Fictional Warships - Novels
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F.L.
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Hergé, Le Manitoba ne répond plus - "Manitoba is not responding" / 1936
Plot : An ocean liner named "Manitoba" was sailing from New York to Liverpool, when it suddenly experienced engine failure in the middle of the ocean and for some time all passengers and crew members were unconscious. When they woke up, they found that many jewellery and valuables had disappeared without a trace. Jo, Zette and Joko got involved in this adventure by accident when they were boating on the beach and they discovered that there was a hidden underwater station led by a genius professor who created many strange things.
USA
USS Eagle
New York-class battleship, used for escorting the "Washington", a civil ship.
Plot : An ocean liner named "Manitoba" was sailing from New York to Liverpool, when it suddenly experienced engine failure in the middle of the ocean and for some time all passengers and crew members were unconscious. When they woke up, they found that many jewellery and valuables had disappeared without a trace. Jo, Zette and Joko got involved in this adventure by accident when they were boating on the beach and they discovered that there was a hidden underwater station led by a genius professor who created many strange things.
USA
USS Eagle
New York-class battleship, used for escorting the "Washington", a civil ship.
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F.L.
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Felicísimo Coria & Henri Vernes, Les Dents du Tigre - "Tiger's teeth" / 2010
Plot : Bob Morane, Bill Ballatine and Frank Reeves set off on an archaeological expedition to the Himalayas in search of the mythical city of the Lungs. There they discover that the Lungs do exist and that they are preparing to conquer Asia.
USA
USS Omaha (CVN-??)
Nimitz-class (?) aircraft carrier, with F/A-18 air group.
Plot : Bob Morane, Bill Ballatine and Frank Reeves set off on an archaeological expedition to the Himalayas in search of the mythical city of the Lungs. There they discover that the Lungs do exist and that they are preparing to conquer Asia.
USA
USS Omaha (CVN-??)
Nimitz-class (?) aircraft carrier, with F/A-18 air group.
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A small update, and an interesting one. In 2022 Piccadilly Publishing, an ebook publisher specializing in action/adventure novels got the rights to re-issue J. E. MacDonnell's naval fiction.
As of January 2024, 18 of the authors novels have been re-issued. I've updated two entries for J. E. MacDonnell novels ('The Surgeon' (1959) & 'Command' (1958)) to show the covers that have been created for these reprints.
As of January 2024, 18 of the authors novels have been re-issued. I've updated two entries for J. E. MacDonnell novels ('The Surgeon' (1959) & 'Command' (1958)) to show the covers that have been created for these reprints.
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The true class identity of another J. E. MacDonnell warship has been located and can be found in the updated entries for 'The Gunner' (1959) & 'Close and Investigate' (1965)
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Dominic Teague, Dawn of the Gorgons, published as Commando Comics Nº. 5689 (2023)
United Kingdom
HMS Wyndham
Centaur Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Ship is explicitly identified as being of this class when it is introduced. It's serving as a 'Commando Carrier' for Operation Musketeer, the abortive Anglo-French invasion of Egypt in 1956. Name does not fit the class.
Plot Summary: As the RN concentrates prior to the first landings in Egypt one ship stumbles across a freighter acting oddly. The boarding party finds the cargo to be highly detailed statues some bearing expressions of shock and terror, but who, or what created them...
Note: This the sequel to October 2022's 'Night of the Gorgons' published as Commando Comics Nº. 5589 by the same author, a WWII set story that has no naval content. Certain events in this story suggest that a sequel is in the works for October 2024.
United Kingdom
HMS Wyndham
Centaur Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Ship is explicitly identified as being of this class when it is introduced. It's serving as a 'Commando Carrier' for Operation Musketeer, the abortive Anglo-French invasion of Egypt in 1956. Name does not fit the class.
Plot Summary: As the RN concentrates prior to the first landings in Egypt one ship stumbles across a freighter acting oddly. The boarding party finds the cargo to be highly detailed statues some bearing expressions of shock and terror, but who, or what created them...
Note: This the sequel to October 2022's 'Night of the Gorgons' published as Commando Comics Nº. 5589 by the same author, a WWII set story that has no naval content. Certain events in this story suggest that a sequel is in the works for October 2024.
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F.L.
ACCESS: Top Secret
Dilandu
I'm dissatisfied, which means, I exist.
Erm? It's quite well-drawn Project 1134-A "Berkut-A" class large anti-submarine ship (NATO "Kara"-class)
Since the 1134-A series ships were named after famous admirals, I assume it is supposed to be "Admiral Akirov" (not the most common, but perfectly possible Tatar surname)
F.L.
