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
Wanttaja, Ronald
The Key to Honor, 1996 (15 year old Midshipman Nate Lawton reports to USS
CHESAPEAKE, blockaded in Boston by HMS SHANNON. Fatherless and seeking
revenge because seven years earlier the English had impressed his
father (and impoverished his family). Hiding a shameful secret and
groping for truths he might have learned from his father, Nate
immediately runs athwartship 2nd Lieutenant Westcott who abhors Nate's
blind acceptance of natural gifts for which "others worked so hard."
But it's Westcott that starts Nate on his search for honor. Of course,
the CHESAPEAKE goes out and fights the SHANNON. Whether intentionally
or not, the book is Patrick O'Brianish in every good sense: it
demonstrates civility and honor, teaches leadership, teaches the
nautical stuff along the way, is a bit better than reality, has a happy
ending, and feels authentic. For young readers.)
The Price of Command, 1998 (Midshipman Nate Lawton of KEY TO HONOR
continues his adventures and maturing by joining Oliver Hazard Perry on
Lake Erie right smack in the center of the Perry-Elliot controversy.
Chance has thrown Nate into second in command and his captain moves to
make him a scapegoat as well. For young adults 12 and up.)
Warga, Wayne
Singapore Transfer, 1991 (A rare-book dealer (must be a very nice guy)
gets mixed up in smuggling and a murder mystery in Singapore involving
junks, an ocean liner and the wreckage of USS ARIZONA at the bottom of
Pearl Harbor.)
Waters, Don
Vengeance Reef (Shipwrecked sailor single handedly destroys the dastardly
german submarine that sank his ship - cf Forester's BROWN ON
RESOLUTION.)
Waters, Kennith
Sea Officer, 1997 (Novel based on the Black River Raid, the burning of
Hampton and the great Atlantic storm of 1861. Our hero, Jonathon
Comstock, fights for the Union aboard the sloop of war BENNINGTON.
The first of a contemplated series of historical novels based upon
naval actions during the American Civil War.)
Watkins, Paul 1964- (Spent his summers growing up in the same area that John
Casey (SPARTINA) lived.)
Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn, 1989 (Young man expelled from college joins
the crew of a fishing boat against the wishes of his fisherman father.
Takes place on the Rhode Island Shoreline.)
Watson, John
The Iron Man, 1998 (Captain Jakob Zof, disappointed by events that have
reduced the Soviet Navy to a shambles, seeks to restore some of his
pride by allowing himself to be persuaded to commission a WW II
battleship. This is no ordinary battleship; named after Stalin, it was
to have been the culmination of Russian naval design and construction.
It has been hidden from the world for years in a Vladivostok backwater.
The endless supply of dollar bills from Zof’s mysterious new employers
puts new life into the under-motivated and unpaid Russians. It’s not
long before the STALIN is committing acts of piracy in the Pacific but
it soon becomes apparent that there is an even more sinister motive.
Another novel where heavy armour does not readily succumb to modern
weaponry.)
Webb, Alexander
Fates Anointed, 1985 (1805, Lt. Phillip Naseby, RN, formula period
piece but readable.)
Webster, Noah 1928- (see Kirk, Michael)
Webster, Rank V.
Two Boys of the Battleship, 1915 (Ned and Frank join the navy. It's off
to South America aboard the battleship GEORGETOWN to deal with them
furriners in the carefree days before the Big War.)
Weiser, Bruce
Nicholas Chenevix Series:
The French Imposter, 1980 [1] (British lieutenant Nicholas Chenevix is
sent to Cadiz to spy as Admiral Nelson cruises offshore.)
Dispatch From Cadiz, 1981 [2] (Chenvevix allows himself to be captured
by the French as part of a plan to lure the French out of Cadiz so
Nelson can defeat them. Unfortunately, Chenevix, once caught, is
tried as a spy, then kept aboard the BUCENTAURE during Trafalgar --
and the subsequent storm when the ship runs aground. Contains a long
dream sequence about a world where Nelson loses Trafalgar.)
Wenger, Susan
The Port-Wine Sea, 1999 (A rousing parody of Patrick O'Brian's
Aubrey/Maturin series. It is a story about a British naval captain
during the Napoleonic War, and his friend, a naval physician/espionage
agent. They set sail once again aboard HMS AGHAST during the War of
1812 to demonstrate to the upstart Colonies the errors of their ways.
The doctor/spy tries to establish liaison with the Creek Indians to
create a diversion to the main British assault. Meanwhile the noble
Captain is diverted by a teenaged Maryland vixen. Along the way, they
encounter a skittish horse, a demure skunk, a whooping crane, and an
escaped colony of termites aboard the ship.)
Westcott, Jan 1912-
Captain Barney, 1951 (Privateer battles British from home port of
Philadelphia during the Revolutionary war.)
