The Nautical Fiction List
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Entries preceded by a '*' are reviewed on my Nautical Book Reviews page
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Porteous, Richard Sydney ("Standby") d. 1963 (Very human realistic stories of
WW II and after, possibly only published in Australia.)
Little Known of these Waters, 1945
Sailing Orders, 1949 (The Australian merchant ship HAICHOW carries troops
and cargoes to combat areas during WW II. "Their crews risked their
lives daily and took their ships without question wherever they were
ordered. If they were killed, their dependents received no pension. If
they survived they received no credit when they returned.... For were
they not civilians? Men of peaceful occupations who wore no uniform and
had taken no part in the fighting." [From bookjacket blurb])
Close to the Wind and other stories, 1955 (Mostly set along the
Queensland coast.)
Tambai Island 1955 (Children's book.)
The Tambai Treasure, 1958 (Chidren's book.)
Salvage and Other Stories, 1963 (Salvage; A deal with father; Finito;
Shaggy Dodgson's Hour of Glory; Ebb tide; Fear; The Bad Bargain;
Conscience; The Contest; Settled Out of Court; The Hard Way; Last
Voyage.)
The Silent Isles, 1963 (Children's book.)
Posse, Abel
The Dogs of Paradise, 1987 (Cosmic novel with a surreal vision about the
end of the 15th century, Columbus, Ferdinand & Isabella, Aztecs, Incas,
and discovery of the Americas. Argentine author, translated from
Spanish.)
Pournelle, Jerry 1933-
Two Novels set in the Seattle area - specifically in the college
atmosphere. The protagonist is Paul Crane, a young consulting engineer
drawn into CIA domestic operations by the twin lures of patriotism and a
long-stemmed blond. Small boat sailing through the Straits of Juan de
Fuca, north to Victoria and south to California along the Pacific Coast
constitutes an important part of the plot. Originally published under the
pseudonym "Wade Curtis." Science fiction readers will recognize the pen
name as part of Pournelle's long-standing gag with Larry Niven.
Red Heroin
Red Dragon
Powers, Tim 1952-
On Stranger Tides, 1987 (Magic, voodoo, Blackbeard and the Fountain of
Youth in this early 18th century pirate adventure by the author of the
sci-fi award winning THE ANUBIS GATE.)
Poyer, David C.
"Tiller" Galloway series: ("Very good..." [BF])
Hatteras Blue, 1989 (Tiller Galloway, ex-navy diver and ex-drug
smuggler, takes on a job from a mysterious stranger to dive on the
wreck of a WW II German sub. The original reason given was for the
stranger to write about the adventure, the real reason was for the
cargo... millions in gold headed to Argentina for the new Fatherland
"A very good read." [BF])
Bahamas Blue, 1991 (A job is offered to Tiller by the drug lord he used
to smuggle for before he went to prison. The job was supposed to be
to retreive cocaine from one of their boats sunk in 300 feet of
water. When Tiller refuses, the cartel destroys his business, making
him an offer he can't refuse. "Another good read." [BF])
Louisianna Blue, 1994 (Tiller, broke, heads to the Gulf with his
partner to try to earn enough money to get his business going again,
after its destruction by the drug lord in Bahamas Blue. He lands a
job with an oil company, where everything is not as it seems.)
The Med, 1988 (Dan Lenson, officer in USN faces personal crises as an
incompetent admiral bungles rescue of American hostages held in
Lebanon. The hostages include Lenson's wife and child.)
The Gulf, 1990 (Lenson's adventures in the Persian Gulf in a pre-Gulf
War scenario of naval warfare with Iran.)
The Circle, 1992 (Aging US destroyer operating in the arctic encounters a
rogue Soviet submarine.)
The Passage, 1994 (Dan Lenson, as a lieutenant, in action against a
Soviet submarine, during the Cold War. Preceeds events in THE MED and
THE GULF.)
Preston, Douglas J. and Child, Lincoln
Riptide, 1998 (A high-tech search for a vast pirate treasure on an island
off the coast of Maine. The island is owned by a doctor who fearfully
joins with an exploration group in the quest to end centuries of
mystery and uncover the supposed treasure, which is believed to lie in
a watery pit on the small storm swept island. Many have previously
ventured to the island to delve into the mystery of the water pit, with
disasterous results in a number of instances. Can everyopne say "Oak
Island"?)
Price, Jeramie
Blackbeard's Bride, 1959 (Anne is abducted from a ship by Teach, becomes
his 15th (or 16th) wife, and joins in with the piracy.)