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Dilandu
I'm dissatisfied, which means, I exist.
You are welcome)
Don't blink..........
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Don't look, full stop...
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Nicolas Harvey, Twelve Mile Bank (AJ Bailey: 1), 2017
Germany (WWII)
U-1026
Type VIIC/41 U-Boat
Commissioned: May 1944
Sunk: May 1945
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The pennant number is that of a Type VII/C U-Boat that was launched in May 1944, but never comissioned and scuttled in an incomplete state in May 1945. In the novel the submarine is scuttled off the Cayman Islands by the crew during their third war patrol.
The author specifically states in their after story notes that they were aware of the real life submarine, probably through the website uboat.net, which I use as a source to vet U-Boat pennant numbers when I come across them in fiction.
Plot summary: A chance find while clearing out a fishing boat prior to it being offered for sale, leads a diveboat operator and her friends into a race to find a treasure lost in the dying days of the Second World War.
Note: This is the first in a series of action/adventure novels based around a diveboat operator and her friends. The backstory to the treasure is same idea used by author Patrick O'Hara as the basis of 1978 novel 'The Wohldorf Shipment' which has been covered earlier in the thread, namely that the submarine was being used to ship valuables stolen by the Nazi's to South America.
Germany (WWII)
U-1026
Type VIIC/41 U-Boat
Commissioned: May 1944
Sunk: May 1945
Details as per the real ships.
Note: The pennant number is that of a Type VII/C U-Boat that was launched in May 1944, but never comissioned and scuttled in an incomplete state in May 1945. In the novel the submarine is scuttled off the Cayman Islands by the crew during their third war patrol.
The author specifically states in their after story notes that they were aware of the real life submarine, probably through the website uboat.net, which I use as a source to vet U-Boat pennant numbers when I come across them in fiction.
Plot summary: A chance find while clearing out a fishing boat prior to it being offered for sale, leads a diveboat operator and her friends into a race to find a treasure lost in the dying days of the Second World War.
Note: This is the first in a series of action/adventure novels based around a diveboat operator and her friends. The backstory to the treasure is same idea used by author Patrick O'Hara as the basis of 1978 novel 'The Wohldorf Shipment' which has been covered earlier in the thread, namely that the submarine was being used to ship valuables stolen by the Nazi's to South America.
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J. E. MacDonnell, The Recommend, 1960
Australia
HMAS Termagant
J, K & N Class Destroyer?
Details as per the real ships
Note: Name clash with HMS Termagant, a T Class destroyer launched in 1943, converted post war into a Type 16 Frigate and scrapped in 1965.
Japan
Various Unnamed Submarines
Plot summary: The reward for success in war, more hard work...
Notes: 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), 'Dive,Dive,Dive!' (1959), 'The Gunner' (1959), 'The Surgeon' (1959), 'The Secret Weapon' (1959), 'Subsmash' (1960), 'Convoy' (1960), 'The Coxswain' (1960), 'The Blind Eye' (1961), 'The Ordeal' (1961), 'The Rocky' (1961), 'Away Borders!' (1962, 'Sainsbury VC' (1962), 'U-Boat' (1962), 'Not Under Command' (1963), 'Collision Course' (1964), 'Killer Group' (1964), 'Close And Investigate' (1965), 'Under Sealed Orders' (1965), 'Hell Ship' (1966), 'The Snake Boats' (1967), 'Approved to Scrap' (1968), 'Full Fathom Five' (1968), 'Judas Rat' (1968), 'The Hammer of God' (1968), 'Petty Officer Brady' (1968), 'Hunter-Killer' (1968), 'To The Death' (1969), 'The Last Stand' (1970), 'Blind Into Doom' (1972), 'The Kill', (1974), 'Standoff' (1977) '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).
This novel like 'Dive,Dive,Dive!' (1959) and 'Blind Into Doom' (1972) is a one-off story that features neither characters nor ships from the majority of his other naval fiction works. The two covers attached are the original Horwitz cover which depicts a scene from towards the end of the novel and the rather odd computer manipulated image Picadilly Publishing used in their Blue Cover ebook series.
Australia
HMAS Termagant
J, K & N Class Destroyer?
Details as per the real ships
Note: Name clash with HMS Termagant, a T Class destroyer launched in 1943, converted post war into a Type 16 Frigate and scrapped in 1965.
Japan
Various Unnamed Submarines
Plot summary: The reward for success in war, more hard work...