Westergaard, Ross
Midshipman Kirk, 199? (Midshipman Eric Kirk aboard HMS CALCUTTA,
patrolling Pacific Coast in the 1880s.)
Westerman, Percy F. 1876-
The Third Officer: A present day pirate story, 1921 (A ripping yarn from a
once popular and prolific nautical author.)
With Beatty off Jutland: A Romance of the Great Sea Fight (No Date but at
the end of the story the war's still on. Another book for older boys -
Sub-Lieutenant Sefton is having such a busy war aboard the torpedo boat
destroyer CALDER; U-boats, fishing boats trawling up German spy service
cables etc., that when a seaman falls overboard he jumps in after him
and they are both picked up by the cruiser HMS WARRIOR that gets
reduced to a sinking wreck in the Battle of Jutland. Prior to WARRIOR's
demise Sefton is taken off by his captain and enjoys further heroic
adventures!)
White, James Dillon (Stanley White) 1913-
Roger Kelso series:
Young Mister Kelso [1]
Kelso of the Paragon [2]
A Spread of Sail, 1975 [3] (In this readable stand-alone story an East
India Company Marine ship is wrecked off the Amirantes. Kelso picks
up dying survivors and hopes to keep secret that there was treasure
in the ship. There is little chance of doing this in Bombay in the
1750s. His search for the treasure attracts the unwelcome attentions
of a notorious French pirate who, with his Angrian allies, shadow
Kelso in his frigate, the PARAGON, hoping he will lead them to it.
Kelso's young Indian mistress has stowed herself onboard and helps
him alleviate the hardships of the voyage. A giant stranger has
joined the ship as a seaman in peculiar circumstances and somebody is
helping the pirates.)
Brave Captain Kelso, 1959 [4] (Kelso commands the frigate PARAGON of
the Bombay Marine. Off the Malabar coast Kelso retakes an East India
Company ship from pirates and although he rescues the Commodore's
young daughter, who falls hopelessly in love with him, and falls foul
of a sadistic major of marines, the worst of his problems stem from
his love of Margaret Clive - his friend's wife - when the East India
Company with the assistance of the Royal Navy embarks on a strategy
to eliminate the pirate menace. Rear-Admiral Charles Watson, the
Royal Navy C-in-C, was a real person as of course was Robert Clive
and it appears that the author now starts to follow the events of
British Indian history.)
The Captain of Marine, 1960 [5] (This story opens with Calcutta being
seized by the Nawab of Bengal in 1756. It was he who placed his
British captives in the Black Hole. Kelso is still obsessed by
Margaret Clive - and she still hates Kelso for encouraging her
husband in his military undertakings. In spite of the presence of the
Royal Navy and units of the British Army it is Kelso's intuition and
initiative which enables the British to soundly defeat the errant
Nawab and at the same time frustrate the French. The author avoids
being bogged down with excessive detail in this readable adventure
set against the backdrop of Anglo-Indian history at the start of the
Seven Years War (1756-1763).)
The Princess of Persia [6]
Commodore Kelso, 1967 [7] (It is the late 1750's and Roger Kelso is
made Commodore of the Bombay Marine, much to the chagrin of a rival
captain who has married his friend Lady Susan Verity. This means he
must leave his beloved PARAGON and raise his pennant in PROTECTOR
(44). To make matters worse Kelso falls in love with Lady Susan, his
rival's wife, and the French and the Dutch want to dislodge the
British and possess India themselves. Clive with the assistance of
his friend Kelso must thwart their enemies without and within.)
A Wind in the Rigging, 1973 [8] (This story begins in 1760 with Kelso
marrying Lady Susan (he is her third husband!!!) in Bombay during a
lull in the war with France. The honeymoon is brought to an abrupt
end when from his marriage bed Kelso spots an attacking pirate fleet.
Kelso is captured but he is released because of his new wife's
ability to turn a fate worse than death to an advantage. Lady Susan
wants to make money out of India, much to her husbands disgust, so
while she exploits the natives he attempts to eliminate the pirate
threat.)
Fair Wind to Malabar, 1978 [9] (After the defeat of France and Holland
two French warships ally themselves to the Mahrattan pirates and
threaten the prosperity of India. Commodore Kelso of the Bombay
Marine has to deal with this threat. To aggravate the situation,
Kelso's wife Susan, on her way to England in disgrace, has been
captured by the pirates....)
White, Leslie 1903-
Lord Johnnie, 1949 (Leader of London's underworld in the 1750s escapes
hanging, goes to sea as pirate, captures ship and heads for New York.)
White, Richard
Sword of the North, 1983 (Scots/Norse voyage to New England in the 13th
century.)
White, Robb 1909-
Three Against the Sea, 1940 (Sea stories for children set in the West
Indies.)
Secret Sea, 1947 (Young naval officer seeks SANTA YBEL, a sunken Spanish
treasure ship with the aid of a waterfront urchin. For young readers.)
