Nautical Fiction List (1/5)
John Kohnen
A readers' list of novels, novelettes, short stories, poetry and
drama of the sea. Many of the entries are now out of print, but
most can probably be found by using interlibrary loan or diligent
searching of dark and musty used book stores. Good luck!
No. 22
April 15, 1996
About 418 Authors and 1295 titles so far
Alphabetical by author's last name, with incidental information, and dates
when first published, if known. There may be errors!
Send contributions and corrections to jko...@efn.org
This list is now available on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.efn.org/~jkohnen/booklist.html
The list is also available via anonymous ftp at:
ftp.efn.org /pub/users/jkohnen/nautical/
Entries preceded by a '+' are available electronically,
see the separate Electronic Nautical Books List:
http://www.efn.org/~jkohnen/electron.html
Abraham, Cyril
The Onedin Line series: (1860s British commercial shipping, British TV
series in the 1970s.)
The Shipmaster, 1972 (Elizabeth Onedin bargains everything for a
ship, builds shipping empire.)
The Iron Ships, 1974 (Elizabeth Onedin battles brothers for control
of the Onedin Line.)
The High Seas [3]
Adams, Bill 1879-
A Sailor to the Wheel (Young stowaway proves useful round Cape Horn.)
Adlard, Mark
The Greenlander, 1978 (Young man comes of age at sea, whaling in the
Arctic, as steam overtakes sail in the 19th century.)
Albano, Peter
Carrier "Yonaga" series: (84,000 ton Japanese aircraft carrier frozen in
the Arctic ice since 1941. It breaks free in 1983 and becomes the
savior of the free world.)
The Seventh Carrier, 1983 [1]("Yonaga" breaks free of the arctic ice,
and her Samurai crew is determined to complete its 1941 mission:
destroying Pearl Harbor.)
The Second Voyage of the Seventh Carrier [2] (The Chinese launch a
particle beam satellite that knocks out all modern electronics,
airplanes and ships. The old Japanese carrier "Yonaga" is the only
warship that still works and has planes that fly.)
Return of the Seventh Carrier [3] (The world is still crippled by the
Chinese particle beam, and Libyan terrorists are out to destroy
"Yonaga", last hope of the free world.)
The Quest of the Seventh Carrier, 1989 [4] ("Yonaga" is still the
largest functioning warship in the world. She leads a ragtag group
of WW II airplanes and ships against the Libyan Navy and its bigger
collection of WW II vintage ships.)
Attack of the Seventh Carrier, 1989 [5] (Old US Navy WW II submarine
joins "Yonaga's" fleet as the battle with Libya's navy continues.)
Ordeal of the Seventh Carrier [6] ("Yonaga" fights Arab battle group
off Iwo Jima. It's carrier versus carrier, 1940s style, in the
1980s!)
Trial of the Seventh Carrier [7] (The Arab navy threatens Japan, and
"Yonaga" still carries the banner of the free world.)
Revenge of the Seventh Carrier, 1992 [8](Libyan Navy strike force
armed with poison gas threatens the major cities of the free world,
but "Yonaga's" Samurai crew is still on the job.)
Challenge of the Seventh Carrier, 1993
Allen, Thomas B. and Polmar, Norman
Ship of Gold, 1987 (Submarines seek a sunken ship, as the CIA, Pentagon,
etc. strive to solve the forty year old mystery surrounding "Osaka
Maru".)
Amado, Jorge 1912- (Author of Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands.)
Home is the Sailor: the whole truth concerning the Redoubtful Adventures
of Captain Vasco Moscoso de Aragao, Master Mariner, 1964 (Old fart
masquerading as a sea captain finds himself in command of a Brazilian
passenger ship.)
Andrews, William Kenneth
Freedom's Rangers: Sink the Armada, 1990 (Silly science fiction about
time travellers who return to 1588 to help the Spanish Armada beat the
Engilsh.)
Apollonius Rhodius 3rd Cent. BC
Argonautica (Epic poem about Jason, the Argonauts, and the quest for the
golden fleece.)
Armstrong, Richard
The Big Sea, 1964 (Storm damages the steamship "Kariba" and her crew
abandons ship, leaving one seaman abooard to ride it out.)
Avi 1937-
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, 1990 (As the lone "young lady"
on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain is
murderous and the crew rebellious. A great young adult book (the
heroine is about 12 years old). It's obviously influenced by Moby Dick,
Huck Finn and other stories.)
Bagley, Desmond 1923-
Wyatt's Hurricane, 1966 (Meteorologist Wyatt knows the hurricane will hit
his Caribbean island. The storm comes just as a rebel leader is massing
his forces. As wind and war near each other only Wyatt can save the
island) .
Golden Keel, 1963 (Mussolini's missing treasure lies hidden in Italy. A
group of adventurers set sail to track down the treasure and smuggle it
out.)
Night of Error, 1984 (On an expedition to a remote Pacific atoll, one
brother dies under suspicious circumstances. The other brother is
forced to investigate. A violent and hazardous expedition follows.)
The Freedom Trap, 1971 (A brilliantly organized gang springs a Russian
double agent from jail. The trail leads to the Mediterranean & Malta.)
Baker, W. Howard
Strike North (Escorting convoys to Murmansk with a spy aboard during
WW II.)