Price, John-Allen
Doomsday Ship, 1982 (The largest German ship ever built heads for New
York City during WW II loaded with V-1 missiles and warheads full of
germs. A US bomber squadron has to take it out.)
Prince, Peter 1942-
The Great Circle, 1997 (As the paddle steamer LAURENTIA makes her stately
passage across the Atlantic from Boston, the passengers have 13 days
before they reach England to form alliances, make enemies, and swindle,
seduce and betray one another--all while upholding the strictest
standards of 19th-century decorum. [From the Edmond Hamilton catalog])
Purves, Libby (A well-known broadcaster and journalist in the UK who has
also written on sailing round Britain with her husband and two children.)
Casting Off, 1995 (The wife/crew/cook of a sailing couple suddenly takes
off alone. She has to cope with some hairy conditions in the Channel as
she gets to grips with whatever caused this behavioural aberration.
Previously she was partner in a sedate tea shop.)
Pyle, Howard 1853-1911
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates; fiction, fact & fancy concerning the
buccaneers & marooners of the Spanish main: from the writing & pictures
of Howard Pyle: comp. by Merle Johnson, 1921
Quirk, John E.
No Red Ribbons, 1963 (a US Navy top gun fighter pilots go for the big
bucks and beautiful babes.)
Raban, Jonathan
Foreign Land, 1985 (Modern cruise around UK.)
The Oxford Book of the Sea, 1992 (Editor. An anthology of short prose and
poetry about the sea, as well as excerpts from longer works.)
Raddall, Thomas Head 1903- (Born in Hythe, England in 1903 he moved to Canada
in 1913 and five years later began work as a wireless operater on ships and
at stations on and off the Nova Scotia coast. Subsequently a bookkeeper and
accountant, he retired in 1938 to devote himself to writing.)
His Majesty's Yankees, 1942 (Deals with the part played during the
American Revolution by the Yankees of Nova Scotia. An adventure story,
rather a tame romance and a spot of history all thrown together. Told
in the first person by David Strang it concerns his efforts to join
Nova Scotia to the rest of America! A bit turgid by modern standards,
could you trust a book that finished "... this rocky homeland on the
sea's edge, where life is a struggle that demands a man's utmost and
will take no less, where beauty alone is bountiful, and only death
comes easy; where courage springs from the eternal rock like the clear
singing rivers, like the deep rooted forest itself." Plenty of shipboard
action, although the story is not essentially set on the sea, rather by
it!. Much of the story involves smaller boats.)
Pride's Fancy, 1946 (French privateers from Nova Scotia cruise the
Caribbean in 1798.)
Tidefall, 1953 (Unscrupulous Nova Scotian retired rumrunner returns to
his boyhood village and takes over a bankrupt shipping company.)
Hangman's Beach, 1966 (an historical novel set in Halifax during the
Napoleonic Wars. "The reader enjoys a tale of high adventure and
daring. He experiences the shock of battle at sea, the torment of
conflicting loyalities, and the searing heat of love in an
unforgettable picture of men and women caught in the sweep of events in
a tumultuous era." [from bookjacket blurb])
Raine, Norman Reilly 1895-
Tugboat Annie, 1934 (The humorous Adventures of the tug NARCISSUS and her
colorful captain in and around Puget Sound.)
Captain Kidd, 1945 (Fiction?)
Ransome, Arthur 1884-1967 (Ransome was introduced to the English Lake District
as a baby and spent many holidays and was partially educated there. He
became a writer and journalist and covered the Russian Revolution where he
met his second wife Evgenia who was Trotsky's secretary. They moved to live
in the Lake District when he began full time writing. Most of Ransome's
fictional locations are based on real places and so are many of the
characters and boats. SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS was written for the Altounyan
family, some of whose names he appropriated for the "Swallows". Both SWALLOW
and AMAZON were based on real sailing dinghies and MAVIS, the original
AMAZON, has been restored and is on display in Windermere. Later he moved to
East Anglia which became the setting for some of the other stories in the
series.)
Swallows and Amazons series: (Nominally juvenile; will appeal to the
traditionalist and to those who like Treasure Island. There is The
Arthur Ransome Society, (TARS), for the enthusiasts. There are now
several non-fiction books about all this, too.)
Swallows and Amazons, 1930 [1] (The Walker children get permission to
sail and camp on Wild Cat Island where they are attacked by the
AMAZON pirates. After some wild sailing adventures, the war is won
and an alliance concluded. Together they manage to capture a retired
pirate and find his stolen treasure!)
