Fictional Warships - Novels

[Graham1973]

Jack Terral, SEALS: Battlecraft, 2006

USS Dan Daly (LHX-1)
Amphibious Assault Ship, class not specified
Length: 390ft (118.9m)
Beam: 55ft (16.8m)
Displacement: 20,000tons
Speed: 30knots
Crew: 455 (5 Officers, 450 Enlisted)
Can carry a "...full battalion of Marines..." though the ship would be rather crowded if that were the case.
Has a floodable dock capable of handling one of the two LCM-6s the ship carries at a time.
Has internal space for 80 'vehicles' (Defined as "...track and wheeled vehicles')
Has deck space for 12 CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopters, not equipped for fixed wing operations. (In the novel 'SEALS: Rolling Thunder' (2007) it's mentioned she's carrying three CV-22 'Osprey' Tilt Wings, but what else is being carried is not specified.)
Armament: 2 x "eight tube Sea Sparrow launchers" 2 x 5inch Mk. 45 guns, 2 x Phalanx CIWS.
Fitted with "...a dispensery of hundred and fifty beds for the treatment of casualties. Medical personnel beyond those normally allotted to a small crew were only available when the ship carried troops."
No other specific details are provided in regards, armament/sensors.
Note: Described as being "...designed and built in a concept so new and untried, the Navy couldn't decide whether to put an 'A' for general purpose or a 'D' for multipurpose on her designation."

Deck space for 12 Sea Knights on a 360ft hull...presumably not doing much other than sitting.

Or some kind of hot decking arrangement.

 

[Graham1973]

To start off 2022, a dip into the dying years of the Cold War...

Stephen Cassall, The Final Voyage of the S.S.N. Skate, 1989

United States

USS Skate (SSN-578)
Skate Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1957 - 1986.
Note: In real life decomissioned in 1986 and scrapped in 1996. In the novel fictionally kept in service until the late 1980s. While the year is not specified the submarine is described as '...over thirty years old...' in dialog. As noted above she was 29 years old when decomissioned, therefore the dialog implies service at least until 1988/89.

Fictionally modified to resemble a Soviet Foxtrot (Pr. 641) Class Submarine for covert operations. Some of the components used in the conversion were recovered from the Golf (Pr. 629) Class Submarine K-129 that was salvaged under Project Azorian. The cover identity used during the operation is 'Severyanka (B-331)'. Foxtrot Class Submarines were not named.

USS Dixon (AS-37)
L.Y. Spear Class Submarine Tender
Real ship, details as in service 1971 - 1995.

Johan Mansson
Fishing Smack
Typical of the types of boat used on the Dogger Bank
Note: Used by the CIA for covert operations in the Baltic. Armament if any is unspecified.


Russia

461
'Gunboat', class not specified
No other details provided.

Minsk
Kiev Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service, with fictional modifications.
Fictionally modified to carry a high-energy beam-particle gun fitted in hangar deck with a 182m long structure with an elevator to aim the firing nozzle (fires 2,000 pulses in 3 minutes, 15cm diameter particle beam).

Byk
Riga (Pr. 50) Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships

Lev
Riga (Pr. 50) Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships

Shakal
Riga (Pr. 50) Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Stated to have commissioned in 1958.

Dniestr
'Repair Ship', class not specified
No other details provided.

Provornyy
Kashin (Pr. 61) Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service

Admiral Isakov
Kresta II (Pr. 1134A) Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service

Admiral Makarov
Kresta II (Pr. 1134A) Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service

Plot summary: It is the late 1980s. Evidence has come to light that the Soviets have perfected a viable ground based ASAT system based on directed energy weapons. A high-risk mission is launched to steal key technology that will allow the US to catch up.

Note: This is another novel based on the idea that the Russians had obtained a decisive lead in ground based directed energy weapons. This was based on readings that actually originated with Russian tests of a nuclear-thermal rocket. Novels based on this idea covered in the thread are: 'Poseidon's Shadow' (A. P. Kobryn, 1979), 'Flight of the Old Dog' (Dale Brown, 1987), 'The Cardinal of the Kremlin' (Tom Clancy, 1988) & 'When Duty Calls' (Richard P. Henrick, 1988)

 

[Graham1973]

Keith Douglass (Pseud.), Carrier: Armageddon Mode, 1992

United States

USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-74)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers of the same name have appeared in the novels 'Nimitz Class' (1997) by Patrick Robinson and 'Night Trap' (1999), 'Top Hook' (2002), 'Hostile Contact' (2003), 'Force Protection' (2004) and 'Damage Control' (2006) by Gordon Kent (Pseud.). The Pennant number clashes with that of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). In the first novel of the series, which was set in 1992 or 1995 (The fourth book in the series is explictly stated to be set in 1997.), the carrier is identified as the "...newest of America's nuclear-powered carriers...". Explicitly identified as a member of the Nimitz Class by the author.

USS Vicksburg (CG-66)
Ticonderoga Class Cruiser
Launched: 1990
Comissioned: 1991
Real ship, details as in service 1992 - ongoing.
Note: When this ship was mentioned in the first novel in the series, I believed that this was the ship was originally laid down as the USS Port Royal, and who's name was changed to USS Vicksburg during construction, with the former name going to the final member of the class. The details provided in this novel change that completely, the pennant number is that of the USS Hué City (CG-66) another member of the Ticonderoga Class.

USS John A. Winslow
Spruance Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explicitly identified as a member of the Spruance Class by the author in the previous novel 'Carrier: Viper Strike' (1991)

USS Lawrence Kearney (DDG-59)
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer (Flight IIA)
Details as per the real ships
Note: Pennant clashes with that of the Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer, USS Russell (DDG-59). In this first novel the ship is simply identified as a 'destroyer'. In the second and third novels in the series the ship is identified as a 'DDG'. In 'Armageddon Mode' armament details are provided identifying her as a member of the Flight IIA subclass. The ships class/pennant number are not revealed until series fourth novel 'Carrier: Flame Out' (1992).

USS Biddle
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: The ship had been mentioned in the two previous novels in the series 'Carrier' (1991) & 'Carrier: Viper Strike' (1991) as a frigate of unspecified class. In this novel the author explicitly identifies the ship as an Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate. The ships name clashes with that of a Leahy Class Cruiser in service 1967 - 1994.

USS Galveston
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: Identified as "...one of the Navy's newest Los Angeles-class attack submarines..." and stated to have been attached to Carrier Battle Group 14 (The formation that is the focus of the series.) only five weeks prior to the events of 'Armageddon Mode' (E.g. She was not present during the previous two stories.).

USS Amarillo
'Underway Replenishment Ship', class not specified
No other details provided.

USS Peoria
'Underway Replenishment Ship', class not specified
No other details provided.
Note: Name clashes with a Newport News Class LST, USS Peoria (LST-1183) in service 1970 - 1994.

India

INS Kalvari (S23)
Foxtrot (Pr.641) Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1967 - 1996.
Note: In the novel the submarine opens fire on the USS Biddle after mistaking her for a Pakistani warship and is sunk in the resulting counter-attack. At the time the novel appears to be set (1997) there were no members of the Perry Class in Pakistani service, although the author states that two had been transferred at some point prior to the events of the novel. In the real world, this would not change until 2010 when the USS McInerney (FFG-8) was transferred to that country becoming the PNS Alamgir (F260).

All other Indian ships mentioned are also real.

Russia

Kreml
Kreml (Ulyanovsk) (Pr.1143.7) Class Aircraft Carrier (CVN)
Details as per the real ships, had they been completed.
Airgroup: YAK-38MP 'Forger', Navalized versions of the SU-27 & MIG-29 and Ka-27 'Helix' Helicopters.
Laid Down: 1985
Completed: 1991 (It's not clear if the author means commissioned at this point)
Note: In my entry covering the next novel in the series, 'Carrier: Flame Out' (1992) this ship while not appearing in the novel is described as the first in the class, which contradicts this novel which indicates that while the Kremel is the class name ship, it commissioned second. In that entry I identified the ship as fictional version of the Kuznetsov (Pr.1143.5) Class, however given the ship is specifically mentioned to be nuclear powered, a fictional version of the Ulyanovsk (Project 1143.7) Class based on whatever information was available in the US at the time (Early 1990s) the story was written is more likely the correct identity. This also applies to her sister ship the Soyuz which appears in 'Carrier: Flame Out'. In the latter novel details are provided which flatly contradict the information above, including a description of both ships as 'conventional carriers' (e.g. Kuznetsov Class) with a presumed Ulyanovsk Class carrier working up in the Black Sea. It is assumed that the author changed his mind between the two books.

