors at sea, Collection of
unusual tales by Marryat, Melville, London, Forester, etc.)
Paulsen, Gary
The voyage of the Frog, 1989 (When David goes out on his sailboat to
scatter his recently deceased uncle's ashes to the wind, he is caught
in a fierce storm and must survive many days on his own as he works out
his feelings about life and his uncle. For young readers.)
Paylin, Jolie, 1913-
The Gill Netters, 1979 (Commercial fishing in Wisconsin and Northern
Michigan after the Civil War.)
Pearson, Ridley
Blood of the Albatross, 1986 (A good old-fashioned page-turner of a
mystery, set in Seattle, with enough plot twists and sleazy characters
to keep things moving at an exhilarating pace. Jay Becker, sailing
instructor by day, rock star by night, takes the beautiful German woman
Marlene as a student and becomes involved in brutal deaths and treason
that seem to stem from her shadowy employer, known only as the
"Albatross".)
Pease, Howard 1894- (for "young" readers)
The Tattooed Man; a tale of strange adventures, befalling Tod Moran, mess
boy of the tramp steamer ARABY, upon his first voyage from San
Francisco to Genoa, via the Panama Canal, 1926 (Teenaged Tod goes in
search of his missing older brother. He takes a job as a cabin boy, and
later stoker on a freighter out of San Francisco bound for Genoa. An
interesting story because of the vividly realistic portrayal of life
aboard tramp freighters in the inter-war years. Also interesting is the
treatment of drug addiction in the days when it wasn't so painfully
common.)
The Jinx Ship; the dark adventure that befell Tod Moran when he shipped as
fireman aboard the tramp steamer CONGO, bound out of New York for
Caribbean ports, 1927
The Ship Without a Crew; the strange adventures of Tod Moran, third mate
of the tramp steamer ARABY, 1934 (Aboard ARABY in the South Pacific,
Tod finds an unmanned schooner, loses it in a gale, and has to find
answers in the Tahitian jungle.)
Heart of Danger, a tale of adventure on land and sea with Tod Moran,
third mate of the tramp steamer ARABY, 1946
Wind in the Rigging; an adventurous voyage of Tod Moran on the tramp
steamer SUMATRA, New York to North Africa, 1951
Night Boat, and other Tod Moran mysteries, 1942
Captain of the Araby; the story of a voyage, 1953 (This is also a Tod
Moran book, and the captain of the title is a man he sails with in
most of the books. He is the "Tattooed Man" as well.)
Shanghai Passage; being a tale of mystery and adventure on the high seas
in which Stuart Ormsby is shanghaied aboard the tramp steamer NANKING
bound for ports on the China coast, 1929
Secret Cargo; the story of Larry Matthews and his dog Sambo, forecastle
mates on the tramp steamer CREOLE TRADER, New Orleans to the South
Seas, 1931
Hurricane Weather, 1936
Foghorns; a story of the San Francisco water front, 1937
Captain Binnacle, 1938
The Black Tanker, 1941 (A Stanford student gets word that his father, a
doctor working in China, has been seriously injured in a Japanese
bombing raid. The only way he can get to China is to sign on as an
engine wiper on a tanker, whose mate is Tod Moran, carrying oil to the
Japanese bases in China. There is a murder on board, a storm at sea,
and some adventures with the Japanese and Chinese after they arrive.
The book has an American neutrality political viewpoint, flavored with
a strong distaste for Japanese imperialism.)
Bound for Singapore, 1948
Shipwreck; the strange adventures of Renny Mitchum, mess boy of the
trading schooner SAMARANG, 1957
Perrault, Ernest G.
The Twelfth Mile, 1974 (Oceangoing tug, North Pacific, storms, salvage,
tidal waves.)
Perrow, Angeli 1954-
Captain's Castaway, 1998 (Based on the true story of Seaboy, a friendly
seafaring dog. When his vessel is wrecked in a storm he crawls ashore
on nearby Great Duck Island and is found, barely alive, by Sarah, the
lighthouse-keeper's daughter. Two years pass, and the dog settles in
happily with his new family. Then, a ship's captain arrives, home from
distant seas. It is Seaboy's owner, delighted to find his old friend. A
grief-stricken Sarah must reconcile herself to the loss of a loyal
companion, but in the end the castaway himself decides where he really
belongs.)