Peter Duck [2] (Written after SWALLOWDALE but chronologically before. A
story of buried treasure leads to an eventful sail down the Channel
and across the Atlantic to seek for the treasure of Crab Island. They
are pursued by the evil Black Jake and the VIPER. Despite the
attempts of Black Jake and his crew and the worst that weather can
do, they get back successfully.)
Swallowdale [3] (A near disaster to the SWALLOW causes the Walkers to
camp up on the fells away from the lake. There they experience some
aspects of Lakeland life, foil a surprise pirate attack from the
strangely constrained AMAZONs and climb Kanchenjunga. The story ends
with a classic sailing race between the SWALLOW and AMAZON.)
Winter Holiday [4] (The "Ds" on a winter holiday in the Lakes meet the
SWALLOWs and AMAZONs after signalling to Mars. They all become
involved in Arctic exploration during an unexpectedly prolonged
holiday. The climax is a dash to the North Pole followed up by
several rescue expeditions.)
Coot Club [5] The "Ds" go to the Norfolk Broads hoping to learn to
sail. They meet the Bird Preservation Society members, one of whom
gets into trouble with the "Hullabaloos" and has to go into hiding.
The "Ds" do learn to sail and go on a cruise through the Broads. They
are nearly caught by the "Hullabaloos" but instead the "Death and
Glories" have an opportunity to gain a reward.
Pigeon Post [6] (The SWALLOWs, AMAZONs and "Ds" seek gold on High Topps
and have dangerous adventures in the disused mines while trying to
foil the claim jumper Squashy Hat. Gold is found but it isn't what it
seems. The pigeons save the day by getting a message for help through
at a dangerous moment.)
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea [7] (A short cruise in the estuary turns
into a frightening adventure when Jim Brading disappears. The
SWALLOWs manage to do the right thing even though they have to break
a promise and prove they are deep water sailors.)
Secret Water [8] (A mapping expedition leads to war with the EELs and a
near fatal encounter with the tides. Bridget becomes a human
sacrifice but the map looks incomplete. However, last minute voyages
mean that the expedition is crowned with success.)
Big Six [9] (There is more trouble on the Broads and the "Death and
Glories" are accused due to their unexplained wealth and presence at
the scene of the crimes. Together with Tom Dudgeon and the "Ds" they
manage to track down the real villain by using the methods of the
"Big Five" of Scotland Yard. In a dramatic climax the wrong doers are
caught in a flash.)
Missee Lee [10] (Captured by Chinese pirates, the SWALLOWs and AMAZONs
manage to win over the Cambridge-educated pirate leader in an unusual
but unwelcome way. They seem doomed to stay prisoners for ever.
However, the rest of the pirates think beheading is a better solution
and so they have to dance their way to freedom.)
The Picts and the Martyrs [11] (The "Ds" come to stay with the AMAZONs
but have to leave and set up house on their own when an unwelcome
visitor arrives to take charge. The AMAZON pirates have to become
well behaved martyrs while the "Ds" are well hidden "Picts". Despite
the problems the "Ds" learn to guddle fish, sail, burgle and even
skin a rabbit while the "Martyrs" manage to escape from their
imprisonment occasionally. The "Martyrs" sacrifice is worth it in the
end.)
Great Northern? [12] (Are they or aren't they? Unfortunately the one
man who can confirm Dick's sighting of the Great Northern Divers
wants them dead. The SWALLOWs, AMAZONs and "Ds" on a cruise in the
Hebrides make a unique discovery and have to foil the owner of the
PTERODACTYL while proving Dick's discovery is genuine. The savage
Gaels complicate matters but help out in the end.)
Coots in the North [13] (Unfinished fragments edited by Hugh Brogan.
The "Death and Glories" stow away on a boat transport to the Lakes.
There they meet the AMAZONs in an unpropitious manner. The rest of
the book is only an unfinished outline of their adventures together.)
(See also ARTHUR RANSOME AND CAPTAIN FLINT'S TRUNK by Christina
Hardyment, which is mostly a non-fiction description of her visits to
the known locations in the Ransome books and attempts to identify the
uncertain ones, but also includes an unused introductory chapter to
PETER DUCK showing how the story was made up by the children.)
Rappaport, Angelo S.
The Sea: Myths and Legends, 1928 (Originally published as SUPERSTITIONS
OF SAILORS. Folk tales, superstitions, myths and legends.)