Marshal Timoshenko
Kresta II (Pr.1134A) Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service 1975-1992

Moskovskiy Komsomolets
Kotlin (P.56A) Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships of the class that were modified to carry SA-N-1 'Goa' missiles. Armament also includes AK-630 CIWS systems.
Note: Name does not fit the Russian/Soviet class naming scheme for destroyers which is based on the names of personal qualities, rather than individuals as in the US Navy or organizations, as in this example.

Vilyatel'nyy
Kotlin (P.56) Class Destroyer (Fictionally modified to Pr.56A configuration.)
Real ship, details as in service 1954 - 1990, with fictional modifications, including the addition of AK-630 CIWS systems along the earlier fitting of an SA-N-1 'Goa' missile system.
Note: I have assumed the name to be an alternative transliteration for Vliyatelny, in which case this is a real member of the Kotlin Class which has not only fictionally been given the SA-N-1 'Goa' modification, but whose career has been fictionally extended past it's historic date of scrapping.

Svirepyy
Krivak I (Pr.1135) Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service 1972 - 1993

Letushiy
Krivak I (Pr.1135) Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Depending on the transliteration this name may clash with the frigate Letuchiy a member of the Krivak IV (Pr.11352/53) Class of frigates.

Unnamed
Oscar (Pr.949) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

Plot summary: As another Indo-Pakistani war begins, events suck the US and Russian navies into the conflict.

Note: This is the 3rd in a series of 'gung ho' action tales centered around the USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-74) and her crew published in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

 

[Graham1973]

Keith Douglass (Pseud.), SEAL Team Seven, 1994

United States

USS Newport News (SSN-750)
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1989 - ongoing

USS Santa Fe (SSN-763)
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1994 - ongoing

USS Nassau (LHA-4)
Tarawa Class Amphibious Assault Ship
Real ship, details as in service 1979 - 2011

USS Austin (LPD-4)
Austin Class
Real ship, details as in service 1965 - 2006

USS Recovery (ARS-43)
Bolster Class Salvage Ship
Real ship, details as in service 1946 - 1994

Japan (Coast Guard)

Shikishima (PLH-31)
Shikishima Class Patrol Vessel
Real ship, details as in service 1992 - ongoing
Note: These ships were designed as long range escorts for ships carrying plutonium between France & Japan, something that did not eventuate in the real world, but forms a key element in the novels plot.

Iran

Enghelab-é Eslami (Eng: Islamic Revolution)
Kilo (Pr.877) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.

All other Iranian ships mentioned in the novel are real.

Plot summary: The Japanese Red Army (A real terrorist organization in existence 1971 - 2001) combines with the Iranian government to divert a shipment of plutonium travelling from France to Japan towards Iran. This is something the United States cannot allow. For the Navy SEALs it's a chance to gain some worthwhile political points in the 'Washington Game', but with a Greenpeace boat tailing the ship carrying the plutonium, care has to be taken.

Note: The events of the story run from the Tuesday, May 3 to Tuesday, May 30. This day/date combination occurs in 1994 and 2005, going on internal evidence the earlier date is the most likely, therefore the novel is set the year it came out. The novel itself is the first in a 'gung-ho' action series based around the Navy SEALs set in the same universe as the 'Carrier' series attributed to the same pseudonym.

I've covered a later novel in the series, 'SEAL Team Seven: Battleground' (1998), earlier in the thread. Also covered in the thread is the 2000 novel 'Carrier: Joint Operations' which is a crossover work, that along with 'SEAL Team Seven: Tropical Terror' (2000) brings the two series together.

 

[Graham1973]

One of those unexpected finds...

Susan Wiggs, The Ocean Between Us, 2004

United States

USS Dominion (CVN-84)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Class assignment is based on the fact that the first members of the Gerald R. Ford Class did not enter service until 2017. The name does not fit the class and the author provides no class specifics.

Plot summary: The ups and downs of a Navy relationship.

Note: This is a romance/relationship novel rather than an action novel.

 

[Graham1973]

Another unexpected find...

Andrew M. Greeley, The Bishop at Sea: A Blackie Ryan Mystery, 1997

United States

USS Langley (CVN-90)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The author explicitly identifies the ship as being a member of the Nimitz Class in dialog. The pennant number is well outside the current range for US carriers.

Plot summary: A troubleshooter for the Catholic Church is sent aboard a US Navy carrier when it's captain, cousin of the troubleshooters boss asks for help from 'outside the Navy' to resolve some troubling mysteries aboard his ship.

Note: Andrew M. Greeley is a Catholic author who's written in a number of genres including Fantasy and Mystery, this tale is one of the latter. One strand of the plot revolves around the introduction of women into combat roles, another book building off this covered in the thread is 2004's 'The Command' by author David Poyer.

The attached illustration is from the front of the book and is an unknown artists somewhat wayward attempt to draw a Nimitz Class Carrier.

 

[Graham1973]

Another unexpected find in a murder mystery.

Jack Ambraw, Decker's Dilemma: A Subic Bay Mystery, 2015

United States

USS Harvey
Belknap Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships.

Plot summary: A crewman aboard a US warship based out of Subic Bay in 1986 finds himself getting into deep waters while trying to figure out if a friends death was an accident or something else.

 

[Graham1973]

Diving into World War II for the first time this year...

F. R. Tallis, The Passenger, 2016

Germany

U-330
Type VIIC U-Boat
Details as per the real ships
Note: Pennant clashes with that of a Type VIIC/41 U-Boat that was ordered in 1942 and broken up on the stocks incomplete in 1944.

U-807
Type IXB U-Boat
Details as per the real ships
Note: Pennant clashes with that of a Type IXC/40 U-Boat that was laid down in 1943 and scrapped incomplete in 1944.

U-112
U-Boat of unspecified type.
Note: Pennant clashes with that of a Type XI U-Boat who's construction was cancelled in 1940. The same pennant number was used by author Kenneth Bulmer for a Type VIIB U-Boat that appears in the 1980 novel 'Shark Hunt' published under the pen name of Bruno Krauss.

U-329
U-Boat of unspecified type.
Note: Pennant clashes with that of a Type VIIC/41 U-Boat that was ordered in 1942 and scrapped incomplete in 1944.

U-474
U-Boat of unspecified type.
Note: Pennant clashes with that of a Type VIIC U-Boat that was ordered in 1940 and damaged by bombing while incomplete in 1943, an attempt was made to complete this U-Boat but ultimately it was scuttled unfinished at the end of the war.

U-395
U-Boat of unspecified type.
Note: Pennant clashes with that of a Type VIIC U-Boat that was ordered in 1941 and destroyed by bombing in 1943 while still fitting out. The submarine is mentioned in dialog as an active member of the U-Boat arm in 1941, but does not appear in the story itself.

U-689
U-Boat of unspecified type.
Note: Pennant clashes with that of a Type VIIC/41 U-Boat that was ordered in 1942 and scrapped incomplete in 1944.

Note: It is likely the author intended all the U-Boats not given specific types to be taken as Type VIIC U-Boats, but if so they do not explicitly state it.

Plot summary: The year is 1941, a U-Boat on patrol is ordered to rendezvous with a ship and pick up two prisoners who are to be taken to base immediately. But as the journey home begins, things happen that lead the crew to wonder just what it is they have really picked up...

Note: The author writes a good scary tale, and were careful enough to use the pennants of unbuilt U-boats in their story, a fact they point out in their afterward. However, their research in other areas leaves much to be desired.

While aware of the British propaganda broadcasts aimed at Germany, they mistakenly describe them as the "...BBC German-language broadcast...".

The British covert propaganda broadcasts never associated themselves with the BBC, nor was the 'voice' of radio station GS1 ('Gustaf Siegfried Eins' to the Germans, 'Gurkensalat 1' to the British operating it.) which appears to be the broadcast programme described given any name other than 'Der Chief'.