Pesci, David
*Amistad, 1997 (Historical fiction based on the case of the Spanish
coastal schooner AMISTAD ("friendship" in Spanish) which was carrying
illegally-taken Africans from Havana to Puerto Principe when the slaves
on board rebelled and took control of the ship, killing all but three
of their captors. The Africans sailed eastward toward home during the
day, but at night the Spaniards - the only ones on board who new any
type of celestial navigation-sailed northward. AMISTAD eventually ended
up off the coast of New York, where she was picked up by an American
warship and taken to Connecticut. The subsequent salvage trial became a
battle between abolitionists who wanted the Africans freed and returned
to their homeland and the survivors of the AMISTAD's crew who wanted
their ship and "cargo" returned. Steven Spielberg has filmed a movie
about the same events, to be released in December, 1997.)
Peyton, K. M. (Pseudonym)
Sea Fever, 1962 (Sixteen year old boy becomes the sole breadwinner for
his family after his father dies in a fishing accident, and the family's
savings disappear overboard with dad. Through hard work, luck, and the
newfangled sport of yatch racing he is able to redeem his family's
finances, and defeat the individual who stole the family's fortune. Set
in coastal England in the mid to late 1800s. A fun read.)
North to Adventure, 1965 (Boy accompanies his uncle on an Arctic
expedition seeking a lost ship off the Greenland coast and uranium
deposits in Greenland. During the course of this post-WW II adventure,
they encounter pirates and find a lost treasure of gold. TREASURE
ISLAND meets Sgt. Preston of the Yukon.)
Pickering, Edgar
In Press gang Days, 1904? (Press gang abducts young gentleman in time for
the Nore Mutiny and the Battle of the Nile.)
Pilpel, Robert H. 1943-
To the Honour of the Fleet, 1979 (Two men, one rich & cynical, the other
guileless and honourable, are involved in the dramatic events leading
up to the greatest sea battle in history: Jutland, 1916.)
Poe, Edgar Allan 1809-1849
+The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, ca. 1840. (Mutiny and
murder.)
Descent into the Maelstrom (Short story: A Norwegian fisherman relates
how he got caught in the notorious whirlpool and survived.)
Ponce de Leon, Napoleon Baccino
Five Black Ships: A Novel of The Discoverers, 1994 (This talented
Uruguayan writer has created in this book a wonderful tale of ships and
men using rich prose, earthly humor, and striking poetry. He looks into
the lives of the real men and real events behind what the history books
say, and he follows, like an artist, the marvelous story of the first
circumnavigation of the globe.)
Ponicsan, Darryl
The Last Detail, 1970 (Two SPs take sailor to Portsmouth Naval Prison,
stop off for some fun on the way. Made into movie with Randy Quaid.)
Cinderella Liberty, 1973 (Classic Navy snafu: seaman's records are lost,
so officially he doesn't exist. Made into movie with James Caan and
Marsha Mason.)
Pope, Dudley 1925-1997 (More 1800-period naval action. Pope has also written
some naval history.)
Nicholas Ramage series:
Ramage, 1965 [1] (In 1796 third lieutenant Ramage of the frigate
SIBELLA must complete a mission after the attack of a French 74 kills
all the other officers.)
Ramage and the Drumbeat, 1968 [2] (DRUMBEAT in the US. Lt. Ramage in
command of KATHLEEN, cutter, captures a dismasted Spanish frigate,
gets the KATHLEEN captured in turn, becomes a spy in Cadiz, then,
escaping, is restored to command of the recaptured KATHLEEN, and
helps Captain Nelson win the battle of Cape St. Vincent.)
Ramage and the Freebooters, 1969 [3] (THE TRITON BRIG in the US.
Ramage, given command of the 10-gun brig TRITON, must overcome a crew
that has joined the Spithead Mutiny to take dispatches to the
Caribbean. Once on station, he is given the task of finding why
coastal freighters are disappearing as they sail from Grenada -- a
puzzle whose solution has eluded two post captains.)
Governor Ramage RN, 1973 [4] (Ramage, aboard TRITON on convoy duty,
thwarts sneaky French attack, encounters hellacious hurricane.)
Ramage's Prize, 1974 [5] (Lieutenant Ramage is sent to find out what is
happening to His Majesty's mail packets in 1798. Based on true
incidents.)
Ramage and the Guillotine, 1975 [6] (French-speaking Lt. Ramage, now
25, is off to France spy on Napoleon and the impending invasion of
England.)
Ramage's Diamond, 1976 [7] (Captain Ramage in the frigate JUNO attacks
a French convoy off Martinique in 1802. Possibly the most fun of the
series.)
Ramage's Mutiny, 1977 [8] (Captain Ramage, now commanding the frigate
CALYPSO, is given the impossible assignment to cut out a captured
British frigate from a Spanish stronghold.)
Ramage and the Rebels, 1978 [9] (Ramage and the CALYPSO pursue a
ruthless, butchering French privateer in the West Indies.)