Rascovich, Mark
The Bedford Incident, 1963 (US destroyer plays nuclear chicken with a
Soviet sub in the Denmark Strait.)
Ratigan, William
Soo Canal!, 1955 (Fictionalized account of the building of the canal
linking Superior with the rest of the Great Lakes in the 1850s.)
The Adventures of Captain McCargo, 1956 (Picturesque saga of Captain
"Thunder Bay" McCargo of the schooner MINONG -- Great Lakes skipper,
lover, and adventurer par excellence.)
(Also has written a non-fiction book: GREAT LAKES SHIPWRECKS & SURVIVALS
which has highly descriptive accounts of the last minutes of Great
Lakes shipwrecks.)
Rawlings, Charles
Jarge Makes In (Doryman adrift off Newfoundland but survives.)
Cargo of Gold (Gold laden sloop found adrift off Florida.)
Rayner, Denys Arthur 1908- (Lt-Cdr, RNVR who commanded the destroyer SHIKARI
in 1943.)
The Enemy Below, 1956 (A solitary British destroyer fights a German
U-boat in the remote expanses of the South Atlantic in WW II.)
The Long Fight, 1958 (Fictionalised account of an actual three-day Indian
Ocean frigate battle in 1808 in which HMS SAN FIORENZO defeated and
captured the French PIEMONTAISE. Well written in spare, spartan terms.)
The Long Haul, 1962 (A British Destroyer captain towing a disabled tanker
tangles with a U-boat in a deadly game of cat and mouse to the death.)
Reed, Don C.
The Kraken, 1995 (Boy from 19th century Newfoundland fishing village
battles giant squid. For young readers.)
Reeman, Douglas (Alexander Kent) (WW I and WW II stories, except as noted.)
A Prayer For The Ship, 1958 (WW II adventure on British MTBs in the
English Channel. This book struck me as being autobiographical.)
High Water, 1959 (RNVR veteran, finding it hard to make ends meet in
postwar Britain, gets tangled up in smuggling and other criminal
activities in an effort to pay off the debts on the boat he purchased
for a charter service. Reeman's second novel. "Quite possibly his
worst." [ML])
Send a Gunboat 1960 (Antiquated Royal Navy river gunboat and her
disgraced captain are sent to evacuate British citizens from an island
off the Chinese coast threatened by invasion by the Communist Chinese.)
Dive in the Sun, a novel, 1961 (British midget submarine in action
against the Germans in the Adriatic during WW I.)
The Hostile Shore, 1962 (Early in WW II an old passenger launch is used
in the flight from Singapore before the Japanese invasion and
disappears. Rupert Blair's family were among the passengers. Twenty
years later Blair, now rich and famous, has never forgotten or
abandoned his obsessive need to find out exactly what had happened. He
hires an old, beat up schooner with assorted misfits for a crew and
hangers-on and finds his answers in the New Hebrides Islands. Not bad,
but not up to Reeman's war novels.)
The Last Raider, 1963 (A WW I German surface raider, and the
relationship between the raider's captain and a female British
captive.)
With Blood And Iron, 1965 (The son of Captain Von Steiger of THE LAST
RAIDER commands a small U-boat squadron based in a quiet French town
on the Bay of Biscay in 1944, when Germany was losing "The War of
the Atlantic".)
HMS Saracen, 1966 (WW I and WW II adventures of a Royal Navy monitor and
the man who served on her as a midshipman in WW I, and captain in
WW II.)
Path of the Storm, 1966 (Superannuated USN subchaser is ordered to a
desolate island group in South China Sea to prepare them for use as a
naval base in 1965.)
The Deep Silence, 1967 (A Royal Navy nuclear attack submarine is rushed
through its trials and hastily ordered to the Far East for a
geopolitical confrontation with the Chinese.)
The Pride And The Anguish, 1968 (HMS PORCUPINE, a gunboat, in action
against the Japanese invading the Malay penninsula from December '41
through February '42 -- including an escape to the Dutch East Indies
during the fall of Singapore.)
To Risks Unknown, 1969 (A British corvette's 1943 actions against the
Nazis in the Adriaic Sea.)
The Greatest Enemy, 1971 (A strong-willed captain takes a clapped-out
WW II-era corvette into action against the Communist Chinese. The
story takes place in the South China Sea in 1970.)
Rendezvous - South Atlantic, 1972 (A British Armored Merchant Cruiser
in action in WW II. The story ends in a climactic battle against a
German heavy cruiser in the South Atlantic.)