 

[Graham1973]

Keith Douglass (Pseud.), Carrier: Maelstrom, 1993

United States

USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-74)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.

Note: Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers of the same name have appeared in the novels 'Nimitz Class' (1997) by Patrick Robinson and 'Night Trap' (1999), 'Top Hook' (2002), 'Hostile Contact' (2003), 'Force Protection' (2004) and 'Damage Control' (2006) by Gordon Kent (Pseud.). The Pennant number clashes with that of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). In the first novel of the series, which was set in 1996 (The fourth book in the series is explictly stated to be set in 1997.), the carrier is identified as the "...newest of America's nuclear-powered carriers...". Explicitly identified as a member of the Nimitz Class by the author.

USS Shiloh (CG-67)
Ticonderoga Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service 1992 - Ongoing

USS John A. Winslow
Spruance Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explicitly identified as a member of the Spruance Class by the author in the second novel in the series, 'Carrier: Viper Strike' (1991)

USS Lawrence Kearney (DDG-59)
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer (Flight IIA)
Details as per the real ships
Note: Pennant clashes with that of the Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer, USS Russell (DDG-59). In 'Carrier', the first novel in the series, the ship is simply identified as a 'destroyer'. In the second and third novels in the series the ship is identified as a 'DDG'. In 'Carrier: Armageddon Mode' armament details are provided identifying her as a member of the Flight IIA subclass. The ships class/pennant number are not finally revealed until the series fourth novel 'Carrier: Flame Out' (1992).
Note: Sunk in 1997.

USS Esek Hopkins
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: First mentioned in 'Carrier: Flame Out' (1992) as a frigate of unspecified class, it's identity as an Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate is confirmed in this novel. An Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate of the same name appears in the novels 'Hostile Contact' (2003) & 'Force Protection' (2004) both by Gordon Kent (Pseud.).

USS Stephen Decatur
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: First mentioned in 'Carrier: Flame Out' (1992) as a frigate of unspecified class, it's identity as an Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate is confirmed in this novel. The US Navy has had several ships named USS Decatur, but no ship specifically named USS Stephen Decatur. An Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate of the same name appears in the novel 'The Black Sea' (1991) by Richard Setlow.

United Kingdom

HMS Ark Royal (R07)
Invincible Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service 1985 - 2011

HMS Cardiff (D108)
Type 42 Class Destroyer (Batch I)
Real ship, details as in service 1979 - 2005.

HMS Exeter (D89)
Type 42 Class Destroyer (Batch II)
Real ship, details as in service 1980 - 2009.

Norway

HNoMS Stavanger (F303)
Oslo Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service 1967 - 1998.

Russia

Kreml
Kreml (Ulyanovsk) (Pr.1143.7) Class Aircraft Carrier (CVN)
Details as per the real ships, had they been completed.
Airgroup: YAK-38MP 'Forger', Navalized versions of the SU-27 & MIG-29 and Ka-27 'Helix' Helicopters.
Laid Down: 1985
Completed: 1991 (It's not clear if the author means commissioned at this point, however based on the details over the course of the books it appears in ('Armageddon Mode', 'Flame Out' & 'Maelstrom'), it would appear that this was first completed member of the class, but it comissioned second.)
Note: This ship is attached to the Baltic Fleet. Sunk in 1997

Soyuz (ex-Riga, ex-Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov)
Kreml (Ulyanovsk) (Pr.1143.7) Class Aircraft Carrier (CVN)
Details as per the real ships, had they been completed.
Airgroup: YAK-38MP 'Forger', Navalized versions of the SU-27 & MIG-29 and Ka-27 'Helix' Helicopters.
Note: Sunk in 1997

Note on the Russian Carriers: In my entry covering the fourth novel in the series, 'Carrier: Flame Out' (1992) the Kreml Class is described in a way that implies they are based on the conventionally powered Kusnetzov (Pr.1143.5) Class. In this novel that identity is further amplified. However in the novel immediately preceding 'Flame Out', 'Carrier: Armageddon Mode' (1992) provides a description that makes it very clear that at that point in the series the author had the never completed Ulyanovsk (Project 1143.7) Class CVNs in mind including a clear statement that the ship is nuclear powered. In 'Carrier: Maelstrom' (1993) an attempt is made to reconcile the statements made in the previous novels by stating that the members of the class started construction as CVNs but were completed with conventional propulsion. In my view this is evidence of a lack of publishers editorial supervision, a necessity when at least three authors (Brothers J. Andrew & William H. Keith along with author Chet Cunningham.) are known to have written for the series under the 'Keith Douglass' penname. For simplicities sake editorial discretion has been used and both carriers are treated as Ulyanovsk (Project 1143.7) Class CVNs built as planned (Based on the description in 'Armageddon Mode', this also applies to the entry I wrote on 'Flame Out').

Kirov
Kirov (Pr.1144) Class Battle Cruiser (BCGN)
Real ship, details as in service 1980 - 1990.

Irktusk
Kirov (Pr.1144) Class Battle Cruiser (BCGN)
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explicitly identified as a member of the Kirov Class by the author. This ship is attached to the Baltic Fleet.

Tallinn
Kirov (Pr.1144) Class Battle Cruiser (BCGN)
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explicitly identified as a member of the Kirov Class by the author. This ship is attached to the Baltic Fleet.

Note on the Kirov Class: The Russians planned to build five of these, but only four, the Kirov, Frunze, Kalinin & Yuriy Andropov were completed. A fifth ship which was to be named either Dzerzhinsky (After Felix Dzerzhinsky founder of the KGB) or Admiral Kutuzov was cancelled in 1990. Clearly in this universe more than five were constructed and they lasted in service longer than they did historically.

Admiral Isachenkov
Kresta II (Pr.111134A) Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service 1974 - 1992

Admiral Yumashev
Kresta II (Pr.111134A) Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service 1977 - 1992
Note: Fictionally sunk in 1997

Marshal Shaposhnikov
Udaloy (Pr.1155) Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service 1985 - Ongoing
Note: Fictionally sunk in 1997

Plot summary: The year is 1997 (The story starts immediatly after the events of the previous novel ('Carrier: Flame Out' and is set between the 18th and 26th of June of that year.), the initial Russian (Soviet) thrust into Norway has been halted, but with the reinforcements still on the way the personnel of Carrier Battle Group 14 have to husband their resources to keep the Russians in check until they arrive.

Note: This is the 5th novel in a series of 'gung ho' action tales centered around the USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-74) and her crew published in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Note on the British Government: One of the more interesting/amusing details in this sequence ('Flame Out', 'Maelstrom', 'Countdown') is the repeated statements that a British Labor Party Government in the UK 'dismantled' the RN (Most of the fleet is described as being mothballed in Scapa Flow.), pulled out of NATO and generally behaved like 'good little useful idiots' right up to the moment that the Russians invaded Norway, at which point the Conservatives call a snap election and turf them out.

At the time the first novels of the series were being written John Major had just succeeded Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister, it's clear the authors (See: 'Note on the Russian Carriers' for details.) believed that he would be voted out of office at the 1992 election. However while the British Labor Party had issued manifestos describing actions that they would take along the lines described should they gain office during the 1980s, (See also the posts I've made for the novels 'Side-Wall' (1983) by David Graham and 'The Hastings Conspiracy' (1980) by Alfred Coppel for other examples of what people thought the British Labor Party would do in office.) by the early 1990s they had started to move away from positions such as this under leaders like Neil Kinnock.

Note on the series chronology: In several of the earlier posts covering books from this series I've attempted to work out when the stories were actually set relative to the date of publication. Now that I've looked through the first five novels I think I've finally managed to sort it out. The first two novels ('Carrier' & 'Viper Strike') in the series do not specify the dates over which the stories are taking place. But in the second novel there is a statement to the effect that it's set three months after the first. The third novel ('Armageddon Mode' gives both dates and the days on which they fall, also included is a statment that it's taking place eight months after the events of the first novel. The fourth ('Flame Out') and fifth ('Maelstrom') novels cover the period of the 4th to the 26th of June 1997 and 'Flame Out' contains a statement that it's taking place 'a few months' after the events of 'Armageddon Mode'. What this means is that the first three novels in the series cover the period between June 1996 and April 1997.