Notes: 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), 'Dive,Dive,Dive!' (1959), 'The Gunner' (1959), 'The Surgeon' (1959), 'The Secret Weapon' (1959), 'Subsmash' (1960), 'Convoy' (1960), 'The Coxswain' (1960), 'The Blind Eye' (1961), 'The Ordeal' (1961), 'The Rocky' (1961), 'Away Borders!' (1962, 'Sainsbury VC' (1962), 'U-Boat' (1962), 'Not Under Command' (1963), 'Collision Course' (1964), 'Killer Group' (1964), 'Close And Investigate' (1965), 'Under Sealed Orders' (1965), 'Hell Ship' (1966), 'The Snake Boats' (1967), 'Approved to Scrap' (1968), 'Full Fathom Five' (1968), 'Judas Rat' (1968), 'The Hammer of God' (1968), 'Petty Officer Brady' (1968), 'Hunter-Killer' (1968), 'To The Death' (1969), 'The Last Stand' (1970), 'Blind Into Doom' (1972), 'The Kill', (1974), 'Standoff' (1977) '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).
This novel like 'Dive,Dive,Dive!' (1959) and 'Blind Into Doom' (1972) is a one-off story that features neither characters nor ships from the majority of his other naval fiction works. The two covers attached are the original Horwitz cover which depicts a scene from towards the end of the novel and the rather odd computer manipulated image Picadilly Publishing used in their Blue Cover ebook series.
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Clegg (Pseud.), Sea Snatch, first published in Commando Comics Nº. 502 (1970), republished as Commando Comics Nº.5696 (2023)
Germany
Brunkel
U-Boat Supply Ship
Armament (Based on the illustration): 8 x 37mm guns in four twin mounts.
The illustration suggests the ship is a converted merchant vessel.
Unnamed S-Boats
United Kingdom
Unnamed MTBs
Plot summary: For two Norwegian pilots in the RAF, the decision to help out the Norwegian Resistance was an easy one, they just should have run it past their C.O. first...
Germany
Brunkel
U-Boat Supply Ship
Armament (Based on the illustration): 8 x 37mm guns in four twin mounts.
The illustration suggests the ship is a converted merchant vessel.
Unnamed S-Boats
United Kingdom
Unnamed MTBs
Plot summary: For two Norwegian pilots in the RAF, the decision to help out the Norwegian Resistance was an easy one, they just should have run it past their C.O. first...
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Durand Keifer, Destroyer For England, published in Adventure Magazine, June 1941
United Kingdom
HMS Huntington (ex-USS Wingate)
Town Class Destroyer
Details as per one of the three classes (Clemson, Wickes, Caldwell) of US destroyer that were transferred in the 1940 'Bases for Destroyers' deal. The story does not provide sufficient detail to pin down which class the ship was.
Plot summary: A recently discharged member of the US Navy joins the Royal Navy to see his old ship across the Atlantic in the days before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
United Kingdom
HMS Huntington (ex-USS Wingate)
Town Class Destroyer
Details as per one of the three classes (Clemson, Wickes, Caldwell) of US destroyer that were transferred in the 1940 'Bases for Destroyers' deal. The story does not provide sufficient detail to pin down which class the ship was.
Plot summary: A recently discharged member of the US Navy joins the Royal Navy to see his old ship across the Atlantic in the days before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
TheRejectionist
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Dilandu
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John-Allen Price, Extinction Cruise, 1987
Russia (Soviet Union)
Giena
Primor'ye (Pr.394B) Class Spy Ship
Details as per the real ships
Baykal
Primor'ye (Pr.394B) Class Spy Ship
Details as per the real ships
'Queens Pawn Twelve' (Real name - ?)
Delta Class Submarine (Subclass not specified)
Details as per the real ships
Note: The author never gives the submarine an actual name despite scenes aboard her involving her crew, or during later scenes involving Soviet naval officers discussing the submarine. At one point in the novel he reveals a code identity 'Queens Pawn Twelve' and this is used alternating with 'submarine' or 'the submarine' throughout the novel subsequently.
Kronstadt
Oscar (Pr. 949) SSGN, subclass not specified
No other details provided
Sergei Chirikov
Victor III (Pr. 671RTM/RTMK) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Possibly real, I cannot find a good source for Victor Class names.
Bugayev
Victor III (Pr. 671RTM/RTMK) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Possibly real, I cannot find a good source for Victor Class names.
Komsomolec
Kiev (Pr. 1143) Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Maxim Gorky
CVN, class not specified
Note: Type assignment based on the lines that immediately follows the mention of the ships name, "When we last met you boasted as much to me. Or, have you been promised a command on our next nuclear-powered aircraft carrier?"