The Ramage Touch, 1979 [10] (Ramage and the CALYPSO are sent into the
Mediterranean to wreak havoc, but stumble onto a French invasion
fleet.)
Ramage's Signal, 1980 [11] (Ramage and CALYPSO continue their solo
mission into the Mediterranean to confuse the French.)
Ramage and the Renegades, 1981 [12] (Ramage and CALYPSO are off to the
Caribbean to claim an island.)
Ramage's Devil, 1982 [13] (Ramage is on his honeymoon in France when
war breaks out again in 1803. He steals a ship and escapes.)
Ramage's Trial, 1984 [14] (Ramage is assigned convoy duty, is attacked
by another British ship, and then is accused of nasty crimes.)
Ramage's Challenge, 1985 [15] (Ramage is back in the Mediterranean to
rescue a group of influential British prisoners being held hostage by
Napoleon.)
Ramage at Trafalgar, 1986 [16] (Ramage and CALYPSO participate in the
Battle of Trafalgar, where frigates aren't supposed to mix it up
with the big boys.)
Ramage and the Saracens, 1988 [17] (Ramage is off to Sicily in 1806 to
deal with some Barbary Pirates.)
Ramage and the Dido, 1989 [18] (Ramage is given command of the DIDO,
74, and sent to the West Indies. He racks up enemy warships like
billiard balls, and is sent to Martinique, scene of his triumph's in
RAMAGE'S DIAMOND.)
Buccaneer Ned Yorke series: (Barbados planter forced to turn buccaneer
due to suspected Royalist sentiments. His partner is the outcast nephew
of Oliver Cromwell, set at the end of the Protectorate and the beginning
of the Restoration. DECOY and CONVOY are set in WW II with the tail-end
survivor of the family in the Royal Navy.)
Buccaneer, 1981 [1] (Because his family are Royalists, Ned Yorke is
forced to flee his Barbados plantation with such retainers as choose
to come with him. This includes the wife of the Parliamentarian
planter who wants Yorke's estate. After trying his hand as a
smuggler, Yorke joins forces with Cromwell's Royalist nephew as a
buccaneer, goes to Jamaica, and helps the Parliamentarian governor
of the island retain it from the Spanish.)
Admiral 1982 [2] (Yorke returns to Jamaica following the death of
Oliver Cromwell, becomes elected as Admiral of the Brethren of the
Coast in Tortuga, leads the ships to Jamaica, and in an effort to
forestall a Spanish invasion of Jamaica, leads highly successful
raids on Provencia and Portobello.)
Galleon, 1986 [3] (A new, Royalist governor of Jamaica suspends the
buccaneers' licenses. Yorke rescues his partner from the Spanish, and
assists the French governor of St. Martin's to capture a Spanish
treasure galleon which ran ashore and threatened the colony's chief
town, but is unable to convince the new governor of the buccaneers'
importance to Jamaica's safety)
Corsair, 1987 [4] (Yorke uncovers evidence of Spanish plans to invade
Jamaica, but cannot convince Governor Luce of the threat until it is
at hand. In the rare instances where the governor seeks assistance
of the buccaneers, York leads reprisal raids against Cuba and the
Spanish Main.)
Convoy, 1979 (A Yorke in action against the German's in WW II. He
unravels the secret of how the Germans are secretly attacking convoy
ships from the inside of the convoy.)
Decoy, 1983(Yorke rides again to capture a German U-Boat for the new
Enigma coding/decoding machine that the Germans are deploying.)
Porter, Katherine Anne 1894-
Ship of Fools, 1945 (On board the North German Lloyd S. A. VERA between
Veracruz, Mexico and Bremenhaven, Germany August 22 to September 17,
1933.)
Porter, William Ogilvie, MD (1774 - 1850) (Naval surgeon who after retirement
practised for over forty years in Bristol and was the author of two small
works on typhus and on medical ethics, as well as the novel noticed below.
His sister Jane (1776-1850) was a prolific and popular novelist, and this
novel is often attributed to her.)
Sir Edward Seaward's Narrative of his Shipwreck and Consequent Discovery
of Certain Island in the Caribbean Seas with a detail of many
extraordinary and highly interesting events in his life, from the year
1733 to 1749, 1831 (Newly-wed Edward Seaward and his bride are
shipwrecked on a desert island in the eastern Caribbean. Animated by
devoutly Christian and anti-slavery ideals they found a flourishing
colony, engage in high politics in London, participate in the conquest
of Portobello, and repel Spanish attacks.)
Copyright © John Kohnen 1999
Commercial reproduction prohibited without written consent