 

[Dilandu]

Dzerzhinsky (After Felix Dzerzhinsky founder of the KGB)

Er, Felix Dzerzhinsky died in 1926, decades before KGB was founded in 1954. He was a founder of VChK - "Vsesoyuznaya Cherezvycainaya Komissia po borbe s kontrrevolutsiei and sabotagem" (rus. All-Union Emergency Commission about fighting the counterrevolution and sabotage), which was disbanded in 1922.

 

[Graham1973]

Dzerzhinsky (After Felix Dzerzhinsky founder of the KGB)

Er, Felix Dzerzhinsky died in 1926, decades before KGB was founded in 1954. He was a founder of VChK - "Vsesoyuznaya Cherezvycainaya Komissia po borbe s kontrrevolutsiei and sabotagem" (rus. All-Union Emergency Commission about fighting the counterrevolution and sabotage), which was disbanded in 1922.

Thanks for the update, but in 'pop culture' that is the association most often made.

 

[Graham1973]

Keith Douglass (Pseud.), Carrier: Countdown, 1994

United States

USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-74)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.

Note: Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers of the same name have appeared in the novels 'Nimitz Class' (1997) by Patrick Robinson and 'Night Trap' (1999), 'Top Hook' (2002), 'Hostile Contact' (2003), 'Force Protection' (2004) and 'Damage Control' (2006) by Gordon Kent (Pseud.). The Pennant number clashes with that of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). In the first novel of the series, which was set in 1996 the carrier is identified as the "...newest of America's nuclear-powered carriers...". Explicitly identified as a member of the Nimitz Class by the author.

USS Shiloh (CG-67)
Ticonderoga Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service 1992 - Ongoing
Note: Attached to CBG-14 (USS Thomas Jefferson)

USS Blakely (FF-1072)
Knox Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service 1970 - 1991
Note: Service fictionally extended to 1998 when she is sunk. At the time she was attached to CBG-7 (USS Eisenhower)

USS Talbot (FFG-4)
Brooke Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service 1967 - 1988
Note: In real life the ship was scrapped in 1994, in the novel the ships service was fictionally extended at least as far as 1998. Attached to CBG-7 (USS Eisenhower)

USS Scranton (SSN-756)
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1991 - Ongoing
Note: Fictionally sunk in 1998

USS Charleston (LKA-113)
Charlestown Class Amphibious Cargo Ship
Real ship, details as in service 1968 - 1992
Note: Career fictionally extended into 1998.

USS Santa Barbara (AE-28)
Kilauea-class ammunition ship
Real ship, details as in service 1970 - 1998

USS Galveston (SSN-770)
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: This ship first appears in 'Carrier: Armageddon Mode' where it is identified as "...one of the Navy's newest Los Angeles-class attack submarines..." at the same time it's explicitly stated that it was not part of fictional carrier battle group (CBG-14) which the series is focussed on until the events of 'Armageddon Mode'. The pennant number, which clashes with that of the Los Angeles Class Submarine USS Tuscon (SSN-770) is first mentioned in this novel.

USS Morgantown
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Attached to CBG-14 (USS Thomas Jefferson)

USS John Worden
Spruance Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: Attached to CBG-14 (USS Thomas Jefferson)

USS John A. Winslow
Spruance Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: Named in 'Carrier', but not explicitly identified as a member of the Spruance Class by the author until the second novel in the series, 'Carrier: Viper Strike' (1991). Attached to CBG-14 (USS Thomas Jefferson)

USS William B. Truesdale
'DDG', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Attached to CBG-14 (USS Thomas Jefferson)

USS Alan Kirk
'DDG', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Attached to CBG-14 (USS Thomas Jefferson)

USS J. L. Davis
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided.
Note: Attached to CBG-7 (USS Eisenhower)

USS Esek Hopkins
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: First mentioned in 'Carrier: Flame Out' (1992) as a frigate of unspecified class, it's identity as an Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate is confirmed in 'Carrier: Maelstrom'. An Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate of the same name appears in the novels 'Hostile Contact' (2003) & 'Force Protection' (2004) both by Gordon Kent (Pseud.). Attached to CBG-14 (USS Thomas Jefferson)

USS Stephen Decatur
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: First mentioned in 'Carrier: Flame Out' (1992) as a frigate of unspecified class, it's identity as an Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate is confirmed in 'Carrier: Maelstrom'. The US Navy has had several ships named USS Decatur, but no ship specifically named USS Stephen Decatur. An Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate of the same name appears in the novel 'The Black Sea' (1991) by Richard Setlow. Attached to CBG-14 (USS Thomas Jefferson)

USS Dickinson
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explicitly identified as a Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate by the author. Attached to CBG-14 (USS Thomas Jefferson)

USS Leslie
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explicitly identified as a Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate by the author. Attached to CBG-14 (USS Thomas Jefferson)

USS Bolan
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explicitly identified as a Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate by the author. Sunk in 1998.

USS John C. Pauly
'Frigate', class not specified
No other details provided.
Note: Attached to CBG-7 (USS Eisenhower)

Russia

Leninskiy Nesokrushimyy Pravda (Eng: Lenin's Invincible Truth)
Typhoon (Pr.941) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: Sunk in 1998

Slavnyy Oktyabrskaya Revolutsita (Eng: Glorious October Revolution)
Typhoon (Pr.941) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: Sunk in 1998

Blestyashchiy Krasnyy Pabeda (Eng: Magnificent Red Victory)
Typhoon (Pr.941) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

All other Russian warships in the novel are Unnamed.

Note on the Typhoon Class: The Russians planned to build ten of these submarines, but only completed six. This novel states that eight were completed, but at the time the novel is set five are non-operational due to a lack of spare parts. The translated ship names are taken straight from the novel and may not be 100% accurate

Plot summary: The year is 1998 (The story runs between the 20th of February and the 18th of March of that year). Russia has collapsed into civil war between pro and anti-democratic factions following the failure of the invasion of Scandanavia. The pro-democratic forces have finally reached the point where they might stand a chance of toppling the army backed regime in Moscow. Unwilling to risk losing, a faction within the army backed regime decides to risk the use of nuclear weapons, but how to keep the Americans from detecting the submarines as they head to the launch positions....

Note: This is the 6th novel in a series of 'gung ho' action tales centered around the USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-74) and her crew published in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The third in a subseries dealing with a major conflict with Russia it introduces a number of new characters to the series and deals with a couple of 'hot button' issues, namely females in combat roles and gays in the military. Both issues are handeled much better than might be expected from a 'gung ho' action series. Other novels I've covered in this list dealing with females in combat roles are 'The Command' (2004) by David Poyer and 'The Bishop at Sea: A Blackie Ryan Mystery' (1997) by Andrew M. Greely.

 

[Graham1973]

Something I'd not planned to add to the list until the implications became apparent...

Keith Douglass (Pseud.), SEAL Team Seven: Spectre, 1995

United States

USS Nassau (LHA-4)
Tarawa Class Amphibious Assault Ship
Real ship, details as in service, 1979 - 2011

USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-74)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers of the same name have appeared in the novels 'Nimitz Class' (1997) by Patrick Robinson and 'Night Trap' (1999), 'Top Hook' (2002), 'Hostile Contact' (2003), 'Force Protection' (2004) and 'Damage Control' (2006) by Gordon Kent (Pseud.). The Pennant number clashes with that of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). In the first novel of the series, which was set in 1996 (The fourth book in the series is explictly stated to be set in 1997.), the carrier is identified as the "...newest of America's nuclear-powered carriers...". Explicitly identified as a member of the Nimitz Class by the author.

Note on the Thomas Jefferson's appearance in 'SEAL Team Seven: Spectre': This novel is set between Friday, March 3rd and Friday, March 10th. A check using calendar software indicates this takes place in both 1995 and 2000, which given the evidence that these novels are set the year they came out indicates that most likely this story is set in 1995. This predates the start year of the first novel in the 'Carrier' series which I've calculated as 1996. In this novel the Jefferson is located in the Aegean off the coast of Greece. This is also where the ship is located during the novel 'Carrier: Enemies' (2000), the 15th novel in the 'Carrier' series, which I'd tentatively dated to 2004.