Mikhail Kalinin
Oiler, class not specified.
No other details provided
Vladimir Davidov
Oiler, class not specified
Note: Described as a 'half-sister' to the Mikhail Kalinin.
All other ships mentioned in the novel are real.
Norway
HNoMS Stavanger (F303)
Oslo Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service 1966 - 1988
United Kingdom
HMS Illustrious (R06)
Invincible Class Aircraft Carrier.
Real ship, details as in service 1982 - 2014
RFA Reliant (A131)
Helicopter Support Ship
Real ship, details as in service 1983 - 1986
All other ships mentioned in the novel are real.
United States
USS Henry Clay (SSBN-625)
Real ship, details as in service 1964 - 1990
In the novel the ship is fitted with a system named 'Sub-Scape' that releases friction reducing polymers from nozzles around the submarines hull, this permits a temporary doubling of the submarines underwater speed.
USS Buffalo (SSN-715)
Real ship, details as in service 1983 - 2017
In the novel the ship is fitted with a system named 'Sub-Scape' that releases friction reducing polymers from nozzles around the submarines hull, this permits a temporary doubling of the submarines underwater speed.
All other ships mentioned are real. The implication in the novel is that all US nuclear submarines are fitted with 'Sub-Scape' but this is not explicitly stated by the author.
Plot summary. The year is 1989 (The novel takes place between June 22nd and July 6th of this year.) at a time of high international tension, the crew of a Soviet SSBN decide to defect to the West, setting off a crisis that brings the world to the brink of WWIII.
Note: The novel, aside from borrowing heavily from the iconic 'The Hunt For Red October' (1984) by Tom Clancy, is another work that exhibits a 'future of the past' quality, as real world events rapidly made the authors plotline obsolete.
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), '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.). Other noteable 'Future of the Past' series I've covered are the four book 'Amanda Garrett' series ('Choosers of the Slain' (1996), 'Stormdragon' (1997), 'Seafighter' (1999) & 'Target Lock' (2002)) by James H. Cobb and the 'America's Cup Trilogy' ('Challenge' (1990), 'New World' (1991) & 'Death Of An Angel' (1992)) by Warwick Collins.
Russia (Soviet Union)
Giena
Primor'ye (Pr.394B) Class Spy Ship
Details as per the real ships
Baykal
Primor'ye (Pr.394B) Class Spy Ship
Details as per the real ships
'Queens Pawn Twelve' (Real name - ?)
Delta Class Submarine (Subclass not specified)
Details as per the real ships
Note: The author never gives the submarine an actual name despite scenes aboard her involving her crew, or during later scenes involving Soviet naval officers discussing the submarine. At one point in the novel he reveals a code identity 'Queens Pawn Twelve' and this is used alternating with 'submarine' or 'the submarine' throughout the novel subsequently.
Kronstadt
Oscar (Pr. 949) SSGN, subclass not specified
No other details provided
Sergei Chirikov
Victor III (Pr. 671RTM/RTMK) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Possibly real, I cannot find a good source for Victor Class names.
Bugayev
Victor III (Pr. 671RTM/RTMK) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Possibly real, I cannot find a good source for Victor Class names.
Komsomolec
Kiev (Pr. 1143) Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Maxim Gorky
CVN, class not specified
Note: Type assignment based on the lines that immediately follows the mention of the ships name, "When we last met you boasted as much to me. Or, have you been promised a command on our next nuclear-powered aircraft carrier?"
Mikhail Kalinin
Oiler, class not specified.
No other details provided
Vladimir Davidov
Oiler, class not specified
Note: Described as a 'half-sister' to the Mikhail Kalinin.
All other ships mentioned in the novel are real.
Norway
HNoMS Stavanger (F303)
Oslo Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service 1966 - 1988
United Kingdom
HMS Illustrious (R06)
Invincible Class Aircraft Carrier.
Real ship, details as in service 1982 - 2014
RFA Reliant (A131)
Helicopter Support Ship
Real ship, details as in service 1983 - 1986
All other ships mentioned in the novel are real.
United States
USS Henry Clay (SSBN-625)
Real ship, details as in service 1964 - 1990
In the novel the ship is fitted with a system named 'Sub-Scape' that releases friction reducing polymers from nozzles around the submarines hull, this permits a temporary doubling of the submarines underwater speed.
USS Buffalo (SSN-715)
Real ship, details as in service 1983 - 2017
In the novel the ship is fitted with a system named 'Sub-Scape' that releases friction reducing polymers from nozzles around the submarines hull, this permits a temporary doubling of the submarines underwater speed.