Ballantyne, Robert Michael 1825-1924
Fighting the Whales, or Doings and Dangers on a Fishing Cruise, 186?
The Red Eric or, The Whaler's Last Cruise, 1863
Gascoyne, The Sandalwood Trader, A Tale of the Pacific, 1865
The World of Ice or the Whaling Cruise of "The Dolphin" and the
Adventures of her Crew in the Polar Regions, 1866
Coral Island, A Tale of the Pacific Ocean, 1867
Ballard, Robert & Chiu, Tony
Bright Shark, 1992 (Undersea techno-thriller.)
Ballenger, Dean W.
Terror at Sea (Fictionalized retelling of the aftermath of the loss of
the cruiser "Indianapolis" in the Pacific during WW II, by an
individual who served with the rescue forces.)
Barlow, James 1921-
Liner, 1981 (Passengers and crew aboard an ageing Greek cruise ship,
heading from Tasmania for Singapore, with metal fatigue in the engine
room and lifeboats corroded to the davits, encounter a typhoon.)
Barth, John
Sabbatical, 1982 (A charming book. A couple take a last sailing cruise
around the Chesapeake before their child is born; sort of a sabbatical
from all sorts of responsibilities, disputes, complications. Including,
will they stay together? Much less convoluted than Barth's other
fiction.)
Tidewater Tales, 1987 (About a writer who's muse has gone mute due to
being privy to secrets from a spook friend and not being able to talk
about them. Much of the action takes place on the Chesapeake Bay.)
The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor, 1991 (About a guy on a sailboat
charter vacation who somehow gets transported to the time and place of
Sinbad and the 1001 Nights. The book is quite interesting, though the
sailing takes a backseat to the story-telling.)
Once Upon a Time : A Floating Opera, 1994 (About a guy and his wife
passing through some strange time/space warp in a squall on the
Chesapeake Bay.)
Bartimeus (Lewis Anselm DaCosta Ricci, compare with "Taffrail")
Naval Occasions, 1915 (stort stories about naval life in peace and war.)
Barton, A. F.
Those Who Serve (The story of the Royal Navy submarine "Tamaranth" during
WW II, from the beginning of the war until the sinking of the sub, as
told from the point of view of a man who served on her as First
Lieutenant and Captain.)
Bassett, James E.
Harm's way, 1962 (Aboard USN cruiser "Old Swayback" in the Pacific during
WW II.)
Commander Prince, USN (Naval commander who has served on staff
positions is given command of a destroyer squadron in the Asiatic Fleet
after the outbreak of WWII. He must overcome doubts about his
competence and courage in the Java Sea, then fight an unequal battle
with a Japanese cruiser and his former flagship -- captured by the IJN
-- off the Solomons.)
Bassett, Ronald
The Tinfish Run, 1942 (Ancient British destroyer hunts subs, fights
German aircraft in the Arctic. Bassett served in the Arctic aboard a
British cruiser. Many incidents in the novel are based on true events.)
The Guns of Evening, 1980 (Aboard the battle-cruiser "Invincible at the
Battle of Jutland.)
Bates, H. E. 1905-1974
The Cruise of the Breadwinner, 1947 (WW II English fishing boat on
patrol.)
Baxter, John 1939- (Australian)
The Black Yacht, 1982 (A tale of intrigue and suspense surrounding the
America's Cup (12-meter style), complete with international assassins,
Japanese challengers utilizing the latest in high-tech boat building
techniques, and old 12-meters being used for Columbian drug running.
The book is high on the mystery content and not-so high on the sailing
aspects. Enjoyable if somewhat over the top in certain areas.)
Beach, Edward 1918- (Submarine officer from WWII to nuclear era, Captain
of the Triton on the round-the-world-submerged run, and a good writer.)
Run Silent, Run Deep, 1955 (WW II Pacific submarine action.)
Dust on the Sea, 1972 (WW II submarine tale.)
Cold is the Sea, 1978 (15 years after WW II a nuclear submarine goes on a
secret mission to the arctic to test fire missles from under the ice.)
(Beach has also some good nautical non-fiction.)
Becklund, Jack
Golden Fleece, 1990 (Murder mystery involving disappearance of a sailboat
in Lake Superior.)
Benchley, Nathaniel 1915-
Sail A Crooked Ship, 1960 (An aimless young man and his debutant fiancee
end up shanghaied on a stolen, clapped-out, reserve fleet freighter
that had been moored in New York Harbor. They find themselves held by
an improbable collection of incompetent criminals, who take the ship to
sea for use as a getaway vehicle for bank robberies. Instead they prove
to be a seagoing gang that could not shoot straight. Set in the late
1950s. A real howler!)
The Off-Islanders, 1961 (Russian nuclear submarine runs aground off a
New England island the night that the island's High School football
team wins its first game in years. Madcap farce. Basis of the movie
"The Russians Are Coming!")
Benchley, Peter
Jaws, 1974
The Deep, 1976
The Island, 1979 (Descendants of Caribbean pirates cause trouble in
the present.)
White Shark, 1994 (Off modern-day Massachusetts, a freak accident revives
a hideous Nazi experiment that had been entombed in the sea since WWII.
A cross between SS storm trooper and a mechanized shark, the creature
goes on the rampage (sort of) and a beleaguered marine scientist is the
only one who realizes something unusual is going on.)
