Fictional Warships - Novels

[Graham1973]

Douglas Reeman, Battlecruiser, 1997

United Kingdom

HMS Pyrrus
Leander Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Explicitly identified as this class by the author.

HMS Montague
M Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Explicitly identified as this class by the author.

HMS Mulgrave
M Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Explicitly identified as this class by the author.

HMS Mediator
M Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Explicitly identified as this class by the author.

HMS Marathon
M Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Explicitly identified as this class by the author.

HMS Mastiff
M Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Explicitly identified as this class by the author.

HMS Seeker
Smiter Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explicitly identified as this class by the author.

HMS Diligent
D Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships

HMS Assurance
'Cruiser', class not specified
Main battery: 8inch guns

HMS Reliant
Renown Class Battlecruiser
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Explicitly identified as this class by the author. The fictional history for this ship seems to have been in part based on that of HMS Warspite, unlike the other two members of her class she saw service at Jutland where a steering failure caused her to circle just as Warspite did at Jutland, prior to the events of the story she took part in the September 1940 attack on Dakar (Operation Menace.)

HMS Montrose
'Warship', class not specified
No other details provided.

Germany

Minden
'Cruiser', class not specified
No other details provided
A completely different cruiser of the same name appears in the authors earlier novel 'Rendezvous - South Atlantic' (1972). That ship appeared to be a heavy cruiser similar in visual appearance to a Scharnhorst Class Battleship in the same way that the Admiral Hipper's resembled the Bismark Class of Battleship.

Flensberg
'Cruiser', class not specified
No other details provided

Italy

Tiberio
Littorio Class Battleship
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Explicitly identified by this class by the author.

Plot summary: A new captain comes to Britain's last battlecruiser, forced to serve under a glory seeking Admiral and with his own scars to bear will he be up to the task of commanding her when the time comes.

 

[Graham1973]

Warwick Collins, New World, 1991

United States

USS Ohio
Iowa Class Battleship
Details as per the real ships
Note: Author simply describes the ship as a 'battleship'. The Iowa Class were the only battleship class in US service at the time the novel was written. The name clashes with the lead ship of the Ohio Class Submarines. During WWII the name was assigned to a member of the planned, but never constructed Montana Class.

USS Gettysburg
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships
Note: Author simply describes the ship as a 'nuclear carrier'. The Nimitz Class were the the most recent CVN class in US service at the time the novel was written. The name clashes with that of a Ticonderoga Class Cruiser commissioned in June 1991.

Russia

Boris Yeltsin (Ex-Riga, Ex-Varyag)
Tiblisi (Kuznetsov) (Pr.1143.5) Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, fictional history.
Note: The lead ship of the Kuznetsov Class began sea trials under the name Tiblisi, this ship is presumably the second member of the class originally intended to be called Riga (The name originally assigned to the lead ship of the class.), subsequently renamed Varyag and then sold incomplete to China where it was completed as the Type 001 Class Carrier Liaoning. In this author's universe the ship was completed for Russian service.

For the Aircraft Mavens

Russia

St Petersburg
'Airship'
No other details provided.

Plot summary: In 2000, the Soviet Union won the America's Cup. As 2002 looms, unrest caused by Perestroika causes the country to fracture. Now a newly independent Estonia challenges Russia for the right to defend the Cup. The part-Russian captain of the yacht that won the Cup in 2000 finds himself torn between the two countries.

Note: For the basic details of the America's Cup see the entry for the first novel in the series 'Challenge' (1990). In the previous novel the author completely missed out on the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. This novel clearly reworks some of the events of that year to bring the authors 'universe' into closer accord with actual history. The 'America's Cup' trilogy which started with 'Challenge' (1990) concluded with 'Death of an Angel' the following year.

This novel fits into the category of being a 'Future of the Past' novel . Other novels exhibiting this 'future of the past' quality I've covered are 'Seven Days in May' (1962) (Charles W. Bailey II & Fletcher Knebel), 'Thirty-Four East' (1974), 'The Hastings Conspiracy' (1980) (Both by Alfred Coppel), 'The Crash of '79' (1976) (Paul E. Erdman), 'North Star Crusade' (1976) (William Katz), 'Side-Wall' (1982) (David Graham), 'CV' (1985) (Damon Knight), 'The Phoenix Odyssey' (1986) (Richard P. Henrick), 'Rockets' Red Glare' (1988) (Greg Dinallo), 'Super Depth Force: Project Discovery' (1988) (Irving A. Greenfield), 'Challenge' (1990) (William Collins), 'Omega Sub' (1991) (Michael Jahn) 'Debt of Honor' (1994) (Tom Clancy) 'Rites of War' (1998) (Cyn Mobley) and 'End Game' (2011) (Matthew Glass), along with what is probably the most well known 'alternative history' sequence, 'Raise the Titanic' (1976), 'Vixen 03' (1978), 'Night Probe' (1981) & 'Deep Six' (1984) (All by Clive Cussler) which are set in an alternative 1980s (The novels are set between 1987 ('Raise the Titanic') & 1989 ('Deep Six').) with many differences from what actually happened, most notably Canada being absorbed by the United States (Something Cussler quietly dropped in later novels.). Another note-able 'Future of the Past' series is the four book 'Amanda Garrett' series ('Choosers of the Slain' (1996), 'Stormdragon' (1997), 'Seafighter' (1999) & 'Target Lock' (2002)) by James H. Cobb.

 

[Graham1973]

J. E. MacDonnell, Command, 1958

Australia

HMAS Wind Rode
J, K & N Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: The authors description of the ships armament make it quite clear that this is not the V & W version of the ship. See also the notes at the end of this entry.

United Kingdom

HMS Havock (H43)
Real ship, details as in service.
Note: This ship was in service between 1937 and 1942. In this novel the ship's career has been extended past it's historic sinking to late 1942.