All other ships mentioned are real. The implication in the novel is that all US nuclear submarines are fitted with 'Sub-Scape' but this is not explicitly stated by the author.
Plot summary. The year is 1989 (The novel takes place between June 22nd and July 6th of this year.) at a time of high international tension, the crew of a Soviet SSBN decide to defect to the West, setting off a crisis that brings the world to the brink of WWIII.
Note: The novel, aside from borrowing heavily from the iconic 'The Hunt For Red October' (1984) by Tom Clancy, is another work that exhibits a 'future of the past' quality, as real world events rapidly made the authors plotline obsolete.
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), '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.). Other noteable 'Future of the Past' series I've covered are the four book 'Amanda Garrett' series ('Choosers of the Slain' (1996), 'Stormdragon' (1997), 'Seafighter' (1999) & 'Target Lock' (2002)) by James H. Cobb and the 'America's Cup Trilogy' ('Challenge' (1990), 'New World' (1991) & 'Death Of An Angel' (1992)) by Warwick Collins.
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Scott Kenny
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That was certainly one of the ideas that the USN was kicking around in the 1980s... I think it was even tested at some scale, but not on a ship.
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Thanks for the additional information.
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J. E. MacDonnell, Mission Hopeless, 1968
Australia
HMAS Wind Rode (G46)
Tribal Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: The name does not fit the class. Also appears in several other of the authors many novels. In other entries in this thread I had identified this as a J, K & N Class Destroyer, which is my version of the non-descript term 'Fleet Destroyer' used by the author. This only applies for those entries where the author does not identify the ship as a V & W Class Destroyer. The ships true class identity is revealed in the closing pages of the 1959 novel 'The Gunner'.
HMAS Circe
'Destroyer', class not specified.
No class specifics are provided.
Note: Most likely a 'J, K & N Class Destroyer' or what the author termed a 'Fleet Destroyer'. The name clashes both with a minesweeper that entered service in 1939 and transferred to Australia as HMAS Medea in 1942 and with a minesweeper launched in 1942 and scrapped in 1967.
HMAS Jackal (ex-HMAS Fane, ex-HMS Jutland)
Battle Class Destroyer (1943)
Details as per the real ships
Note: The name clashes with that of a J Class destroyer named HMS Jackal that was sunk in May of 1942. The name also appears in the authors fiction in the form of an R Class (WWII) Destroyer that is captained by the character 'Dutchy' Holland until some time after November 6, 1944 when it is scrapped due to battle damage. The Battle Class Destroyer was gifted to Australia by the British as a stop-gap until "...our Tribals come into commission." There were three Tribal Class Destroyers built in Australia, the first two HMAS Arunta & HMAS Warramunga entered service in 1942. The last one HMAS Bataan (ex-HMAS Kurnai) did not enter service until 1945.
There were actually two Battle Class Destroyers named HMS Jutland, the first was scrapped incomplete in 1957, the second started construction as HMS Malplaquet but was renamed prior to launch in 1946.
In the novel 'Approved to Scrap' (1968), Holland is assigned the ship under the name HMAS Fane, in this novel it is revealed that he successfully applied pressure on the RAN Naming Commission to have the ship renamed HMAS Jackal shortly after taking command.
Japan
I-128
Submarine (Minelayer), class not specified.
No other details provided.
Note: The author has the characters consult a fictional edition of 'Janes Fighting Ships' for details on the submarine. I suspect that the author used real editions of Janes when he was writing. The only IJN minelaying submarines were the Type I-121 Class built in the 1920s. They were I-21, I-22, I-23 and I-24 which in 1938 were renumbered I-121, I-122, I-123 and I-124. There were no other submarines in the I-12x series. The dialog in the novel implies that the presumed I-125 to I-128 were an improved version of the earlier class, though no specifics are provided as to what these changes were.
Other Unnamed warships.
Plot summary: Skill can carry you only so far in war, sometimes luck is needed and sometimes luck can run out...
Note: This is an unusual novel in the authors output, before the story the reader is treated to a foreward relaying an old anecdote in which a scriptwriter for a long running radio drama asks for a payrise, is refused and retaliates by writing the series hero into an impossible position and then tendering his resignation. Since no-one else can figure out how to continue the story, the screenwriter is lured back with higher pay.
It's a tale that has similarities to one told by author John D. MacDonald about how he had created a 20 or so page manuscript in which his popular series hero 'Travis McGee' was killed off as a bargaining chip to show to publishers when discussing royalty payments. This story led to rumors that the author had written a full novel in which the hero is killed off to be published after the authors death, rumors which were proven false in the event.