Bengtsson, Frans Gunnar 1894-
The Long Ships: a saga of the Viking age, 1942 (Red Orm in the original
Swedish. Adventures of Red Orm, son of a pirate, master of his own ship
and afraid of no man. Bengtsson uses a rather dry style, like that of
the Icelandic sagas, to describe very exciting events, and gives a
vivid portrayal of the time and places without resorting to much
description. A ripping yarn. Made into a movie in 1963.)
Benjamin, Helen Mina Purvis and Benjamin, Lewis Saul, 1874-1932 (Editors)
Full Fathom Five, A Sea-Anthology in Prose & Verse. By Helen and Lewis
Melville (pseudonym), 1910
Berry, Don
To Build a Ship, 1963 (Building a ship in the wilderness on Tillamook Bay
in the early pioneer days.)
Berry, Erick 1892-
Go and Find Wind, 1939 (On board a clipper ship in the 1850s.)
Biggins, John
Tomorrow the World (Pre-WW I circumnavigation on scientific expedition by
Austrian Gov't.)
The Emperor's Coloured Coat (Pre-WW I Austrian Navy in Far East.)
A Sailor of Austria (Inspired by a WW I Austrian U-boat commander's photo
album, according to the bookjacket blurbs, Biggins has produced a page-
turner that has been compared favorably to the work of Patrick O'Brian. A
ripping yarn.)
Binns, Archie 1899- (Most of Binns' books are set at least partly on and
around the waters of the Northwest, even if they are not primarily
nautical.)
Lightship, 1934 (Lives of the crew of a lightship off the northwest
coast.)
You Rolling River, 1947 (Astoria around the turn of the century.)
Bissell, Richard Pike 1913- (Harvard grad, seaman, river pilot and author of
the book that became the musical comedy The Pajama Game (and co-author of
the script.))
A Stretch on the River, 1950 ("Picaresque" novel about towboating on the
upper Mississippi. Simultaneously hailed by the newspaper in Dubuque
and banned by the Dubuque Catholic Mothers Purity Association.)
High Water, 1954 (Trials of the mate of a diesel towboat trying to push
too many barges from St. Louis to St. Paul during a record breaking
Mississippi flood.)
Goodbye Ava, 1960 (Most of the action takes place on houseboats. "A
boisterous fable..." NY Times, "Uproariously funny... the characters
are racy..." NY Times, "This book should be burned..." Mound Ill.
Weekly Gazette, "I wish Richard would get a steady job." The author's
mother.)
The Coal Queen (Short story in Atlantic Monthly about towboat life on
the Monongahela River in West Virginia. The first piece of writing
Bissell ever sold.)
Also non-fiction My Life on the Mississippi, or Why I Am Not Mark Twain,
1973.
Blair, Clay 1925-
The Capture of the Swordray (Russkies take over a US nuclear sub but
heroic US crewman gets it and himself sunk.)
Blair, Clay 1925- and Joan 1929-
Scuba, 1977 (Adventurers, sinners and lovers, lured by a fortune in gold
dive in the Caribbean.)
Mission Tokyo Bay, 1979 (WW II sub adventure.)
Swordray's First Three Patrols, 1980 (WW II sub adventure. "The sneak
attack on Pearl Harbor was barely finished when Commander Hunter Holmes
began some of the most savage underwater attacks of the war.")
Blake, George 1893-
The Shipbuilders, 1931 (Study of a Glasgow shipyard hit by the
shipbuilding bust in late 1920s, as seen through the eyes of the owner,
and a riveter who served as the owner's batman when both were in the
British Army in WW I. Never gets to sea, but a fascinating portrait of a
vital support maritime industry during the worst of times.)
Blunden, Godfrey 1906-
Charco Harbour: A novel of unknown seas and a fabled shore passaged with
coral reefs and magnetical islands, of shipwreck and a lonely haven; the
true story of the last of the great navigators, his bark, and the men in
her, 1968 (Based on James Cook's voyage of exploration 1768-1771 in the
Endeavor.)
Bode, Richard
Blue Sloop at Dawn, 1979 (Small boat sailing off Long Island, from
duckboats to the "sloop of dreams.")
Bonham, Frank
War Beneath the Sea, 1962 (WW II Submarine action.)
Bosworth, Allan R. 1901-
Storm Tide, 1965 (1880s whaling voyage to Alaska in a steam whaleship.)
Boulle, Pierre 1912-1994
The Whale of the Victoria Cross, 1983 (During the Falkland Is. war, a
whale, first mistaken for a submarine, becomes a hero, by the author of
The Bridge Over the River Kwai.)
Bray, Donald
The Captain's Wife, 1985 (Captain Ned davy and his tough little wife,
Genevieve, sail to India in the 1780s to rescue a British spy.)
Brinkley, William 1917-
Don't Go Near the Water, 1956 (WW II comedy.)
The Ninety and Nine, 1966 (LST supports allied landings in Italy.)
The Last Ship, 1988 (US destroyer survives nuclear war.)
Brookes, Ewart 1901-
Proud Waters, 1954 (Mine sweepers, on English Channel, in WW II.)
Nor On What Seas, 1956 (Tug salvaging a broken tanker; drunken captain,
attractive wife, devil-may-care tug mate boards ship to attach tow. Not
as bad as it sounds!)
Brooks, Kenneth F.
