Fictional Warships - Novels

Continuing with the comic books...

Anon., Battle of the Antarctic, published as Commando Comics Nº. 4077, 2008

Great Britain

Unnamed
Frigate, class not specified
No other details provided.

South Africa

HMSAS Kimberley
Cruiser, class not specified
Armament (Main battery): 8 inch guns in twin turrets
Other armament not specified
Note: Specifically stated to be a South African warship. Described in the story as having been '...newly built...' in South Africa. The illustrations of the ship are too vague to assign the ship to a specific class of cruiser.

Germany

Prinz Ludwig
Deutschland Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships
Commissioned just prior to the start of the Norwegian Campaign (April - June 1940), so probably launched in late 1939 based on the commissioning times for the actual ships. Stated in the opening of the comic to have been part of 'Weserübung Gruppe 5', the German naval force that attacked Oslo at the start of the invasion of Norway.

Unnamed
Armed Merchantmen (Supply Ship)
No other details provided.

Plot summary: The story starts in early 1940 and at a guess runs to the end of that year. A German panzerschiffe slips through the British survelliance network and starts to cause havoc in the far reaches of the South Atlantic ocean.

Some more period pulp fiction...

T. S. Stribling, The Cruise of the Dry Dock, 1917

United Kingdom

HMS Panther
Tiger Class Battle Cruiser(?)
No other details provided
Note: Class assignment based only on name. Name clashes with a B Class (WWI) Destroyer launched in 1897 and scrapped in 1920. Author refers to the ship as a 'cruiser', but the illustration shows something that looks more like a battleship or battle cruiser. See also the comment for the German ships.

Unnamed
4 'Cruisers' (Battle Cruisers?) of unspecified class

Germany

Unnamed
4 Battle Cruisers of unspecified class
Note: Author also refers to these ships as 'Cruisers' and 'Battleships'.

Unnamed
1 U-boat of unspecified class.

Plot summary: It is mid-1914, the passage crew of a dry dock being towed to America stumble across a secret German naval supply depot concealed deep inside the Sargasso Sea.

Pulp fiction dating from 100 years after the last book I covered...

Clive Cussler and Graham Brown, Nighthawk, 2017

Russia

Varyag
Slava Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service.

Arkhangelsk (TK-17)
Typhoon Class Submarine (Modified)
Real ship, details for propulsion/torpedo weapons unchanged. In the novel , the missile compartment has been replaced with a hold/salvage claw arrangement so that the submarine can be used for covert intelligence salvage operations.
Note: The submarine is unnamed in the novel itself, the pennant number (Which is that of the Typhoon Class Submarine Arkhangelsk.) is only given in the 'Cast of Characters' section at the start of the novel.

Unnamed
Various Warships and support vessels

China (Peoples Republic)

Unnamed
Various warships, support vessels AGIs.

And for the Aircraft mavens.

Russia

2x TU-160 'Blackjack' bombers
Both aircraft have been extensively modified (Scramjet engines (In addition to those already fitted), titanium leading edges, etc) so that they can fly at hypersonic speeds.

China (Peoples Republic)

HL-190
Supersonic cruise transport aircraft
Stated to be a transport for high-ranking officials.

Plot summary: It is the 'Day after Tomorrow' (The novel is set in the 'Present Day'.), someone has diverted a returning automated spaceplane, the race is on to find the spacecraft and it's cargo before disaster strikes.

Two older but influential books to add to this listing.

Brown on Resolution, by C. S. Forester, 1929

Great Britain
HMS Charybdis: 3rd class cruiser, armed with 4.7in QF guns, stated to be 30 years old in 1914 (therefore completed circa 1884). There was a real HMS Charybdis, an Astraea Class protected cruiser commissioned in 1896
HMS Leopard: battlecruiser, 20,000 tons, 8x2 12in guns, 24kts. Probably inspired by both the Invincible and Indefatigable classes but slightly slower, all eight guns could fire on the beam so probably closer to Indefatigable in layout.
HMS Penzance: light cruiser, maximum speed 27kts, stated to be quite new. Probably inspired by the Town Class light cruisers of the era.

Germany
SMS Ziethen: armoured cruiser, 500ft (152m) long, 10x1 150mm guns, belt and deck armour, three funnels, stated to be older than the armoured cruisers Scharnhorst & Gneisenau. Ziethen's stats do not match any real protected or armoured cruiser class in the German Navy, compared to the protected cruisers Ziethen is larger but weaker in armament. No armoured cruiser carried a uniform 150mm battery without heavier guns.

Plot: Leading Seaman Albert Brown survives the sinking of HMS Charybdis and is taken aboard the Ziethen (part of von Spee's fleet) which docks at the Galapagos Islands for repairs. Brown escapes ashore with a rifle and delays the repairs long enough so that Ziethen is hunted down and destroyed by HMS Leopard, ironically Brown never knows the results of his actions.
The book was made into two films, the first in 1935 where HMS Charybdis is altered to HMS Rutland and the Ceres Class cruiser HMS Curacoa portrayed the Ziethen. The second film, Single Handed aka Sailor of the King was made in 1953 moving the plot to WW2, Ziethen becoming the Essen (portrayed by Abdiel Class minelayer-cruiser HMS Manxman and the British cruisers becoming HMS Stratford, Amesbury and Cambridge (Dido Class HMS Cleopatra portraying both the sunken Amesbury and the victorious Stratford. The Town class HMS Glasgow briefly appears as HMS Cambridge. This later film has two alternate endings, where Brown dies or lives.


The Sand Pebbles, by Richard McKenna, 1962

Great Britain
HMS Woodcock: river gunboat
HMS Cockchafer: real ship, Insect Class gunboat which was involved in was the Wanhsien Incident in August and September 1926 on the Yangtze.
HMS Emerald: real ship, E Class light cruiser involved in Nanjing Incident in 1927.

Japan
Hiro: river gunboat

United States
USS San Pablo: river gunboat, captured from Spain in 1898, armed with 1x 3pdr, 1x 1pdr and 6x MGs, speed 8-10kts.
USS Duarte: large gunboat
USS Paul Jones: type unknown, maximum speed 30kts. The real Paul Jones was a Bainbridge Class destroyer decommissioned in 1919.
USS Pittsburgh: real ship (CA-4), armoured cruiser which saw service off Shanghai in 1927
USS Stewart: real ship (DD-224), Clemson Class destroyer which served off China and on Yangtze.
USS Pope: real ship (DD-225), Clemson Class destroyer which served off China and on Yangtze.
USS Truxtun: real ship (DD-229), Clemson Class destroyer which served off China and on Yangtze.
USS Preston: real ship (DD-327), Clemson Class destroyer which served off China and on Yangtze.
USS Noa: real ship (DD-343), Clemson Class destroyer which served off China and on Yangtze.
USS Pigeon: minesweeper: real ship (AM-47), Lapwing Class, served on Yangtze 1923-28.
USS Isabel: real ship (PY-10), armed patrol yacht, Yangzte Patrol 1921-28
USS Chaumont: transport, real ship AP-5, deployed to Shanghai in 1927

Plot: This is the story of the USS San Pablo ('aka Stone Pebble') on the Yangtze during the Nationalist Northern Expedition of 1925–1927, focusing on the main character, engine mechanic Jake Holman.
This book was also made into a film in 1966, in whichSan Pablo was portrayed by a replica construction based on the real USS Villalobos, a captured Spanish Navy gunboat.

Stephen Coonts, Pirate Alley, 2013

United States

USS United States (CVN-???)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.