Checking the dates given for 'Enemies' (Wednesday May 3rd to Thursday 1st June.) the possible years this novel could take place are 1995, 2000 & 2006. If the earliest year is taken as correct then 'Enemies' is taking place immediately after the events of 'Spectre', however there is no reference to those events in 'Enemies' and since the offical timeline for the 'Carrier' series starts a year after the events of 'Spectre' it is most likely taking place in not in 1995, but one of the latter of the two years calculated, though which is the case will require locating additional novels in the 'Carrier' series to firm up the timeline.

Plot Summary: In the aftermath of the Wars of the Yugoslavian Secession, adherents of one faction decide to kidnap a visiting US Congressional delegation and demand whatever they can get for them. Not a good idea...

Note: This is the second novel in a 'gung-ho' action series based around the Navy SEALs set in the same universe as the 'Carrier' series and attributed to the same pseudonym. This series lasted 22 novels and unlike the 'Carrier' series all the novels were republished with new covers in 2011.

I've covered a later novel in the series, 'SEAL Team Seven: Battleground' (1998), the sixth book, earlier in the thread. Also covered in the thread is the 2000 novel 'Carrier: Joint Operations' which is a crossover work, that along with 'SEAL Team Seven: Tropical Terror' (2000) brings the two series together. This novel which appears to be the first time characters from the two series worked together is not given any special highlighting, unlike the later books.

 

[Graham1973]

Philip McCutchan, Halfhyde for the Queen, 1978

United Kingdom

4th Torpedo Boat Destroyer Flotilla

HMS Venomous
Torpedo Boat Destroyer, class not specified
No other details provided
Flotilla leader

HMS Vendetta
Torpedo Boat Destroyer, class not specified
3 x 12 pdr guns
2 x TT
Four funnels
Displacement: 240 tons
27 knots

HMS Venus
Torpedo Boat Destroyer, class not specified
No other details provided

HMS Vortex
Torpedo Boat Destroyer, class not specified
No other details provided

HMS Venture
Torpedo Boat Destroyer, class not specified
No other details provided

Note: Presumably all these ships are members of the same fictional class (One set of '27 knotters' ordered by the Admiralty in the 1893/94 program.) and share the same details.

Spain

1st Battle Squadron

Alphonso XIII
'Battleship' (pre-dreadnought), class name not given
Armament: 2 x 14inch Guns, 10 x 4inch guns, 2 x torpedo
Speed: 15knots.
No other details provided.

Infanta Maria Theresa
'Battleship' (pre-dreadnought), class name not given
Armament: 2 x 14inch Guns, 10 x 4inch guns, 2 x torpedo
Speed: 15knots.
No other details provided.

Vizcaya
'Battleship' (pre-dreadnought), class name not given
Armament: 2 x 14inch Guns, 10 x 4inch guns, 2 x torpedo
Speed: 15knots.
No other details provided.

Almirante Oquendo
'Battleship' (pre-dreadnought), class name not given
Armament: 2 x 14inch Guns, 10 x 4inch guns, 2 x torpedo
Speed: 15knots.
No other details provided.

Note: During the 19th Century the Spanish navy only had one pre-dreadnought battleship, the Pelayo in service between 1888 - 1925. One of the names used in this novel Alphonso XIII was used in the 20th Century for one of the three España Class Battleships launched between 1909 and 1921.

Later: With thanks to Hood for pointing this out. All of the names used for the pre-dreadnoughts in this novel were used for Spanish cruisers during the 19th C. The Alphonso XIII clashes with a Reina Regante Class Cruiser (Construction started 1891, commissioned and scrapped in 1900). The other three recycle the names of Infanta Maria Theresa Class Cruisers lost at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in 1898. Interestingly the Infanta Maria Theresa Class had been intended as additional members of the Pelayo Class (E.g Pre-Dreadnoughts) when the plans were changed following a dispute with the Germans in the 1890s.

The author does not mention any named cruisers during the course of the novel, a single unnamed cruiser is mentioned as operating with the 1st Battle Squadron at one point of the novel.

Plot summary: It is "...some ninety years..." after the Battle of Trafalgar. Britannia rules the waves, having rescued a merchantman from those Russian bounders the 4th Torpedo Boat Destroyer Flotilla is returning to Britain when they come accross a sinking ship, one of the survivors they rescued states he's learned that someone in Spain is planning to have Queen Victoria killed. Now the race is on to reach England and beat the conspirators to the punch...

 

[Graham1973]

Gerry Doyle, from the Depths, 2007

United States

USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709)
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1984 - 2006
Note: Ships service has been fictionally extended into 2007.

Korea (Democratic People's Republic)

Yong (19) (Eng: Dragon)
Romeo (Pr. 633) Class Submarine
Crew: 30 officers and men (Noted in the novel that the crew is understrength, no special modifications have been made to the sub to allow it to operate with a smaller crew.)
Details as per the real ships
Note: The submarines name, class and pennant number are explicitly identifed by the author in dialog. I have no good source on the North Korean Navy and it is possible though unlikely that this is a real submarine.

Plot summary: The year is 2007 (The story runs between the 27th of May and the 6th of June of that year.) . A North Korean submarine which tried to defect is found floating on the surface of the Pacific Ocean. A team of Navy SEALS and a CIA Forensic Pathologist are sent aboard to find out just what happened and salvage the sub.

Note: While an effective action horror story, the author does not do well enough to conceal certain things from the reader lessening the tension and the plot's overall shape with it's chilling ending is very similar to that of Roland Emmich's graduation thesis, the film 'The Noah's Ark Principle'.

 

[Hood]

Philip McCutchan, Halfhyde for the Queen, 1978


Infanta Maria Theresa
'Battleship' (pre-dreadnought), class name not given
Armament: 2 x 14inch Guns, 10 x 4inch guns, 2 x torpedo
Speed: 15knots.
No other details provided.

Vizcaya
'Battleship' (pre-dreadnought), class name not given
Armament: 2 x 14inch Guns, 10 x 4inch guns, 2 x torpedo
Speed: 15knots.
No other details provided.

Almirante Oquendo
'Battleship' (pre-dreadnought), class name not given
Armament: 2 x 14inch Guns, 10 x 4inch guns, 2 x torpedo
Speed: 15knots.
No other details provided.

I've noticed that these three ships all have name clashes with Spanish armoured cruisers of this class: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Maria_Teresa-class_cruiser and all were part of the 1st Squadron. So I wonder if these are real ships in the book?

The Alphonso XIII was another cruiser of the Reina Regente-class, but a little later and seems to have served little time in an active role.

 

[Dilandu]

he's learned that someone in Spain is planning to have Queen Victoria killed.

I wonder what exactly Spain may gain from it...

 

[Graham1973]

he's learned that someone in Spain is planning to have Queen Victoria killed.

I wonder what exactly Spain may gain from it...

What the conspirators want is Spain itself, political disruption in the British Empire (However temporary) is seen as a necessary step to prevent outside interference.

 

[Graham1973]

Larry Bond & Patrick Larkin, Cauldron, 1993

United States

USS Simpson (FFG-56)
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service 1985 - 2015
Note: Fictionally sunk in 1997

USS Dale (CG-19)
Leahy Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service 1963 - 1994
Note: Fictionally retained in US service until 1997 when it is sunk in action.

USS John Barry
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer (Flight I)
Details as per the real ships
Note: The United States Navy has had four ships named USS Barry, the most recent of which is the Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52) in honor of John Barry the figure credited with founding what became the United States Navy, none however have been specifically named John Barry. 'Flight' has been determined by the fact that the first ships in 'Flight II' did not begin construction until a few years after this novel was published.

All other USN units appearing in the book are real or do not have blatant fictional alterations to their history. The units listed above are the only exception.

United Kingdom

HMS Ursula (S42)
Upholder Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service (RN) 1992 - 1994 (Canada as HMCS Corner Brook (SSK-878)) 2003 - Ongoing
Note: Fictionally retained in active RN service into 1997.