Up Periscope!, 1956 (WW II submarine action. For young readers.)
Flight Deck, 1961 (Young American naval officer serves as a dive bomber
pilot at Midway, then following injuries that take him off flight
status, becomes a coastwatcher during the Solomons campaign. For Young
readers.)
Torpedo Run: Mutiny and Adventure Aboard a Navy PT Boat During World
War II, 1962 (For young readers.)
Silent Ship, Silent Sea, 1967 (USN destroyer CANON, desperately wounded
in opening battles off Guadacanal faces a 1000 mile voyage through
enemy-controlled waters to reach safety. Based loosely on the events
surrounding the loss of the JARVIS.)
The Frogmen, 1973 (Four misfits from the navy UDT school are accidently
sent to the Pacific for a priority, secret mission. They are to aid a
Nissei graduate of the USNA solve the mystery of Japanese mines
blocking access to an invasion beach days before the invasion is set to
take place. Occurs 1944-45. Young adult book.)
The Lion's Paw (The story of two runaway orphans who help a teenage boy
sail his father's sailboat from Brunswick, Georgia to Sanibel Island,
Florida to prevent it from being sold by an uncle who believes the
father dead after being MIA in the Pacific at the close of WW II. The
boy believes that if he finds a particular sea shell, a lion's paw, his
father will come back to him. "It was a great boy's story to read
growing up in the '50s." [AW])
White, Simon
Captain Jethro Cockerill ("Cocky") Penhaligon series:
The English Captain, 1977 [1] (The year is 1800. "Cocky" Penhaligon is
given command of the 32-gun frigate AVENGER by Horatio Nelson.
Penhaligon is assigned the task of destroying the French 74 GIRONDE,
which is preying on British shipping in the Med.)
Clear for Action, 1978 [2] (The daughter of the admiral commanding
Minorca elopes with Penhaligon. The admiral, angered, orders the
AVENGER to the Western Med to harass French shipping. To eliminate
the nuisance, the French send a squadron after him.)
His Majesty's Frigate, 1979 [3] (Captain Penhaligon and AVENGER escort
a convoy of East Indiamen to Madeira, fight French and Spanish.)
Wibberly, Leonard
Treegate Family series:
Sea Captain from Salem, 1961 [3] (Peace of God Manly, now in France
with the brig-rigged sloop-of-war HORNET, takes to the seas against
Perfidious Albion in 1777-78, to attack sink, and capture all British
vessels found -- except fishing smacks -- as part of Franklin's
efforts to encourage the French to enter the war on the side of the
Colonials. The book has numerous historical innaccuracies -- e.g., a
Royal Navy Captain "purchasing" his commission -- but is a fun read,
nevertheless.)
Leopard's Prey, 1971 (Manly Treegate accompanies his uncle on a routine
trip to Norfolk, and is captured and pressed into service as a
powderboy on HMS LEOPARD. Presumably takes place in period between
1806 and 1812. Young adult.)
Red Pawns, 1973 (Peter Treegate, now in his sixties, and a wealthy
shipowner, goes to England in period immediately preceeding War of
1812 for economic and political talks aimed at averting the war.
Meanwhile, his nephew Manly strikes out for the Northwest Territory
where he becomes involved in the fighting involving Tecumseh. Young
adult. Not primarily nautical, but part of a nautical series.)
The Last Battle, 1976 (Manly Treegate commands USN brig WILD DUCK in
the War of 1812. With his brother Peter as a member of his crew, they
act against British shipping in the West Indies, and join uncle Peter
Treegate -- that 's right there are two Peter Treegates in this novel
-- a US Army major to help Andrew Jackson repulse the British at the
Battle of New Orleans. Concluding novel in series.)
John Treegate's Musket
Peter Treegate's War
Treegate's Raiders
Flint's Island, 1972 (Inspired by, and somewhat a sequel to, Stevenson's
TREASURE ISLAND. The New England brig JANE stops at an island to repair
storm damage. The island turns out to be Treasure Island, and they find
Long John Silver, who has found Captain Flint's buried treasure. Mutiny
and murder follow. For younger readers.)
Wilcox, Collin
The Coast of Loneliness, 1971 (Set in 1950. An attempt to board a Second
World War freighter aground off the Skeleton Coast of South West Africa
to retrieve hidden valuables makes this a nautical novel, although the
ship is boarded from the shore by a line attached to the ship, by
dropping a grapple from an old Junkers aircraft.)