HMS Griffin (H31)
G Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service.
Note: This ship was in Royal Navy service between 1936 and 1943. In the latter year it was transferred to the Canadian Navy and renamed HMCS Ottowa, under this name it served until 1945 and was scrapped a year later.

HMS Greyhound (H05)
G Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service.
Note: This ship was in service between 1936 and 1941. In this novel the ship's career has been extended past it's historic sinking to late 1942.

HMS Termagant
Leander Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships
Note: Class assignment based on armament details which match those of the Leander Class. The name does not fit the class.

Italy

Several Unnamed warships identified as "Four enemy cruisers and a destroyer..."

Plot Summary: For Peter Bentley, the new command was a chance to shine and show he was up to the task, for one crewman the new commander was a threat to the empire of fear he'd created and would do anything to protect.

Note: The copy of the novel I came across is missing the last ten pages, should I locate a complete copy of the book I will revise this entry, as the Italian warships may be named in the missing pages. Also of note is that the opening of the story seems to be taking place in September 1942 which leads me to suspect this story is actually set September/October 1942.

The three real ships named in the book were all present at the Battle of Matapan in 1941 and took part in the battles night action upon which the action that climaxes the novel appears to have been based.

It would appear that at this point in the author's career he was still thinking of his novels as a set of interlocking series with proper continuity. At some point after this, probably during the 1960s when he was working on not only his naval fiction, but a James Bond knock-off series and a Dr Kildare knock-off series he abandoned strict continuity.

J. E. MacDonnell was a prolific Australian writer of action fiction for newsstand paperbacks. Some of the novels by him covered in this thread include, 'Gimme the boats!' (1953), 'The Frogman' (1958), 'Night Encounter' (1958), 'The Surgeon' (1959), 'The Secret Weapon' (1959), 'Subsmash' (1960), 'The Coxswain' (1960), 'Battle Fire' (1961), 'Eagles Over Taranto' (1961), 'Sainsbury VC' (1962), 'U-Boat' (1962), 'Not Under Command' (1963), 'Killer Group' (1964), 'Behemoth' (1967), 'The Snake Boats' (1967), 'Approved to Scrap' (1968), 'The Hammer of God' (1968), 'Petty Officer Brady' (1968), 'Hunter-Killer' (1968), 'The Last Stand' (1970), 'Chain of Violence' (1972), 'The Kill', (1974), 'Breaking Point' (1979), 'Jim Brady, Able Seaman' (1985) & 'The Glory Hunter' (c. 1980s) . He also wrote a series of 'James Bond' style superspy thrillers featuring an agent named Mark Hood, novels in this series that have appeared in the thread are 'Come Die With Me' (1965), 'Caribbean Striker' (1967) and 'Operation Octopus' (1968).

The attached covers are the cover from the last known printing by Horwitz which was Nº. 5 in the 'J. E. MacDonnell Collector's Series' (aka the Gold Cover Books). The other is the image created for the 2022 reprinting by Piccadilly Publishing.

 

[royabulgaf]

Warwick Collins, New World, 1991

United States

USS Ohio
Iowa Class Battleship
Details as per the real ships
Note: Author simply describes the ship as a 'battleship'. The Iowa Class were the only battleship class in US service at the time the novel was written. The name clashes with the lead ship of the Ohio Class Submarines. During WWII the name was assigned to a member of the planned, but never constructed Montana Class.

USS Gettysburg
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships
Note: Author simply describes the ship as a 'nuclear carrier'. The Nimitz Class were the the most recent CVN class in US service at the time the novel was written. The name clashes with that of a Ticonderoga Class Cruiser commissioned in June 1991.

Russia

Boris Yeltsin (Ex-Riga, Ex-Varyag)
Tiblisi (Kuznetsov) (Pr.1143.5) Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, fictional history.
Note: The lead ship of the Kuznetsov Class began sea trials under the name Tiblisi, this ship is presumably the second member of the class originally intended to be called Riga (The name originally assigned to the lead ship of the class.), subsequently renamed Varyag and then sold incomplete to China where it was completed as the Type 001 Class Carrier Liaoning. In this author's universe the ship was completed for Russian service.

For the Aircraft Mavens

Russia

St Petersburg
'Airship'
No other details provided.

Plot summary: In 2000, the Soviet Union won the America's Cup. As 2002 looms, unrest caused by Perestroika causes the country to fracture. Now a newly independent Estonia challenges Russia for the right to defend the Cup. The part-Russian captain of the yacht that won the Cup in 2000 finds himself torn between the two countries.

Note: For the basic details of the America's Cup see the entry for the first novel in the series 'Challenge' (1990). In the previous novel the author completely missed out on the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. This novel clearly reworks some of the events of that year to bring the authors 'universe' into closer accord with actual history. The 'America's Cup' trilogy which started with 'Challenge' (1990) concluded with 'Death of an Angel' the following year.

This novel fits into the category of being a 'Future of the Past' novel . Other novels exhibiting this 'future of the past' quality I've covered are 'Seven Days in May' (1962) (Charles W. Bailey II & Fletcher Knebel), 'Thirty-Four East' (1974), 'The Hastings Conspiracy' (1980) (Both by Alfred Coppel), 'The Crash of '79' (1976) (Paul E. Erdman), 'North Star Crusade' (1976) (William Katz), 'Side-Wall' (1982) (David Graham), 'CV' (1985) (Damon Knight), 'The Phoenix Odyssey' (1986) (Richard P. Henrick), 'Rockets' Red Glare' (1988) (Greg Dinallo), 'Super Depth Force: Project Discovery' (1988) (Irving A. Greenfield), 'Challenge' (1990) (William Collins), 'Omega Sub' (1991) (Michael Jahn) 'Debt of Honor' (1994) (Tom Clancy) 'Rites of War' (1998) (Cyn Mobley) and 'End Game' (2011) (Matthew Glass), along with what is probably the most well known 'alternative history' sequence, 'Raise the Titanic' (1976), 'Vixen 03' (1978), 'Night Probe' (1981) & 'Deep Six' (1984) (All by Clive Cussler) which are set in an alternative 1980s (The novels are set between 1987 ('Raise the Titanic') & 1989 ('Deep Six').) with many differences from what actually happened, most notably Canada being absorbed by the United States (Something Cussler quietly dropped in later novels.). Another note-able 'Future of the Past' series is the four book 'Amanda Garrett' series ('Choosers of the Slain' (1996), 'Stormdragon' (1997), 'Seafighter' (1999) & 'Target Lock' (2002)) by James H. Cobb.