As to the version given in the stories foreward, this is more or less what happens at the end of the tale. One of his series characters find's themselves facing off alone against a major Japanese taskforce and escapes in a manner that can only be described as unlikely. Did the author have his own confontation with his publishers over payment? It's a secret the author took to his grave.
Australia
HMAS Wind Rode (G46)
Tribal Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: The name does not fit the class. Also appears in several other of the authors many novels. In other entries in this thread I had identified this as a J, K & N Class Destroyer, which is my version of the non-descript term 'Fleet Destroyer' used by the author. This only applies for those entries where the author does not identify the ship as a V & W Class Destroyer. The ships true class identity is revealed in the closing pages of the 1959 novel 'The Gunner'.
HMAS Circe
'Destroyer', class not specified.
No class specifics are provided.
Note: Most likely a 'J, K & N Class Destroyer' or what the author termed a 'Fleet Destroyer'. The name clashes both with a minesweeper that entered service in 1939 and transferred to Australia as HMAS Medea in 1942 and with a minesweeper launched in 1942 and scrapped in 1967.
HMAS Jackal (ex-HMAS Fane, ex-HMS Jutland)
Battle Class Destroyer (1943)
Details as per the real ships
Note: The name clashes with that of a J Class destroyer named HMS Jackal that was sunk in May of 1942. The name also appears in the authors fiction in the form of an R Class (WWII) Destroyer that is captained by the character 'Dutchy' Holland until some time after November 6, 1944 when it is scrapped due to battle damage. The Battle Class Destroyer was gifted to Australia by the British as a stop-gap until "...our Tribals come into commission." There were three Tribal Class Destroyers built in Australia, the first two HMAS Arunta & HMAS Warramunga entered service in 1942. The last one HMAS Bataan (ex-HMAS Kurnai) did not enter service until 1945.
There were actually two Battle Class Destroyers named HMS Jutland, the first was scrapped incomplete in 1957, the second started construction as HMS Malplaquet but was renamed prior to launch in 1946.
In the novel 'Approved to Scrap' (1968), Holland is assigned the ship under the name HMAS Fane, in this novel it is revealed that he successfully applied pressure on the RAN Naming Commission to have the ship renamed HMAS Jackal shortly after taking command.
Japan
I-128
Submarine (Minelayer), class not specified.
No other details provided.
Note: The author has the characters consult a fictional edition of 'Janes Fighting Ships' for details on the submarine. I suspect that the author used real editions of Janes when he was writing. The only IJN minelaying submarines were the Type I-121 Class built in the 1920s. They were I-21, I-22, I-23 and I-24 which in 1938 were renumbered I-121, I-122, I-123 and I-124. There were no other submarines in the I-12x series. The dialog in the novel implies that the presumed I-125 to I-128 were an improved version of the earlier class, though no specifics are provided as to what these changes were.
Other Unnamed warships.
Plot summary: Skill can carry you only so far in war, sometimes luck is needed and sometimes luck can run out...
Note: This is an unusual novel in the authors output, before the story the reader is treated to a foreward relaying an old anecdote in which a scriptwriter for a long running radio drama asks for a payrise, is refused and retaliates by writing the series hero into an impossible position and then tendering his resignation. Since no-one else can figure out how to continue the story, the screenwriter is lured back with higher pay.
It's a tale that has similarities to one told by author John D. MacDonald about how he had created a 20 or so page manuscript in which his popular series hero 'Travis McGee' was killed off as a bargaining chip to show to publishers when discussing royalty payments. This story led to rumors that the author had written a full novel in which the hero is killed off to be published after the authors death, rumors which were proven false in the event.
As to the version given in the stories foreward, this is more or less what happens at the end of the tale. One of his series characters find's themselves facing off alone against a major Japanese taskforce and escapes in a manner that can only be described as unlikely. Did the author have his own confontation with his publishers over payment? It's a secret the author took to his grave.
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Irving A. Greenfield, Death Dive (Depth Force: 2), 1984
United States
USS Shark
Submarine, class not specified
Displacement: 25,000 tons
Length: 352ft (107.3m)
Beam: 45ft (13.7m)
Rated Maximum Operating depth: 3000ft
Engines: Nuclear (Uses High, rather than low pressure steam)
Speed: 60knots (Max, not specified if submerged or surfaced speed.)
Crew: 40
Armament: Unspecified Surface to Air & Surface to Surface Missiles, 4 x ICBMs with MIRV warheads (Most likely Tridents), 8 x TT (4 bow and 4 stern), 2 x 6 inch guns, 2 x 20mm guns mounted in the sail.
