| The Cruel Sea (book) |
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''The Cruel Sea'' is a 1951 novel by Nicholas Monsarrat . It follows the lives of a group of Royal Navy sailors fighting the Battle Of The Atlantic during World War II . The novel, based on the author's experience of commanding a Corvette in the North Atlantic in World War II, gives a matter-of-fact but moving portrayal of ordinary men learning to fight and survive in a violent, exhausting battle against the elements and a ruthless enemy. The action commences in 1939. Lieutenant-Commander George Ericson, after service in the Merchant Navy , is recalled to the Royal Navy and given command of the fictitious Flower-class Corvette HMS ''Compass Rose'', newly built to escort convoys. His officers are mostly new to the Navy, especially the two new Sub-Lieutenant s, Lockhart and Ferraby. Only Ericson, the First Lieutenant James Bennett and some of the Petty Officers are in any way experienced. Despite these initial disadvantages, the ship and crew work up a routine and gain experience. Bennett, a drunken and shirking disciplinarian, leaves the ship ostensibly for health reasons, and the junior officers are able to mature. The crew cross the Atlantic many times on escort duty. They are nearly sunk several times and eventually capture the surviving crew of one German Submarine . In 1943 they are torpedoed and forced to abandon ship. Most of the crew die in the freezing waters, but Ericson, Lockhart, and a few others survive. Ericson, now promoted to Commander , and his First Officer Lockhart, now a Lieutenant-Commander, take command of a new ship, the fictitious River-class Frigate HMS ''Saltash'' (in the Film , the ship is called ''Saltash Castle''). They continue the monotonous and dangerous but vital duty of convoy escort. When the war ends, the ship returns to port as a guard to several German submarines that have surrendered. The novel was later made into a Film . SEE ALSO The Cruel Sea (film) |
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