I haven't read the novel, but it sounds like a parody of "Hunt for Red October"

 

[Graham1973]

Plot summary: In 2000, the Soviet Union won the America's Cup. As 2002 looms, unrest caused by Perestroika causes the country to fracture. Now a newly independent Estonia challenges Russia for the right to defend the Cup. The part-Russian captain of the yacht that won the Cup in 2000 finds himself torn between the two countries.

I haven't read the novel, but it sounds like a parody of "Hunt for Red October"

Only in terms of the basic plot elements, the US also comes in for a bit of stick as well. From what I've been able to find out the last novel is an immediate sequel to the second book, while the second book is what I'd term a 'distant' sequel (e.g. There's a period of two years between the events of 'Challenge' and the events of 'New World') to the first book in the trilogy. For those who are interested I've managed to get my scanner working and there is now a much higher quality picture of the stunning cover to 'New World' attached to the post.

 

[Graham1973]

J. E. MacDonnell, Sabotage!, 1964

Australia

HMAS Wind Rode
J, K & N Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships

Japan

Satuki
Yamato Class Battleship(?)
Details as per the real ships.
Note: This ship which is described in the novel as "...the greatest battleship in the world.", appears in an unidentified previous novel. This description makes the possibility that it was a fictional Yamato Class Battleship highly likely. Identification of which novel she appeared in is ongoing.

I-122
I-121 Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service.

Unnamed
Momi Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The author refers to the ship as being a member of the 'Kuri Class'. The IJN destroyer Kuri was a member of the Momi Class. The physical description the character uses to identify the class also matches the Momi Class.

Plot summary: Coming off a stunning success against the Japanese the crew of HMAS Wind Rode suddenly find themselves beset with a string of mishaps and evidence starts to accumulate of the unthinkable, that one of their own has cracked under the strain of combat.

Note: References to a 'British Pacific Fleet' and the use of Hollandia as a fleet base suggest this story is set after 22nd of November 1944 when the British Pacific Fleet came into being.

 

[Graham1973]

John Peel, The Grandfather Infestation, 2016

United Kingdom

HMS Kraken
'Frigate', class not specified
No other details provided.

HMS Venom
'Submarine' (SSN), class not specified
No other details provided.

Plot Summary: Following the landing of a meteor into the North Sea, several ships disappear.

Note: This is one of several books covering just what happened on Earth between the following episodes of Dr Who 'The Web of Fear' & 'The Invasion'...

 

[Grey Havoc]

The People’s Space Odyssey: 2010: The Year We Make Contact | Centauri Dreams

www.centauri-dreams.org

Back in 1982 at the height of the Cold War Arthur C Clarke published the first of three sequels to his novel/film "2001 a Space Odyssey".
The US/Soviet mission takes place against the backdrop of a Cuba style confrontation between the US and Soviet fleets off Honduras.
In a wonderful bit of retro futurism Clarke writes that a US nuclear destroyer launches two Falcon missiles at a Soviet ship. By 1982 the US had stopped building nuclear powered escorts and none would be in service by 2010. Ironically the Harpoon missiles that were available in 1982 would still be there in 2010.
In a nice touch for Nerds like me the movie version briefly flashes up a typical TIME magazine cover of the US and Russian leaders. I leave it to you to guess the identity of the two chaps who posed for it.

Spoiler

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI9A173JF6g

 

[Graham1973]

Back to the World War II pulp mags...

Sam Carson, Get That Carrier!, published in Fighting Aces, March 1943

United States

USS Champlain
'Aircraft Carrier', class not specified
No other details provided.

Japan

Unnamed
'Aircraft Carrier', class not specified
No other details provided.

Plot summary: The crew of an SBD Dauntless must think fast when the Japanese carrier they damaged turns up at the island they landed their damaged plane on.

Note: If anyone can identify the class of carrier the 'Japanese carrier' in the title illustration is please let me know in your response.

 

[Graham1973]

Some more 'Mills and Swoon' (aka Harlequin Mills & Boon) 'Romantic suspence'...

Karen Anders, Joint Engagement, 2015

United States (Coast Guard)

USCGC Point Sharon
Point Class Cutter
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explictly identified as being of the Point Class by the author.

USCGC Point Rival
Point Class Cutter
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explictly identified as being of the Point Class by the author. This ship was sold to the Bahamas prior to the novels start.

USCGC Revere
Hamilton Class Cutter
Details as per the real ships
Note: This ship was sold to the Bahamas prior to the novels start.

USCGC Henry
Legend Class Cutter
Details as per the real ships

United States (Navy)

USS Daniel Robinson
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships

USS Matthew Robinson
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: This name is initially given as that of the ship one of the people killed in the novels opening was assigned to, later on it changes to USS Daniel Robinson, neither name is used by a member of the Arleigh Burke Class.

Plot summary: When an unmarked Coast Guard Cutter crewed only by dead men in fake Coast Guard uniforms runs aground on the Virginia coast, the US Coast Guard launches an immediate investigation. The US Navy is bought in when one of the dead turns out to be a crewman on a destroyer. But the question still remains, what happened that night?

Note: This is the third of three novels by this author making use of the NCIS that were released by Harlequin Mills & Boon under the series title of 'Protect & Serve', the first of these novels 'At His Command' (2012) has been covered earlier in this thread.