Wilkins, Vaughan
Napoleon's Submarine, 1944 ("Even Napoleon didn't believe it--but it was
true! The British held Napoleon a prisoner on St. Helena... If only
someone could invent a boat that would sail under the sea-- Then the
Emperor could be rescued. So someone did! The most unusual escape story
of all time." [from bookjacket blurb])
Willans, Geoffrey
Admiral on Horseback, 1954 (In three parts; the middle part has the hero;
Stangeways Foxe-Forsyth, (Yes its that sort of book!) as a commander
having his ships war damage repaired in the States in 1941. In the
first section (1952) he is the admiral in command of a British carrier
strike group having trouble with his own government, SHAPE and the
Americans. The last part (1952-1954) finds him sharing the
Mediterranean with a giant American fleet under his US admiral friend.
A story of changing times.)
Williams, Ben Avery 1889-
The Strumpet Sea, 1938 (Three men seek one woman aboard the whaler
VENTURER in the South Seas.)
Thread of Scarlet, 1939 ("Lusty saga of one man against angry sea" during
War of 1812.)
Williams, Charles 1909- (Former merchant marine radio officer.)
The Sailcloth Shroud, 1959 (Charter boat skipper finds himself in a fix
when one of his crew dies of a heart attack off Central America and the
other is murdered in a Texas port. Raymond Chandleresque mystery.)
Dead Calm, 1963 (A young couple alone on their honeymoon yacht in mid
Pacific rescue another voyager from his sinking yacht after burying his
wife and another couple dead from food poisoning, leading to unexpected
consequences. This thriller was filmed in 1989.)
And the Deep Blue Sea, 1971 (A shipwrecked sailor is picked up by a
mystery cruise ship up to no good.)
Williams, David
Atlantic Convoy, 1979 (Convoy HX-114 assembles off the east coast to
begin its dash to Britain. Aboard one of the Liberty ships the radio
operator is a German agent who has on his person the American battle
order for Operation Torch (The invasion of North Africa). Meanwhile in
London at the Admiralty Tracking Station, from where the Battle of the
Atlantic is controlled, the civil service trade union is working to
rule because of the introduction of a WREN onto the staff. At the
U-boat Operations Centre in Paris an intelligence windfall ensures that
a trap will be set.)
Williams, Henry
Ensign Pulver, 1964 (Sequel to MR. ROBERTS featuring Ensign Pulver.
Novelization of the movie by the same name. Beats ROBINSON CRUSOE, USN,
but not by much.)
Williams, Jon
Privateers and Gentlemen series: (Exploits of the Markham family during
the American Revolution and War of 1812)
The Privateer, 1981 [1] (Malachi, Jehu, and Josiah Markham as American
privateers in the Revolution.)
The Yankee, 1981 [2] (Josiah's son Gideon Markham's adventures as a
privateer in the ship MALACHI'S REVENGE at the begining of the War of
1812.)
The Raider, 1981 [3] (The exploits of Favian Markham -- Jehu Markham's
son -- as a midshipman and officer aboard Decatur's frigate UNITED
STATES and commanding the brig EXPERIMENT in British home waters.)
The Macedonian, 1984 [4] (Favian Markham, now a captain, USN, takes the
MACEDONIAN -- the frigate he helped capture -- on a cruise against
the British in 1814.)
Cat Island, 1984 [5] (Gideon and Favian Markham battle the British at
New Orleans and The Gulf of Mexico at the end of the War of 1812.)
Williams, Paul
The Shenandoah Affair, 1992 (A maritime historical romance based on the
factual visit of the successful Confederate raider SHENANDOAH (James
Waddell) to the port of Melbourne, Australia for repairs during the
Civil War. A bodice-ripper complete with embossed title and a purple
cover that matches the prose within, featuring a Scarlet O'Hara-like
character abducted from one of the Union ships Waddell sinks.)
Williams, Wirt
The Enemy, 1951 (Four-piper destroyer is assigned to second ASW
Hunter-Killer carrier group in the Atlantic during 1943. Told first
person from point of view of one officer.)
Willoughby, Lee Davis
The Caribbeans, 1983 (Confederate captain and crew of blockade-runner
become fugitives at end of the Civil War, flee to the Caribbean for
love and adventure.)
The Whalers, 1983 (Life among New England whalers and whaling families.)
The Raiders, 1984 (Confederate captain aboard steam/sail sloop DELTA
DANCER harasses Union shipping, gets pursued by new armored
paddlewheeler.)
Wilson, Erle
Adams of the Bounty, 1958 (Another view of the mutiny, from POV of seaman
John Adams. Mr. Christian and Captain Bligh portrayed somewhat
differently than in other novels.)
Wilson, Sloan 1920- (author of THE MAN IN THE GREY FLANNEL SUIT.)
Voyage to Somewhere, 1946 (Somewhat less than awe-inspiring lieutenant
takes command of brand new very small supply ship during WW II. His
crew was assigned from the bottom of some alphabetical list; all their
names start with "W" except for a couple of the officers. They cruise
around the Pacific with assorted unimportant cargoes, never quite
catching up with the war. Very good.)
Ice Brothers, 1979 (Coast Guard ice trawler on Greenland patrol during
WW II.)