His Majesty's U-boat, 1973 (Also titled GO IN AND SINK. German U-Boat,
captured by the British, is pressed into service against her former
owners.)
The Destroyers, 1974 (A flotilla of eight V-class and W-class British
destroyers in action in 1943 as the group is transferred to Special
Operations.)
Winged Escort, 1976 (British escort carrier group fights the Germans
and Japanese in WW II.)
Strike From The Sea, 1978 (British seize and use a formerly French
submarine that is a sister of the SURCOUF (8" gun turret) as a raider
against the Japanese.)
A Ship Must Die, 1979 (A British light cruiser seeks a German surface
raider in the Indian and Pacific Oceans in 1944.)
Torpedo Run, 1981 (A flotilla of British MTBs is transferred to the
Black Sea in 1943 to assist the Soviets fight the Germans.)
Surface with Daring, 1982 (X-craft raid on Norway in 1944.)
The Volunteers, 1985 (Special Operations units carrying out raids on
enemy coasts and shipping in 1943-44.)
The Iron Pirate, 1986 (Aboard the Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser PRINZ
LUITPOLD in action against the Allies in the summer of 1944 as it
prowls the Atlantic Ocean.)
In Danger's Hour, 1989 (HM Minesweeper ROB ROY in action in the
Mediterranean and English Channel during the last half of WW II.)
The White Guns, 1989 (It is May 1945. The Germans have just surrendered.
But as a small flotilla of British light craft begin occupation duty in
Kiel Harbor, they discover that enemies exist even in peacetime.)
Killing Ground, 1992 (Battle of the Atlantic as seen from the bridge of
the destroyer HMS GLADIATOR on convoy escort duty.)
Sunset, 1995 (LCDR Brooks, aboard HMS SERPENT in Hong Kong just prior to
Japanese attack in 1941, refuses to admit defeat.)
A Dawn Like Thunder, 1996 (The human torpedo is the ultimate weapon in a
high-risk war, and only men of extreme courage or recklessness
volunteer for the Special Operations requiring its use.)
Battlecruiser, 1997? (Follows the fictitious HMS RELIANT, a battlecruiser
from WW I, on convoy duty in the Atlantic during WW II.)
Blackwood - Royal Marines series:
Badge of Glory, 1982 [1] (Captain Phillip Blackwood, Royal Marines, and
his marine contingent in action battling slavers off the coast of
West Africa, from the 90 gun HMS AUDACIOUS, and his further
adventures in the Crimea during the 1840s.)
The First to Land, 1984 [2] (Captain David Blackwood, Royal Marines,
takes his men into action during the Boxer Rebellion in China in
1900.)
The Horizon [3] (The novel covers the Gallipoli campaign and the story
of the Naval Division in Flanders during WW I.)
Reid, Captain Mayne 1818-1883
*The Boy Tar, or A Voyage in the Dark, 1864 (Young Philip Forster runs
away and tries to join the ship INCA, bound for Peru, but the captain
and crew just laugh at the wee lad, but he manages to stow away in the
hold. He falls asleep and awakes to find that he's been trapped in the
pitch dark hold! A horrifying ordeal follows, as he tries to escape to
daylight.)
The Ocean Waifs, A Story of Adventure on Land and Sea, 1882 (A tale of
adventure and shipwreck, for the juvenile reader.)
Reit, Seymour
Ironclad!, 1977 (Presents the historic Civil War battle between two
ironclad ships, the MERRIMAC and the MONITOR, from the viewpoint of a
youth serving aboard the MONITOR.)
Rhinehart, Luke (George Cockcroft?)
Long Voyage Back, 1983 (Family and friends are sailing Chesapeake Bay in
a trimaran on a pleasure cruise when WW III breaks out, and are forced
to use the sea to survive the ensuing holocaust.)
Richards, Alun 1929-
Ennal's Point, 1977 (About the fortunes and misfortunes of a small
village RNLI lifeboat and crew in England and the closely linked
tragedies of two lost lifeboats.)
Against the Waves, 1978 (Editor? Sea stories.)
The Second Penguin Book of Sea Stories, 1978 (Editor. Pt1: fiction, Pt2:
fact. An anthology of stories under sail and steam across the oceans of
the world.)
Richards, Jessica
Mistress of the Western Wind, 1980 (Young wife follows clipper ship
captain to see, winds up taking ship around Cape Horn by herself.
Episodes of explicit sex! Based, at least loosely, on an actual event.)