 

[Graham1973]

Richard P. Henrick, Flight Of The Condor, 1987

United States

USS Razorback
Barbel Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Commisioned: 1960
Modified to carry a Mystic Class DSRV
Note: Name does not fit the class naming scheme. The name was last used in the US Navy for a Balao Class submarine transferred to Turkey as the TCG Muratreis (S-336) in 1971.

USS Joseph L. Hawes
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The name clashes partly with USS Hawes (FFG-53) a Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate named after Rear Admiral Richard E. Hawes.

USS Roark
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships.

USS Pelican
'Submarine Tender', class not specified
No other details provided.
Note: At the time the novel came out there was no ship of that name in US service, the previous ship bearing the name having decommissioned in 1968, the next ship bearing the name didn't commission until 1995. Equipped to carry a DSRV.

USS Marlin
Mystic Class Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (Modified?)
Details as per the real ships.
Fitted with multiple remote manipulator arms. (The standard Mystic Class is fitted with a single arm used to clear debris from submarine hatches.)
Note: The name was last used for a training submarine decommisioned in 1973.

USS Providence (SSN-719)
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service.

USS Sea Devil (SSN-664)
Sturgeon Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service.

Russia

Volga
Victor (Pr.671) Class Submarine, subclass not specified.
Details as per the real ships.

France

Ariadne
Agosta Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Armament has been modified. The submarine now has a "...full scale, operational, electro-magnetic rail-gun...", mounted aft of the conning tower. The rail-gun which has an 8ft (2.44m) long barrel is powered by a dedicated nuclear reactor that is not used to power the submarines engines while submerged.

For the Aircraft Mavens

Tu-??
Code Name: Ryzhaya Lisa (eng: Red Fox)
Strategic Reconnaissance/Transport Plane
Manufacturer: Tupolev
Nation: Russia
Speed: Mach 3
Cruising Altitude: 78,000ft
Description: "...rather flat needle-nosed plane... Completely painted with a dull, crimson red finish, the vehicle sported a large delta-shaped wingspan set in the lower half of the thirty-seven-meter-long fuselage. It was in the center of each of these wings that a single massive engine was placed. Set on top of these engines were a pair of rudder-like tails. Developed primarily as a recon platform, this particular model had an extra humped, clamshell canopy behind the cockpit. ...designed especially for Spetznaz squadrons..."
Note: The description suggests had this plane existed it would have had some resemblence to the SR-71 'Blackbird', the 'passenger compartment' behind the cockpit is equipped to allow High-Altitude Low-Opening (HALO) parachute jumps.

For the Rocketry Mavens

Russia

In the novel it is mentioned that an unmanned version of the Salyut space station is the Soviet equivalent of the US Keyhole series of satellites. In the real world the Vostok manned space capsules were used as the start point for the development of the Zenit (eng: Zenith.) spy satellites which were used operationally until 1994. (See: Wikipedia)

Also mentioned in the novel is a new warhead package for the SS-18 'Satan' Ballistic Missile codenamed 'Tartar' which gives them a MIRV system carrying 10 x 800kt warheads and a CEP of "...less than one hundred meters." This package may have been based on contempory reports of the R-36M2 warhead package in the media.

'Europe' (France)

The novel consistently refers to the ESA Ariane Space Launch Vehicle as the 'Ariadne' space launch vehicle.

United States

Condor
Space Shuttle (Modified)
Details as per the real craft.
Note: This shuttle which is based at Vandenberg Air Force Base is described as "...a top-secret military version of the shuttle...". Exactly what differences exist between this version of the shuttle and the standard shuttles is not specified.

Plot summary: Following the failed launch of a Keyhole Spy satellite the US finds itself in a critical situation, unless another satellite is launched soon the possiblility exists that the Soviets might exploit the situation for their own ends. The only option, use a mothballed shuttle to launch the replacement

Notes: The US had suffered two failed launches of Keyhole satellites in 1984 & 1985, the latter year also saw the loss of the space shuttle Challenger when it exploded during launch. At the time rumors of sabotage were rife, and it is from those rumors that this story has been born. For the authors history, see the entry for 'The Phoenix Odyssey' (1986).

 

[Dilandu]

In the novel it is mentioned that an unmanned version of the Salyut space station is the Soviet equivalent of the US Keyhole series of satellites

Actually true, Almaz stations were military versions of Salut. They were equipped with capable optics, comparable to Keyhole sats. Early versions were manned, the later were unmanned (but still could be used by crew, if needed)

 

[Graham1973]

Warwick Collins, Death Of An Angel, 1992

United States

USS Nemesis
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier?
Details as per the real ships
Note: Like the USS Gettysberg referenced in the previous novel, the ship is only identified as a 'Nuclear Carrier', the Nimitz Class were the most recent class of nuclear powered aircraft carrier in service at the time the novel was written. The name does not fit the class. The last time the US Navy used names of this type was the unfinished USS Reprisal (CV-35) a planned member of the Essex Class scrapped in 1949. Prior to that names of this type had last been used during the American Revolution.

For the aircraft mavens.

Russia

Rodina
'Airship'
Stated to be the 'sister ship' to the St Petersburg mentioned in the previous novel
Can carry 1800 people, the split between the crew and passengers is not specified.

Plot summary: Rocked by the murder of their helmsman, the Estonian team defending the America's Cup for Russia, must pick up the pieces if they have any chance to retain the cup in the face of an American team willing to try any tactic to win.

Note: This is the last novel in the three book 'America's Cup' trilogy, like the other two novels in the series 'Challenge' (1990) and 'New World' (1991) it has a 'future of the past' quality about it, events in the real world having overtaken the authors fictional setting even as the first novel was being published. For more information on the series see the post on 'Challenge' (1990), the first novel in the series.