USS Chosin Reservoir (LHD-???)
Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Ship (?)
Details as per the real ships
Note: Class is not specified in novel, assumed to be the case as this was the most recent class available at the time the novel came out. Name clashes with the Ticonderoga Class Cruiser USS Chosin (CG-65).

USS Richard Ward (DDG-???)
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships

Unnamed
Several destroyers and cruisers.

France

Toulon
Warship, type not specified

Plot summary: Somali pirates seize a cruise liner, sail it into a port they control and make the usual "Pay us or we kill the hostages" demand. The US Navy finds itself hamstrung by politicians who's understanding of the military and what it can do seems to come from action movies. The pirates find themselves in conflict with Islamic fundamentalists who want to change the planned arrangement to "Pay us and we'll kill the hostages anyway..." All this leads to a tense and confused situation.

The author does not specify the year the story takes place, however he gives the dates between the which the events take place as November 9 - 12 and states that November the 12th is a Tuesday, this happens in 2013, so I am going to assume the story takes place that year.

The Sand Pebbles movie of 1966 is a damn fine one, with Candice Bergen and Steve McQueen in it. Also features a surprising portrayal by Richard Attenborough of an American sailor.

Jeff Rovin, Tempest Down, 2004

United States (WWII)

USS Bundy (DD-??)
Benham(?)/Sims(?) Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships (Both classes were under construction/comissioning in 1939, the author gives no details to determine which class the ship was.)
Stated to be a year old in "...the fall of 1940...", so launched or comissioned in or around September 1939
Note: Transferred to UK in 1940 as HMS Meadowood, transferred to Soviet Union in 1944 as the Cherkassov, returned to the US in 1956. The actual 1940 Lend-Lease transfer involved 50 WWI era destroyers, not recently produced warships.

United States ('Present Day')

Tempest D
Supercavitation prototype
Length: 120.2 ft (36.64 m)
Three internal compartments (Control Room/Engine Room & Escape Tower/Supercavitation Drive) linked by a single six ft (1.83m) high corridor.
Crew: 6
Battery Powered
Has a standard electric propeller drive in addition to the supercavitation system.
Fitted with an unspecified sonar system (Spherical emitter in bow)

MV Abby
Oceanographic Research Ship/Covert Submarine Support Ship
Registered to Smithsonian Institute
Actually owned/operated by the US Navy
Support/Instrumentation vessel for the Tempest Program.

China (Peoples Republic)

Destiny
Song Class SSN (fictional)
Crew: 68
Speed: (Submerged) 15 knots (Cruise)/22 knots (Max)
Note: Actual Song Class were SSKs built in the late 1990s/early 2000s

United Kingdom

HMS Bristol
Bristol Class Guided Missile Destroyer (Type 82?)
Range: 5700 miles (9173 km)
Speed:28 knots
No other details provided
Note: The only two specific pieces of information given (Ships range/speed) match those of the sole Type 82 Class Destroyer which was converted into a static training ship in 1991.

Plot summary: A Chinese attempt to spy on a US test of an experimental propulsion system in Antarctic has ended with the Chinese submarine colliding with the American support ship during the critical opening stages of the test, now with the support vessel sunk and both submarines on the bottom unable to surface, the race is on to rescue the survivors and ensure the Chinese do not realize just what it was they were watching.

Note: This is apparently the first in a series of novels featuring the fictitious US Land Air Sea Emergency Rescue (LASER) team, a US Joint Forces rescue group trained to deal with the jobs no one else can do. I'm not all that impressed with the authors level of research.

Another seminal work, the first technothriller...

Erskine Childers, The Riddle of the Sands, 1903

Germany

SMS Blitz
'Torpedo-Gunboat'
Length: 140ft (42.7m)
Beam: 25ft (7.6m)
Draft: 9ft 10in (approx 3m)
Armament: 1x 4.9in, 1x 3.4in, 4x Maxim Guns (Torpedo armament not mentioned.)
Carries a "...steam cutter...".
Single funnel
Described as "...an ugly, cranky vessel, painted grey...low freeboard forward..."
Note: Novel states that the ships details can be found in 'Brassey's', presumably the ships guide, I've not been able to find an early enough copy to confirm if the author based this ship off an actual or rumored German class.

Plot summary: An impromptu yachting holiday turns into amateur spying mission.

Some more 'Self-published on Amazon' fiction.

Rayford E. Hammond, The Gray Lady, 2010

United States

USS Prospect (FFG-1???)
Knox Class Frigate (?)
Details as per the real ships
Note: The author, repeatedly refers to the ship as a 'destroyer' but gives gives no armament details or ship dimensions, however it is stated that the compliment is around 250 and the ship carries at least one helicopter of an unspecified type (Call-sign 'Seahawk'). The cover picture includes a stock photograph of a Knox Class Frigate. The crew size also suggests that the ship may in fact be a Knox Class Frigate rather than a Spruance Class Destroyer (257 crew vs 334 crew), so I am happy with this tentative class identification.

Plot summary: While dealing with personal tragedy, and an assignment to a ship commanded by an officer dealing with his own demons, a US Navy officer finds himself beginning a relationship with someone he met when his ship called at Hawaii.

Note: The novels opening chapters feature a modified version of the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)/USS Belknap (CG-26) collision. Unlike the actual event (Which served as the basis for a similar collision in David Poyers, The Circle.) this results in minor damage to both ships. No specific dates are given but various references in the story suggest a early '80s to early '90s time frame.

Graham1973 said:

Note: Novel states that the ships details can be found in 'Brassey's', presumably the ships guide, I've not been able to find an early enough copy to confirm if the author based this ship off an actual or rumored German class.

Click to expand...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Blitz

The real SMS Blitz may well have inspired Erskine Childers, but ship he describes is somewhat smaller and with more modest armament.
I couldn't find anything in the real German navy that exactly matched Childers description.

This is another of the books I had posted to the old Warship Projects 3.0 thread on fictional warships.

James Follett, Ice, 1978

United Kingdom

HMS Ark Royal
Audacious Class Carrier(?) or Invincible Class Carrier (?)
Real ship, details as in service.
Note: The Audacious Class Carrier was in service when the novel was written. The Invincible Class Carrier was not launched until 1981 and did not enter service until 1985. The author simply mentions the ships name without specifying which ship he was referring to.

HMS Swiftfire
Leander Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Explicitly identified as a member of the Leander Class in the novel.

HMS Asteria
Submarine, class not specified
31 Crew
Built for the Israeli Navy by Vickers, British government stepped in and confiscated the submarine before it was completed.
Dispatched on an experimental 1000 day patrol, it is implied, but not explicitly stated that this is a submerged patrol. Actually the submarine has proceeded to a secret depot in the South Atlantic, the supposedly lengthy patrol is part of a disinformation plan aimed at the Soviet navy.
No other details provided.

HMS Snow Tiger
Frigate, class not specified (Possibly a Leander Class Frigate.)
Carries a Westland Wasp Helicopter
No other details provided.

United States

USS Guam (LPH-9)
Iwo Jima Class Amphibious Assault Ship
Real ship, details as in service

USS Saratoga (CV-60)
Forrestal Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service

USS Johnson (CVN-??)
Nimitz Class Carrier
Detail as per the real ships
Note: Author uses obsolete term CVB to refer to the ship at one point in the novel, however the few details he does give confirm this is a Nimitz.

USS Virgil Grissom (SSBN-???)
Ballistic Missile Submarine
Armed with an unspecified number of Trident missiles and probably four bow tubes if standard practice followed.
No other details provided.