Run to the Lee, 1965 (Chesapeake oyster schooner; a blizzard.)
Brunner, John 1934-
The Great Steamboat Race, 1983 (Mississippi steamboats race to from New
Orleans to St. Louis. Purely historical change of pace from a noted SF
author. Good read.)
Buchheim, Lothar Gunther
The Boat, 1975 (Das Boot, WW II German submarine; very authentic. The
author sailed as a photographer in German U-boats, his non-fiction
U-Boat War, 1978 contains many of his pictures.)
Buffett, Jimmy
Tales of Margaritaville: Fictional Facts and Factual Fiction, 1989
(Stories set on the Gulf coast, Florida Keys and Caribbean, the nautical
ones seem to be more factual, but considering the title...)
Where is Joe Merchant?, 1992 (A rock star committed suicide, or did he?
According to the tabloid headlines, he's very much on the move. Follow
a fictional gumbo of dreamers, wackos, pirates, and sharks on a wild
chase for the truth through the Caribbean. A fun read.)
Bullen, Frank T. 1857-1915
The Cruise of the Cachalot: Round the World After Sperm Whales by Frank T.
Bullen First Mate, 1897 (Bullen drew on his youthful experiences as a
whaler for this novel about a cruise to the South Pacific whaling
grounds.)
Deep Sea Plunderings, 1901 (Stories of the sea - Some whaling.)
A Sack of Shakings, 1901 (Odds and ends of sea stories.)
A Whaleman's wife, 1902
A Bounty Boy: Being Some Adventures of a Christian Barbarian on an
Unpremeditated Trip Round the World, 1907? (South Pacific whaling
adventure for young readers.)
Burns, Walter Noble 1872-1932
A Year with a Whaler, 1913 (Whaling in Alaska from San Francisco.
Fiction?)
Burton, Sir Richard Francis 1821-1890
The book of The Thousand Nights and a Night: A plain and literal
translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments; made and annotated by
Richard F. Burton, 1885 (Sinbad the Sailor's Adventures, other trans-
lations and many abridgements of Burton's and others exist.)
Butler, David 1937-
Lusitania, 1981 (Epic novel about the doomed liner and the people
involved with her. "...Rich historical thriller, moving pschological
profile, satisfying romance...")
Cable, George Washington 1844-1925
Gideon's Band, 1914 (Based on the author's experiences on the
Mississippi River. Intriguing rival steamboat owners, and the cholera
epidemics of the late 1840s.)
Calin, Harold
Black Cargo, 1969 (Sexual tension aboard ship during the darkest days of
the slave trade.)
Slave Ship, 1977 (Young idealist from New England ships out on a slaver,
learns about the evil trade first hand.)
Callison, Brian
A Flock of Ships, 1970
A Plague of Sailors, 1971
The Dawn Attack, 1972 (Fictional account of a British Commando raid on a
Norwegian port during WW II, based on a number of actual raids.)
A Web of Salvage, 1973 (Tactician, a salvage tug answers a MAYDAY call
and gets involved in events much more dangerous and complicated than a
rescue and salvage.)
A Ship is Dying, 1976 (The last minutes of a sinking ship, very evocative
and very "real-time", and to set it apart from other disaster novels
it's not five hundred pages long and is illuminated by the hell-red
glow of Callisons wit. Very recommended by J. Hoyland. Watch out for
the parrot!)
An Act of War, 1977 (A Frenzy of Merchantmen in UK. The Soviet Navy in
the 1980s blockades the Baltic Sea to British shipping. In retaliation,
a Royal Navy ship provokes the Soviets into an act of war. Soon nukes
and Nazis are flying around.)
The Judas Ship, 1978 (Merchantman attacked and damaged by German surface
raider seeks the shelter of a narrow river harbor in Brazil for
repairs, only to discover that the Raider is moored up-river of the
ship, repairing damage done to it by the merchantman. The Germans
cannot attack the merchantman while it is in the river because the
raider would be trapped if the merchantman sank in the channel.)
The Auriga Madness, 1980 (A terrible disease drives a ship's crew mad
with disasterous results.)
Sextant, 1981 (In 1941 the MV Highlander was torpedoed and sunk with all
hands. In 1981 the captain's sextant is discovered as part of a thief's
loot. The captain's son sets off to find out what really happened forty
years ago. This leads him to a small community (in N Scotland?) where
the other loot was from. Although the community is close-mouthed, he
slowly comes to discovered what happened to his father.)
The Trojan Hearse, 1990 (WW II action as the Germans plot to revenge the
St. Nazaire raid. U-boat Captain Reitz gets do do the honours. The plot
is a bit stretched but this is more than made up for by Callisons
writing -and the pace at which it is forced on. Recommended by J.
Hoyland.)
The Bone Collectors (The name given by U-Boat crews to the ships assigned
to pick up seamen who had abandoned ship. It is a novel of ordinary
Merchant Navy convoy men seen through the eyes of the chief officer of
the "Olympian", one of the Bone Collectors.)
Edward Trapp series:
Trapp's War, 1976 (Edward Trapp, ship's captain and smuggler is
inveigled into helping relieve the siege of Torbruk during the
African campaign in WWII.)