Other novels exhibiting this 'future of the past' quality I've covered are 'Seven Days in May' (1962) (Charles W. Bailey II & Fletcher Knebel), 'Thirty-Four East' (1974), 'The Hastings Conspiracy' (1980) (Both by Alfred Coppel), 'The Crash of '79' (1976) (Paul E. Erdman), 'North Star Crusade' (1976) (William Katz), 'Side-Wall' (1982) (David Graham), 'CV' (1985) (Damon Knight), 'The Phoenix Odyssey' (1986) (Richard P. Henrick), 'Rockets' Red Glare' (1988) (Greg Dinallo), 'Super Depth Force: Project Discovery' (1988) (Irving A. Greenfield), 'Challenge' (1990), 'New World' (1991) (Both by William Collins), 'Omega Sub' (1991) (Michael Jahn) 'Debt of Honor' (1994) (Tom Clancy) 'Rites of War' (1998) (Cyn Mobley) and 'End Game' (2011) (Matthew Glass), along with what is probably the most well known 'alternative history' sequence, 'Raise the Titanic' (1976), 'Vixen 03' (1978), 'Night Probe' (1981) & 'Deep Six' (1984) (All by Clive Cussler) which are set in an alternative 1980s (The novels are set between 1987 ('Raise the Titanic') & 1989 ('Deep Six').) with many differences from what actually happened, most notably Canada being absorbed by the United States (Something Cussler quietly dropped in later novels.). Another note-able 'Future of the Past' series is the four book 'Amanda Garrett' series ('Choosers of the Slain' (1996), 'Stormdragon' (1997), 'Seafighter' (1999) & 'Target Lock' (2002)) by James H. Cobb.

 

[Graham1973]

Peter Alderson Sharp, Cast No Shadow, 2021


Great Britain (WWI)

HMS Nessus
M Class Destroyer (WWI)
Real ship, details as in service.
Note: Author describes the ship as having survived two hits at Jutland. I have not been able to confirm if this is a fictional addition to the real ships history or not.

Great Britain (WWII)

HMS Visigoth
'Frigate', class not specified
No other details provided.

Russia (WWII)

Ekaterina
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided

Plot summary: The only survivor of a British frigate sunk off the coast of Norway joins up with the Norwegian resistance.

 

[Dilandu]

Russia

Ekaterina
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided

Hm. It's WWI or WWII ship?

 

[Graham1973]

Russia

Ekaterina
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided

Hm. It's WWI or WWII ship?

It's an extant in WWII ship, the hero ends up being held on her after running into some WWII Spetznaz while escaping from German occupied Norway, I've updated the entry to clarify that. The author never states any other details than she's a destroyer. From the name I'd guess a WWI survivor still in Soviet service.

 

[Dilandu]

From the name I'd guess a WWI survivor still in Soviet service.

Name did nit follow either Imperial or Soviet naming scheme. The only possibility is, that it was WWI era destroyer, renamed in honor of some female revolutionary in 20s. But most likeky author just didn't bother)

 

[Dilandu]

P.S. Also, the only "Spetznaz" hero could meet was the radio intelligence units ("Osnaz") of GRU USSR.

 

[Graham1973]

P.S. Also, the only "Spetznaz" hero could meet was the radio intelligence units ("Osnaz") of GRU USSR.

Thanks for that, given the names the author used for the fictional warships in this one I don't think they were fully up on the Soviet military in the 1940s or British naming conventions.

 

[Graham1973]

Returning to the pulps and what I think is a first...

Sam Merwin Jr, The Admiral's Walk, published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, Dec 1947

United States

USS Kentucky (BBG-66)
Iowa Class Battleship (Modified)
Details as per the real ships
Note: Proposals to convert the incomplete USS Kentucky to either a full missile or mixed missile/gun armament appeared as early as September 1946. At that time copies of the German V-1 Cruise Missiles and V-2 IRBMs were suggested as making up the possible armament. The author simply describes the ship as "...the first capital ship in the world to mount major guided missiles instead of heavy guns...", but does not specify what missiles they are beyond the fact they carry nuclear warheads.

The task force of which she is a part includes: "...the Missouri, the New Jersey, battleships; the Midway, the Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Coral Sea, carriers; the Alaska, Guam and Hawaii, large cruisers; three San Diegos, small cruisers; and a dozen of the big new destroyers..." From what is implied the other members of the Iowa Class have also undergone a BBG conversion similar to the Kentucky's.

Plot summary: "On the eve of Trafalgar, Horatio Nelson is thrust into the coil of time" or more precisely to October 20, 1960 and a battle of an equal importance to it's time as that fought on October 21, 1805...

 

[Graham1973]

John Franklin Carter (Pen name: Jay Franklin), Rat Race, 1947

United States

USS Alaska
'Aircraft Carrier', class not specified
No other details provided.
Note: Name clashes with that of the lead ship of the Alaska Class Battlecruisers which was in service 1944 - 1947, scrapped 1960. This ship is first described as "...the latest light carrier to be added to American naval forces in the Pacific..." Later in the story she is described as "...a sneak-carrier built under stringent security regulations..." which implies that what would nowadays be called 'black budget' money was used to build her.

Plot summary: It is April 1945 and a US aircraft carrier goes up in a nuclear fireball...

 

[Graham1973]

Ilkka Remes, Operation: Ocean Emerald, 2010

Netherlands

Zeeland
De Zeven Provinciën Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: The author explicitly identifies the ship as being of the De Zeven Provinciën Class. The name clashes with the second of the Holland Class Offshore Patrol Ships.

Non-Warship, but interesting.

Ocean Emerald
Cruise Liner
Operator: Emerald Cruise Co. (US Operator based in Miami, Florida)
Port of Registry: Nassau
Length: 240m (787.4ft)
Displacement: 45,000 tonnes
Decks: 9
Crew: 600
Passengers: 1000
Speed: 22kts(Max)
Note: The Emerald Cruise Co. also operates an identical sister ship called the Ocean Jewel.

Plot summary: Returning a lost passport leads a teenage boy into a mess of intrigue.

