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A wartime attack on a defenceless merchant convoy brings the intent of the Admiralty into question. Was it merely a bad tactical decision or something more sinister? Why did Admiral Dudley Pound scatter Convoy PQ17 in the Barents Sea on the evening of 4th July 1942? Most of the merchant ships were destroyed while not a single one of the warships assigned to protect them was lost, casting a long shadow over subsequent events. Why did Pound act as he did? And why was this information an official secret for so long? It might have remained so, but for the revelations of a dead man talking. A thrilling tale of World War II from Richard Woodman, perfect for fans of Patrick O’Brian and Dewey Lambdin
Nathaniel Drinkwater's life at sea begins with the HMS Cyclops' capture of the Santa Teresa during Admiral Rodney's dramatic Moonlight Battle of 1780. Subsequently, Drinkwater's courage and initiative are put to the test as the Cyclops pursues American privateers threatening British trade and is later dispatched to the swamps of South Carolina, where many lives are lost both at sea and ashore. Gradually, Drinkwater matures into a capable and self-assured sailor. As he contends with enemy forces, the tyranny of the Cyclops' midshipmen, and the stark contrast between the comfort of home life and the brutality of naval service, he finds strength and sustenance in the love of his beloved Elizabeth.
"The American Revolutionary War is in full swing, with Yankee privateers swarming in British waters. For ship-owners like Captain William Kite of Liverpool, ruin was only a gunshot away. When providence strikes the embattled Kite yet again, he is desperate to restore his fortune and travels to London to tray a final throw of the dice."--Jacket.
At one time British ships carried half of the world's trade, transporting every conceivable type of freight from and to all four corners of the globe – and in times of crisis the merchant fleet has also offered military assistance. In fact, the merchant convoys and armed cruisers that defied the German blockades to supply Britain in the First World War were so pivotal that they were recognised as a second 'navy' – the Merchant Navy. This fleet again saw service in the Second World War, continuing to keep Britain provisioned even in its darkest hour. Richard Woodman here relates the Merchant Navy's colourful history and brings to life the day-to-day experiences of the seamen.
BALTIC MISSION 1807: HMS Antigone is ordered to the Baltic. Napoleon's relentless advance across Europe has brought him to the very brink of Holy Russia. And Captain Nathaniel Drinkwater is faced with the most perilous mission of his career. IN DISTANT WATER From the very start of her mission to the Pacific, when Captain Nathaniel Drinkwater has to hang a deserter, His Majesty's Cruiser Patrician is dogged by ill-luck. Mutiny is in the air, the seas of Cape Horn are cruel and Drinkwater's top-secret orders are infuriatingly vague. A PRIVATE REVENGE 1808: In the aftermath of a typhoon Captain Nathaniel Drinkwater brings His Britannic Majesty's frigate Patrician - dangerously overcrowded with Russian prisoners - into the shelter of the Pearl River on the China coast. When an apparently routine task goes wrong, Drinkwater is forced is forced to take risks with his ship, his crew and his life...
With war on the horizon, his path to greatness will be revealed. Bristol, England, 1618. Kit Faulkner is a young vagrant orphan, taking life as he finds it in the rough world of the docks. But after a chance encounter with two men while out scavenging for food, his fortunes are changed forever. Kit is taken aboard the Swallow, a large merchant ship partly owned by the two men, and after spotting some promising qualities in him they decide to train the boy for a life at sea. And so begin the adventures of Kit, which see him rise through the ranks and risk all on the high seas. Meanwhile, England edges ever closer to civil war, and very soon Kit must choose which side he will fight for... A scintillating adventure at sea, based in detailed historical research, perfect for fans of Patrick O’Brian, C. S. Forrester and Julian Stockwin. Praise for Richard Woodman ‘Woodman is a master of both maritime nonfiction and fiction’ Booklist ‘Gripping ... Woodman spins an exciting tale’ Publishers Weekly
The story of Allied merchant ships and crews who braved the frigid far north to extend a lifeline to Russia, filled with “sheer heroism and brazen drama” (Literary Review). During the last four years of the Second World War, the Western Allies secured Russian defenses against Germany by supplying vital food and arms. The plight of those in Murmansk and Archangel who benefited is now well known, but few are aware of the courage, determination, and sacrifice of Allied merchant ships, which withstood unremitting U-boat attacks and aerial bombardment to maintain the lifeline to Russia. In the storms, fog, and numbing cold of the Arctic, where the sinking of a ten thousand–ton freighter was equal to a land battle in terms of destruction, the losses sustained were huge. Told from the perspective of their crews, this is the inspiring story of the long-suffering merchant ships without which Russia would almost certainly have fallen to Nazi Germany.
From the tide-torn waters of the Thames, where Captain Nathaniel Drinkwater is compelled to handle a deserter, to the seas off Cape Horn, storm-scoured gateway to the Pacific, the great cruiser Patrician is tense with the threat of mutiny. Despite this, Drinkwater captures a Spanish frigate and meets the stunning Doña Ana Maria, daughter of the Commandante of San Francisco. But having disturbed a hornet’s nest of colonial intrigue, Drinkwater finds that the Spanish are eager to humiliate him and the Royal Navy. Moreover, a Russian battleship lurks somewhere offshore, pursuing Tsar Alexander’s dark plans. Caught between two formidable enemies, Drinkwater’s mission is made impossible by treachery. But chance brings the aid of Doña Ana Maria and a mysterious mountain man. In the distant waters of this beautiful and remote region, Drinkwater struggles to carry out his mission and is struck with the most extraordinary twist of fortune in his eventful life.