Electronics: The submarine is highly automated allowing many standard crew positions to be eliminated. The computer provides three dimensional projections of the submarines surrounds through two systems. The Grid Display Table (GDT) provides a precise map of the submarines surroundings and also allows a sonar 'snapshot' of everything within a 5000yard (4.6km) sphere of the submarine to be taken. The UnderWater Image Screen (UWIS) is a visual imager that displays a synthetic image of the submarines exterior based on the input from the submarines sensors. Also fitted is an Aircraft Target Indicator (ATI) capable of tracking 50 airborne targets simultaneously and determining their threat priority.
Hull: Three layer construction, outer layer is steel, middle layer is a glass like form of silicone and the inner layer is aluminum.
Also carries two "...undersea recon craft...". These are described as "...delta wing shaped and driven by an electric motor... fifteen knots under water and four at the surface. They were equipped with sufficient air supply... two men for six hours and they were armed with four mini torpedoes, each of which had an effective operating range of four thousand yards."
Note: Conning tower is retracted into the hull underwater to allow for the high speed. The submarine is not attached to the United States Navy but is operating under the auspices of the CIA.
MV Tecumseh
Submarine Support Ship (Modified Oil Tanker)
No specifics as to dimensions, but large enough to house a dock for the USS Shark inside the hull.
Engines: Nuclear (Stated to be identical to the power plant used on the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers, the ship has been designed to simulate use of a conventional power plant.)
Note: Nominally owned by the Thomas W. Williams Company (Stated to be a shell company owned by the CIA.), the crew of the USS Shark are listed as crew members, but there is also a cover crew on board. During the briefing it's stated the idea for this ship was taken from an "...old James Bond film." This is the film 'From Russia with Love', whose novelization I've covered earlier in the thread.
USS George Washington
'Aircraft Carrier', class not specified. Possibly the Nimitz Class Carrier of the same name, see the notes below.
No other details provided
Note: At the time the novel came out the name would have clashed with the lead ship of the George Washington Class SSBNs, the next ship to bear the name was the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) which entered service in 1992 having been ordered in 1982. It is possible the author meant this to be the Nimitz Class ship, but no class specifics are mentioned.
USS Stanley
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'escort destroyer'
USS Harris
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'escort destroyer'
USS Seward
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'escort destroyer'
USS Barley
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'escort destroyer'
USS Paul
'Frigate', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'guided missile frigate'
USS Victor
'Frigate', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'guided missile frigate'
Russia
Q-21
Submarine (SSN), class not specified
Speed: 40 knots (Submerged)
Crew: 42
Armament: 5 x IRBMs (Three fwd of conning tower, two aft), 1 x 130mm gun (FWD), 2 x ZSU-23 AA guns (One on conning tower, one aft of conning tower), 6 x TT (4 bow, 2 stern)
Can handle all types of torpedos currently in service with the Russian navy, also carries torpedoes that are sonar (5km range)/television (500m) guided.
Captain has unofficialy named the ship "...More Dekar'..." which the author translates as 'Sea Savage', according to Google Translate the correct Russian would be "...Morskoy Dikar'..."
No other details provided.
Plot summary: Following their harrowing mission to destroy a Soviet missile base in the South Pacific, the crew of the USS Shark are given a break before being pitched into an operation designed to stop the Russians from salvaging gold from shipwrecks off the Skeleton Coast of Africa.
Note: This is the second in a series that ran between 1984 and 1992, sporting impressive covers that should have been used for the fiction of Richard P. Henrick, the plots by veteran author Irving A. Greenfield are more foccused on intercharacter relationships than straight up action. The basic structure for each novel was, first resolve the ending of the previous novel. Then follow with a 'soap opera' interlude with lots of sex that takes up much of the book. From this interlude emerge plot threads that build to an action climax that ends in a cliffhanger. It's been speculated that the reason for the series relative success was the decision to end each story on a cliffhanger that was resolved at the start of the next novel in the series.
The two covers are, the original Zebra cover, taken from a rather battered edition I found in the 'cheap books' pile outside a second hand bookshop and the other comes from a recent eBook re-issue by UK Based eBook publisher Sapere Books who I think would have been better served had they obtained the rights to republish Richard P. Henrick's fiction
United States
USS Shark
Submarine, class not specified
Displacement: 25,000 tons
Length: 352ft (107.3m)
Beam: 45ft (13.7m)
Rated Maximum Operating depth: 3000ft
Engines: Nuclear (Uses High, rather than low pressure steam)
Speed: 60knots (Max, not specified if submerged or surfaced speed.)