 

[Graham1973]

Robert Evan Stevens, Running Deep: A Novel of Submarines, SEALS and Souls, 2002

United States

USS Muskellunge (SSN-???)
Sturgeon Class Submarine (Modified)
Dimensions and armamement are identical to standard Sturgeon Class Submarines.
Modification: The engine room is the test bed for an improved form of engine rafting.
Note: The submarine only appears in the opening chapters which are set in 1978, but does not take part in the story proper. The fish the submarine is named after is a member of the pike family.

USS Joshua L. Chamberlain (SSN-???, ex-SSBN-???)
Benjamin Franklin Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: The missile silos have been removed and the submarine has been modified to serve as an amphibious transport for covert operations forces. Torpedo armament is unaltered.

Russia

Antey III
Oscar III (Pr.949 (Subtype unspecified)) Submarine
Displacement: 13,900 tons (Surfaced), 18,300 tons (Submerged)
Length: 505.2ft (154m)
Beam: 59.7ft (18.2m)
Armament: Torpedo armament is unchanged. The 24 SS-N-19 'Shipwreck' missiles have been replaced with 96 'Katapaltes' missiles, no specifics are provided for these missiles other than that they can be fitted with either nuclear or non-nuclear warheads. These missiles are likely Soviet copies of the AGM-88 'Harpoon', however that is a purely speculative remark on my part.
Note: Transferred to Syria as the Hazael.

Zaytsev
AGI, class not specified
Disguised as a fishing trawler.
Stated to be "...loaded with the very latest in sonar and electronic navigation equipment."

Fictional Electronic system

'Yodel Echo' (Presumably a NATO Reporting Name, whatever the Russians call it is never given.)

This is a sonar receiver/transmitter that is used in conjunction with the Oscar III submarines, it is used to provide precise submerged positioning data critical to the accurate launching of 'Katapaltes' missiles.

Plot summary: Following a coup in Syria, the new government makes an arrangement with hardliners in Russia, one intended to provide a 'final solution' to the Israel problem.

Notes: As the title might suggest this is Christian Fiction, lots of references to God, the bible, etc. All of which is clearly an attempt preach to the readership.

 

[Graham1973]

Alan Judd, Inside Enemy, 2014

United Kingdom

HMS Beowulf
Submarine (SSBN), class not specified.
No other details provided.

HMS Beauty
Submarine (SSBN), class not specified.
No other details provided.

HMS Bellerophon
Submarine (SSBN), class not specified.
No other details provided.

HMS Battle
Submarine (SSBN), class not specified.
No other details provided.

Note: All four submarines are of the same unidentified class. No specifics are provided. Nor is it indicated which of the four is the name boat of the class.

Plot summary: Someone has launched a series of cyber-attacks on various parts of the UKs defence infrastructure and now, one ballistic missile submarine is out of contact. Can the attacker be found before they can trigger WWIII.

 

[Dilandu]

96 'Katapaltes' missiles,

Puzzled about what author meant, when he mangled Russian language here. Maybe "Katapulta" - "Catapult"? But our anti-ship missiles were named after stones.

These missiles are likely Soviet copies of the AGM-88 'Harpoon', however that is a purely speculative remark on my part.

Doubt that - in 2002, the existence of Kh-35 Uran missile was already known.

 

[Graham1973]

96 'Katapaltes' missiles,

Puzzled about what author meant, when he mangled Russian language here. Maybe "Katapulta" - "Catapult"? But our anti-ship missiles were named after stones.

Not sure exactly what he intended either when he chose that name, it may be a biblical reference of some kind, the books full of them.

But, in regards the missiles themselves, it would appear that eight of them, plus whatever launching mechanism they used could fit into the same space as a single SS-N-19 and it's launching mechanism.

 

[Graham1973]

John Wingate, Nuclear Commander, 1962

United Kingdom

HMS Rugged
'Submarine, Nuclear, Mk.II' (e.g. An SSN rather than an SSBN. Presumably HMS Dreadnought was the 'Mk.I')
Displacement: "...barely 3000 tons..." (From context this is the surfaced displacement.)
Armament: 6 x 21inch TT (Bow) Unspecified number of aft tubes, which are not shown on the end paper illustration.
Propulsion: Nuclear using a 'Total conversion' system. In this system electrical power is generated directly from atomic decay rather than indirectly by using the heat byproduct to produce steam resulting in a much more compact powerplant.
No other details provided.

Note: Described as "...one of Britain's first nuclear submarines...". There is an illustration of the submarine in the books end papers, which I've attached to this post, but due to the vagueness of the description of the submarine it's not possible to be sure how close this illustration conforms to the authors ideas.

Cuba

El Presidente
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details

Plot summary: It is the early 1960s, following the fall of Cuba to communism, several attempts have been made to bring the rest of the Carribbean under communist control. The latest attempt has just kicked off, all that stands in the way is one submarine and a commander who's faced intrigue before during WWII, but will this be enough.

Notes: This is the fourth book in John Wingate's six novel 'Submariner Sinclair' series. I've covered the second 'Jimmy-The-One' (1960) earlier in this thread, this book is the first of the series to be set after WWII. Like it's predecessors there's a definite 'Boys Own Adventure' feel to it. Recently this novel and the others in the series have been republished as ebooks.

 

[Tzoli]

IJN Yonaga- enlarged Shinano-type aircraft carrier.

From THE SEVENTH CARRIER book series by Peter Albano

Plot summary: IJN Yonaga, the seventh carrier assigned to the Pearl Harbor strike, is trapped in Arctic ice while awaiting the strike order. 42 years later, the ship emerges, hell-bent on finishing their mission. Soon after, a Chinese orbital defense system renders all jets and rockets useless. With Libya leading a global war of terror, Yonaga and her antique planes are now the free world's best hope.....

I've been asked some time ago to make this drawing according to the commissioner hence changes to what was described in the book, still it looks quite nice:

IJN Yonaga by Tzoli on DeviantArt

www.deviantart.com

 

[Graham1973]

A find in a pulp horror magazine...