The Greatest Crime, 1980 (Fair-alcoholic charter yacht skipper and his
travails.)
Pacific Interlude, 1982 (Veteran of the Greenland patrol commands gasoline
tanker in the South Pacific during WW II.)
Wingate, John 1920-
Below the Horizon, 1975
Oil Strike, 1976 (Building an oil rig off the coast of Scotland.)
Cold War Trilogy: (Describes the deterioration of relations between the
Soviet and Western blocks in a plausible and comprehensive scenario
and spells out in some detail the NATO strategy to contain the Soviet
submarine threat and keep open the sea lanes between Europe and the
States in the pre-all-out-nuclear stage of the lead up to WW III.
The stories concentrate mainly on the vessels named in the titles
during the confrontation. The operation and deployment of the weapons
systems and the ships performance during the various assignments come
across as being realistic. This realism is carried through to the
dialogue used by the characters and the makes an interesting
comparison to the language used in naval war novels set in WW I and
WW II.)
Frigate, 1983 (A confrontation between a Soviet sub and a NATO
exercise brings an end to the Cold War at sea and the beginning of
perhaps WW3. Anti-submarine tactics, weapon capabilities and
details of naval life give authenticity to the story of the
eponymous LEANDER class frigate and her part in containing the
Soviet submarine threat in the early stages of the sea war.)
Carrier, 1984 (This takes up the story where it was left in FRIGATE,
but from the perspective of an ageing British aircraft carrier as
it plays its part in trying to keep the sea lanes to the US open
and providing the necessary air cover to prevent Soviet subs
getting at the convoys taking reinforcements to Europe.)
Submarine, 1984 (The crisis is escalating and Armageddon looks
inevitable. A Royal Navy conventional submarine is sent on a
mission to decoy a Soviet super sub from its Northern Polar lair
to its destruction by a nuclear hunter killer.)
Go Deep, 1985 (An authentic fictional account of the tough 10th Submarine
Flotilla that defended Malta in WW II.)
The Windship Race, 1987
The Sea Above Them
Wingate, William
Fireplay, 1977 (CIA tries to salvage Soviet missile-carrying submarine
sunk in 16,600' of water.)
Winkler, Anthony C.
The Great Yacht Race, 1992 (The book is mostly about Jamaica in the 1950's
and secondarily about a holy week yacht race from Lucia to Montego Bay.)
Winton, John (Pseudonym. Engineering officer in RN submarines.)
Artful Bodger series: (RN peacetime comedies.)
We Joined the Navy, 1959 (The Bodger (Lt. Cmdr. Robert Badger) tries
to train a class of raw recruits on their first cruise at the RN
Academy.)
We Saw the Sea, 1960 (Some of the Bodger's former charges join him in
the madhouse cruiser CAROUSEL, where he is first Lieutenant, for a
cruise in Far Eastern waters.)
Down the Hatch, 1961 (The Artful Bodger takes command of the RN's
newest and largest submarine.)
Never Go to Sea, 1963 (The Artful Bodger now finds himself Assistant
Director of Naval Public Relations at the Ministry of Political
Warfare. "Saddled" with a racehorse it becomes imperative for his
future career to enter, and succeed, in the sport of kings!)
All the Nice Girls, 1964 (The submarine HMS SEAHORSE (featured in NEVER
GO TO SEA) goes into the dockyard for a major refit. Lieutenant
Dagwood Jones has a chance to pursue various young ladies and give
his commanding officer, the Bodger, many anxious moments. A humorous
insight into the Royal Navy's, not always cordial, relationship with
the civilians who repair and refit their ships.)
HMS Leviathan, 1967 (Jet-age aircraft carrier.)
The fighting Temeraire, 1971 (British Polaris sub spying in the Black
Sea.)
One of Our Warships, 1975 (Deals with a possible atrocity at sea when an
RN frigate fires on a sampan during operations in Southeast Asia. Told
in reminscience form. Revealing look at the relationships between
officers of a navy.)
Hands To Action Stations!: Naval poetry and verse from World War II -
Chosen by John Winton, 1980 (Editor. An assortment of famous and
anonymous verse, mainly from serving naval personnel - a continuing
tradition as aficionados of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin series
will appreciate.)
The Good Ship Venus, 1984 (Humourous account of first RN warship to have
women on board. The author himself found it rather amusing when women
actually did begin to go to sea not too long after it was published.)
A Drowning War, 1985 (WW II Battle of the Atlantic as seen through the
eyes of three participants who meet in a climatic ending to the novel:
a Fleet Air Arm Swordfish pilot, a Kriegsmarine submarine officer, and
a USN destroyer officer. Excellent, tightly-written story. The author
uses post-war revelations for marvelous irony.)
Wood, James 1918-
Voyage into Nowhere, 1956 (A Navy Lieutenant is falsely jailed for heroin
possession, then is sprung by a gang who wants his services. A basic
sea thriller.)