Trapp's Peace, 1980 (The sequel to Trapp's War. Further adventures of
Captain Trapp and his merry men. After smuggling illegal immigrants
across the English Channel, Trapp gets involved in nefarious
activites in the Mediterranean. Was he really being paid to ship used
construction equipment from Port Said to Malaga? Or was he expected
to scuttle it en route?)
Trapp & WWIII, 1988 (Trapp returns to muddle through another adventure
with thieves, psychopaths, armies, navies, and air forces of several
nations all adding to the fireworks. Set in the 1980s.)
Crocodile Trapp, 1993 (Trapp and his team must be getting a little long
in the tooth by now, considering that Trapp was supposed to be an RN
Midshipman in WW I. Whatever, this time they are involved in the
usual illegal, dangerous cross and double cross, this time it
involves a Chinese triad, mad professors, crocodiles, buried treasure
and the jungles of Papua New Guinea.)
Cameron, Ian 1924-
The White Ship, 1975 (Unquiet ghosts from a wrecked Spanish treasure
galleon haunt a 1970s expedition to the South Sandwich Islands, leading
to tragedy.)
Cameron, J. D.
Omega Sub Series: (USS Liberator, a USN SSN survives a nuclear war, and
the crew spends its efforts trying to rebuild the world.)
Omega Sub, 1991 [1] (On top secret manuevers beneath the polar ice
cap, the USS Liberator surfaces to find the Earth in flames from a
global thermonuclear war -- a war so complete that they do not
know what started it. The crew then begins seeking out survivors to
forge a new future.)
Omega Sub: Command Decision, 1991 [2] ("Liberator" comes across a
Japanese trawler fleet that has survived the war, but had its crew
destroyed after the shooting stopped.)
Omega Sub: City of Fear [3]
Omega Sub: Blood Tide [4]
Omega Sub: Death Dive, 1992 [5]
Omega Sub: Raven Rising [6]
Cameron, Lou 1924-
The Amphorae Pirates, 1970 (Diving for ancient treasures off Greece.)
Carin, Michael 1951-
Five Hundred Keys, 1980 (A student tries for a quick buck on a 38' boat
carrying drugs from Morocco to Newfoundland with deadly results.)
Carlisle, Henry 1926-
Voyage to the First of September, 1972 (Novel based on the true events
surrounding the attempted mutiny on board the USN brig "Somers" in
1842, for which the son of the Secretary of War was hanged.")
The Jonah Man, 1984 (Fictional biography of Capt. George Pollard,
commander of the whaleship Essex which was sunk by a sperm whale in the
Pacific, the survivors ate their shipmates to stay alive. Told in his
own fictional words.)
Carpenter, Scott (Malcom Scott) 1925-
The Steel Albatross, 1991 (One of the techno-thriller genre. Our Hero is
a navy misfit sent to command a new class of submarine -- one that
soars in the ocean currents. With his super vessel, he protects the
world from the Soviet bad guys.)
Casey, John 1939-
Spartina, 1989 (Modern novel about a grumpy Rhode Island fisherman
struggling to build a fishing boat in his back yard and get ahead.)
Castlemon, Henry 1842-1915
Frank Nelson in the Forecastle, or, the Sportsman's Club Among the
Whalers, 1876
Catherall, Arthur 1906-
Tugboat "Bulldog" series (Set around the adventures of a seagoing salvage
tug, the "Bulldog", which is owned by 18-year-old Jack Frobisher, and
commanded by Husky Hudson, six-foot, tow-headed and tough. Young adult)
Sea Wolves, 1959 (Dutch tanker runs aground in Souruba harbor. When
"Bulldog" responds to the call before her rivals, one of them
attempts to steal the ship aided by the eruption of a volcano long
believed to be extinct.)
Dangerous Cargo, 1960 ("Bulldog" attempts salvage of the "Sulu
Prince", an aged freighter on fire off the Little Laut Islands in
the Macassar Straits. Unknown to Bulldog, the "Sulu Prince" is
gunrunning for Indonesian rebels, who bribe the "Bulldog's" rival
salvors to SINK the "Sulu Prince".)
China Sea Jigsaw, 1961 ("Bulldog" attempts to salve the 7,000 ton
passenger ship "Tai Lung", but Karmey, a rival tugboat captain
sends a false report that the "Tai Lung" has sunk and "Bulldog" was
found abandoned. To transform it into an accurate report, and
settle the score for past encounters, Karmey rams the "Tai Lung".)
Causley, Charles 1917- (Editor)
The Puffin Book of Salt Water Verse, 1978 (Poems about sailors,
fishermen, ships, storms dreams, treasures and above all the ocean.)
Chalker, Jack L. 1944-
The Devil's Voyage, 1981 (The sinking of USS Indianapolis during WW II.)
Challoner, Robert
Jamaica Passage, 1982 (Piracy and passion in the 1820s aboard the 8 gun
"Argo", fastest ship afloat.)
Run Out the Guns, 1984 (Quite a lively tale with some potential. This
novel's hero is Commander Lord Charles Oakshott and is set during the
Napoleonic era.)
Chamier, Frederick 1796-1870 (Captain, RN. Fiction works in the vein of
Captain Marryat.)
Ben Brace, The Last of Nelson's Agamemnons, 1836
Arethusa, A Naval Story, 1837
The Life of A Sailor, 1837
Jack Adams, or The Mutiny of the Bounty, 1838 (Alternate title: Jack
Adams, The Mutineer)
The Spitfire, A Nautical Romance, 1840
Tom Bowling - A Tale of the Sea, 1841?