USS Eureka
Oceanographic Survey Ship
Icebreaker bow fitted.
Helipad fitted
Fitted with towed array sonar

USCGC Jason
Coast Guard Cutter, class not specified
No other details provided.

South Africa

SAS Springbok
Helicopter Cruiser (Invincible Class Carrier?)
Details as per the real ships?

Russia

Podorny
Delta II Class Submarine (Prototype)
Details as per the real ships?

Unnamed
Kiev Class Carrier
Details as per the real ships.

Non-Military but interesting.

NS Orion
Cruise Liner
700(+) Passengers and crew
4 x Nuclear reactors, each driving a single turbine (Four propellors?)
Speed: 42 knots (Max)

Plot summary: A series of mysterious disasters bring the superpowers to the brink of war.

Note: The author does not provide any specific dating information, but the story cannot be set any later than the mid-80s. The novel was revised and republished in 1998 under the title 'Second Atlantis', I've not been able to find a copy of that version yet, so I have no idea exactly what differences there are between the two versions.

Larry Bond & Jim DeFelice, Blood of War (Red Dragon Rising: 4), 2012

United States

USS McCampbell (DDG-85)
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service

USS McLane (DDG-???)
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: Name is only mentioned in the blurb on the inside cover, the ship does not in fact appear in the novel.

China (Peoples Republic)

Wen Jiabao (Ex-Moskva, Ex-Slava)
Slava Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships.
Note: In real life this ship has been retained in Russian service and is currently the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, in the novel it has been sold to China and refurbished.

Wu Bei
Slava Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships
Note: Dialog in the novel reveals that this is in fact the ship named above, the authors used two different names for it and didn't check for consistency before going to print.

Unnamed
Type 54A Class Frigate
Details as per the real ship.

Republic of Vietnam

HQ-372
Tarantul Class Corvette
Real ship, details as in service.

Plot summary: The year is 2014. A war between China and Vietnam threatens to explode into a much wider conflict.

Note: This novel and the series of which it is the fourth book, has been subject to some really sloppy editing. You have one ship being referred to by different names (Wen Jiabao & Wu Bei) in different chapters when the plot and dialog make it clear that it is the same ship, and you have a ship named in the blub (USS McLane) that does not appear in the plot. The novel finishes with an authors afterward in which they apologize for having the Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer change names from one book to the next in the series.

Ewart Brookes, Proud Waters, 1954

United Kingdom

HMS Culver
Destroyer, class not specified
Launched 1922
No other details provided.

HMS Vindex
V & W Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Name shared with a Nairana Class Escort Carrier launched in 1943 (The novel is mostly set in 1940).

Note: All of the minesweeping trawlers below have an official armament consisting of 1 x 12 pdr (Bow) and a 3 x .303 inch MGs (Lewis or Hotchkiss), the mgs are augmented by various guns scrounged up by the crew. Later upgraded to an official armament of 1 x 12 pdr (Bow), 1 x .303 inch MG, 1 x (Either twin .5 inch MG or a 20mm Cannon).

HMT Arandite
Minesweeping Trawler
Weight: 400 tons
Engines: Triple Expansion steam
Speed: 11 and a half knots (Max)

HMT Pearl
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Almarina
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Red Wing
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Morning Glory
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Jacinth
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Ivy
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Sheila
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Honeybell
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Dog Rose
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Solan
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Golfitt
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Yoshmite
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Amalekite
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Lilla
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Tokay
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Moss Rose
Minesweeping Trawler

HMT Penquin
Minesweeping Trawler

HMD Harvester
Minesweeping Drifter

Germany

Unnamed
Various S-Boats

Plot summary: The novel covers the experience of an officer who transfers from a Destroyer to the minesweepers just after Dunkirk over the entire span of the war.

Note: Most of the novel (Which is apparently based loosely on the authors own wartime experiences.) is set in 1940, the rest of the war is presented as a series of single chapter incidents.

Another of the books whose details were originally posted to the old Warship Projects 3.0 thread on fictional warships.

Dean Koontz, Icebound (Originally): Prison of Ice, 1995

Russia

Ilya Podogin
Submarine, class not specified
Nuclear Powered (Turbines produce 40,000 horsepower)
Crew: 80 (Plus accommodation for 9 Spetsnaz troops)
Length: 360ft (109.7m)
Beam: 42ft (12.8m)
Draft: 32ft 6 inches (9.9m)
Displacement 8000(+) tons (submerged)/6500 tons (surfaced)
Maxium diving depth: 1000ft (300m)
6x 533mm TT (Some torpedoes can be nuclear armed, present armament is 12 non-nuclear electric torpedoes. Only tubes 1, 4 & 5 (all bow) are mentioned in dialog.)
Speed: 31kts (submerged)/26kts (surfaced)
Fitted out for ELINT
Equipment mounted in the conning tower includes a laser communication system, a collapsible satellite dish, floodlight, radar in addition to the attack and navigation perisopes.
Also carries 3 inflatable boats and climbing gear (including a line-throwing mortar.) for use by members of the special forces (Spetsnaz).

RV Petr Vavilov
Vostok Class Research Ship (Fictional?)
Details as per the real ships?
Note: Not sure if this is a real class of ships or not.

Plot summary: A UN research team looking into the possibility of carving off a portion of north polar ice cap so that it can be towed south to water poor regions of Africa find themselves trapped when the ice shelf they have planted explosives in breaks away from the main pack. With only a limited period of time before the explosives detonate, the only chance of survival is rescue by sea, but a howling gale and evidence that someone on the expedition is not who they claim to be complicate matters.

Note: The novel was first published in 1977 as 'Prison of Ice' under the pseudonym of David Axton. In the authors own words this was an attempt to write an Alistair MacLean style story, with an action focus rather than the type of horror he is more well known for. I have no idea as to just what changes exist between the two versions of the novel. The cover for the 1995 reprint was by science fiction artist Chris Moore.

Later:I've located online a scan of the cover for the original release version of the novel ('Prison of Ice' by David Axton), this appears to be the US edition and the uncredited cover artist has chosen to depict the Ilya Podogin as a Hotel (Pr. 658) Class Submarine.

Prison of Ice: US Cover

Stephen Coonts, The Art of War, 2016

United States

USS United States (CVN-???)
Nimitz Class Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Original name of 8th Nimitz Class Carrier. This ship launched as USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in September 1996. See also the entry for 'Final Flight' and the post by Grey Havoc that follows for more details.

USS Hornet (LHD-?)
Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Ship
Details as per the real ships.

USS Utah (SSN-801)
Virginia Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service
Note: The USS Utah (SSN-801) has been ordered, but construction has not started as of the date of this post.

USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109)
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service.

China (Peoples Republic)

Liaoning (ex-Varyag)
Type 001 Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service.
Note: Ex-Soviet Kuznetsov Class Aircraft Carrier, sunk during the course of the novel.

Unnamed
Various submarines of unspecified class.

Plot summary: The Chinese have come up with a cunning plan to cripple the United States ability to respond to aggression in the South China Sea.

Note: The author does not provide any dating information, so the 'Day after Tomorrow' rule applies.

John R. Monteith, Rogue Defender, 2013

Republic of China (Taiwan)

ROCS Hai Ming
Hai Ming Class Submarine
Details as per the French Scorpène Class
Copy of the French Scorpène Class built in Taiwan under license.

ROCS Hai Lang
Agosta 90B Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Stated to be an intended fourth Pakistani Khalid Class Submarine, instead sold to Taiwan.

ROCS Si Ning (FFG-1203)
Kang Ding Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service.