The Lisa Bastian, 1961 (Adventures of James Fraser, maverick trawler
skipper, continue from Bergen where Fraser and his crew (including the
token black, the cod intellectual, the rough Polish mate) agree to take
a couple of girls and an (unrelated) hungarian political refugee from
Norway to Shetland with a little fishing on the wrong side of the
territorial limit en route. The Russians want the Hungarian, the mate
wants one girl, the other girl wants the Captain. The real baddies get
shot, their sidekicks merely winged. "Flawed, dated but a good enough
page turner." [AL])
Fire Rock, 1965 (A powerful adventure novel which begins with the ramming
of a Scottish trawler by a gunboat.)
Three Blind Mice, 1973 (Mystery/thriller, North Sea fishing vessel, Cold
War intrigue.)
Woodman, Richard 1944- (more 1800-period naval action)
Drinkwater series:
An Eye of the Fleet, 1981 [1] (Drinkwater as a midshipman on frigate
CYCLOPS at Admiral Rodney's "Moonlight Battle" against the Spanish in
1780 and during the American Revolution. 1780-1783.)
A King's Cutter, 1982 [2] (Drinkwater as master's mate and acting
lieutenant on cutter KESTREL at the Nore Mutiny and the Battle of
Camperdown against the Dutch in the opening phase of the War of
the French Revolution. 1792-1798.)
A Brig of War, 1983 [3] (Drinkwater as lieutenant on brig HELLEBORE in
the Red Sea and Indian Ocean following French invasion of Egypt,
1798-1799.)
The Corvette, 1985 [5] (Arctic Treachery, in US, Drinkwater as "job
captain" -- temporary captain -- on a sloop of war assigned to
protect the British whaling fleet, 1801-1802.)
Bomb Vessel, 1984 [4] (Drinkwater as Commander of bomb ketch VIRAGO
at Battle of Copenhagen, 1801.)
1805: A Nathanial Drinkwater Novel, 1985 [6] (DECISION AT TRAFALGAR in
the US. Drinkwater as Captain of the frigate ANTIGONE brings about
the battle of Trafalgar. 1805.)
Baltic Mission, 1986 [7] (Drinkwater as captain of frigate ANTIGONE in
the Baltic during events surrounding the Treaty of Tilsit spies on
a meeting between Napoleon and Alexander, 1806.)
In Distant Waters, 1988 [8] (Drinkwater and the new frigate PATRICIAN
are sent to the California coast on mission involving diplomatic
skullduggery with the Spanish and Russians, 1807-1808.)
A Private Revenge, 1989 [9] (Drinkwater and PATRICIAN in the Far East.
Plot revolves around multiple revenges between Drinkwater, Tregembo
(Drinkwater's coxswain) and Morris a former navy officer who made
Drinkwater's life a misery in books #1 and #3, 1808.)
Under False Colours, 1991 [10] (Drinkwater disguised as merchant
shipmaster on a secret mission to Denmark, 1809.)
The Flying Squadron, 1992 [11] (Drinkwater in Chesapeake Bay in events
leading up to War of 1812, 1811.)
Beneath the Aurora, 1995 [12] (Drinkwater, now head of the RN's Secret
department, goes on secret mission to Scandinavia in 1813. Woodman
used the name of his own boat for Drinkwater's frigate)
The Shadow of the Eagle, 1997 [13] (With Napoleon about to abdicate,
Drinkwater learns of a plot, possibly Russian sponsored, to free
Napoleon from the planned prison in the Azores, and take him to
America to be the United States's new war leader. Drinkwater sails in
the ANDROMEDA to forstall the effort. "The best Drinkwater novel since
A PRIVATE REVENGE" [ML].)
Ebb Tide, 1999 [14] (In 1843 Captain Sir Nathaniel Drinkwater, now 81,
is on an inspection tour of lighthouses on the west coast of England
aboard the paddle-steamer VESTAL when tragedy strikes, and he is
suddenly confronted with the spectre of his past. The author uses
flashbacks to 1781 and 1815 to tidy up some details of the hero's
life.)
Voyage East, 1988 (Not strictly speaking a work of fiction, it is more a
fictionalised account of a voyage to the Far East and back in a Blue
Funnel cargo liner in the early sixties. It is based on a number of
voyages that the author made as a junior officer on these vessels. It
is a vivid representation of the last days of the cargo liner -
containers were just making their first appearance. "It evokes the
last, great days of the British Merchant Navy, and may be considered as
required reading for students of the subject. Blue Funnel was one of
the great liner companies of the British Merchant Navy, and one of the
most traditional. The company had such faith in its ships and their
crews that it never insured it's ships but carried the risks itself."
[NK])
The Darkening Sea, 1990 (Account of Martin family -- a British seafaring
family from WW I to the 1980s. Action during both peacetime and
wartime.)