Frank Belknap Long, In The Lair Of The Space Monsters, published in Strange Tales Of Mystery and Terror, October 1932

United States

S-87
S Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The pennant number is well outside the range used for the S Class Submarines and clashes with the hull number assigned to the R-10 a member of the R Class Submarines that were in service between 1919 and 1945.

Plot summary: A US submarine in the Pacific gets caught in a tsunami and washed up on an island where a weird menace awaits.

 

[Graham1973]

Another gleaning from a WWII era pulp adventure magazine...

Sam Carson, West of Wake Island, published in Thrilling Adventures, Feb 1943

United States

USS Monitor
'Aircraft Carrier', class not specified
No other details provided.

USS St Francisco
'Cruiser', class not specified. Possibly a member of the New Orleans Class.
Armament: "...eight inch guns, plenty of five-inchers and sky guns."
No other details provided.
Note: Could be a fictional version of USS San Franscisco (CA-38) a member of the New Orleans Class.

USS Belmont
'Cruiser', class not specified
No other details provided.

USS Linus
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided.

Japan

Atoka
Kato Class Cruiser (Fictional)
Armament: Main Battery 6 x 8 inch guns in three twin turrets. (Arranged A, B & X)
No other details provided

Kanamato
Kato Class Cruiser (Fictional)
Details identical to Atoka.

Plot summary: A US cruiser stumbles across a Japanese task force while proceeding to rendezvous with friendly forces.

 

[Graham1973]

From a 1960s comic book

All three stories are published in Submarine Attack, May 1962

Anon., Surrender

United States

USS Redback
'Fleet Submarine', class not specified
No other details provided.

Germany

Unnamed
Armed Merchant Raider (Converted Merchant Ship)
No other specifics provided.

Plot summary: A German raider manages to capture a US submarine intact...


Anon., Chicken for Breakfast and Lunch and Supper

United States

USS Rayfin
'Fleet Submarine', class not specified
No other details provided.

Japan

Various Unnamed Warships

Plot summary: A 'hard driving' replacement Chief of Boat causes waves on a sub more well known for 'hands off' discipline.


Anon. The Jinx

USS Mimalog (SS-722)
'Fleet Submarine', class not specified
No other details provided.
Note: Pennant number clashes with that of the later USS Key West (SSN-722) a member of the Los Angeles Class.

Japan

Various Unnamed Warships

Plot summary: Everone, even the most unlikeliest person has one moment to shine, but will they take it...

 

[Rhinocrates]

TV actually, HMS Vigil, a Vanguard-class SSBN. It's a submarine, so true to cliche, it's always dimly lit. The onshore bits are in Glasgow, so.... 'There's been a murrrdurrr.' Disappointingly, so far one detective has not said that she likes biting because it's like kissing with teeth, another has not said 'You know nothing', the EO hasn't exposed himself in the mess, and an admiral has not corrected anyone's grammar.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWV-j_9FAw4

 

[Graham1973]

TV actually, HMS Vigil, a Vanguard-class SSBN. It's a submarine, so true to cliche, it's always dimly lit. The onshore bits are in Glasgow, so.... 'There's been a murrrdurrr.' Disappointingly, so far one detective has not said that she likes biting because it's like kissing with teeth, another has not said 'You know nothing', and an admiral has not corrected anyone's grammar.

Nice find, there is actually a 'Fictional Warships in Movies & TV' thread where this might be a better fit. The plot summary on YouTube suggests that the authors have been looking into one of those cases where a fishing boat caught a submarine in their nets. There is a listing of those cases linked in the entry for Dale Brown's 'Fatal Terrain' (1997).

 

[Rhinocrates]

TV actually, HMS Vigil, a Vanguard-class SSBN. It's a submarine, so true to cliche, it's always dimly lit. The onshore bits are in Glasgow, so.... 'There's been a murrrdurrr.' Disappointingly, so far one detective has not said that she likes biting because it's like kissing with teeth, another has not said 'You know nothing', and an admiral has not corrected anyone's grammar.

Nice find, there is actually a 'Fictional Warships in Movies & TV' thread where this might be a better fit. The plot summary on YouTube suggests that the authors have been looking into one of those cases where a fishing boat caught a submarine in their nets. There is a listing of those cases linked in the entry for Dale Brown's 'Fatal Terrain' (1997).

Aha, thanks! Added there. I suppose admins can remove it from here - I would myself, but that would make your reply look odd.

 

[Graham1973]

Alton Gansky, A Ship Posessed, 1999

United States (WWII)

USS Triggerfish (SS-210)
Gato Class
Details as per the real ships
Comissioned: 15th April, 1943
Lost: August, 1943
Note: Referred to as an Improved Gato Class submarine by a character, but what that means is never specified. The pennant number first given clashes with that of USS Grenadier, a member of the preceeding Tambor Class. Later in the novel reference is made to the submarine having the same pennant number as the Gato Class Submarine USS Trigger (SS-237).

Plot summary: A submarine that disappeared in the Atlantic in 1943, has just washed up on the Pacific coast of the United States in the 'present day'.

Note: The basic idea behind the plot was used in the 1977 novel 'Ghostboat', the author of this novel is another Christian author trying to use fiction forms other than the ones normally used by Christian writers to spread their faith. Unlike the novel 'Running Deep: A Novel of Submarines, SEALS and Souls' (2002) which I've covered in this thread, this one does not jump to God and preaching at the reader until well into the story. What is most amusing is the authors taking of all kinds of fringe ideas (UFOs and the like.) and ascribing them to 'Angels and Demons'...

The novel suffers from some sloppy editing as can be seen from the use of two different pennant numbers for the same submarine.