Chidsey, Donald B. 1902-
Captain Adam, 1953 (Aboard the schooner "Goodwill to Men" in the
Caribbean, fighting smugglers, coasters, pirates and men o' war in the
18th century.)
Edge of Piracy, 1964
Childers, Robert Erskine 1870-1922
The Riddle of the Sands, 1903 (Pre WW I yachtsmen find German military
preparations. One of the Best. The classic adventure of cruising along
the sand banks of the North Sea. Compare to Maurice Griffith's non-
fiction books about the same areas. See also biography The Riddle of
Erskine Childers, by Andrew Boyle, 1977.)
Clagett, John
The Slot, 1958 (PT boats in the Solomon Islands during WW II.)
Torpedo Run on Iron Bottomed Bay, 1969 (A seventeen-year-old sailor tries
to prove the sincerity of a Japanese-American friend serving on his PT
boat in the Pacific during World War II.)
Typhoon 1944, 1970 (Japanese kamikazes and a typhoon test the courage of
the men aboard a United States Navy destroyer in World War II.)
Surprise Attack, 1968 (The surprise, tragedies, and triumph of the naval
battle of Leyte Gulf as experienced by five boys not long out of boot
camp. For young Readers)
Clancy, Tom 1947-
The Hunt for Red October, 1984 (Nuclear submarine hunt.)
Red Storm Rising, 1986 (A non-nuclear WWIII, concentrating on the new
Battle of the Atlantic.)
Debt of Honour, 1994 (A US-Japan war, fought mostly at sea and in the
air.)
Cleary, Jon 1917- (Australian known for his adventure fiction and his Scobie
Malone detective series.)
The Long Pursuit, 1967 (Escape by sea from the Japanese at the beginning
of WW II.)
Coleman, Lonnie 1920-
Ships Company, 1952 (WW II troop transport in the Mediterranean.)
Collenette, Eric J.
Ninety Feet to the Sun, 1984 (In 1940 when the officers of the British
submarine "Scavenger" are killed in an attack off the Norwegian coast
it is the coxswain, Ben Grant, who has to assume command of the damaged
vessel and complete her vital mission.)
The Gemini Plot: a submarine novel of World War II, 1985 (Sequel to
Ninety Feet to the Sun.)
Atlantic Encounter: a novel of World War Two at sea, 1987
Secret of the Kara sea, 1987 (WW II. A Ben Grant adventure.)
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor 1772-1834
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, 1798 (Poem.)
Collett, Bill
The Last Mutiny, The Further Adventures of Captain Bligh, 1995 (The year
is 1817, and Vice Admiral William Bligh is settled into a distinctly
unpeaceful retirement in rural Kent. Bligh has been dogged by mutinies
and accusations of tyranny. Even in retirement, there is no rest. Beset
by the dumb insolence of neighbors, the domestic mutinies of his
daughters, the folly of doctors, and the rebellion of his own failing
health, Bligh casts his mind back over his life, reliving Cook's last
voyage, the famous victories at Camperdown and Copenhagen, encounters
with the natives of Timor, his governorship of New South Wales, and the
mutiny of his friend Fletcher Christian. [description swiped from the
Norton Web site.])
Collins, Warwick
America's Cup trilogy: (Set in the near future (up to 2010) and deal with
a Cup competition between the US, Estonia and Russia. In the 'sailing
thriller' genre.)
Challenge
New World
Death of an Angel, 1992
Conrad, Joseph (Josef Teodor Nalecz Korzeniowski) 1857-1924 (Polish seaman and
novelist, twenty years under sail and steam.)
Almayer's Folly, 1895
An Outcast of the Islands, 1896
+Nigger of the Narcissus, a Tale of the Forecastle, 1897 (Conrad's first
sea story; a sailing ship voyage from Bombay to London with a dying
black seaman aboard.)
The End of the Tether, 1898 (Upright 67 year old Captain Whalley
compromises with his own rectitude without understanding the evil
around him. As his coastal steamer sails through the Pacific his own
falsehoods and the ambitions and obsessions of his crew bring on
disaster.)
+The Heart of Darkness, 1899 (Marlow tells of his voyage in command of a
steamboat far up the Congo River to relieve the mad ivory trader Kurz.
Adapted to fit the Vietnam War and filmed by Francis. F. Coppola as
Apocalypse Now in 1979. "The Horror! The Horror!")
+Lord Jim, 1900
Typhoon, 1903 (The steamer Nan-Shan, with 200 Chinese coolies aboard,
encounters a terrible storm in the China Sea.)
Nostromo, a Tale of the Seaboard, 1904
Chance, 1913
Victory, 1915
Arrow of Gold, 1920
The Rescue, 1920
The Rover, 1923 (Sailor returns to France to farm, but gets cajoled into
secret mission to deceive the British navy in the 1780s.)
Stories:
Youth, 1902 (Tale of the 400 ton barque "Judea" and its attempt to sail
from Scotland to Bangkok. We meet a young Marlow.)
+The Secret Sharer, 1910
The Shadow Line, 1916
Within the Tides (tales)
(Also wrote nonfiction "Mirror of the Sea" one of the best.)