Crew: 40
Armament: Unspecified Surface to Air & Surface to Surface Missiles, 4 x ICBMs with MIRV warheads (Most likely Tridents), 8 x TT (4 bow and 4 stern), 2 x 6 inch guns, 2 x 20mm guns mounted in the sail.
Electronics: The submarine is highly automated allowing many standard crew positions to be eliminated. The computer provides three dimensional projections of the submarines surrounds through two systems. The Grid Display Table (GDT) provides a precise map of the submarines surroundings and also allows a sonar 'snapshot' of everything within a 5000yard (4.6km) sphere of the submarine to be taken. The UnderWater Image Screen (UWIS) is a visual imager that displays a synthetic image of the submarines exterior based on the input from the submarines sensors. Also fitted is an Aircraft Target Indicator (ATI) capable of tracking 50 airborne targets simultaneously and determining their threat priority.
Hull: Three layer construction, outer layer is steel, middle layer is a glass like form of silicone and the inner layer is aluminum.
Also carries two "...undersea recon craft...". These are described as "...delta wing shaped and driven by an electric motor... fifteen knots under water and four at the surface. They were equipped with sufficient air supply... two men for six hours and they were armed with four mini torpedoes, each of which had an effective operating range of four thousand yards."
Note: Conning tower is retracted into the hull underwater to allow for the high speed. The submarine is not attached to the United States Navy but is operating under the auspices of the CIA.
MV Tecumseh
Submarine Support Ship (Modified Oil Tanker)
No specifics as to dimensions, but large enough to house a dock for the USS Shark inside the hull.
Engines: Nuclear (Stated to be identical to the power plant used on the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers, the ship has been designed to simulate use of a conventional power plant.)
Note: Nominally owned by the Thomas W. Williams Company (Stated to be a shell company owned by the CIA.), the crew of the USS Shark are listed as crew members, but there is also a cover crew on board. During the briefing it's stated the idea for this ship was taken from an "...old James Bond film." This is the film 'From Russia with Love', whose novelization I've covered earlier in the thread.
USS George Washington
'Aircraft Carrier', class not specified. Possibly the Nimitz Class Carrier of the same name, see the notes below.
No other details provided
Note: At the time the novel came out the name would have clashed with the lead ship of the George Washington Class SSBNs, the next ship to bear the name was the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) which entered service in 1992 having been ordered in 1982. It is possible the author meant this to be the Nimitz Class ship, but no class specifics are mentioned.
USS Stanley
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'escort destroyer'
USS Harris
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'escort destroyer'
USS Seward
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'escort destroyer'
USS Barley
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'escort destroyer'
USS Paul
'Frigate', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'guided missile frigate'
USS Victor
'Frigate', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Author calls the ship an 'guided missile frigate'
Russia
Q-21
Submarine (SSN), class not specified
Speed: 40 knots (Submerged)
Crew: 42
Armament: 5 x IRBMs (Three fwd of conning tower, two aft), 1 x 130mm gun (FWD), 2 x ZSU-23 AA guns (One on conning tower, one aft of conning tower), 6 x TT (4 bow, 2 stern)
Can handle all types of torpedos currently in service with the Russian navy, also carries torpedoes that are sonar (5km range)/television (500m) guided.
Captain has unofficialy named the ship "...More Dekar'..." which the author translates as 'Sea Savage', according to Google Translate the correct Russian would be "...Morskoy Dikar'..."
No other details provided.
Plot summary: Following their harrowing mission to destroy a Soviet missile base in the South Pacific, the crew of the USS Shark are given a break before being pitched into an operation designed to stop the Russians from salvaging gold from shipwrecks off the Skeleton Coast of Africa.
Note: This is the second in a series that ran between 1984 and 1992, sporting impressive covers that should have been used for the fiction of Richard P. Henrick, the plots by veteran author Irving A. Greenfield are more foccused on intercharacter relationships than straight up action. The basic structure for each novel was, first resolve the ending of the previous novel. Then follow with a 'soap opera' interlude with lots of sex that takes up much of the book. From this interlude emerge plot threads that build to an action climax that ends in a cliffhanger. It's been speculated that the reason for the series relative success was the decision to end each story on a cliffhanger that was resolved at the start of the next novel in the series.
The two covers are, the original Zebra cover, taken from a rather battered edition I found in the 'cheap books' pile outside a second hand bookshop and the other comes from a recent eBook re-issue by UK Based eBook publisher Sapere Books who I think would have been better served had they obtained the rights to republish Richard P. Henrick's fiction
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