 

[Graham1973]

Alton Gansky, Out of Time, 2003

United Kingdom (1906)

HMS Archer
Dreadnought Class Battleship
Details as per the real ships
Note: The novel gives a backstory involving Admiral Fisher ordering two identical ships, one to be built as fast as possible (HMS Dreadnought) and the other at a more conventional pace (HMS Archer). Apart from construction time the two ships are identical. In the novels 'Universe' for some unspecified reason HMS Archer ended up being preserved as a museum ship after WWI and can still be seen in Portsmouth not all that far from HMS Victory. In 1906 there would have been no ship of that name in the Royal Navy, the previous holder having been scrapped in 1905, the next ship to use the name after that did not enter service until 1911.

United States ('Present Day')

All warships mentioned in dialog are real including the USS Virginia (SSN-774) which is described as "...377 feet of 'Don't mess with the U.S.,' in-your-face technology."

Plot summary: It started out as a simple nautical excursion to help troubled teens... But in the waters off Miami something strange is happening.

Note: As with the other two novels in the series this is 'Christian fiction', with the religious content in this novel starting much earlier than in 'A Ship Possessed' (1999). Going from remarks in the novel it appears that the stories are meant to be set the year the book was published. The second novel in the series has no nautical content.

 

[Graham1973]

Jack Du Brul, Pandora's Curse, 2001

Italy

Intrepido
'Destroyer', class not specified (Durande de la Penne Class?)
No other details provided
Note: The last holder of this name was a Impavido Class Destroyer scrapped in 1992. As the novel appears to be set roughly contemporously with publication this ship is likely to be a member of the Durande de la Penne Class which were in service by 2001.

Non Warship, but interesting

Sea Empress
Cruise Liner
Owner: Rhine-Marine (Fictional Company)
Hull Form: Catamaran
Passengers: 4000
Crew: 3000
Description: "...the Sea Empress gleamed like a new Rolls Royce parked in a junkyard. Her upperworks were snowy white trimmed with black and gold, with twin raked funnels topped by aerodynamic wings not much smaller than those on a private jet. ...eight story superstructure... her two hulls were nearly a thousand feet in length and each had a ninety foot beam."

Plot summary: A survey of an abandoned Cold War era base in Greenland turns up an unexpected dead body and a connection to events in the dying days of WWII, events others will do anything to prevent from coming to light.

Note: Author Jack DuBrul later became one of Clive Cussler's 'late collaborators', in this novel he shows that he had a full understanding of the earlier authors use of fringe ideas to provide the basis for thrilling adventures.

 

[Graham1973]

Roderick McKenzie, Shadow Off The Coast, 1959

United Kingdom

HMS Snipe
S Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Class assignment from name only. At the time the story is set (1941) there was no ship of that name in service with the Royal Navy. A Black Swan Class Sloop of that name was completed in 1946.

Italy

Various Unnamed warships.

Plot summary: The year is 1941, the fuel situation at Malta has become desperate, submarines cannot carry enough and a full scale convoy would draw too much on resources needed elsewhere, so an alternative, but incredibly risky plan is hatched.

 

[Graham1973]

J. E. MacDonnell, Hell Ship, 1966

Australia

HMAS Jackal
Destroyer, class not specified
4 x 4.7 inch guns (A,B,X & Y)
1 x QF 2-pounder Mark V (8 barreled version)
2 x Quadruple 21 inch TT
Fitted with Radar & Sonar.
No other details provided.
Scrapped after November 6, 1944 due to battle damage.

Note: Armament details (With the exception of the 8 Barrelled AA gun.) fit the pre-Tribal classes of destroyers (Eg Interwar A - I classes), final class assignment will have to wait until I can find a novel with more details. In this novel the author does not provide any class specifics. However it is clearly not the Battle Class Destroyer of the same name that appears in some of the authors other novels as the main battery consists of 4.7 inch guns rather than the 4.5 inch guns fitted to the Battle Class. There was a real HMS Jackal of the J class which was sunk in May of 1942.

United Kingdom

HMS Cornwall (56)
County (Kent SubClass) Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service.

Germany

Pelican
Armed Merchant Ship (Commerce Raider)
Displacement: 10,000tons
Length: 600ft (182.9m)
Armament: 10 x 5.9inch guns (Arranged five a side.)
No other details provided.

Munchen
Armed Merchant Ship (Supply Ship)
Armament: 2 x 4inch guns
Speed: "...almost thirty knots..."
Original powerplant has been replaced with a naval powerplant.
No other details provided.

Unnamed (aka SS Straat Lombok)
Armed Merchant Ship (Supply Ship)
Displacement: 7000tons
Armament: 5 x 4inch guns (Arranged as follows, two on either beam, one at the stern. Only the stern gun is visible, the others are concealed.), other armament if any not specified.
Speed: 20knots
No other details provided.

Plot summary: A raider has been cornered in the Indian Ocean, as the last supply ships are being run down the captain of one choses to violate all the laws of war.

Note: J. E. MacDonnell was a prolific Australian writer of action fiction for newsstand paperbacks. Some of the novels by him covered in this thread include, 'Gimme the boats!' (1953), 'The Frogman' (1958), 'Night Encounter' (1958), 'The Surgeon' (1959), 'The Secret Weapon' (1959), 'Subsmash' (1960), 'The Coxswain' (1960), 'Sainsbury VC' (1962), 'U-Boat' (1962), 'Not Under Command' (1963), 'Killer Group' (1964), 'The Snake Boats' (1967), 'Approved to Scrap' (1968), 'The Hammer of God' (1968), 'Petty Officer Brady' (1968), 'Hunter-Killer' (1968), 'The Last Stand' (1970), 'The Kill', (1974), 'Breaking Point' (1979), 'Jim Brady, Able Seaman' (1985) & 'The Glory Hunter' (c. 1980s) . He also wrote a series of 'James Bond' style superspy thrillers featuring an agent named Mark Hood, novels in this series that have appeared in the thread are 'Come Die With Me' (1965), 'Carribean Striker' (1967) and 'Operation Octopus' (1968).

 

[GTX]

German light cruiser Saarbrücken from The Emperor's Men series. Is a Bremen class I believe