Cooper, James Fenimore 1789-1851 (Cooper's sea tales are supposed to be
much better than his famous frontiersmen stuff.)
The Red Rover, 1850 (Elusive Red Rover, aboard frigate Dolphin, fights
British during the Revolutionary War.)
The Pilot
Afloat and Ashore
Two Admirals, a Tale of the Sea
Coote, John (editor)
Norton Book of the Sea, 1989 (Coote, a former submarine captain and avid
yachtsman, provides a guided tour through the fiction and non-fiction
literature of the sea.)
Norton Book of the Sea Volume II, 1993 (Anthologizes only fiction and
provides a peek at Forester, Conrad, Cooper, Gallico, Hemingway,
Parkinson, Marryat.)
Cornwell, Bernard (Also author of the Sharpe's Rifles series and novels of the
American Civil War.)
Killer's Wake, 1989 (Also published as Sea Lord. An ever-deepening
mystery of ransom and betrayal sucks in the ocean-wandering John
Rosendale.)
Wildtrack, 1989 (Crippled vet, now captain of a celebrity's yacht, tries
to figure out why movie star's wife died at sea.)
Crackdown, 1990 (An ordinary de-tox cruise to the Bahamas becomes an
adventure involving money, drugs, and murder. The terror heightens as
skipper Nicholaw Breakspeare's own life is threatened.)
Stormchild, 1991 (Yachtsman and boatbuilder Tim Blackburn embarks on a
mission to rescue his daughter from suspected environmental terrorists
in Patagonia. An American journalist looking for a story accompanies
him.)
Sharpe's Devil: Richard Sharpe and the Emperor, 1820-1821, 1992 (Lord
Cochrane's adventures commanding the Chilean navy in the war of
independence against Spain. Most action is ashore, but there is some at
sea, and an interesting portrayal of Cochrane.)
Costain, Thomas B. 1885-
For My Great Folly, 1942 (English pirate John Ward fights Spaniards,
London underworld, and gentlemen swordsmen in the early 1600s.)
Crace, Jim
Signals of Distress, 1995 (In the 1830s an American barque is grounded by
a storm on sandbar off small village in the west of England. Americans
prove to be a disturbing presence.)
Crane, Stephen 1871-1900
The Open Boat (Short story about four shipwreck survivors who set out for
safety in a lifeboat.)
Cussler, Clive ("Bestsellers")
Dirk Pitt series: (Dirk Pitt is an American "James Bond" only better, the
books all have a substantial nautical element even if it not the main
plot element.)
Iceberg, 1975 (Ship found frozen in iceberg. Crazed maniac tries to
take over the world. Dirk Pitt tries to stop him.)
Raise the Titanic!, 1976 (Special ore from the only known source in
the world sinks with the Titanic. Dirk Pitt sets out to recover it.
Story predates finding the Titanic by 15 years.)
Vixen 03, 1978 (In 1954 a plane, Vixen 03, bound for the South
Pacific with canisters of a virulant organism, vanishes. In 1988
Dirk Pitt discovers the remains of the plane whilst on holiday. The
lethal canisters are recovered - but not all are accounted for.)
Treasure, 1988 (In 391 a fanatical Emperor orders the destruction of
the Library at Alexandria. A small group of conspirators secretly
remove some of the most precious items and hides them in a distant,
desolate land in an underground redoubt. In 1991 a UN plane is shot
down over Greenland. Dirk Pitt, in the area on a search mission for
a crippled Soviet submarine, is caught up in a vortex of of complex
intrigue. An archaeologist working nearby has found an ancient gold
coin far further north than it should have been.)
Dragon, 1991 (Dirk Pitt gets involved with an Japanese attempt to
take over the world again. The ending is the best piece of "TAKE
THAT" the reviewer has ever read!)
Pacific Vortex!, 1983
Deep Six, 1984 (From the icy Alaskan waters to a Korean shipbreakers,
from a Caribbean shipwreck to the Mississippi, trouble shooter Dirk
Pitt tracks down a fiendish conspiracy.)
Davidson, Louis Bennett 1894-
Captain Marooner, 1952 (Fictionalized account of the mutiny aboard the
American whaleship "Globe" in the 1820s, in the Pacific, and the
pursuit of her by USS "Dolphin".)
Davies, Lieut. John, RNVR 1913-
Lower Deck, 1945 (Six weeks service in a fictional destroyer until she is
sunk in 1942 in the Eastern Mediterranean seen, as the title suggests,
from the lower deck.)
Stone Frigate, 1947 (Prequel to Lower Deck. Covers the transition of
civilian to sailor while being trained as an ordinary seaman.)
Davis, Bart 1950-
Full Fathom Five, 1987 (US Navy must recover stolen Soviet nuclear sub.)
Davis, John Gordon
Cape of Storms, 1971 (Southern Ocean whaling based in South Africa.)
Leviathan, 1976 (Oceanographer's son tries to save the whales by sinking
a Soviet whaling factory ship in the Antarctic with a midget sub,
helicopter and other hi-tech toys he inherited from his dad.)
Day, Edgar (Editor)
The Saturday Evening Post Reader of Sea Stories, 1962
Defoe, Daniel 1661?-1731
The life, Adventures, and Pyracies of the Famous Captain Singleton:
Containing an account of ... his many adventures and pyracies with the
famous Captain Avery and others (Alternate title: Captain Singleton,
first published in 1906.)