Richardson, Comdr. Justin, RNVR
The Phony Phleet, 1946 (Verse of the Royal Navy kind. Many were first
published in PUNCH magazine.)
Roark, Garland (George Garland) 1904-
Wake of the Red Witch, 1946 (In 1939 the captain of the last of the
sailing trading ships in the South Seas hunts for sunken treasure and
fights for control of a trading empire.)
Fair Wind to Java, 1948 (Adventures aboard a clipper ship on a voyage to
Java and the East.)
Rainbow in the Royals, 1950 (Two brothers race their clippers from Boston
to San Francisco for gold, glory and the (what else?) hand of a
beautiful woman.)
Slant of the Wild Wind, 1952 (Captain Redd of the LADY OF GLASGOW
overtakes sister ship CASTELREAGH, takes gold, gets in trouble. Set in
the 1890s.)
The Wreck of the Running Gale, 1953
Star in the Rigging; A Novel of the Texas Navy, 1954 (Captain Jeremiah
brown of the Texas Navy (4 ships, amigo!) battles Mexican batteries
during the war for Texas independence.)
The Outlawed Banner, 1956 (On board Confederate and Federal ships during
the Civil War.)
The Lady and the Deep Blue Sea, 1958 (Wife joins the captain of a clipper
for a race from Melbourne to Boston.)
Tales of the Caribbean, 1959 (Collection of short stories set in the
Caribbean during the 20th century: The Manchineel; Mr. Gilespie; Banana
Run; The Ship that Vanished; The Strangler Vine; Our Lady of the
Watch.)
Roberts, Kenneth 1885-1957
Rabble in Arms, 1935 (Dramatic, though somewhat old-fashioned novel of
Benedict Arnold's 1776-77 campaigns from Canada to Saratoga. It focuses
on the construction of his fleet and the battle of Valcour Island on
Lake Champlain.)
The Lively Lady, 1931 (Follows the fortunes of Richard Nason, a Maine
sailing master and privateer who is captured and imprisoned by the
British during the War of 1812. Roberts writes of the courage of
American privateers during the war and the sufferings of thousands of
American seamen in the infamous Dartmoor Prison.)
Captain Caution, 1934 (It is 1812 and America has declared war on
Britain. The American ship OLIVE BRANCH is waylaid by a British
cruiser. Captain Dorman is killed, and his crew is taken prisoner,
including the captain's pretty and strong-willed daughter, Corunna.
Roberts portrays the bravery of American seamen, their sufferings
within the mist-shrouded walls of Dartmoor Prison, the invention of the
gangway pendulum, and the sailor's dangerous and dramatic escape.)
Lydia Bailey, 1947 (Americans involved in Toussaint L'Ouverture's revolt
in Haiti and at war with the "Barbary Pirates".)
Boon Island, 1956 (Shipwreck on barren Boon Island in the Gulf of Maine
during the winter of 1710.)
Robertson, John T.
Corvette Patrol (Novel, told in first person, about a Royal Navy
corvette, HMS GARGOYLE, as it participates in a raid on Norway and
Operation Pedestal in the Mediterranean. Style similar to Barton's
THOSE WHO SERVE.)
Robertson, Morgan 1861-1915
Futility, or Wreck of the TITAN, 1898 (A gigantic, unsinkable steamship,
the TITAN strikes an iceberg while recklessly racing across the
Atlantic from England to the US on it's maiden voyage. In some ways
eerily close to the TITANTIC disaster, but in other ways very
different.)
"Where Angels Fear to Tread" and Other Tales of the Sea, 1899 ("Where
Angels Fear to Tread"; The Brain of the Battle-Ship; The Wigwag
Message; The Trade-Wind; Salvage; Between the Millstones; The Battle
of the Monsters; From the Royal-Yard Down; Needs Must When the Devil
Drives; When Greek Meets Greek; Primordial.)
Masters of Men, 1901 (Dick Halpin, 15, joins the US Navy at the time of
the Spanish-American War, fights in Cuba.)
Land Ho!, 1905 (Stories: The Dollar; The Ship-Owner; The Wave; The Cook
and the Captain; The Line of Least Resistance; The Lobster; On Board
the Athol; The Magnetized Man; The Mistake; The Submarine Destroyer;
The Dancer; On the Rio Grande.)
Spun-yarn Sea Stories, 1898 (The Slumber of a Soul: A tale of a Mate and
a Cook; The Survival of the Fittest; A Creature of Circumstance; The
Derelict Neptune; Honor Among Thieves.)
