Naval novels

Having just read the thread about 'Jack films', I thought I'd ask everyone about their favourite navy themed novels.

In my opinion Brian Callison's 'A Flock of Ships' takes some beating, though a close runner up is of course Alistair Maclean's 'HMS Ulysses'.

What about the rest of you? Any recommendations?

 

Can't beat the Patrick O'Brien books. Particularly the Aubrey/Maturin series of 20 books. Outstanding stuff.

 

I find his stuff to detailed I prefer douglas reeman

 

I was a major Douglas Reeman fan back when I was a cadet, it's ages since I've read any of his books though. Are they still in print?

 

Yes they still are, including his brand new one in the Blackwood Royal Marine saga, Knife Edge, try here for further details.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099436299/qid=1139499127/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-3491492-0797466

 

They are probably out of print now but Ronald Bassett wrote three very good books heavily based on his own experiences: The Tin Fish Run, Russian Convoys; The Pierhead Jump, set in the North Atlantic and the Neptune Landing, Normandy.

I also very much enjoyed Jump, Boy, Jump, again about the Russian convoys, but can't remember the author off the top of my head.

More likely to be in print, The Cruel Sea is a very good book as well as a film.

If you are keen on the Napleonic Wars try Hornblower, they are excellent books. He's a much more complicated character than the tv series suggests.

 

Try anything by John Winton.Very funny novels and some serious Historical books.

 

Also extremely good but now sadly probably out of print, are the Fox series of novels by Adam Hardy, set in the Napoleonic Wars, Lt George Abercrombie Fox was an up from the ranks officer who was just as hard as Sharpey! Excellent read though and long overdue a reprint.

 

Also the Mallison series of books about Lt Hervey of the Hussars!

 

Nicholas Monserrat's books were great but one of the ones - apart from The Cruel Sea - was

"HMS Marlborough will enter harbour".

NM not only wrote great stories, of which he had first hand experience, but chose great titles which got you thinking about the subject. Would the Cruel Sea have as much affect as HMS Compass Rose? Doubt it.

In HMS Marlborough, which was a collection of short stories, the ending was the ship entering Londonderry after a particularly fraught voyage from which they returned, not unscathed, but proud. The Driver on approaching harbour, instead of asking for a parking space announced that HMS Marlborough will enter harbour.

It has been about 40 years since I read that story and I still salute it. My memory is not that long and the details have gone but the thrust of the book has not. Pity it is almost imnpossible to get from PC libraries now.

 

No mention of Andy McNab or Sven Hassel yet? Cor, you can tell this is a class up from the ARRSE site!

 

Good to see RumRatioN attracting the usual [email protected]

 

I dunno - we haven't had a Walt spotting yet. Then again, I don't think there's much call for dressing up in flares and a milkchurn hat and pretending to be a matelot!

You know it's bad on here if Herrenbloke turns up.......

 

Dudley Pope's Ramage series, or Alexander Kent Bolitho saga written of course by Douglas Reeman. and then there is always CS Forresters Hornblower.

 

Forgot to add Clive Cussler to the above.

 

After a bit of a poke around on Amazon I was pleasantly surprised to see that "Jump, Boy, Jump" is still available. It's author is Stanley Bonner.

 

To back up Dabtoe, the Ramage series are superb IMHO. More like a naval Sharpe regarding the action. I have tried with Patrick O'brien but find them tedious...including the film which is a damn shame on my part.
Patrick Robinson is good too...Nimitz Class, Kilo Class etc.

 

The Cruel Sea gets my vote.

Snorkers, good-oh.

 

Only one decent submarine novel EVER written.

"Send Down a Dove"
Published Collins London 1968
Author Charles MacHardy

And to agree with others on the film thread only one decent submarine film: "Das Boot"

Nutty
The Eternal OD

 

C.S. Forester The Ship - excellent convoy novel