Deutermann, Peter T. 1941- (Capt. USN (ret.) former destroyer commander.)
Scorpion in the Sea: the Goldsborough Incident, 1992 (Libyan submarine
seeks revenge for the US bombing of Tripoli by trying to sink the
carrier Coral Sea at her base in Florida.)
The Edge of Honor, 1994 (Vietnam War.)
Dibner, Martin (Served as gunnery officer on US cruiser and carrier during
WW II.)
WW II Trilogy:
The Deep Six, 1953
The Admiral, 1967
The Trouble with heroes, 1971
Dillon, Eilis 1920-
The Lost Island, 1952 (For young readers. Boy sails off with some friends
to find lost father.)
The cruise of the Santa Maria, 1967 (A newly built boat proves a launch
to adventure as two Irish boys seek to disprove that their vessel is
cursed. For young readers.)
The Seals, 1968 (Pat Conneeley and three friends set out for the mainland
in stormy weather to rescue his uncle Roddy wanted by the Black and
Tans for patriot activities.)
The Island of Ghosts, 1989 (Before leaving Inishglass, an island off the
coast of Ireland, for school in Galway, Dara and Bran visit their tutor
who has moved to a haunted island and has plans to keep the boys on the
island forever. For young readers.)
DiMercurio, Michael
Voyage of the Devilfish, 1992 (Near-future submarine clash.)
Attack of the Seawolf, 1993
Dodson, Kenneth
Away All Boats, 1954 (WW II attack transport in the Pacific; on video.)
Donachie, David, 1944-
Napoleonic era naval yarns: (Featuring privateer captain Harry Ludlow,
as well as the usual swash and buckle there is an element of the
detective novel in the books. "Skulduggery...rousing battles.
Authenticity guaranteed: taste the salt and smell the powder...." "High
adventure and detection cunningly spliced. Battle scenes reek of blood
and brine; excitements on terra firma to match.")
The Devil's Own Luck, 1991 (Ex-privateer Harry Ludlow is impressed
into the RN in 1892. His brother is accused of murder amidst
shipboard intrigue and politics.)
The Dying Trade, 1993 (Ludlow goes to Genoa to, to find out why an
English captain was hanged.)
A Hanging Matter, 1994 (Harry Ludlow comes home to England and
becomes a smuggler.)
An Element of Chance, 1994 (Harry Ludlow sails to the West Indies
and into a struggle for control of the seas in 1795.)
Dorling, Henry Taprell (Taffrail) 1883-1963
Pincher Martin, O.D, a story of the inner life of the Royal Navy, 1917
(WW I adventures.)
Kerrell, 1931 (First lieutenant of a destroyer in action in the North Sea
and with the Dover Patrol in WW I. Good substantial naval action
story.)
Cypher K, 1932 (A book for older boys, The latest cypher is stolen from a
RN cruiser and a retired naval officer in his sailing yacht manages to
retrieve it.)
The Scarlet Stripe, 1932 (Naval surgeon adrift in life-boat with 22 men
after their Q ship is sunk by U-boat in WW I.)
Dover-Ostend, 1933 (A cross-channel thriller. Piracy in the English
Channel is resolved by a naval officer. Included are charts so the
reader can follow the action which involves lots of coastal cruising
aboard the officer's yacht.)
Seventy North, 1934 (Plenty of statistics and social history are
interestingly incorporated into a readable story involving the British
fishing industry prior to WW II. Although written in the style of the
day, reading the book now graphically illustrates how the importance
and impact of fishing on the community has been eroded today.)
Second Officer, 1935 (Gives the reader an accurate picture of the
pleasant side of life in the Merchant Navy of the day. (unlike Mid
Atlantic?) Large general cargo ships voyage London - Panama - Pacific
to New Zealand with adventures on the way.)
Mid Atlantic, 1936 (With this story the author takes up the cudgels on
behalf of the merchant seamen of Great Britain during the Depression.
Sailing aboard an ill-found tramp the unfailing courage and heroic
tenacity of her people fail to save her after steering failure in
severe weather. Plenty of technical, social and background detail.)
Operation M.O., 1938 (Naval Intelligence track down and recover stolen
state secrets, with the aid of the Royal Navy, from a merchantman off
the Danish coast in this pre-war spy thriller. Really only 25%
nautical.)
Fred Travis AB, 1939 (Naval action off the Spanish coast during the
Spanish Civil War.)
Chenies, 1943 (Two serving officers of the above name in the Royal Navy
in the early years of WW2. Destroyer patrol, convoy duties, bad
weather, U-boats and torpedoed ships combine to make a patriotic yarn.
As the blurb says, Taffrail's first novel of the navy in action in
WW2.)
Arctic Convoy, 1956 (A story strongly based on fact. The Arctic convoys
to North Russia from the perspective of a young officer serving in a
destroyer.)
Sketches and Stories:
Carry On, 1916
Stand By, 1917
Off Shore, 1917
Sea Spray and Spindrift, 1917
Minor Operations, 1917
The Watch Below, 1918
A Little Ship, 1918
HMS Anonymous, 1919
--
John <jko...@efn.org> The Eugene Free Net
http://www.efn.org/~jkohnen/nautical.html
People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading. <Logan Pearsall Smith>