Down to the Sea, 1914 (Stories: The Closing of the Circuit; A Cow, Two
Men, and a Parson; The Rivals; A Chemical Comedy; A Hero of the Cloth;
The Subconscious Finnegan; The Torpedo; The Submarine; Fifty Fathoms
Down; The Enemies; The Vitality of Dennis; The Helix; The Shark; The
Mutiny.)
The Three Laws and the Golden Rule, 1969 (The Three Laws and the Golden
Rule; The Americans; Dignity; The Honeymoon Ship; The Third Mate;
Through the Deadlight; The Hairy Devil; The Slumber of a Soul; Honor
Among Thieves; The Survival of the Fittest; A Creature of
Circumstance.)
Robertson, Terence
The Hurricane, 1960 (Four-piper destroyer in Royal Navy service endures
a North Atlantic hurricane during escort duty in December 1942.)
Robinson, Bill 1918-
Destruction at Noonday, 1992 (Nautical peril and adventure aboard ship
after a devastating shoreside earthquake. A first novel by the
former editor of YACHTING.)
Robinson, Patrick
The Nimitz, 1997 (Set in the next decade this sparkling first novel's
scenario is: a nuclear powered Nimitz class carrier, the THOMAS
JEFFERSON, suddenly vaporises, with the loss of 6000 men, in a nuclear
explosion whilst exercising with her battle group in the Indian Ocean.
A tragic accident that could cast doubt on the wisdom of American naval
policy is the first thought that grips a grieving nation. The reader
knows better - a nuclear-armed torpedo from a well-placed conventional
submarine is to blame. We follow America's doubts, then resolution, as
the villain is tracked down. "Highly recommended - gives a good insight
into modern naval strategy." [PW])
Kilo Class, 1998 (An exciting second novel! Set in the early years of the
first decade of the twenty-first century when China places an order for
ten Kilo class conventional submarines, almost undetectable and armed
with nuclear torpedoes, from Russia. The chief of America's National
Security Agency believes China's intention is to deny America access to
the Taiwan Strait whilst they regain Taiwan back into Beijing's fold.
This is so against America's interest that a "black" operation is
instigated to prevent the Kilos ever reaching China. Concurrently
Taiwan is clandestinely developing nuclear weapons at a secret island
base. The part dealing with Russia's inland waterway system is
extremely interesting and the story enfolds at a cracking pace. "A great
read!" [PW])
HMS Unseen, 1999 (Gets off to a great start, many of the main characters
are from the author's previous novels. This story involves the Iraqi
submarine commander from THE NIMITZ. Sadam Hussein ungratefully wants
him killed so he offers his services to Iran. Using a stolen
conventional submarine imaginatively fitted with a new Russian guided
missile system he sets out to terrorise the world which, as planned,
believes Iraq is to blame.)
Rock, Philip 1927-
The Extraordinary Seaman, 1967 (A US Navy officer and four sailors
stranded in the Philippines in the aftermath of the Japanese invasion
in 1941 find a potential escape in an old Royal Navy river patrol boat
at one of the islands south of Luzon. With the boat's captain, a RN Lt.
Commander who is always immaculately dressed, the widow of US
businessman killed by the strafing Japanese, and some friendly Moros,
they set out on a journey for Australia. But as the voyage progresses
it becomes obvious to the American Lt. jg that there is something
strange and unearthly about Commander Finchhaven. Lots of fun to read.
Made into a movie starring David Niven, Fay Dunaway, and Mickey
Rooney.)
Roddy, Lee 1921- (Creator of Grizzly Adams)
Search for the Avenger, 1980 (Twinbrothers get separated in infancy. One
is raised in a whaling ship, the other stands to inherit fortune. Set
in Hawaii.)
Rohan, Michael Scott
Chase the Morning, 1990 (In thes science fiction novel our hero gets into
a street fight, is saved by aliens from another world, and boards a
sailing ship from 1700s for piracy, swordplay and sea battles. Wild
stuff!)
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, 1828-1882
The White Ship (Long poem about the loss of King Henry's son and heir.)
Rossman, Parker
Pirate Slave, 1977 (A twelve-year-old boy captured by Muslim pirates is
forced into a life of piracy and slave trading.)
Rostand, Robert
Cross Currents, 1985 (White slaving and drugs in the Med, stir in a few
ex-Nazis and season with a sprinkle of Mossad.)