ROCS Ma Kong (DDG-1805) (ex-USS Chandler (DDG-996))
Kee Lung Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service
Former Kidd Class Destroyer, transferred to Taiwan in 2003

ROCS Cheng Kung (PFG2-1101)
Cheng Kung Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service

China (Peoples Republic)

Unnamed
Various Warships

Korea (Democratic Peoples Republic)

Unnamed
Romeo Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

United States

USS Ronald Regan (CVN-76)
Nimitz Class Carrier
Real ship, details as in service

Unnamed
Various warships

Plot summary: It is the 'Day after Tomorrow'. As the People's Republic of China moves to isolate Taiwan militarily, the government of the beleaguered island turns to the two men who have helped to save it in the past, but will it be enough.

A chance find in the form of an early 1990s technothriller

R. Karl Largent, Red Tide, 1992

United States

USS Madison (CGN-??)
Virginia Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships
Stated to have just completed a refit at the start of the novel.
Radar has been upgraded to AN/SPG-60A with a 150mile (80.5km) range, capable of tracking eight targets simultaneously with 6 x AN/SPG-51EE missile control radars.
To be fitted with '2nd Generation Aegis' "...in January..." (If the story is taking place in 1993, then this would be January 1994.)
Note: Name clashes with USS James Madison (SSBN-627) the lead ship of the James Madison Class of Submarines in service (1964-1992).

USS Black River (CGN-??)
Virginia Class Cruiser (Modified)
Modified 5 years prior to the novels 'now'. (E.g. around 1988 if it is assumed the story is taking place in 1993.)
Helipad/Hangar has been upgraded to allow Sea King Helicopters to be landed.
Other modifications from the standard design not specified.
Ship is described as being "...a combination Virginia Class Cruiser and all-operations support ship."

USCGC Red Fox (WPB-144)
Coast Guard Cutter, class not specified
Length: 72ft (22m)
No other details provided.
Note: Author gives pennant as CG-144 (eg "Coast Guard"-144) to prevent confusion I have made an editorial decision to use the more appropriate pennant for a Coast Guard Cutter of this size.

USCGC Hensley (WPB-217)
Coast Guard Cutter, class not specified
Length: 72ft (22m)
Note: Author gives pennant as CG-217 (eg "Coast Guard"-217) to prevent confusion I have made an editorial decision to use the more appropriate pennant for a Coast Guard Cutter of this size.

USCGC Rimfire
Coast Guard Cutter, class not specified
Note: Author refers to the ship as a '4C2', whatever that means.

USCGC Benchley
Coast Guard Cutter, class not specified
Note: Author refers to the ship as a '4C2', whatever that means.

Russia

Rozhko
Yankee III Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Modified to be controlled remotely in 1990.

Cuboc
SWATH Yacht
Modified to carry a minisub.
Russian owned through front company, registered in Cuba.

Unnamed
Mala Class Minisub (Fictional?)
3 man crew
Yugoslavian Design
Diesel and battery powered engines.

Unnamed
Kiev Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships

The year is 1993 (Events are stated to take place 1 and a half years after Christmas 1991.). The Russian and American leaders meet off Jamaica to discuss disarmament even as hardliners who want to bring back the Soviet Union plot to create the perfect opportunity to seize power.

Yet another "Self-published on Amazon' technothriller

Cameron Poe, Red Agenda, 2017

United States

USS Toledo (CV-?? or CVN-??)
Aircraft carrier, class not specified
Stated to be "...the smallest aircraft carrier in the US Navy."
The air group is "...mostly reconnaissance aircraft and some F-14s."
Stated to have repeatedly avoided being mothballed prior to the 'now' of the novel.
No other details are provided.
Name clashes with USS Toledo (SSN-769) a Los Angeles Submarine in service since 1995.

USS War Eagle (SSN-??) (Most likely SSN-24)
Seawolf Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Commissioned 2007
Note: Stated to be a fourth member of the class constructed in secrecy. The naming of the ship is described as follows:
"On one side of the behemoth, written in chalk by a construction worker, were the words WAR EAGLE. As fate would have it, in a ceremony that entailed only the crew, three other navy officers, and one politician, the ship was commissioned and went to work as the USS War Eagle." It is implied in the novel that the ship was paid for by 'creative accounting' (E.g. Those toilet seats didn't really cost $600...).

USS Memphis (SSN-???)
Skipjack Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Name clashes with USS Memphis (SSN-691) a Los Angeles Class Submarine in service between 1977 and 2011. This submarine is specifically identified as a Skipjack Class Submarine when it is mentioned in a characters backstory.

Russia

Saratov
Typhoon Class Submarine (Modified)
Details as to dimensions and armament are as per the real ships
Ship is highly automated and can be run by a small crew.
Has been optimized to be extremely hard to detect.
Torpedo system loads weapons in five round clips rather than singly.

Plot summary: The Kuwaiti government tries to get it's hands on some surplus Russian firepower, unfortunately for them the people they hire to get it have other ideas.

Note: The author does not provide much information to state positively when the story was set, but it's implied to be somewhere around 2007 - 2009. Some elements of the plot seem to have come from a 1980s telefilm called "The Fifth Missile" as an event in the climax is the shooting down of an ICBM using AIM-7 missiles fired from a 'Bell Helicopter', in addition, two of the ship names (USS Memphis & USS Toledo) are associated with the sinking of the Kursk in 2000.

With a lot of thanks to Hood...

Dale Brown, Sky Masters, 1991

United States

USS Ranger (CV-61)
Forrestal Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service.
In novel still in service as of 1994, in real life decommissioned in 1993

USS Independance (CV-62)
Forrestal Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service.

USS Wisconsin (BB-64)
Iowa Class Battleship
Real ship, details as in service.

USS Bunker Hill (CG-52)
Ticonderoga Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service.

USS Sterett (CG-31)
Belknap Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service.
In the novel still in service as of September 1994, in real life decommissioned in March of 1994 before being scrapped in 2005.

USS Hewitt (DD-966)
Spruance Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service.

USS Fife (DD-991)
Spruance Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service.

China (Peoples Republic)

Hong Lung
Type EF5 Class Destroyer (Fictional Type 052 Class Destroyer)
CODOG Propulsion
Length: 433.1ft (132m)
Displacement: 5000 tons
Draft: 13.1ft (4m)
Speed: 35knots (Author gives speed in 'Nautical miles per hour')
Armament: 6x FL-7 (See Below) Anti-ship missiles , 2x FL-9 long-range Anti-ship missile (See below, missiles are mounted on the after part of the ship.), 2 x HQ-91 (See below for details, Two single arm launchers fore and aft, 30 missiles per magazine.), 100mm Gun (Bow), 4 x single barrelled 37mm guns, 2 x twin barrelled 37mm guns, 1 x 20mmm (or 30mm) CIWS (Phalanx copy) (Mounted "...on the forecastle... behind and below the con...".), No torpedoes or depth charges, ship is dependent on escorts for ASW protection.
Radar and sonar fitted.
Hanger/Helipad fitted. Carries Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin (Referred to in the book as a "...French built Dolphin 2...".), actually the Chinese had been building these as the Harbin Z-9 since the 1980s.
Stated to be one of two in this class.
Note: This ship appears to be based on early reports of what became the Type 052 Luhu class of destroyers. Using a more recent transliteration the name of the ship would be 'Hong Long', a rough translation of the name is 'Red Dragon'.

Jinan (106)
Type EF4 (Luda (Type 051) Class) Class Destroyer
Real Ship, details as in service
Armament has been modified to include an aft mounted HQ-91 SAM system
Note: Most Luda Class Destroyers in the novel have been fitted with aft mounted Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, either HQ-61 (Real Missile, Chinese designed SAM), HQ-7 (Real Missile, see below for details) or HQ-91 (Fictional Missile, see below for details.)