European Confederation (Fictional Nation)

The European Confederation is the successor state to the European Union, what this basically means is the French call the shots and everybody else (Including the Germans they've tricked into going along with this.) does what they are told. Full unification of the various 'National' armed forces into unified 'Confederation' armed forces is a long term effort that has been postponed until a successful conclusion of the present conflict.

(Germany)

Bayern (F217)
Brandenburg Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service 1994 - Ongoing
Note: Fictionally sunk in 1997

Sachsenwald (A1437)
Sachsenwald Class Minelayer/Transport
Real ship, details as in service 1969 - 1993
Note: Stated to carry 1000 mines. Information provided by Dilandu the real number may have been in the region of 500/600. Career is fictionally extended to 1997 during which year she is sunk.

Note: I had used a different description of the ship above prior to Dilandu providing their information. The original version of the entry is preserved in Dilandu's comment.

All other German Navy units mentioned by name are real or do not have blatant fictional alterations to their history. The units listed above are the only major exceptions.

(France)

All units mentioned are Unnamed.

For the Aircraft Mavens

In this novel's 1997 the Polish Airforce receives a number of F-15 'Eagle' fighters (Apparently sufficent to re-equip the Polish Airforces entire fighter force.) from the United States to counter the more modern Dassault Rafale's used by their opponents. In real life they have a mixture of MiG-29s and F-16s.

For the Rocketry Mavens

The US has the 'Brilliant Pebbles' ASAT system up and running in this novel's 1997.

The 'European Confederation' has an operational version of the ANL, a helicopter launched ramjet propelled supersonic sea skimming anti-shipping missile who's development ended without becoming operational in the 1990s. The only specific given is that the missile has a range of 180km.

For the Firearms Mavens

The German Army (prior to being subsumed into the European Confederation's army.) fully re-equips with the Heckler & Koch G-11 rifle. Historically the weapon never entered service, there is a video giving the basic history of the rifle along with showing the process of field stripping the weapon. See: (Forgotten Weapons (Kraut Space Magic: H&K G-11))

Plot summary: The year is 1997 (The story runs between the 1st of August and the 24th of September of that year.), following a prolonged economic slowdown several countries in Europe, including France and Germany, resort to martial law in an attempt to control dissent. Freed from civilian oversight, some people in France develop Napoleonic scale ambitions...

Note: This is the third of a series of novels the author, along with co-author Patrick Larkin, wrote covering 'hot button' scenarios that existed at the time. The first 'Red Phoenix' (1989), covered earlier in this thread, dealt with an attempt by North Korea to absorb South Korea by force. The second 'Vortex' (1991) deals with an attempt by the South African minority government to maintain it's hold on power by force.

 

[Dilandu]

Sachsenwald
'Minelayer', class not specified.
Stated to be an 'Old' ship
Carries 1000 mines.
No other details provided

Note: Neither the German Navy or the Bundesmarine posessed minelayers.

Er, you are mistaken.



Sachsenwald-class (type 762) mine transport/minelayer. Two were build in 1960s (officially to supply mines for other ships, but on practice, they have full minelaying equipment), both were decommissioned in 1990s.

The author may be mistaken about number of mines - according to notes I meet, they carry 500-600, not 1000 - but I'm not completely sure. It may be that they took 500-600 mines usually, and 1000 in overload, or more advanced & lighter mines were used.

 

[Graham1973]

Thanks for the update Dilandu. I've corrected the relevant entry. I'm not sure how I missed the information, but then there's not much online about these ships.

 

[Dilandu]

Thanks for the update Dilandu. I've corrected the relevant entry. I'm not sure how I missed the information, but then there's not much online about these ships.

German navy is... confusing, considering that there were two of them during Cold War)

 

[Graham1973]

Pat Johnston, Boatswain's Mate, 2001

United States

USS Roe
Fletcher Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Comissioned in late 1944.
Note: This is the ship the narrator serves on during WWII.

USS Warhol
Fletcher Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: This is the ship the narrator serves on during the Korean War.

USS Junction City (CAG-?)
Boston Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The Boston Class historically consisted of two former Baltimore Class Cruisers, USS Boston (CAG-1) and USS Canberra (CAG-2) and involved a limited conversion where the aft 8 inch turret was replaced with a pair of twin RIM-2 'Terrier' missile launchers and their associated guidance systems. Had the USS Junction City existed it would have been a third member of the class and the pennant would most likely have been CAG-3, however this is not stated in the story. This is the ship the narrator serves on from the end of the Korean War until 1960.

USS Carson County (LST-1165)
De Soto County Class Tank Landing Ship
Details as per the real ships.
Comissioned: 1958
Note: The pennant number clashes with that of USS Washoe County (LST-1165) a Terrebonne Parish Class Tank Landing Ship in service 1953 - 1970. The pennant numbers for the De Soto Class ran LST-1171, 1173-1178. The narrator serves on this ship from 1960 to 1963

USS Pocatello
Austin Class Amphibious Transport Dock
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The narrator serves on this ship from 1965 to 1966

USS Oak Island
Austin Class Amphibious Transport Dock
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The narrator serves on this ship from 1967 to 1968.

USS MacGilray
Forrest Sherman Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: A friend of the narrator serves on this ship.

USS Pepperdine
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided

USS Medford
Tarawa Class Amphibious Assault Ship
Details as per the real ships.
Note: This is the ship the narrator is on in 1975.

Plot summary: The career of a member of the US Navy from 1944 until 1975.

 

[Graham1973]

Joan H. Harlow, Shadows On The Sea, 2005

Germany

U-1230
U-Boat, type unspecified.
Note: Pennant number clashes with that of a Type IXC/40 that was in service between January 1944 and the end of the Second World War. The cover however depicts a Virginia Class Submarine with pennant number U-1230.

Plot summary: A young girl visiting relatives on the coast of Maine during 1942 comes to suspect that some of her neighbours may be German agents, but which ones...

Note: The author based certain aspects of the story on a real German operation codenamed 'Elster' (Eng: 'Magpie') an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to infiltrate two agents into the United States via Maine in 1944.

 

[Graham1973]

Mack Maloney, Operation: Sea Ghost, 2012

United States

USS Robert J. Messia (CG-??)
Ticonderoga Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships
Note: In the first novel in the series 'The Pirate Hunters' (2010) this ship is simply referred to as a 'Guided Missile Cruiser' of unspecified class. In this novel the ship is referred to as an 'Aegis Cruiser' (E.g. A Ticonderoga...). The name does not fit the class naming scheme (US battles.). Has been modified to serve as an ELINT ship.

India

INS Vidynut
See the entry for 'The Pirate Hunters' (2010) for this ships details. The current novel does not provide any additional information.

Plot summary: Having rescued a major media personality from some Somali pirates, Kilos Shipping's team of mercenaries are contacted by 'Mr Washington', it seems that a plan to make something the CIA lost in Vietnam disappear for good has gone wrong. With the package in the hands of Indonesian pirates who definitely know they have something that quite a few people around the world will pay top dollar for, it needs to be recovered and fast. Rather than send in the SEALs and risk further embarrasment, it's been decided to use, 'private military contractors'...

Note: Like several of this authors other works, little things, like correct geography are ignored (This book describes Somalia as 'jungle clad'...) in favour of over-the-top action and what I can only describe as "...a whole bunch of stupid stuff..."

 

[Graham1973]

J. E. MacDonnell, Flashpoint, 1965

Australia

HMAS Tempest
Crown Colony/Fiji Class Cruiser
Details as per real ships.
Note: Name does not fit class. Also appears in several other of the authors many novels.

HMAS Wind Rode
J, K & N Class Destroyer?
Details as per the real ships
Note: Also appears in several other of the authors many novels.

United Kingdom

HMS Tartar
County Class Cruiser?
Details as per the real ships
Note: This ship is mentioned in a character's backstory, but does not take part in the story. The only specifics the authors gives is an 8inch main battery. However, in the books I've read to date the author has only made use of County Class Cruisers. The name does not fit the class naming scheme and clashes with the name of a Tribal Class Destroyer in service between 1939 and 1946.

United States

Various Unnamed warships.

Japan

Various Unnamed warships.

Plot summary: Following a hard fought naval action an Australian destroyer receives replacement crew, but it soon becomes clear that one of the replacements is not being entirely truthful, can he be made to shape up in time...