Russell, William Clark 1844-1911 (American novelist who served in the British
merchant marine, "the prose Homer of the great ocean", recommended by A.
Conan Doyle.)
John Holdsworth, Chief Mate, 1875
The Wreck of the Grosvenor: an account of the mutiny of the crew and the
loss of the ship when trying to make the Bermudas, 1877
A Sailor's Sweetheart. An account of the wreck of the sailing ship
WALDERSHARE, from the narrative of Mr. William Lee, second mate, 1880
My Watch Below; or, Yarns Spun When Off Duty, 1882
The Death Ship: a strange story, 1888 (Flying Dutchman)
The Mystery of the Ocean Star, 1891 (short stories)
Round the Galley Fire, 1893
Ocean Free Lance, 1896
What Cheer?: the sad story of a wicked sailor, 1896?
An Ocean Tragedy, 1899 (Mad Sir Wilfred's wife has run off with the
dashing Colonel Hope-Kennedy in the schooner yacht SHARK, and Sir
Wilfred means to get her back. Sir Wilfred has armed his yacht, the
BRIDE, with a long, brass 18-pounder and gone after the fleeing
couple. The events are many, including the unfortunate death of a
Portuguese seaman at the hands of the 18-pounder, the haunting of the
BRIDE, the fortuitous capture of the two "lovers" in mid-ocean, the
duel on the quarterdeck, the wreck of the BRIDE on the volcanic island
that wasn't supposed to be there, and, best of all, the fossilized
galleon on the crest of the island that can only be inhabited by the
castaways after the water is drained out of her. "There's a reason
that Russell was considered among the finest writers of sea stories at
the time, and a reason why Melville dedicated one of his books to
Russell, and Russell dedicated this one to him. An extraordinary work."
[DG])
Tales of Our Coast, 1901
The Sea Queen (Young lady finally gets to sea with her captain husband
for a mutiny, hurricane, fire at sea, fever, and other adventures.)
Sabatini, Rafael 1875-1950
Captain Blood, 1922 (For treating a wounded nobleman who participated
in the Monmouth rebellion, Dr. Peter Blood is condemned and sold as a
slave in the Carribean. Taking advantage of a Spanish raid on the
island on which he is held, Blood captures the Spaniard's ship, and
embarks on the carreer of a buccaneer. Good fun.)
The Fortunes of Captain Blood (More short stories about Blood's
adventures as a buccaneer captain.)
The Sea Hawk, 1924 (An English renegade who becomes a Barbary corsair
and preys on the Spanish -- and others -- in the Elizabethan era.)
The Black Swan, 1931 (Pirates versus buccaneers in the 17th century
Caribbean.)
Captain Blood Returns, 1931 (Short stories about Blood's adventures as
a buccaneer captain.)
Columbus, 1942
A Century of Sea Stories (Editor)
Sadler, Samuel Whitchurch (?-1890 All of Sadler's books were first
published in London by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.)
Adventures of Marshall Vavasour, Midshipman, 1873
The African Cruiser: A midshipman's adventures on the West Coast, 1873
The Slave-Dealer of the Coanza: A naval story, 1874
Perilous Seas and How Oriana Sailed Them, a naval romance, 1875
The Last Cruise of the Ariadne and What Befell Her Passenger, 1876
The Flag Lieutenant: a Story of the Slave Squadron, 1877
Slavers and Cruisers, a tale of the West Coast, 1881 (Set during the
Anglo-French campaign against slavers in the mid-19th century.
Midshipman Claude Sefton, age 18, having two years experience in the
Royal Navy, is put in command of a slaving schooner captured on the
coast of Angola. Surviving attack by the slavers, sinking, and capture
by African slave dealers, he displays courage and resourcefulness in
re-capturing a British merchant vessel and rescuing his beautiful
sister-in-law who happens to be aboard.)
The Good Ship Barbara, a story of two brothers, 1882
Pirate's Creek: A story of treasure quest, 1883
The Adventurous Voyage of the "Polly," and Other Yarns, 1886
The Ship of Ice
Savage, Douglas
Incident in Mona Passage, 1994 (A US sub conducts a top secret biowar
experiment that goes wrong. The sub seeks a solution to the sickness as
another sub stalks it.)
Schaill, William S. 1918-
Cabot Station, 1990 (A small, forgotten North Atlantic listening post
hears Soviet subs kill an unknown submarine nearby. Oops! Now the
station is in deep doo doo.)
Copyright © John Kohnen 1999
Commercial reproduction prohibited without written consent