Kaifeng (109)
Type EF4 (Luda (Type 051) Class) Class Destroyer
Real Ship, details as in service.
Armament has been modified to include an aft mounted HQ-91 SAM system
Note: Most Luda Class Destroyers in the novel have been fitted with aft mounted Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, either HQ-61 (Real Missile, Chinese designed SAM), HQ-7 (Real Missile, see below for details) or HQ-91 (Fictional Missile, see below for details.)

Dailan (110)
Type EF4 (Luda (Type 051) Class) Class Destroyer
Real Ship, details as in service.
Armament has been modified to include an aft mounted HQ-91 SAM system
Note: Most Luda Class Destroyers in the novel have been fitted with aft mounted Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, either HQ-61 (Real Missile, Chinese designed SAM), HQ-7 (Real Missile, see below for details) or HQ-91 (Fictional Missile, see below for details.)

Zunyi (134)
Type EF4 (Luda (Type 051) Class) Class Destroyer
Real Ship, details as in service.
Note: Most Luda Class Destroyers in the novel have been fitted with aft mounted Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, either HQ-61 (Real Missile, Chinese designed SAM), HQ-7 (Real Missile, see below for details) or HQ-91 (Fictional Missile, see below for details.)

Feylin
Type EF4 (Luda (Type 051) Class) Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Armament has been modified to include an aft mounted HQ-91 SAM system
Note: Most Luda Class Destroyers in the novel have been fitted with aft mounted Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, either HQ-61 (Real Missile, Chinese designed SAM), HQ-7 (Real Missile, see below for details) or HQ-91 (Fictional Missile, see below for details.)

Huangshi
Type EF4 (Luda (Type 051) Class) Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Armament has been modified to include an aft mounted HQ-91 SAM system
Note: Most Luda Class Destroyers in the novel have been fitted with aft mounted Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, either HQ-61 (Real Missile, Chinese designed SAM), HQ-7 (Real Missile, see below for details) or HQ-91 (Fictional Missile, see below for details.)

Xiamen
Type EF4 (Luda (Type 051) Class) Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Armament modified with aft mounted HQ-61 SAM system
Note: Most Luda Class Destroyers in the novel have been fitted with aft mounted Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, either HQ-61 (Real Missile, Chinese designed SAM), HQ-7 (Real Missile, see below for details) or HQ-91 (Fictional Missile, see below for details.)

Yinchuan
Type EF4 (Luda (Type 051) Class) Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Armament has been modified to include an aft mounted HQ-91 SAM system
Note: Most Luda Class Destroyers in the novel have been fitted with aft mounted Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, either HQ-61 (Real Missile, Chinese designed SAM), HQ-7 (Real Missile, see below for details) or HQ-91 (Fictional Missile, see below for details.)

Zhangzhou
Type EF4 (Luda (Type 051) Class) Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Armament is apparently unmodified.
Note: Most Luda Class Destroyers in the novel have been fitted with aft mounted Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, either HQ-61 (Real Missile, Chinese designed SAM), HQ-7 (Real Missile, see below for details) or HQ-91 (Fictional Missile, see below for details.)

Zhangyhum
Type EF4 (Luda (Type 051) Class) Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Armament has been modified to include an aft mounted HQ-91 SAM system
Note: Most Luda Class Destroyers in the novel have been fitted with aft mounted Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, either HQ-61 (Real Missile, Chinese designed SAM), HQ-7 (Real Missile, see below for details) or HQ-91 (Fictional Missile, see below for details.)

Jiujiang
Frigate, class not specified
No other details provided

Yingtan
Frigate, class not specified
Armed with HQ-61 SAM
No other details provided.

Change De
Frigate, class not specified
No other details provided.

Yingkou
Haijui (Type 037Mod) Class Corvette
Details as per the real ships

Wenshan
Hainan (Type 037) Class Corvette
Details as per the real ships

Manning
Hainan (Type 037) Class Corvette
Details as per the real ships

Yaan
Hainan (Type 037) Class Corvette
Details as per the real ships

Baoji
Hainan (Type 037) Class Corvette
Details as per the real ships

Xingyi
Huangfen (Type 021) Class Patrol Boat?
Details as per the real ships
Armament is described as follows:
2 x twin 30mm mounts (Port/Starboard)
? x FL-7
6 x C-801
Radar is "Square Tie" upgraded with Inverse Synthetic Apature Radar (ISAR) capability

Chagda
Huangfen (Type 021) Class Patrol Boat?
Details as per the real ships
Armament is described as follows:
2 x twin 30mm mounts (Port/Starboard)
? x FL-7
6 x C-801
Radar is "Square Tie" upgraded with Inverse Synthetic Apature Radar (ISAR) capability

Fuzhou
Hegu Class (Type 024) Fast Attack Craft
Details as per the real ships

Chukou
Hegu Class (Type 024) Fast Attack Craft
Details as per the real ships

Guangzhou
Lianyun (Type 057K) Class Minesweeper
Details as per the real ships

Dagu
Type 722 II Air Cushioned Landing Craft (Hovercraft)
Details as per the real ships.

Philippines

BRP Rajah Humabon (PF-11) (ex-USS Atherton (DE-169))
Datu Kalantiaw Class Frigate (Cannon Class Destroyer Escort)
Real ship, details as in Philippines service, save armament adds 4 x RGM-84 Harpoon missiles in a Mk-141 mount.

BRP Rajah Lakandula (PF-4)(ex-USS Camp (DE-251))
Edsall Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in Philippines service, save armament adds 4 x RGM-84 Harpoon missiles in a Mk-141 mount.
Note: Part of the Philippines Navy from 1976 to 1988 when the ship was retired. It was used as a barracks ship until at least 1999, believed scrapped shortly thereafter. In the novel the ship is still in active service as of 1994.

BRP Camarines Sur (PS-??)
Miguel Malvar Class Corvette (PCE-842 Class Patrol Craft)
Details as per the real ship
Note: Novel refers to the ship as being of the 'Negros Occidental Class', the BRP Negros Occidental (PS-29) was a member of the Miguel Malvar Class scrapped for parts in 2010. Armament details the author provides for this ship fit the Miguel Malvar Class.

BRP Nueva Viscaya (PS-??)
Miguel Malvar Class Corvette (PCE-842 Class Patrol Craft)
Details as per the real ship
Note: Novel refers to the ship as being of the 'Negros Occidental Class', the BRP Negros Occidental (PS-29) was a member of the Miguel Malvar Class scrapped for parts in 2010. Armament details the author provides for this ship fit the Miguel Malvar Class.

Unnamed
Ship of unknown type
Capable of carrying helicopters.
No other details.

Non-ship

Missiles.

Sea Ray Missile - Semi-Fictional

In the novel this weapon is in service with the Philippines Navy and deployed from helicopters. In real life this was a private venture project by Texas Instruments that started development in 1981. The missile was 3m long, 20cm in diameter and weighed 180kg. Guidance was a semi-active laser system identical to that used on the Paveway III bomb and propulsion was the same motor as used in AGM-45 Shrike missile. The warhead was a 68kg fragmentation device. Range was 7km. The documentation I have found indicates a planned service date of around 1987/88 possibly with South Korea. However it would appear that the project was cancelled shortly after those reports were written.

Hong Quian-61 (HQ-61) (Red Banner-61) - Real

Home designed and built Chinese missile system used by both the Chinese army and navy. The stats are as follows, Range: 10km, Speed: Mach 3(+), Warhead: 310kg

Hong Quian-7 (HQ-7) (Red Banner-7) - Semi-fictional

In the novel this is described as French Croatale missiles purchased direct from France. In real life these weapons are in fact unlicensed copies of the French weapon introduced after the Chinese back engineered samples provided by the French. Statistics are exactly the same as the French original.