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), 'Command' (1958), 'The Frogman' (1958), 'Night Encounter' (1958), 'The Surgeon' (1959), 'The Secret Weapon' (1959), 'Dive,Dive,Dive!' (1959), 'Subsmash' (1960), 'The Coxswain' (1960), 'The Blind Eye' (1961), 'The Ordeal' (1961), 'Away Borders!' (1962), 'Sainsbury VC' (1962), 'U-Boat' (1962), 'Not Under Command' (1963), 'Killer Group' (1964), 'Sabotage!' (1964), 'Hell Ship' (1966), '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), 'Command Decision' (1985), '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).

Part of the plot in this novel involves dealing with an Unnamed (In this novel.) Nagato Class Battleship which also appears in an earlier novel entitled 'Course to Intercept' according to a footnote early in the book. A copy of that novel is now being searched for, just in case the ship is named in the earlier book.

 

[Graham1973]

With thanks to Hood for help with ship identification.

'Bounds' (Pseud.), Floating Fortress, published as Commando Comics Nº. 4868, 2015

United Kingdom

HMS Viciously
Illustrious Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Name does not fit the class.

Plot summary: The year is 1944, three Fleet Air Arm pilots find themselves leading Pacific Islanders in a guerilla campaign against a Japanese airfield.

Note: The story was first published as Commando Nº.172 in 1965 and reissued in 1974 as Commando Nº. 855. The current issue is part of what's refered to as the 'Gold Collection', stories chosen to mark 50 years of Commando Comics.

 

[Dilandu]

HMS Viciously

Rather... strange name. "Vicious" I could understood (albeit its not exactly the good quality, so hardly a name for warship), but "Viciously"? Almost like the author knew English rather poorly.

 

[Graham1973]

HMS Viciously

Rather... strange name. "Vicious" I could understood (albeit its not exactly the good quality, so hardly a name for warship), but "Viciously"? Almost like the author knew English rather poorly.

I've discussed with Hood some of the weird & wonderful names the authors of Commando Comics stories came up with and we both agree it's quite an annoyance.

 

[Graham1973]

Now for a rare case of a Commando Comic with a class appropriate warship name.

Anon., His Majesty's Schooner, published as Commando Comics Nº. 1218, 1975

United Kingdom

HMS Midge
Insect Class Gunboat
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The name, aside from being a rare case of a Commando Comics writer using a name appropriate to the class depicted, was used for an Acasta Class Destroyer in WWI that was scrapped in the 1920s, but I'm not sure if it was used for anything else after that.

'HMS' Java Queen
Two-Masted Topsail Schooner
Details as per typical members of this type of ship.
Fitted with an auxiliary diesel engine.
Armament: 1 x 9pdr Long Gun (Modern (1930s)) copy of a late 18th/early 19thC Muzzle Loader used as a bow chaser), 4 x Type 92 70mm howitzers (Two on each broadside), 2 x Type 96 6.5mm Machine Guns
Note: Privately owned sail training ship notionally impressed into service, most of the armament, with the exception of the 9pdr is captured from a Chinese freighter in Japanese service who's crew are more than happy to hand the guns over.

Japan

Various Unnamed MTBs.

Plot summary: The year is 1942, the crew of a gunboat sunk opposing the Japanese invasion of Malaya come ashore near a privately operated sail training establishment. Determined to get the boys there to safety they comandeer the schooner used for sail training, but with the British position in south-east Asia crumbling will they be able to find a safe haven in time.

 

[Grey Havoc]

I really should be liking more of the posts in this great thread. For a long time I haven't been doing that because I was afraid of cluttering things up on you! (Ironic, because I then went and did just that in other threads over time).

 

[Graham1973]

Bill Schweigart, Slipping The Cable, 2012

United States (Coast Guard)

USCGC Sentinel
Famous Class Cutter
Details as per the real ships
Commissioned: 1983
Note: Name does not fit the class. Author specifically identifies actual members of the Famous Class, USCGC Mohawk (WMEC-913) and USCGC Thetis (WMEC-910) as 'sister ships' of the USCGC Sentinel. The same name is used for a Cutter of unspecified class in the 2005 novel 'Deepkill' by Michael Kilian.

USCGC Cape Hatteras (WPB-95305)
Cape Class Patrol Boat
Real ship, details as in service 1953 - 1991
Note: Appears in a characters backstory, does not appear in the story.

Plot summary: The year is 1996, a rivalry between the captain of a Coast Guard Cutter and a new member of the crew turns deadly.

 

[Graham1973]

Another US Coast Guard find amongst the pages of a 'romantic suspense/action' series by 'Mills & Swoon'...

Sandra K. Moore, Athena Force: Without A Trace, 2008

United States (Coast Guard)

USCGC Undaunted
Reliance Class Cutter
Details as per the real ships
Note: Class assignment based on name only.

Plot summary: A seemingly routine drugs bust at sea leads to a horrific discovery and sends a member of the US Coast Guard into the bowels of Hong Kong and beyond in search of those responsible...

Note: This is one of several novels in a 'shared world' series built around a very special academy for young women, designed for those who want their romance mixed with action/adventure.

 

[Graham1973]

Back to WWII...

With thank's to Hood for clearing up the pennant numbers.

Anon., Sky Giant, published as Commando Comics Nº. 1250, 1978

United Kingdom

HMS Sandfly (K04)
Flower Class Corvette
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The name does not fit the Flower Class Naming scheme and was last used for an Acheron Class Destroyer in service 1911 - 1921. The pennant number is that of the Flower Class Corvette HMS Saxifrage which was in service between 1942 - 1947.

HMS Mahratta (G23)
M Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service
Note: This ship never served in the Meditteranean, it's career was entirely spent in the Arctic from its date of commissioning in 1943 until sunk escorting convoy JW-57 in 1944.

Note: The appearance of real pennant numbers is probably the result of the artist making use of period photographs as source material.

Plot summary: The year is 1943 and the Tunisian campaign is nearing it's climax. For the crew of HMS Sandfly the new 1st Lieutenant was a vast improvement over the incompetent blowhard who's only talent was getting into trouble he'd replaced. Unfortunately for them, that talent for getting into trouble had a wide reach. A decision to 'shoot first, think about it later' brings down an Me323 'Gigant' transport plane and 200 troops next to a ship load of explosives, what could possibly go wrong...

 

[Graham1973]

Micheal Howe (Pseud.(?)), Trident Force: Sea Hawk, 2000

United States

USS Bastogne
Amphibious assault ship, class not specified.
No other details provided.
Note: In WWII this name was used for a member of the Commencement Bay Class Escort Carriers. It has not been used since.

USS Corregidor
Amphibious assault ship, class not specified.
No other details provided.
Note: In WWII this name was used for a member of the Casablanca Class Escort Carriers. It has not been used since.

USS Khe Sanh
Amphibious assault ship, class not specified.
No other details provided.
Note: This name was planned to be used for the member of the Tarawa Class Amphibious Assault Ships briefly renamed USS Da Nang before being completed as USS Peleliu (LHA-5). A fictional member of the Wasp Class named USS Khe Sanh (LHD-9) appears in the video game 'Arma 2' released in 2009.

USS Tonkin Gulf
Amphibious assault ship, class not specified.
No other details provided.
Note: This name has never been used by the United States Navy.

Note: Regarding the ships above. At the time the novel came out, the Iwo Jima Class, the Tawara Class and the Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Ships were all still in service with the United States Navy. No details are provided to indicate which of the three classes the author had in mind.

USS Abernathy
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Class identification based on the fact that the Oliver Hazzard Perry Class was the only frigate class remaining in US service at the time the novel came out.

USS Lines
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: Class identification based on the fact that the Oliver Hazzard Perry Class was the only frigate class remaining in US service at the time the novel came out.

USNS Vector
'Survey Ship', class not specified
No other details provided.

Plot summary: The Chinese have provided a modified copy of the Mk.60 CAPTOR mine to a 'Generic Islamic Terrorist Group', the hunt is now on to find them before they can use them.

