There's a quote (which I am now unable to find), attributed to the then CNO, Admiral William M. Fechteler who was asked what he thought of the Caine Mutiny (this was when people were afraid to say they liked it. The Admiral's response was to the effect that in all his years of naval service, he had seen every one of the characters in the book, just not all on the same ship at the same time. According to my dad who first told me the story, that let serving oficers know that it was okay to admit that they liked it and saw some truth in it.
I was an early reader and from at least age 8 wanted to go to sea. So I read sea stories extensively. One book you didn’t mention but might find interesting was “The Arnheiter Affair.” https://a.co/d/3Zoklq9
BTW, I DID go to sea. ~30 years. USN, US Merchant Marine. Retired Navy SWO CDR. Military, merchant, US flag, foreign flag, USNS. Union, non-union. ~28 ships but many repeats among them. Loved it — what can I say?
Thanks. Funny you should mention the Arnheiter Affair. I have that book on my desk now after reading it some 30 years ago. He was USNA Class of '52 - several years ago I was made an honorary member of that class so got a lot of stories and thought about writing about him for my Footnotes in History Substack on Wednesdays.
Antoine Vanner has a 12 book series called the Dawlish Chronicles. It spans the period 1864 -1888 so far and follows the career of Royal Navy Officer Nicholas Dawlish. Superbly written. Fills a neglected gap in naval fiction. The author puts you there, sailing for Queen and country all over the British Empire. I think Mr. Vanner intends the series to run to WWI.
I got steered here by CDR Salamander's post today. Why was I interested? I am in the middle of Pariah, book 1 of the Stark series. Am liking it a lot, just bought the 2nd and 3rd books at Amazon.
Do not underestimate Delilah. Delilah is a novel by Marcus Goodrich first published in 1941. It revolves around the activities of the fictional American destroyer, the USS Delilah, and her crew in and around the Philippines in the time period from 1916 to 1917. The novel is loosely based on Goodrich's own experiences as a sailor on board the USS Chauncey, a destroyer. Much of the book constitutes detailed descriptions of various characters, punctuated by plot developments associated with the ship's mission in general support of maintaining order in the southern islands of the Filipino archipelago, populated by Muslim natives dissatisfied with the center of government in the northern island of Luzon.
This is a fun concept for a post. Of course no matter how many officers you choose, you’re always going to miss someone’s favorite. Alongside Queeg and Keith, I’ve always enjoyed the family of officers in the Henry family in “Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance” - Victor the prototypical pre-war battleship captain, Warren the fair-haired golden child who embraces the newfangled airplane and is offered up as a sacrifice at Midway, and Byron, the rebellious son who takes to the other new emerging technology of the fleet submarine. This post could easily become a book in itself!
Lt Leary is a series by David Drake. If David Weber based Honor Harrington on Horatio Hornblower, then Daid Drake based his series on Aubrey/Matarin. First book, With the Lightings. And, yes, the Lost Fleet deserves a mention.
There's a quote (which I am now unable to find), attributed to the then CNO, Admiral William M. Fechteler who was asked what he thought of the Caine Mutiny (this was when people were afraid to say they liked it. The Admiral's response was to the effect that in all his years of naval service, he had seen every one of the characters in the book, just not all on the same ship at the same time. According to my dad who first told me the story, that let serving oficers know that it was okay to admit that they liked it and saw some truth in it.
True.
Good synopsis — I will be looking up your books!
I was an early reader and from at least age 8 wanted to go to sea. So I read sea stories extensively. One book you didn’t mention but might find interesting was “The Arnheiter Affair.” https://a.co/d/3Zoklq9
BTW, I DID go to sea. ~30 years. USN, US Merchant Marine. Retired Navy SWO CDR. Military, merchant, US flag, foreign flag, USNS. Union, non-union. ~28 ships but many repeats among them. Loved it — what can I say?
Thanks. Funny you should mention the Arnheiter Affair. I have that book on my desk now after reading it some 30 years ago. He was USNA Class of '52 - several years ago I was made an honorary member of that class so got a lot of stories and thought about writing about him for my Footnotes in History Substack on Wednesdays.
I was class of ‘73. I’m not brilliant or witty — I just refuse to give up.
Antoine Vanner has a 12 book series called the Dawlish Chronicles. It spans the period 1864 -1888 so far and follows the career of Royal Navy Officer Nicholas Dawlish. Superbly written. Fills a neglected gap in naval fiction. The author puts you there, sailing for Queen and country all over the British Empire. I think Mr. Vanner intends the series to run to WWI.
I got steered here by CDR Salamander's post today. Why was I interested? I am in the middle of Pariah, book 1 of the Stark series. Am liking it a lot, just bought the 2nd and 3rd books at Amazon.
Thanks for the Vanner suggestion. Looking forward to reading it.
And thanks for reading mine!
Do not underestimate Delilah. Delilah is a novel by Marcus Goodrich first published in 1941. It revolves around the activities of the fictional American destroyer, the USS Delilah, and her crew in and around the Philippines in the time period from 1916 to 1917. The novel is loosely based on Goodrich's own experiences as a sailor on board the USS Chauncey, a destroyer. Much of the book constitutes detailed descriptions of various characters, punctuated by plot developments associated with the ship's mission in general support of maintaining order in the southern islands of the Filipino archipelago, populated by Muslim natives dissatisfied with the center of government in the northern island of Luzon.
Thanks! Was he Casper Goodrich's son?
Adm Casper Goodrich's son was named Casper
This is a fun concept for a post. Of course no matter how many officers you choose, you’re always going to miss someone’s favorite. Alongside Queeg and Keith, I’ve always enjoyed the family of officers in the Henry family in “Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance” - Victor the prototypical pre-war battleship captain, Warren the fair-haired golden child who embraces the newfangled airplane and is offered up as a sacrifice at Midway, and Byron, the rebellious son who takes to the other new emerging technology of the fleet submarine. This post could easily become a book in itself!
I agree. I thought of more after the post and learned of some from those who commented. Join the discussion today at 1700 on Midrats and add your own.
Interesting. Now do Honor Harrington and Lt Leary.
Honor Harrington is easy: flawless
I'm not familiar with Lt Leary but I am with with CDR Geary from The Lost Fleet series. Good point, I should have included them.
Lt Leary is a series by David Drake. If David Weber based Honor Harrington on Horatio Hornblower, then Daid Drake based his series on Aubrey/Matarin. First book, With the Lightings. And, yes, the Lost Fleet deserves a mention.
Thanks for the suggestion. I've been looking for a new series.