Hong Quian-91 (HQ-91) (Red Banner-91) - Fictional

This is initially described in the novel (On Page 160.) as a Chinese copy of the Russian SA-N-7 however by the end of the novel the author makes it clear that in fact, the missile is a copy of the French Masurca SAM built under licence by the Chinese. Statistics as to size, range and performance are presumably close to the original French missile. The Ludas fitted with the weapon all have dual rail launchers mounted aft and probably look not dissimilar to the members of the Russian Kotlin Class Destroyers modified to carry the SA-N-1 system.

Fei Lung-7 (FL-7) (Flying Dragon-7) - Semi-Fictional

In real life this missile is a development of the Chinese FL-2 missile. In the novel the author describes it as a 'superior' Chinese copy of the French Exocet missile. Statistics as to size, range and performance are presumably close to the original French missile. According to more recent sources the correct transliteration of the name is 'Feilong'.

Fei Lung-9 (FL-9) (Flying Dragon-9) - Fictional

This missile is described as an unlicensed 'experimental' copy of the Franco-German ANS missile (A weapon that was in development for much of the 80s-90s but did not go into service.). The details the author provides for the missile are as follows, Range 180km, Speed: Mach 2.5, Warhead: 20kt nuke or 513kg Shaped charge warhead.

For the Aircraft mavens.

Dale Brown is an author who specializes in aviation related technothrillers and this novel in particular has a certain notoriety for his calling the B-1B bomber 'Excalibur' rather than 'Lancer' which he explains in a note at the start was a personal preference of his. Also appearing in this book are B-2 'Black Knight' (Rather than B-2 'Spirit') bombers, the EB-52 'Megafortress' (Which was the subject of his first novel 'Flight of the Old Dog'.), but probably the most interesting one of all the F-23 'Wildcat' (A production version of the YF-23) which makes a brief appearance in this novel and is then quietly forgotten.

Plot summary: The year is 1994 (The novels timeframe is 6 June - 10 October.), a clash between the Philippines Navy and the Chinese Navy over an escalating dispute about just who controls the Spratly Islands, results in the use of a nuclear weapon. In the aftermath of that clash some Philippine politicians offer to hand the whole country over to China, bringing the United States into the conflict.

Note: This book took me longer to cover than I planned when I bought it. This is because it was badly edited by both the author and the publisher, which results in contradictory details about ships and weapons appearing in different parts of the novel. It took a lot of research on the part of myself and Hood to sort out just what the author was using for references when he wrote this novel and thus what he based the first of the Chinese warships listed on.

I'm not absolutely sure anymore, if my counting is fully correct, but if not, the total number
of novels introduced by Graham here probably is already higher than

300!

Great effort and always interesting to read ! Congratulations and a big thank you to you !

Jemiba said:

Great effort and always interesting to read ! Congratulations and a big thank you to you !

Click to expand...

Thank you, that makes all the effort worthwhile.

Some 'Self-published on Amazon' WWII fiction

Roy Peters, The Cauldron, 2013

United Kingdom

HMS Tango
T Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Built 1936 (Not clear in novel if this means launched or commissioned.)

HMS Tarantula
Submarine Depot Ship
No other details provided
Name clash with an Insect Class Gunboat in service in Chinese Waters/Indian Ocean between 1915 - 1946.

Italy

Romano
Cruiser, class not specified
No other details provided

Grandissimo
Battleship, class not specified, probably a member of the Litorrio Class
Details as per the real ships if a member of the Litorrio Class.
Note: Simply described as "...Italy's biggest battleship...", no other details are provided

Unnamed
5 Destroyers

Plot summary: It is the middle of WWII and a British submarine is given the job of penetrating Taranto harbor and prevent the Italians from restoring a damaged battleship to service.

Note: This is a basically a 'Boys Own Adventure' style story (Of a type that could have been written in the mid-20th C .), that has been self-published in the early 21st C, the writing is competent, but 'flat'. There is a note by the author at the end of the story that makes it quite clear that all the ships in the story are fictitious, though looking at the names of the two named Italian ships would have made that quite clear.

Charles MacHardy, Send Down a Dove, 1968

United Kingdom

HMS Scorpion
S Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

HMS Triumphant
T Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: Name is close to that of T Class Submarine HMS Triumph (N18) sunk in 1942.

HMS Walrus
Grampus Class Submarine?
Minelayer
No other details provided
Note: Name is that of a V & W Class Destroyer broken up in 1938. Class is assumed from the fact that it is a minelaying submarine. Also the description in the book makes mention of the Malta Supply role the submarines became associated with.

Germany

U-4117
Type XXI Class U-Boat
Details as per the real ships

U-4118
Type XXI Class U-Boat
Details as per the real ships

Unnamed
U-Boat, class not specified
1000 tons
No other details provided

Unnamed
Several Destroyers

Unnamed
Several S-Boats

Unnamed
Hospital Ship
No other details provided.

Plot summary: It is the dying days of WWII in Europe, a British submarine is sent on a patrol into Norwegian waters that drives the crew to the brink of mutiny.

Note: After reading this one I am left wondering if the makers of the British TV version of 'Ghostboat' were familiar with this novel as well, it might explain why they chose the name/class they did for the submarine in that mini-series.

Dale Brown, Shadows of Steel, 1996

United States

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service.

Valley Mistress
Salvage Ship (AGI)
Helipad and retractable hangar capable of holding a CV-22 Osprey (Referred to as a 'PAVE HAMMER' in the novel.)
Fitted with SPS-40E Radar (Range:100Mi (161Km)) & SPS-69 Radar
Crew armament includes Stinger SAMs and Rifles
No other details provided
Ship is nominally civilian owned but registered to the US Navy Ready Reserve Fleet.

China (Peoples Republic)

Zhanjiang
Destroyer, class not specified
Size: "...a ship almost as large as the aircraft carrier, it's center superstructure higher and clustered with twice the antenna arrays."
Armament: "...a full compliment of non-nuclear weapons - long-range anti-ship and antiaircraft missiles, cruise missiles, rocket powered torpedoes, big-dual purpose guns, three sub hunter helicopters, the works." The only system specified in the novel is the HQ-7 SAM which is author misidentifies as the French Croatale, in actual fact the HQ-7 is a reverse engineered copy of the French Croatale.
Note: The author refers to this ship as a destroyer, but the fact that it is almost the same size as a Kuznetsov Class Aircraft Carrier suggests this may be better classed as a cruiser.

Iran

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (ex-Varyag)
Ex-Soviet Kuznetsov (Pr.1143.5) Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as built
Transferred to China as the Mao Zedong at the end of the novel.

Sadaf (ex-??)
Cruiser, class not specified
Ex-Soviet ship sold to Iran.

Medina (ex-??)
Luda (Type 051) Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Helipad
Ex-Chinese warship sold to Iran.
Note: Name is dubious, Medina is the second most sacred city in Islam, naming a warship after it seems sacrilegious.

For the Aircraft mavens

High Endurance Autonomous Reconnaissance System (HEARSE)

Drone aircraft that looks like a scaled down B-2 'Spirit' bomber, fitted with Synthetic Aperture Radar capable of imaging objects as small as 30cm in size. Capable of three days flight, covered in radar absorbing paint and has the ability to fly without ground command if needed.