Note: This is second in a series of novels about a Black Ops group targeting terrorists. I believe that that the authors name is a pseudonym because the novels are copyrighted to a publisher, not the name on the cover.

 

[Graham1973]

Ferg Handley, Submarine Warriors, published as Commando Comics Nº. 4084, 2008

United Kingdom

HMS E-62
E Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Pennant number is well past the actual pennant numbers for the class. The pennant number is clearly marked on the side of the submarines hull as well as being referred to in dialog. Class is explicitly confirmed by the author.

Turkey (Ottoman Empire)

Various Unnamed Warships

Germany (WWI)

Various Unidentified U-Boats.

Plot summary: The year is 1915, a raid by an E Class submarine into the Dardanelles in support of the Gallipoli Campaign is complicated when they pick up a survivor from a sunken British warship who's views on submarine warfare are coloured by his claustrophobia....

 

[Graham1973]

Michael Howe (Pseud.(?)), Trident Force: Threat Level, 2010

United States

USS Wake Island
Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Ship
Details as per the real ships
Note: This name was previously used for a Casablanca Class Escort Carrier in service 1943 - 1946 and has not been subsequently used by the US Navy. The author does not explicitly identify the class by name, but sufficient details are provided to be certain of this class identification.

USS Charles L. Dodgson
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer(?)
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Charles L. Dodgson is the name of the Victorian-era author who is more well known by the psedonym he used, Lewis Carroll and is not a name I would expect to see the US Navy honoring. Class identification based on the fact that the Spruance Class was out of service by 2005, the author provides no class specific details to confirm this identification.

Netherlands

HNLMS Nassau
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided.

Plot summary: A Somali pirate attack on a cruise ship results in the death of the daughter of a major contributor to the (Unspecified) party currently holding power in the US. As a result, the black ops team specifically tasked with dealing with terrorism is sent to the Somali coast with orders to shut down the pirates operations any way they can...

Note: This is third in a series of novels about a Black Ops group targeting terrorists. I believe that that the authors name is a pseudonym because the novels are copyrighted to a publisher, not the name on the cover.

 

[Graham1973]

Stephen Wilson, Between The Hunters And The Hunted, 2005

Germany

Seelöwe
H Class Battleship (Fictional Design)
Main Battery: 12 x 16inch guns (Four Triple Turrets, Anton, Bruno, Caesar, Dora)
Secondary Battery: 12 x 6inch guns (6 twin turrets arranged three a side.)
Anti-Aircraft: 20 x 4inch (10 twin turrets (105cm/L65 C33 cannon)), 32 x 3.7cm (16 twin mounts). Lighter caliber weapons are also fitted but described as being "...far too many and far too widely dispersed..." to allow an accurate count to be made.
Crew: 2365
Displacement: 60,000tons (approx)
Length: 900ft (274.32m) (approx)
Speed: 37knots
Note: The H Class was a general project name for a series of battleship designs intended to succeed the Bismark Class drawn up in several versions between 1939 and 1944, none of these designs featured triple turrets. Only the first iteration, the H39 class which would have featured a main battery of 8 x 16inch guns got anywhere close to being built. From some surviving material it is known that Hitler favoured naming the first two members of the H39 class Ulrich von Hutten and Götz von Berlichingen respectively, but this was never formally announced. The author names the ship 'Sea Lion', I've given the German form of the name.

United Kingdom

HMS Birmingham (C19)
Town Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service (1937 - 1959)

HMS Firedancer
F Class Destroyer (Modified)
Armament: As per the real members of the class but the main battery guns are 4.5 inch guns rather than 4.7 inch. In later novels of the series 'A' turret is replaced with a Hedgehog mount.
Built: 1935 (Not clear if author means launched or commissioned.)
Other details as per the real ships.
Note: Author identifies this ship as a member of the 'Fame' Class, HMS Fame was an F Class Destroyer launched in 1934. Details about the armament are from the authors 2007 novel 'Armada' in which this ship plays a prominent role. In the course of this novel he reveals that he believed that all WWII British destroyers were armed with 4.5inch guns rather than the 4.7inch guns they actually were.

HMS Prometheus
Dido Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships.

HMS Nottingham
County Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships
Note: Name does not fit the County Class, but would have fit the Town Class. While the author does not specify the class, the armament details provided in the novel fit the County Class.

HMS Harrogate
'Cruiser', class not specified
No other details provided

HMS Kensington
'Cruiser', class not specified
No other details provided

Plot summary: The year is 1941. Winston Churchill has borded HMS Prince of Wales en route to his first face-to-face meeting with the President of the United States. After the ship departs it's discovered the Germans have completed a third battleship, one more powerful than either the Bismark or the Tirpitz and it's just left Norway with clear and unmistakeable orders 'Get Churchill!'

Note: This is the second published in a, as far as I know, three book series ('Voyage of the Gray Wolves' (2004), 'Between The Hunters and the Hunted' (2005) and 'Armada' (2007)) featuring the destroyer HMS Firedancer, but chronologically it's the earliest set of the stories with the actual series order being 'Between The Hunters And The Hunted', 'Armada' and 'Voyage of the Gray Wolves' . One unusual feature of this novel is that silhouettes of some of the ships appearing in the novel are featured in the endpapers. A scan of this is attached to the post.

 

[Graham1973]

Dipping back into the pulp magazines...

Robert Sidney Bowen, Malta Masquerade, published in Army Navy Flying Stories, Winter 1943

United States

USS Bennington
Wasp Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships
Note: While the story is undated the plotline revolves around keeping the knowledge that a US Carrier has entered the Mediterranean a secret. The first US Carrier to enter the Mediterranean was USS Wasp (CV-7) in 1942 and it's likely the authors intent was to have the reader assume she was a fictional sister ship to the USS Wasp, which in real life was a one-off design, although he provides no class specific details.

And for the Aircraft Mavens.

He-113
Single Seat Fighter
Details as per the He-100
Note: The He-100 was a proposed alternative to the Bf-109 that never entered series production. During the early days of the war the Germans released photographs purporting to prove the fighter was operational under the designation He-113.

Plot summary: The year is 1942, the United States has entered the Mediterranean for the first time in WWII and a cunning operation is put into play to keep the Germans from finding out as long as possible.

 

[Graham1973]

Richard P. Henrick, The Golden U-Boat, 1991

United States

USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service (1996 - Ongoing)

USS Hunley (AS-31)
Hunley Class Submarine Tender
Real ship, details as in service (1962 - 1994)

Norway (Coast Guard)

NoCGV Nordkapp (W320)
Nordkapp Class Offshore Patrol Vessel
Real ship, details as in service

Russia

Lena
Alfa (Pr.705) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Launched/commissioned: 1983
Note: Specifically identified as the last member of the class built, which would make her the eighth member of the class after K-463 which was launched/commissioned in 1981. At the time of the story she is being used to support covert operations. In the real world none of the Alfa Class Submarines were named.

Germany (WWII)

U-3312
Type XXI U-Boat
Details as per the real ships
Note: The pennant number does not appear to have been one used by the Reichsmarine during WWII. This submarine was sunk in May 1945 while attempting to escape Germany prior to the surrender of the Third Reich.

U-3313
Type XXI U-Boat
Details as per the real ships
Note: The pennant number does not appear to have been one used by the Reichsmarine during WWII. This submarine survived the war concealed in a submarine pen constructed on the island of Svalbard, from which it is salvaged and restored to operational condition in the 1990s. Both it and U-3312 were attached to the SS under Operation Werwolf. Historically Operation Werwolf was a purported anti-Allied reistance movement in Germany, there were no plans for activities outside Germany. In the novel it's linked to the ODESSA organization and plans to reform the Reich after the war.
Armanent includes fictional 'Lerche' wire guided torpedoes. The Germans did deploy a wire guided torpedo during WWII, the G7ef NYK 'Spinne' which was only used by shore installations although submarine launched versions were in development at the end of the war.

Germany ('Present Day')

Emden
Type 206 Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: German submarines are not named.

Plot summary: It is the early 1990s, a chance discovery by a team laying a gas pipeline across the North Sea leads to the uncovering of a plot by those who 'didn't believe in no surrender' at the end of WWII.

Note: For the authors history, see the entry for 'The Phoenix Odyssey' (1986).