Endangered Species, 1992 (The MATTHEW FLINDERS, an old out-dated cargo
liner is bound for the breakers yard, with her captain heading for
retirement. They symbolize the irreversible, quiet decline of the
British Merchant Navy. The MATTHEW FLINDERS steams into a hurricane,
and the crew of the MATTHEW FLINDERS are fighting for their lives. The
title refers to both the ships and men of the British Merchant Navy.
Who are a dying breed - there are fewer and fewer of them, and those
that are left are sailing on ships with flags of convience flying at
the back end. Look for a Lieutenant Drinkwater in a small role.)
Wager, 1990 (Tea clippers race from China to England without rules.)
Waterfront, 1995 (In 1904 a young seaman falls for a hooker at brothel in
Puerto San Martin, gets involved in some bad stuff ashore, and grows up
real fast.)
Captain of the Caryatid, 1998 (The tranquil Celtic port of Porth Ardur is
disturbed by the arrival of an ambitious harbour master.)
Woodrooffe, Cdr. Thomas (The Royal Navy dispensed with the services of
Commander Woodrooffe after WW I. He became a commentator on naval affairs
for the BBC.)
Naval Odyssey, 1936 (Toby Warren, in the fictitious British cruiser HMS
CASSIOPEIA, participates in the events in Turkey during the 1920s, and
the Royal Navy's involvement in the crises there.)
River of Golden Sand, 1936 (Toby Warren, a young lieutenant in HMS
BEETLE, a Yangtze gunboat, paints a lively picture of Navy ways and
days in China at a very interesting period.)
Best Stories of the Sea, 1945 (Editor.)
Woods, Stuart
Blue Water Green Skipper, 1977 (Young man inherits a sailing yacht and
has to bring it across the Atlantic.)
Run Before the Wind, 1983 (A big sailing yacht, political intrigue, and
the IRA.)
White Cargo, 1988 (Our hero takes off on a world cruise on a Swan. Picks
up a "helpful" college student who turns out to be a hijacker who with
friends who show up on another boat, kills the guy and his family (they
think). The guy survives and learns to fly to distract himself from his
grief. A couple years later he gets a phone call from his (he thought)
dead daughter and he realizes it was the female accomplice he saw dead.
The rest of the book has him flying to South America and investigating
the cocaine trade in the hopes of locating the girl.)
Wouk, Herman 1915-
The Caine Mutiny, 1951 (Officers take over minesweeper from crazed
captain during WW II.)
Don't Stop the Carnival, 1965 (Comic novel about the coming of middle age
and the "realities" of living on an island in the sun.)
(The following books also have a lot of naval action scenes, including
submarine actions and a terrific account of the Battle of Midway.)
Winds of War, 1971
War and Remembrance, 1978
Wright, William Talboy
Churchill's Gold, 1988 (With nothing to lose, falsely accused fugitive
Mark Masters agrees to take a wooden barkentine to the South Seas on a
search for sunken treasure to bail out the British treasury during WW
II. "I found it to be an exciting adventure story of sailing despite
the author having made some rather strange historical mistakes (e.g. he
thought Taiwan was under Chinese control in 1941!) and totally out of
his mind with regard to Spanish archives (the book inspired me to write
my own book on how to find shipwrecks in Hispanic archives)." [LF])
Wyeth, N. C. 1882-1945 (Editor)
Great Stories of the Sea and Ships, 1940 (About three dozen short sea
stories and excerpts, fiction and factual, by some of the great nautical
authors. Illustrated by Peter Hurd.)
Wylie, Philip 1902-1971
The Big Ones Get Away!, 1940 (Crunch and Des fishing tales.)
Salt Water Daffy, 1941 (More Crunch and Des fun.)
The Best of Crunch and Des, 1944 (Collection of short stories first
published in the SATURDAY EVENING POST about the lighthearted
adventures of charter fishermen Crunch and Des, fishing out of the Gulf
Stream Dock in Miami: Widow Voyage; Hooky Line and Sinker; The Old
Crawdad; The Reelistic Viewpoint; The Visiting Fire-eater; Crunch
Catches One; Light tackle; Fifty-Four, Forty and Fight; Crazy Over
Horse Mackerel; The man Who Had Been Around.)
Fish and Tin Fish, 1944 (Crunch and Des fishing stories.)
Crunch and Des, 1948
Treasure Cruise, and Other Crunch and Des Stories, 1956
Wynd, Oswald 1913-
The Forty Days, 1972 (Allied POWs from Singapore suffer a hellish voyage
aboard the OSHIMA MARU, bound for Japan in the fall of 1943.)
Yates, Tom
The Living Torpedo (WW II. Mini-sub destroys battleship.)
Yerby, Frank 1916-
Captain Rebel, 1956 (Ty Meredith captains a Confederate blockade-runner
during the Civil War.)