Plot summary: The year is 1997 (The novels timeframe is 12 February to 1 May.). The Chinese have helped the Islamic Republic of Iran get an ex-Soviet Aircraft Carrier working, the threat to the Persian Gulfs balance of power is obvious, but will the US be able to act effectively.

Robert B. Williams, Ice Fortress, 2017

United States

USS Barracuda (SSN-???) (ex-USS ?)
Virginia Class Submarine (Modified)
Details as per the real ships
All weapons systems have been removed to allow the fitting of support equipment for a remotely controlled minisub (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)) called 'Nellie', which is carried behind the conning tower. All sensor systems have been retained.

As one character in the novel comments: "They took a perfectly good attack submarine, stripped it of it's weapons, renamed it 'Barracuda' and turned it into a floating sonar buoy."

Note: I am rather surprised at the authors decision here, it would have made more sense to convert a class going out of service in the manner described.

'Nellie'
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
Battery powered (Batteries are replaced after each mission.)
Hydrojet propulsion
Fitted with a military derived high-frequency sonar.
When attached to the USS Barracuda (SSN-???), access to the vehicle is via the submarines rear hatch and allows one person to change the batteries and download the data collected.
Can be linked to the host vehicle via a cable and controlled from inside the ship or can be sent out unattached and controlled by software created by DARPA.

USS Indiana (SSN-789)
Virginia Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service.

Russia

Kazan (K-561)
Yasen Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service.
In addition to the weapons the ship normally carries it has been fitted with a (fictional) naval version of the SA-21 in an unspecified number of vertical launch cells built into the hull.

Germany (WWII)

U-2532
Type XXI Class U-Boat
Real ship, details as built.
Note: In the real world U-2532 was destroyed by Allied bombing on the 17th of January 1945 without commissioning (The start of construction was the 10th of October 1944 and the launch took place on the 7th of December 1944.). In the novel it appears to have been bought into service sometime in late 1944.

Non Ship

Kreigsmarine Base 211
Submarine Pen and attached base built into the Ronne Ice Shelf.

Plot summary: The year is 2017 (The novels timeframe is November 6 to 12.). A specially modified submarine has been sent to survey the Antarctic Iceshelf for the US Navy, when they disappear after reporting finding something odd. Those sent to investigate find the impossible. Stuck in the iceshelf, a German U-Boat in exactly the condition she was in when the crew left her for the last time in 1945...

Note: The author indicates he was trying to out-do Clive Cussler, with this novel. I will say that while his choice of Nazi 'weird science' is an interesting one, some of the twists he goes through in the plot are pretty ridiculous, though in his defense he at least has the wit to have some of his characters go "What the..." when they happen.

I've managed to locate the cover for a later edition of the novel Medusa by Hammond Innes, which is now attached to the post about that novel. As with the original cover the artist manages to get the type of warship featured in the novel wrong.

Lorhainne Eckhart, Saved, 2013

United States

USS Larsen (DDG-???)
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer (Flight IIA)
Details as per the real ships
Note: Author simply describes the ship as a 500ft long, guided missile destroyer, described as being 'New' in 2004, this probably means the ship comssioned in 2002 or 2003 which would make her a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer. Name is similar to that of the Flight IIA Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer USS Lassen (DDG-82) launched in 2001.

USS Neilson
Warship of unspecified type
No other details provided.

United Kingdom

Unnamed
Type 42 Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: Author identifies the ship as a "...British Class Sheffield Destroyer..."

Plot summary: The year is 2004, in the aftermath of Bush the Youngers War, an American destroyer picks up a badly injured woman in a dingy with a horrific story to tell.

Note: The backstory for the heroine of this romantic novel harks back to tales told on the docks of Southern Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance about the fate of women captured by Muslim raiders from North Africa, these tales later evolved into 19th C tales of 'Sons of the Desert' and thence into mainstream romance novels..., in this case the author evokes the original stories. However the main plot of the novel goes off in a different direction to chasing the villain responsible for what happened to to the heroine, presumably he makes an appearance in the sequel novels, the plotline the author does chose is not well handled by her.

Brian Callison, The Dawn Attack, 1972

United Kingdom

Force King

HMS Hystrix
Cruiser, class not specified
6 inch guns
4 inch AA guns in twin mounts
Two funnels (Raked), aircraft mounted between them.
No other details provided.

HMS Muscadin
J, K or N Class Destroyer?
6 x 4.7 inch guns twin turrets (A, B & X)
10 x 21 inch Torpedo tubes
Speed: 37 Knots (Max)
Note: The first member of the WWII M Class, HMS Marne was commissioned on the 2nd of December 1941, after the events described in the novel. Also the armament details fit the preceding J, K & N classes, however this identification is very tentative.

HMS Salamander
J, K or N Class Destroyer?
6 x 4.7 inch guns in twin turrets (A, B & X)
10 x 21 inch Torpedo tubes
Speed: 37 Knots (Max)
Armament details fit the J, K & N classes, name does not.

HMS Foiler
Submarine, class not specified
No other details provided.

Prince Rupert
Landing Ship, Infantry
No other details provided

Prince Michael
Landing Ship, Infantry
No other details provided

Germany

Patzig
Armed Trawler
Armament: 1 x 37mm Gun (ex-Polish Army (37mm Bofors gun?)) fwd, 2 x 1 MG-34 machine guns mounted on the bridge wings.
No other details

Plot summary: Today is the 31st of November 1941 (No, that is a not a mistake...), this is the story of a Commando raid on a small Norwegian coastal town.

Note: The fictitious commando raid in the novel appears to be based loosely on the events of the Vågsøy raid, Operation Archery (27th of December 1941).

Another 'Self-published on Amazon' WWII novel.

Martin D. Crane, Seòladair, 2014

United States

USS Henry Prescott (DD-451)
Gleaves Class Destroyer
Commissioned 1940?
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Pennant clash with the Fletcher Class Destroyer USS Chevalier (DD-451). Author is vague with the internal dating, the hero joining the USS Henry Prescott takes place an unspecified time after the 7th of December, 1941 at which time the person who greets the hero states that the ship "...was commissioned two years ago...", as the ship is a Gleaves class destroyer, this would mean she commissioned some time in 1940 with the hero becoming part of her crew in some time in 1942. The appearance in the novel of a former Clemson Class ship that held the name before being transferred to the United Kingdom is also evidence that the ship commissioned in 1940.

USS Weston L. Foxx (DD-523)
Fletcher Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: Pennant lies in a cancelled range assigned to the Fletcher Class (DD-523 to 525), according to my research no name was assigned to the pennant number.

USS John M. Welch (DD-???)
Fletcher Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Sunk during Typhoon Cobra (Aka 'Halsey's Typhoon')

USS Rountree (DD-???)
Sims Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships

USS Ponca
Tugboat, class not specified
1 x 3 inch gun (Fwd)
Not a member of the Navajo Class of tugs.

USS Blue Jay
'Fleet Minesweeper', class not specified
No other details provided
Sunk during the course of the novel.
Note: Name clashes with the coastal minesweeper USS Blue Jay (AMc-23), which was in service 1940 - 1946.

United Kingdom

HMS Ariadne
Dido Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships
Note: By 1943 the name clashes with an Abdiel Class Minelayer HMS Ariadne (M65). However the ship in the novel is in operation at the start of WWII so it cannot be that ship, more to the point the authors description of the ships armament fits the Dido Class.

HMS Bedford (ex-USS Henry Prescott (DD-???))
Town Class Destroyer (ex-Clemson Class Destroyer)
Details as per the real ships.

Germany

Unnamed
Various warships

Japan

Unnamed
Various warships

Plot summary: A coming-of-age tale with Christian overtones set during WWII.

Note: As stated above the author is very vague with the dating, key events are mentioned, but the events of the story are only loosely tied to them, until the latter half of the novel set in the Pacific. In the authors favor, he does show that he understands US Navy naming conventions. As to the Christian elements, the author manages to keep them pretty low key, with most of them being obvious cases of the central character turning to God for comfort at moments of crisis, with only one scene that I would class as containing blatant preaching to the reader.

Dave Mayer, Eternity Base, 1996

United States

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)
Kitty Hawk Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service

Unnamed
Various warships

Russia

Unnamed
Delta II Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

Korea (Democratic Peoples Republic)

Am Nok Gang
Covert operations support ship (Converted merchant ship)
Ice reinforced bow
Speed: 20 Knots (Cruise?)
Carries high speed infiltration boats of unspecified type.
Note: Armament if any not specified in novel. Ship operates in a conventional merchant role much of the time.

Plot summary: The year is 1996 (The novels timeframe is October 18 to December 5.), a researcher looking into old US Army files uncovers a secret buried in the Antarctic ice since the 1970s.

Another of those 'Self-published on Amazon' thrillers...

Richard Smith, The Fin Chasers, 2017

United States

Coast Guard

Unnamed (MLB-???) (Unofficial name: 'Fin Chaser')
47ft (14m) Motor Life Boat (Modified)
Details as per the real ships.
Ship has been converted into a research vessel, has an observation tower similar to those on sports fishing vessels fitted, along with a bowsprit, a cradle holding a 16ft (4.9m) long minisub (Named: Jaws, 2 crew, battery powered, fitted with 3x Mares Spearguns) and launching positions for two unmanned, remote controlled minisubs.
Armament is mostly hand held (6 x M4 Carbines, M9 Pistols, 6 Mares Spearguns), an M240B MG is carried but not mounted.
Note: While this ship retains it's rescue capability, it's current assignment is shark research along the US Gulf Coast.

USCGC Casco
Cutter, unspecified class
No other details provided.
Note: Also referred to as a 'Heavy Cruiser'. The name was last used on the Casco Class Cutter USCGC Casco (WHEC-370) a former US Navy Barnegat Class Seaplane Tender that was transferred to the Coast Guard in 1949 and decommissioned in 1969.

Air Force

Neptune
Air transportable mini-sub
Length: 40ft (12.2m)
Manta-ray shaped ('Wings' fold upward over the body to allow air transport.)
Crew: 3 (Pilot, Weapons Systems Officer, 'Flight' Engineer.) + 1 passenger
Exact dimensions are not given but when the wings are folded it can be carried inside a C-130 Hercules which has been modified to allow it to land/take off from water.
Note: Stated to have been designed and built by the United States Air Force for the purpose of making covert retrievals without having to ask the US Navy to do it. Described as being as maneuverable as a "...very, very, slow F-16."
Armament includes laser weapons of an unspecified type. 4x J-65 Armour Piercing Torpedoes (Fictional?), 2x R-40 Heat Seeking Missiles (Fictional?)
Fitted with manipulator arms (Mounted internally, have to be extended to use.)

Non State

Unnamed (ex-Sahand)
Moudge Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: Supplied to the Islamic State by Iran. stated to have been smuggled to Cuba for handover.
Carries a minisub of unspecified type.

Plot summary: The year is 2017, something has been driving sharks off the US Gulf Coast into a frenzy.

Note: This is a pretty silly story, thankfully the author recognizes it at one point having a character comment that the USAF submarine "...looks like it came out of one of Clive Cussler's latest novels...".

I do not mean to be rude, but, what is the real purpose of this thread which seem to rehash ships mentioned in fictional stories? I just cannot see the point.

Well, you're right in a way, this thread is better suited to this section here.

Fair point but if there us to be a reason to the subject there could be some assessment of the plot to propaganda or factually based scenario's being wargamed to adjust tactics/doctrine and theory. This does not seem to do any of that as far as I can see. Perhaps a little more debate about the topic might see us learn a little more about the situations these stories are set to, background wise.

As the title implies, this section here was started to discuss or at least point to
alternative historical scenarios, or perceptions of the future, often perceptions
from many years ago. The themes are as widespread, as are the interests of our members,
and no, it's not an indispensable theme for this forum, I think. But the Bar is neither !
Apart from our main theme aviation, naval themes obviously are of interest to quite a lot
of people here, so why not list novels about such themes ? Feel free to post a similar
list in a thread like "Aviation Novels", pointing to aircraft, that are either fictional,
or based on real ones.
And as a point more related to our serious matter, such a thread can be used in a similar
way to our blacklist here https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,26358.0.html ,
for identifying or tracing fakes or faulty mentions.
If somebody is interested in more additional information, I think, he should feel free to
elaborate and tell them to all of us !

Jemiba said:

As the title implies, this section here was started to discuss or at least point to
alternative historical scenarios, or perceptions of the future, often perceptions
from many years ago. The themes are as widespread, as are the interests of our members,
and no, it's not an indispensable theme for this forum, I think. But the Bar is neither !
Apart from our main theme aviation, naval themes obviously are of interest to quite a lot
of people here, so why not list novels about such themes ? Feel free to post a similar
list in a thread like "Aviation Novels", pointing to aircraft, that are either fictional,
or based on real ones.
And as a point more related to our serious matter, such a thread can be used in a similar
way to our blacklist here https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,26358.0.html ,
for identifying or tracing fakes or faulty mentions.
If somebody is interested in more additional information, I think, he should feel free to
elaborate and tell them to all of us !

Click to expand...

And this thread is also useful in a historic sense, as it shows how authors saw ships being used, and how they thought they would evolve.

This thread is a continuation of a similar thread on the defunct Warship Discussion 3.0 forum.

It's purpose is several fold:
Like the aviation blacklist, to clearly mark ships some may think are real or may be confused with real ships.
To catalogue the fictional ships portrayed in books, film and TV.
To catalogue naval fiction more broadly.
To display some of the varied artwork on the book covers, especially those from an age gone by when artists actually painted scenes rather than dodgy 3D graphics.
To examine themes of the books published and the plots; for example its clear that most Cold War literature focuses on submarines.
To analyse how authors use naming conventions (or otherwise!).
To be a source for AH ideas and possible artwork ideas.

I'll admit there is a lot of background work between Graham and myself to decipher author's intentions, especially when vague ideas are portrayed.
The range of novels cover everything from late 19th century invasion literature, early 20th century works, wartime propaganda novels (both world wars), children's literature from the early 20th century, action comics, Cold War era novels (1950s onwards), post Cold War scenarios (US vs. China or Iran seem popular themes), techno-thrillers (from early 20th century to today), film adaptations of books.
We don't tend to touch anime however, its a broad area on its own with its own challenges.

If people would be interested in more of the details of how we piece together these items and more analysis on the storylines then we can provide that.
I would echo Starviking's comment, some of the authors writing in the 1890s and even 1910s had some quite interesting concepts of what the future might hold. Cold War novels reflect the fears of the time, some mirror real-world events and others are speculative.

A lot more discussion at the moment so hopefully my question, from being taken as insulting, may provoke more debate on this thread.

Debating the content of a book, or the way things are represented, or maybe how the typical enemies
changed over the years is ok, I think.
The reasons, why this thread is here and how it should be understood were cited in the last posts, so I can
see no need to debate this any further.

Not suggesting that any debate should be had about why the thread is extant. All I was asking about was what it was intended to achieve. Hopefully more debate on the posts content will enable more to be achieved FROM posting here. Hopefully we will all learn a bit.