The Golden Hawk, 1948 (Pirate Kit Gerado and his search for revenge on
the Spanish Main in the 1690s.)
Zhdanov, Aleksandr I.
Shadow of Peril, 1963 (Novel, told from the POV of a defected Soviet
submarine commander, of his exploits in the Eastern Med and Caribbean
waters in 1958-1963. Among other things he is apparently ordered to
sink John Glenn's capsule and refuses to do so. The repeated Soviet
claims of technical superiority are fascinating and occasionally
hilarious when viewed through history's lens. Compare to THE HUNT FOR
RED OCTOBER.)
Partial list of contributors:
Adam Quinan - Alan Meyer - Alex Murray - Alfons Kramer - Alistair Deayton - Al
Kolka [AK] - Alwynne Beaudoin - Andrew T. Lloyd [AL]- Andy Breen - Andy Robins
- Ann Skea - Anthony B. Vogl - atwillw [AW] - Barbara Noble [BN] - Barry
Johnson - Bernie Wolfard [BW] - Bill Brickley [BB] - Bogi Agustsson - Bonnie
Schloss [BS] - Brian Jones - Brian K. Farmer [BF] - Brooks A. Rowlett [BR] -
Bruce Gary - Carl C. Harrington III - Catherine Petroski [CP] - Charles N.
Dragonette - Chris Brady - Chris Jones - Chris Teigeler - Dana Mafit - Dan
Morisseau [DM]- Dave Hagwood [DH] - David Mossman - David M. Williams - David
N. Goodchild [DG] - Dennis Cottel - Dennis Stocks - Dick Ellis - Don Daniels -
Dorian Pyle - Doug Faunt - Edward A. Malone - Edward Wittenberg - Ed
Youngstrom - Edwin King - Elaine Chapin - Eldad Ganin - Eric F. Johnson -
Fabbian G. Dufoe, III - Francis Ganong - Frank Pierce Young [FY] - Ganesh K.
Swamy - Gale Grainger - Gary Crawford (Crawford Books) - Gaylen Miller - G.
Jeffrey Gower - Geoff Kuenning - George Dinwiddie - George Whitehead - George
Swan - Gerry Strey - Greg Mansfield - Guy Thompson [GT] - Jacob Nikom - James
A. Staley - James F. Gearhart [JG] - Jay Lloyd - Jeffrey Mellefont - Jeffrey
Walters - Jennifer Hunter (Armchair Sailor, Seattle) - Jeremy Hoyland [JH] -
Jim - Jim Campbell - Jim Conchie - Jim Nelson - Jim Sutherland - Joan Druett
[JD] - John A. Fox - John Bridger - John Dallman - John Kohnen [JK] John L.
Berg (Sea Room Books) - John Milliken - Joseph McWilliam - Karen L. Black -
Keith Fowler [KF] - Kenneth Stickney - Kenneth Warsh [KW] - Kurt Erickson -
Larry Selan - Larry Vogel - Lawrence H. Feldman [LF] - Lenny Reich - Linda
Waite - Lucy Chubb - Madelene Allen - Marian Goldeen - Mark Lardas [ML] - Mark
W. Fowler [MF]- Marvin L. Tomber - Mary Voboril - Matt Curtis - Maurijn -
Michael DiMercurio - Michael Kirby - Mike deBettencourt [MD] - Mike Melcher -
Mike Muth - Mike Wagenbach [MW] - Morgiana P. Halley - Murray Dow - Neil
Hopkins [NH] - Niall Kelly [NK] - Nicholas Wiseman [NW] - Paige Everhart -
Paule Buske - Paul Hardwick - Paul J. Hollander [PH] - Paul Varbedian - Peter
Cannon - Peter H. McCracken - Peter N. Woolley - [PW] Quentin Bates - R. J.
Adams - Randolph Bentson - Real Bouvier - Rebecca Crowley - Richard O'Connell
- Richard Ellis - Rich Merritt (Tall Ship Books) - Robert Bailey [RB] - Ronald
W. Meister - Ron Force - Ross Fleming - Russell H.Johnsen - Sandy Lightfoot
[SL] - Sandra Loosemore - Sean R. Busick -[SB] Stephen Allberry [SA]- Stephen
Carpenter - Stephen Curley - Stephen Harker - Steve Oram - Stuart Wier - Susan
Scott - Tay Tahk - Tedd Pierce [TP] - Ted Samsel - Thomas C. Price [TCP] - Tim
Hufnagle - Tim Hunt - Tom Balent - Tom Brady [TB] - Tom Coolidge - Tom
Holmburg - Tom Lewis - Tom Oliver - Tom Przybylski - Tony Wharton - Trevin
Matlock - W. Brian Stewart - Walter Morton - William Longyard - William Smith
Copyright © John Kohnen 1999
Commercial reproduction prohibited without written consent